Excellent crossword, as usual, from Dac which I found easy enough, solving time 16 mins.
* = anagram < = reversed
ACROSS
1 C (AND) ID
5 JEREMIAH Book of the Bible, my last entry “Gerry Maya”
9 RE QUESTS
10 BOOZE “Boos”
11 GAL LIA ail< Latin name for Gaul
12 IN SOMNIA (Omanis)*
14 DEPART MEN TALLY
16 CHEESE SOUFFLES (Sous-chef feels)* including E SOUFFLES jumped out of this with the enumeration
19 B(rid)E’S TO WED rid = free
21 CO CO ON
22 PA (VE) D nice pun on ‘flags’
24 C (RUC) I FIX
25 P RICE WAR raw<
26 TINKER A cleverly concealed reverse hidden
DOWN
2 (h)AVE RAGE
3 DOUBLE (A GEN) T
4 DES CARTES which means ‘maps’ in French
5 JUST ICE
6 RE BUS(h) H-Bomb
7 MOO(d)
8 AMENITY (any time)* Excellent surface
13 MALE FACTION
15 TOUT COURT From French, but in usage in English and included in English dicts
16 CHEAPER “Cheeper” – a young bird, such as a chicken, will cheep
17 Shaker IDECAR (a cider)* Some say a nounal anagram indicator can never be used. I’ll have to admit I’m no expert on the deeper intricacies of grammar but ‘a cider concoction” seems fine to me.
18 E MOT I’VE
20 WI(n)DOW
23 V(A)C
Tinker the last one I put in and my favourite in a very good puzzle.
Such good stuff yet again from Dac, and reassuring after yesterday’s puzzle which was a total shocker for me. I loved the soufflé and tinker clues.
I’ve never quite understood the fuss with nounal anagrinds. Admittedly they need to be used well (as this one is), but seems odd that some choose to restrict the tools available to the setter.
A very pleasant solve. Widow was the only one I didn’t quite follow after I convinced myself that it must be some obscure musical note with an l removed.
I didn’t get round to trying yesterday’s, which by the sound of it was probably a good move.
tinker was one of my last, and it is only now that i can see why; very well hidden. 4 dn wasn’t a hard solve but an excellent clue.
what though is an anagrind? and why are ninas thus called?
I don’t have the puzzle now, but I don’t think there was an anagram in 4 dn DESCARTES (name of French philosopher). Re Ninas, these are called after the American artist Al Hirschfield who like to incorporate the name of his daughter Nina into his sketches.
Finished one! Jeremiah was difficult but as I had all the other letters there was only one thing it could be!
First one was Gallia (Knew Latin A level would come in handy one day!)