Independent 8767 / Dac

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Another smooth offering from Dac – one or two entries we needed to check, but all very clear from the excellent cluing.

We hadn’t come across 4ac before and had to use electronic help to verify 7d and 23d.

We are away from home this week and have limited access to the internet – apologies if any responses to comments are somewhat delayed!

Across
1   Tennis champ once taking drink without cake, oddly
BECKER BEER (drink) round, or ‘without’ CaKe (odd letters, or ‘oddly’)
4   Say nothing during Disney film with unspeakable acting
DUMB SHOW SH (say nothing) in or ‘during’ DUMBO (Disney film) + W (with)
9   Don’t go hiding among gunslingers
LINGER Hidden in gunsLINGERs
10   Flipping out
BLOOMING Double definition
12   Following leader, having a job attached to police centre
APOSTOLIC A POST (job) + pOLICe (middle letters, or ‘centre’)
13   Bird given diamonds by ladies’ man
DRAKE D (diamonds) + RAKE (lady’s man)
14   During days at school, is din endless about break time?
INTERMISSION IN TERM (during days at school) + IS + NOISe (din) without the last letter or ‘endless’ and reversed or ‘back’
18   Honour former editor in review
ORDER OF MERIT An anagram of FORMER EDITOR – anagrind is ‘in review’
21   Message with misinformation, circulated about mother
EMAIL LIE (misinformation) reversed or ‘circulated’ round MA (mother)
22   Repair men in a small town taking little change
AMENDMENT MEND (repair) MEN in A T (‘small’ town)
24   Way mass introduces song – such as this?
AVE MARIA Cryptic definition – AVE (way, as in avenue) + M (mass) + ARIA (song)
25   Unhealthy appearance of friend – gosh
PALLOR PAL (friend) + LOR (gosh)
26   One Sprite, mostly fizzy: just what the body needs
PROTEINS An anagram of ONE SPRITe without the last letter, or ‘mostly’ – anagrind is ‘fizzy’
27   Enter, once I’m dressed
COME IN An anagram of ONCE I’M – anagrind is ‘dressed’
Down
1   One writing about a poet from Spanish island
BALEARIC BIC (one writing) around A LEAR (poet)
2   Members of royal family, Conservative types
CONSORTS CON (Conservative) + SORTS (types)
3   Group of Cambridge lecturers ready to take charge
ELECT Hidden in (‘a group of’) CambridgE LECTurers
5   Most cruel guy, possibly
UGLY CUSTOMER Cryptic definition – an anagram of MOST CRUEL GUY
6   Type of carpet – American woman has metre laid around small room
BROADLOOM BROAD (American woman) + M (metre) round LOO (small room)
7   Asian island supplying hot, top quality bread
HAINAN H (hot) + AI (top quality) + NAN (bread)
8   Rebuked for wearing hairpiece
WIGGED Double definition
11   Device used by some writers is nothing but repetition
ALLITERATION ALL (nothing but) + ITERATION (repetition)
15   Another chance to see film about soldiers on fields close to Passchendaele
RERELEASE RE (about) + RE (soldiers) + LEAS (fields) + E (last letter or ‘close’ of PasschendaelE)
16   Conservative’s regret pound has gone up in 24 hours
TRUE-BLUE RUE (regret) + LB (pound) reversed or ‘gone up’ in TUE (Tuesday – 24 hours)
17   Nationalised express travel
STATE-RUN STATE (express) + RUN (travel)
19   Politician overwhelmed by endless corruption is to get out
DECAMP MP (politician) after or ‘overwhelmed by’ DECAy (corruption) with the last letter omitted or ‘endless’
20   Begin to like second piece of filming, say
TAKE TO Sounds like (‘say”) TAKE TWO (second piece of filming)
23   Lawman for the stars
DRACO Double definition – the first law-giver of Athens in ancient Greece, and a constellation
BALEARIC

 

5 comments on “Independent 8767 / Dac”

  1. Enjoyed this puzzle – thank you, Dac! And thank you, Bertandjoyce, for the blog.

    Refreshing to find a clue for DRACO that doesn’t bring in the Potter series! 🙂

  4. ….thanks to Dac….
    and B and J of course…
    (Did you know that for every one commenter, there are 117,483 silent lurkers…..approximately?!)

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