Independent 8621 by Dac

by
  • *=anagram
  • [] = removed e.g. char[m]=char
  • ()=abbreviation e.g. A(mpere)=a
  • Hom. = homophone

There is (1 across) something special planned for Wednesday, so Dac has been moved to Monday. I thought this was a very good puzzle which was accessible without being too easy. There were possibly slightly more cryptic definitions or part-definitions than is normal for Dac, but they all worked well without making the clue irritating or difficult to get.

Across
1. One thinking about sailor during work, I suppose (10)
Presumably (Muser< + ab) in ply.
6. I sing and talk (4)
Chat DD referring to the warbling bird.
9. My private pet (5)
Corgi Cor + GI.
10/12. Make every effort to visit Olympic-sized swimming pool? (2,2,5,7)
Go to Great Lengths CD
13. Embankment observed by everyone round edge of shore (3,4)
Sea Wall Saw around [shor]e + all.
14. Composer and brother, perhaps: another composer who’s not died (8)
Sibelius Sib(ling) + [D]elius.
16. Slightly mad journalist features between covers of weekly (6)
Whacky Hack in w[eekl]y.
18. Film director is offhand at first (6)
Curtis Curt + is. The director is probably Richard Curtis who, although better known as a writer, has directed films such as Love Actually.
19. Magistrate mostly standing around needs lots of water (5,3)
Black Sea Bea[k] around lacks.
22. Gift dispatched earlier? (7)
Present DD – pre-sent.
23/25. Dutch struggles? (7,3,6)
Trouble and Strife DD/CD. Dutch (short for Duchess) and Trouble and Strife (rhyming slang) are both terms for wife.
26. Beast from Japan, for instance? (5)
Eland Japan is an example of an E(astern) Land.
27. Fool half the children? Quite the reverse (4)
Nerd [Chil]dren<
28. Female bound for wedding travels with mother – that’s in order (10)
Bridesmaid Rides + ma in bid.

Down
1. Difficult situations for a cabinet member (7)
Pickles DD referring to Eric Pickles.
2. Stage show in French, about to finish after run (5)
Enron I think this is En (in in French) + on afer r[un]. I hadn’t heard of Enron as a stage play, but apparently it’s by Lucy Prebble.
3. Brainless higher education chap introducing new form of entertainment, say (13)
Unintelligent Uni gent around n(ew) telli (hom of telly)
4. Statesman proving useless after a few weeks (8)
Augustus I think this is us after August. U/s can be used as an abbreviation for unserviceable and the def is referring to Augustus Caesar.
5. Up-to-date news of Hollywood audition? (6)
Latest LA test.
7. Hear his raving about Roman Catholics priests (9)
Hierarchs (Hear his)* around RC.
8. To agree completely (7)
Totally To + tally(=agree).
11. With time to spare, loving chapters specially written for picture books (7,6)
Graphic Novels (Loving Chap[t]ers)*.
15. Drinks dispenser, component with top removed during pub crawl (9)
Bartender [P]art in bender.
17. Maybe landlord is a fishy type (8)
Flathead DD/CD – flat head could be the head of a block of flats.
18. Leader likely to be strangled by murderous brother (7)
Captain Apt in Cain.
20. Changed as twelve o’clock struck? (7)
Amended 12 o’clock would be when AM ended.
21. Rope ladder, one put in sprawling tree near river (6)
Etrier I in tree* + r. It’s a short rope ladder used in mountaineering.
24. African boss with mostly ordinary clothes (5)
Bwana W(ith) in bana[l].

21 comments on “Independent 8621 by Dac”

  1. I think the “us” in 4d is just “use less,” i.e., shortened. It took a while to dawn on me, though.

    Thanks, Dac and Neal

  2. I read 4d in the same way as NealH, having encountered ‘u/s’ for ‘unserviceable’ in real life. Ian’s way works too but seems a bit more contrived to me.

    I’d never come across Enron as a play either and it took me far longer than it should have done to get Eric Pickles.

  3. Very surprising to see Dac on a Monday. I didn’t think it was any easier or harder than the majority of his Wednesday puzzles, but it was as enjoyable a solve as his puzzles usually are. ENRON was my LOI after PRESUMABLY.

    As far as the parsing of 4dn is concerned, I’m with NealH and hounddog.

  4. 4D apart from noting “us” were the first two letters of useless did not bother looking further, but agree that that NealH’s explanation is most likely right, though haven’t come across u/s in this context.

    Last in was ENRON, never heard of it as a play, put it in to see if I would get the message as I couldn’t see what else could fit. Not keen on the wordplay.

    Thanks to Dac and NealH.

  5. In a previous life doing hardware support writing U/S on a piece of machinery meant duff, broken, useless, so no issue for 4d for me. DAC on a Monday?

    Cheers Neal/Dac

  6. Dac on a Monday is bad karma, I feel. There must be something special for Wednesday.

    I too wasn’t keen on ENRON, and I’m not sure I really understand what’s going on, if someone would like to explain.

    Didn’t much like 1dn either, but only because it reminded me of what a complete idiot Eric Pickles is.

    Thanks to S&B.

  7. Those commenters who have never heard of Enron (the play, that is) have not missed much. I left halfway through the first act. It is very famous though. Like KD I don’t get the wordplay.

    I was pleased to discover that I had not made up Etrier.

  8. Thanks to Dac and NealH. I got them all (with some trouble and strife!) but had trouble parsing 4 words(!). The one I didn’t have any trouble with was ENRON – I parsed it as NealH does above, and I think it works just fine.

    I echo lenny’s last line – it’s a delight when the crosses and wordplay allow one to get a word one has never heard before!

  9. I was pretty us at this, but have a couple of quibbles to save face. 16ac is not normally spelled with an ‘h’. A nerd is generally the studious type, not a fool. Or am I being nerdy?
    Oh,I have heard of Enron as a play.
    Thanks to setter and blogger.

  13. Wot no Quixote? Does this mean Don has abandoned us or is one of his more evil alter egos appearing later this week?

  14. Is the problem people are having with ENRON the same one that I have: how does ‘on’ = ‘about to finish’? No doubt a very simple explanation but I can’t see it.

  16. Wil and K’s D: I think you need to separate ‘on’ meaning ‘about’ from ‘to finish’ meaning ‘to end with’ – i.e. ON appears at the end of the solution.

  17. This is my first post on fifteensquared, although I’ve been dropping in for a while to read the comments on the Guardian puzzles.

    I hardly ever do the crossword in the Indy but I found a copy at lunchtime. It’s the first time I’ve seen a DAC crossword. I enjoyed it, although I had to check ETRIER and FLATHEAD in the dictionary.

    I think the wordplay for ENRON works in the following way: ON = about (as in regarding), with “to finish” (somewhat superfluously, given the “after”) indicating it’s position. (Having said that, the resulting surface works very well.)

  18. I’m with GeordyGordy on the spelling of WACKY.

    Thought this was harder than your average Dac, certainly not a leisurely stroll of the sort we sometimes get on a Monday.

    And welcome to the community, eghjam

  19. Indeed, welcome eghjam. And thanks all for the explanation of ENRON. Perhaps not Dac’s greatest ever clue.

  20. Thanks allan_c and Kathryn’s Dad for the welcome! Sorry my explanation of ENRON crossed in the “post” with Polly’s.

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