He keeps on doing it week after week. At no point in this crossword are there anything but super-smooth surfaces and utterly sound clueing. I once likened Dac to Mozart, which may be a bit hyperbolic, but they both seem to do everything so easily.
Across
1 Records / fewer classes to be taught? (4,4)
SETS DOWN
2 defs, one of them whimsical
5 Praise newly-established country (6)
PERSIA
(Praise)* – although should there not be an indication of the name no longer being the right one?
10 Principal character in Norwegian group hoarding old record (5)
ALPHA
A(LP)ha
11 One illness after another heralds a complete change of approach (9)
TURNABOUT
a bout after turn
12 I’ll give teacher register back (7)
DONATOR
don (rota)rev.
13 Publicity about youngster in panto (7)
ALADDIN
a(lad)d in
14 Tactless, stuffing proof of qualification into tunic shiftily (12)
UNDIPLOMATIC
diploma in (tunic)*
18 Lodger, one entertained by friend of Obama? (12)
PRESIDENTIAL
p(resident 1)al
21 Current queen an inhabitant of 5 nowadays (7)
IRANIAN
I rani an – the modern-day name for Persia
22 Smutty article by family member (7)
UNCLEAN
uncle an
24 Met O’Neill for negotiations, trying to avoid confrontation (9)
EMOLLIENT
(met O’Neill)*
25 Sounds like a month’s crop (5)
MAIZE
“May’s”
26 A home in Cape Town, perhaps, couldn’t be more reasonable (6)
SANEST
SA NEST – a South African nest might be a home in Cape Town
27 Brochure doesn’t show us a vision of the future (8)
PROSPECT
prospect{us}
Down
1 Be conspicuous and bulky all round (5,3)
STAND OUT
st(and)out
2 A pedant prepared eastern savoury dip (8)
TAPENADE
(a pedant)* e – not a word I knew, but easily enough clued
3 In arcade, alternately bought and sold goods (5)
DEALT
hidden in arcaDE ALTernately
4 Stones tour: we almost all belted out a 60s hit (8,6)
WATERLOO SUNSET
(Stones tour we al{l})*
6 Issue beginning to emerge over mother country (9)
EMANATION
e{merge} ma nation
7 Reserved storage for rum of poor quality (6)
SHODDY
sh(odd)y – there I was, thinking it was going to be so difficult and it was quite straightforward, requiring no arcane knowledge of rum
8 A cold character in early part of 13? (3,3)
ACT ONE
a c tone, 13 being a stage play
9 Usual accompaniment for soup or pudding? (5,3,6)
BREAD AND BUTTER
2 defs, split after ‘soup’
15 Bits and pieces at bottom of page (9)
PARTICLES
p articles
16 One bitten by large lion’s means of rescue (8)
LIFELINE
1 in (l feline)
17 Dope in factory making moaning sound (8)
PLANGENT
plan(gen)t
19 Notes acts of kindness in EastEnders? (6)
FIVERS
“favours”
20 Room – small one – in old hospital (6)
SALOON
sa(loo)n – I never thought a san was an old hospital, simply a common word for one in Crosswordland
23 Writer‘s chapter to entertain, in brief (5)
CAMUS
c amus{e}
I think 9d is actually 3 defs
Usual
Accompaniment for soup
Pudding
Great stuff, thanks to Dac and John.
I agree with Geebs @1 re 9d.
My LOI, and personal favourite because it had me on completely the wrong tack, was 19d.
Yes, another excellent Dac puzzle. Like cumbrian@2 FIVERS was my LOI and it took me a while to see it, not because I hadn’t realised it was a cockney homophone (or a Dick Van Dyke one at least) but because notes=banknotes didn’t immediately occur to me.
Like the previous two, 19d was my LOI. LOVED IT,
Add me to the favour/ fiver LOI list.
After being uninspired yesterday, I thought this was right on the money for me. Any puzzle that includes plangent will always get my vote. I didn’t really understand 20d, despite being an inmate in my youth ( the San bit not the saloon, that came later).I seem to remember we called it ‘the San’ or possibly the Sanny. Such creativity, and not a footballer among us. Anyway thanks for sorting it out for me.
Thanks to setter and blogger.
Lots of fun thanks.
San = sanatorium must have appeared in the works of Angela Brazil and Anthony Buckeridge but nothing more recent or erudite I imagine.
19 dn very funny. Pity I needed the blog to find it. 16 ac very smooth.
Wish I liked Donator as a word. A donor donates. But it’s in Chambers
Both 19dn and 20dn defeated me, I’m afraid. Even after a word search threw up SALOON for the latter, I dismissed it as it didn’t convince me as an answer.
However, 4dn brought back memories. That song came out in 1967, and in July of that year the family went on a holiday to Guernsey which involved getting an overnight train from the north of England and spending three hours early in the morning at Waterloo waiting for the boat-train to Weymouth. That song kept going through my mind, even though it was sunrise, and not sunset. That was the first time I can ever recall going to Waterloo station. These days, I go through it most weeks, but it still brings back memories of that visit.
What John and everyone else said, really.
Just a special thank you to Dac, because after 4dn went in, WATERLOO SUNSET has been the only, and I mean the only, song in my head all day. Cheers for that.
It’s all been said – a smooth Dac puzzle as always.
FIVERS was our LOI too – a good clue!
Thanks to Dac and John.
Wasn’t totally convinced by fiver/favour having lived in east London but a fine puzzle otherwise. Thanks both.