What more can we say?
Actually, although this contains many of Dac’s trademark felicities, there are a couple of clues that struck me as just a little below the standard we have come to expect. But not far below. And in any case that’s only how they seem to me and there’s probably a perfectly good explanation for 7ac, 11ac, 14ac and 5dn.
Definitions in italics.
Across
1 Observing law during insurrection after leader is deposed? (10)
PRACTISING
{u}pr(act)ising
7 Restrains heartless reporters (4)
CUBS
cu{r}bs — I’d always thought that a cub was specifically a junior or young reporter: although that doesn’t make the definition wrong, since all young reporters are reporters, you might have thought that Dac would indicate the youthfulness aspect
9 Dipping into a sack, I take weapon (3,5)
AIR RIFLE
a (I r) rifle — r = take (the Latin ‘recipe’, used on prescriptions), rifle = sack
10 Leading lady put on pale, knitted jumper (6)
LEAPER
(pale)* ER — have not used the word, but it’s obvious enough — it put me in mind of this — actually I have used the word now that I come to think of it — it’s the English translation of the German word for a bishop (I think, or possibly a knight) in chess
11 Ruler of Avalon named Constance? (4,2,3,4)
LADY OF THE LAKE
Perhaps there’s something going on here that I’ve missed, but it looks to me as if it’s simply a play on the fact that Lake Constance uses a lady’s name, and the Lady of the Lake was arguably the ruler of Avalon
12 Mate‘s aim after final part of working week? (6)
FRIEND
Fri. end — Fri. = Friday, end = aim
14 Beginnings of dire row between poor performers in EastEnders acting unprofessionally? (2-4)
AM-DRAM
d{ire} r{ow} in ‘am ‘am — ‘am = ham, but in EastEnders the h would not be sounded — am-dram stands for amateur dramatics, which is not professional dramatics, but why the question mark? In amateur dramatics unprofessional-ness is not in doubt
16 Soldiers thus dance about, welcoming end of warfare (2,4)
GI JOES
(so jig)rev. round {warfar}e
18 Leading aircraftman has essential tool (6)
LACKEY
LAC key
20 Checking/ how busy store employee is? (13)
COUNTERACTIVE
2 defs, one of them whimsical since a store employee’s busy-ness would be indicated by his or her activity on the counter
22 Person, for example, going to a wine store (6)
BODEGA
bod eg a — this is a word that crops up a lot in crosswords and it must be difficult to find fresh ways to clue it
23 Out to lunch, party supporter impresses old Labour leader (8)
DOOLALLY
do (o L{abour}) ally — out to lunch in the mad sense
24 Road map needed in Lapland (4)
PLAN
Hidden in LaPLANd
25 City having various gastropubs with no parking? That’s about right (10)
STRASBOURG
(gastropubs – p)* around r
Down
2 Satirical banter with one line, then more lines about the French (8)
RAILLERY
(rail ry) round le — the line and lines are rail and ry [railway], the first not the ‘1 l’ that I initially thought, making it hard to find a place for ‘ra’
3 Was concerned about cardinal? (5)
CARED
ca red
4 Sent off NATO soldiers, upset (2,6,2,5)
IN FLOODS OF TEARS
(off NATO soldiers)* — sent in the sense visibly moved [gwep @1 says that the definition is upset and the anagram indicator sent. He may be right. Either way I’m not comfortable: if you’re sent you’re not necessarily in floods of tears and sent seems a rather thin anagram indicator]
5 Lack of activity among island’s soldiers during revolution (7)
INERTIA
in (ait RE)rev. — in = among I think, although in = during looks possible, but this doesn’t seem to be parsable — the ‘during’ looks a bit odd though — I’d have expected something like ‘after’ instead
6 Apple crumble cold, so I indulge, eating final portion from plate (6,9)
GOLDEN DELICIOUS
(cold so I indulge)* around {plat}e — the anagram indicator ‘crumble’
7 Largely risky, catching Middle Eastern bus (9)
CHARABANC
ch(Arab)anc{y}
8 Sounds like worker’s a first-rate/ comic (6)
BEEZER
“bees a” — with two definitions: first-rate and comic —this comic — until I looked it up I thought that Dac was pronouncing (quite accurately though, in my opinion) on the merits of The Beezer
13 Film suitable for the family about an enjoyer of fine food (9)
EPICUREAN
epic U re an
15 There are rules about naked lady taking drink in shower (8)
REVEALER
r (Eve ale) r — r = rule — shower as in someone who shows
17 One stepping out in street, in front of cyclist (7)
STRIDER
st rider
19 Train small child to go on toilet standing up (6)
SCHOOL
s ch (loo)rev.
21 Attorney based in one small house in US state (5)
IDAHO
1 (DA) ho — like bodega, a crossword staple
*anagram
In 4D the definiton is “upset” and the AInd is simply “sent”.
I have no problem with 14A. The definition is “acting unprofessionally” which is what an am(ateur)-dram(atic) company does – they don’t get paid.
I think 11A is OK with the question mark, though I find it difficult to find the word to describe the parsing; I’m sure one of the many regular contributors can provide an appropriate word (or words).
I found this to be another pleasant Dac puzzle.
Could 11ac be described as a whimsically cryptic definition? However one chooses to describe it I had no problem with it. I am old enough to remember The Beezer, so that made 8dn easier than it would possibly be for younger solvers. REVEALER was my LOI after COUNTERACTIVE.
Thanks John and Dac. Mostly good. I failed on 15d because I had COUNTERACTION for 20a (I also considered COUNTERACTING, but sadly not the correct answer).
I was in the same boat as MikeC – not a great clue that one, I’m afraid.
Thanks John – we enjoyed the link to Pete and Dud!
Good surfaces – really liked 19d!
Thanks Dac.
Come off it John. Someone who is in floods of tears is upset. Someone who is in floods of tears is not “sent”.
John – you are a favourite blogger but are you being a little ‘unnecessary’ here?
I do agree with you on 5dn; I wasn’t happy with parsing. But the ? in 14ac might be since, whilst unpaid, an amateur can act ‘professionally’ (although this seems paradoxical there is a looser, more modern use of ‘professional’ in a complimentary sense. Perhaps Dac simply didn’t wish to offend all the crossword solving amateur dramatists?)
However, I think 7ac and 11ac are perfectly fair – I rather like the use of Constance.
PS Is it fair to be happy with ‘revealer but not with ‘leaper’? Or was this an excuse to brighten our day with some Pete ‘n Dud?
Huge thanks to John and Dac.
gwep you’re probably right. But one definition of ‘sent’ in Chambers is ‘moved to ecstasy’; if one is moved to ecstasy one may be in floods of tears, just as when one is upset one may be in floods of tears. The tears are not a necessary outcome either of being sent or of being upset, although I accept that the latter is a bit more likely. And ‘sent’ as an anagram indicator is decidedly dodgy in my opinion: it’s not given in Chambers Crossword Dictionary as one, and there are hundreds there.
William FP: I simply thought that the question mark in 14ac was superfluous, and I wasn’t unhappy with leaper — it’s simply a word that is not that familiar to me. The Pete and Dud link was a bonus.