Harder than usual for Dac, I thought – two brilliant &lit clues involving anagrams and a great puzzle overall – solving time, 36 mins
* = anagram < = reversed
ACROSS
1 COLOURLESS (school rules)* less h = hard Excellent surface
6 GAFF Hidden (indicated by ‘housing’) – another great surface
9 TO (CAP IT AL) L last letter off ‘toll’
10 AC (H) E
11 OENOPHILIST (in lots I hope)* A brilliant & lit In the cryptic reading supply is adv (in a supple manner – anagram indicator)
15 NUN C(I)O
16 CARDIGAN Double definition
18 HARRID AN “harried”
19 SCROLL Double definition move text as on a computer
21 B (RINGING) OUT
24 IRAQ anagram of letters of ‘quatrain’ that are in odd-numbered positions
25 GRAND (OP) ERA Op = work in (arranged)* The second magnificent &lit
26 KLEE (E elk)<
27 D (E PRESS) IVE
DOWN
1 CAT O From ancient Rome
2 LUCE “loose”
3 UN PROM I SING
4 LIT ANY
5 SALOPIAN (Pianola’s)*
7 AC (CRINGe) T ON Stanley Football League club
8 FLEE TINGLY (feel)*
12 I N (DIC) ATIONS “dick”
13 ON THE BLINK (n thin bloke)*
14 IN OR (DI) NATE
17 R AIN TREE Aintree racecourse
20 JOINER Cryptic definition
22 LEVI Hidden
23 CAGE pun on ‘score’ = compose music Composer and ice hockey goal
I had trouble parsing 12D so thanks for that.
I read 24A as a reversal of the odd letters rather than an anagram.
I knew 11A would be an anagram but I’m not familiar with the word so struggled with that one.
Yes, you’re right about IRAQ, Testy. The letters are in correct order (reversed) so ‘about’ is a reversal indicator, not an anagram indicator.
Strange how it goes, Niall. Most days you are significantly faster than I am (today your time for The Times was half mine), yet this seemed to me to be one of Dac’s easier crosswords, and I was under 30 minutes.
But it was right up there with the best of his offerings: repeatedly lovely surfaces, and not a single clue was remotely dodgy. What a shame that such a beautifully-crafted thing will soon be forgotten.