Independent 8372 / Dac

by

Dac appears most Wednesdays in the Independent and produces a consistently high standard of good solid crosswords without themes or gimmicks.

 

 

 

Today’s puzzle covered a wide range of general knowledge with a strong bias towards the arts and languages.  We needed knowledge of French and Latin to solve this puzzle.  Away from the classical arts we had MEAT LOAF.

My favourite clues today were those for BALLYHOO (4 across), MEDIATE (24 across) and ORSINO (8 down).

I’m not aure that all SPINSTERs will recognise the implied description of their outlook on life at 16 down.

Across
No. Clue Wordplay

Entry

1

 

Mother introduces daughter to adults-only movie (3,3)

 

(MAMA [mother] containing [introduces] D [daughter]) + X (a former category of cinema film to which persons under eighteen were not admitted (superseded by the designation 18);adults-only)

MA (D) MA X

MAD MAX (1979 Australian film)

 

4

 

At social occasion, rude person dismisses a song and dance (8)

 

BALL (social occasion) + (YAHOO [brutal or boorish lout; rude person] excluding [dismiises] A)

 

BALLYHOO (fuss; song and dance)

 

10

 

It’s facing west inside an old church, a centre of Christianity (7)

 

(IT reversed [facing west]) contained in (inside) (AN + O [old] + CH [church])

AN (TI<) O CH

ANTIOCH (an ancient city that played a pivotal role in the emergence of both Hellenistic Judaism and early Christianity. ANTIOCH was called the cradle of Christianity)

 

11

 

Authoritative statements, so clear when reinterpreted (7)

 

Anagram of (when reinterpreted) SO CLEAR

 

ORACLES (infallible indications; authoritative statements)

 

12

 

Swimmer, one almost stuck in choppy Moselle (5,4)

 

(ONE excluding the last letter [almost] E) contained in (stuck in) an anagram of (choppy) MOSELLE

LEM (ON) SOLE*

LEMON SOLE (a species of sole differing in its markings from the common sole; fish; swimmer)

 

13

 

Mischievous fellow brought into line reformed (5)

 

F (fellow) contained in (brought into) an anagram of (reformed) LINE

EL (F) IN*

ELFIN (mischievous and charming)

 

14

 

Draughtsmen proceed here, generally (6,3,5)

 

ACROSS THE BOARD (pieces in the game of draughts move ACROSS THE BOARD)

 

ACROSS THE BOARD (applying in all cases; generally)

 

17

 

Store’s entire management in disarray (3,4,3,4)

 

ALL (entire) + OVER THE SHOP (descriptive of management of the store)

 

ALL OVER THE SHOP (colloquially in disarray)

 

21

 

Accept modern male has to be with it (5)

 

AD (anno domini; modern) + M (male) + IT

 

ADMIT (accept)

 

22

 

African once travelled with Welsh girl astride horse (9)

 

(RODE [travelled] containing [astride] H [heroin; horse]) + SIAN (Welsh girl’s name, a form of Jane)

R (H) ODE SIAN

RHODESIAN (native or citizen of the African state of RHODESIA, now Zimbabwe, hence ‘once’)

 

24

 

Beginning to intervene between me and girlfriend maybe do this? (7)

 

I (first letter of [beginning to] INTERVENE) contained in (between) (ME + DATE [girlfriend])

ME D (I) ATE

MEDIATE (to interpose between parties as a friend of each)

 

25

 

Distinguished artist associated with part of England (not the capital) (7)

 

EMIN (reference Tracey EMIN, English artist) + (KENT [county of England; part of England] excluding the first letter [not the capital] K)  Tracey EMIN spent her childhood in Margate, Kent

 

EMINENT (distinguished)

 

26

 

Thankful to be replaced (8)

 

RELIEVED (replaced [on duty])

 

RELIEVED (thankful) double definition.  Either word in the clue could be the definition.

 

27

 

Old coin sister needed to enter London gallery (6)

 

SR (sister) containing ([needed ]to enter) TATE (reference TATE Gallery in London)

S (TATE) R

STATER (an ancient Greek standard coin of various kinds, the gold daric, silver tetradrachm, etc.)

 
Down

1

 

Audition for suitable bass to accompany a loud US singer (4,4)

 

MEAT (sounds like [audition for] MEET [{be}suitable])  + LO (sounds like [audition for] LOW [bass]) + A + F (forte; loud)

 

MEAT LOAF (American musician, singer and actor)

 

2

 

Piece of information lawyer has got on corporation (5)

 

DA (District Attorney; lawyer) + TUM (stomach; corporation)

 

DATUM (piece of information)

 

3

 

Supplies best quality hinges (7)

 

A (first class; best quality) + MOUNTS (hinges used in philately [stamp collecting] to store stamps in albums)

 

AMOUNTS (supplies)

 

5

 

Gaffers given position outside?  No way, as previously stated (14)

 

FOREMEN (gaffers) contained in (given .. outside) STATIONED (appointed to a post; positioned) excluding (no) ST (street; way)

A (FOREMEN) TIONED

AFOREMENTIONED (as previously stated)

 

6

 

Plain-living sort, loner wandering round US city (7)

 

Anagram of (wandering) LONER containing (round) (LA [Los Angeles]; US city)

L (LA) NERO*

LLANERO (an inhabitant of  the vast steppes or plains in the northern part of S America; plain-living man)

 

7

 

Present lecture (4,5)

 

HOLD FORTH (put forward; present)

 

HOLD FORTH (speak in public; lecture) double definition Either word in the clue could be the definition.

 

8

 

Part for actors in Othello and one in Twelfth Night (6)

 

ORSINO (hidden word in [part for] ACTORS IN OTHELLO)

 

ORSINO (an important character in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night)

 

9

 

One way to eliminate wind and gas? (5,3,6)

 

SHOOT (eliminate) + THE BREEZE (wind)

 

SHOOT THE BREEZE (chat inconsequently; talk; gas)

 

15

 

Romeo led astray by love initially, for example (4,5)

 

Anagram of (led astray) ROMEO LED + L (first letter of [initially] LOVE)

ROLE MODE* L

ROLE MODEL ( person whose character and behaviour, etc is imitated by others who would like to be in the same or a similar position or situation, etc; example)

 

16

 

One showing resentment about couple in partnership? Right (8)

 

(SPITE (resentment) containing [about] NS [North and South; couple in partnership in a game of bridge]) + R (right)

SPI (NS) TE R

SPINSTER (a lady who is unmarried and usually past the age where one is considered to be of marriageable age; a SPINSTER may show resentment to a couple as a result)  Perhaps I’m missing something, but it seems a leap of generalisation to think that all SPINSTERs show such resentment;  I know a number of very happy SPINSTERs who are not upset about their status.

 

18

 

Shock tactics first used in the present epoch? (7)

 

T (first letter of [first] TACTICS) contained in (in) (OUR AGE [the present time])

OU (T) R AGE

OUTRAGE (atrocious act; shock tactics)

 

19

 

Poet, say, is covered in English teaching (7)

 

(EG [for example] + IS) contained in (covered in) ELT (English lanuage teaching)

EL (EG IS) T

ELEGIST (poet)

 

20

 

Closer to target in battle over French waters? (6)

 

WAR (battle) + MER (French word for sea; French waters)  This is a down clue so the entry has WAR over MER

 

WARMER ( in a game, close to discovery or attainment; (of a scent or trail); closer to the target)

 

23

 

Content of bride’s trousseau, namely (2,3)

 

ID EST (hidden word in [content of] BRIDE’S TROUSSEAU)

 

ID EST (Latin for ‘that is’; namely)

 

17 comments on “Independent 8372 / Dac”

  1. Lovely blog as ever, Duncan.

    I finally got there when it dawned on me that there isn’t such a word as LLARENO. Bit trickier than your average Dac, but a fine puzzle as always. Specially liked EMINENT for its reference to the artist’s home county; and also liked ANTIOCH.

    I think the question mark suggests that Dac was being tongue-in-cheek about SPINSTERS. I too know some very contented ones.

    There is a profile of Dac in the ‘Meet the Setters’ section of the Guardian crossword homepage today. It’s here:

    http://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/crossword-blog/2013/aug/12/blogpost

    Thanks to him for today’s crossword.

  2. The usual very pleasant experience and immaculately blogged. Thanks to Dac and Duncan. Minor reduplication and/or typo in the “entry” column at 10A and 22A.

  4. I liked 1a, 15d, 24a, 22a, 1d, 10a and my favourites were 4a BALLYHOO & 5d AFOREMENTIONED & 18d OUTRAGE.

    New words for me were LLANERO & STATER.

    I couldn’t parse 16d & 8d (well-hidden!).

    Thanks Dac and Duncan.

  6. Regarding 16d, at first I was shocked at the implied description of their outlook on life, until I found the following in the dictionary on my iMac:

    “The development of the word spinster is a good example of the way in which a word acquires strong connotations to the extent that it can no longer be used in a neutral sense. From the 17th century, the word was appended to names as the official legal description of an unmarried woman: : Elizabeth Harris of Boston, Spinster . This type of use survives today in some legal and religious contexts. In modern everyday English, however, spinster cannot be used to mean simply ‘unmarried woman’; it is now always a derogatory term, referring or alluding to a stereotype of an older woman who is unmarried, childless, prissy, and repressed.”

    So I think that Dac’s clue is fine if we understand it as described above.

  8. Morning, Conrad. I too noticed that, but I’m not so bothered. It’s like when you see a photograph of one of the characters in The Archers, and you suddenly realise that they’re nothing like the picture in your head. And I fancy MODESTY is Dac’s middle name.

  9. Another enjoyable Dac puzzle. My favourite clue, although not the most difficult by any means, was SHOOT THE BREEZE. Today I learnt that a hinge is the name of the item used to mount stamps.

  10. But re SPINSTER you could take the ‘right’ at the end to mean Dac doesn’t believe peronally that there is any problem, using ‘irony’, and I agree woth him if that is the case.

    I have just finishjed this one, last of foure BRILLIANT, fun daily puzzles that show what FUN crosswors are really about.

    I liked 9down best for the funny image.

    Rowls.

  11. Thanks, K’s D, for the link to that most interesting and detailed interview with DAC. I certainly hope we’ll again see a Smokey Listener. They were generally on the gentler end of the Listener spectrum. I’m pretty sure (without being able to speak for them) that the Listener editors like to have some easier ones too. As for ‘ageing mind’ I think many recent Listener puzzles were set by people born before 1948 (often by quite a bit!).

    Thanks, Duncan, for the blog and I saw the SPINSTER clue as intended as a joke really. The word has largely dropped out of use, I’d say, in recent decades though would still be well enough known to be included in a daily puzzle.

    Inclusion or not of a photo in the Guardian feature is a non-issue for me.

  12. I think you will find that the answer in 16D refers to the ‘one’ in the clue, in the sense of singleton,and is not a reference to embittered ladies who don’t get to wash men’s socks for them.

  14. Lovely puzzle and blog. Was defeated by AMOUNTS having got the rest. Funny how it goes. I share Rowly’s view that the spinster clue, if one were to insist on inferring the setter’s opinion, could only be read as sarcasm, ie spinsters are not remotely resentful of couples. So, no foul there, IMO.

    Quality stuff, I thought.

  15. My thoughts too, PJ. Can’t see the adjective, which it would have to be for GeordyGordy to be on to a winner, but I appreciate his input anyway. This is a polished piece of work from Dac.

  16. We apologise for the late posting but when we finished this last night the ipad was out of juice.

    Thanks to Duncan for the blog and also to everyone else for the interesting comments – so much better than yesterday! We did wonder about SPINSTER. 27ac felt a little awkward in the parsing but overall an enjoyable Dac.

  17. Like PJ @14, I was beaten by AMOUNTS, having opted instead for ABOUNDS (with a large question mark next to it). Also needed help understanding why TUM = corporation. Thanks for a solid blog. This was my first Dac, and I found it an enjoyable challenge.

    BTW, fans of the Mad Max franchise may be interested to know that a new film, Mad Max: Fury Road, starring Tom Hardy, is slated for next year.

Comments are closed.