Excellent puzzle from Dac, as usual, solving time 14 mins
* = anagram < = reversed
ACROSS
1 HALV(e) AH Pleased to work out a new word from the clear wordplay. Turkish sweetmeat apparently.
4 CONTRACT Double definition
9 V (A CAT) E(t)
10 SP IN(S)TER s.p. = sine prole (Latin – without issue)
11 NOEL COWARD (Adore clown)*
13 EGAD England without the letters in even positions
15 PAST U RES (N) EW Weser (river) <
18 FOOT(ball) THE BILL My first answer, the enumeration helped
21 EXAM (m axe)< marks = former German currency replaced by the euro
22 UNAT TACHED (aunt)* (the cad)*
24 A BING (D)O N bingo = house (game)
25 AGOUTI Hidden
26 LE(i)TH ALLY
27 OLD HAT (Loathed)* less e (last letter of elegance)
DOWN
1 HAVANA a for t in Havant
2 LAC KEY lac = 100,000 rupees (I know this from solving puzzles)
3 ANTICIPATE (titanic ape)*
5 OP (work) POR (TUNIS)T left = port
6 TANG Double definition
7 ANTI GONE Greek mythology
8 TURN DOWN Double definition
12 WESTERN ROLL “Role” such as John Wayne was well known for in films
14 HE’LL (S AN) GEL
16 AFTER ALL Double definition
17 BOTANIST (into bats)*
19 THOUGH(t)
20 A DRIFT
23 AGRA Part of vAGRAncy
For those of you who have never tasted halvah, let me rave about it a little. It’s one of my favorite treats. It’s formed into a firm cake or loaf from ground and pressed sesame seeds plus some sort of oil and a little vanilla flavoring. Then I cut off a small slice, take one bite and experience a moment of ecstasy. A little goes a long way.
It’s one of those things that one either loves passionately, or not at all.
A gentleman in Canada feeds orphaned baby bears on it to great effect, I am told. And though not remotely in such dire need of calorific bolstering, I am not exactly loth to feed me on it. But I digress.
Agree with you NMS – more consistency and excellence in the cluing dept from Dac. Here’s a writer with a genuine understanding of, and concomitant aptitude within, the sub-surface mirk.
Excellent as usual of course, but I felt it was a bit demeaning to call Noel Coward an entertainer. He was, I suppose, but was a bit more.
I agree with everyone else on the quality of the puzzle and with Barbara on halva (the spelling I would tend to use). TANG was the last one to go in for me since I didn’t have the T until the very end, despite how easy CONTRACT was with hindsight, and so thought there too many potential dynasties given my inability to think of a synonym for trace.
Great clue for 17d. ‘Wrong’ as both anagram indicator and saying a botanist is not into bats – would have to be a zoologist to be that.