Independent 8779 / Dac

What is there to say about a Dac puzzle that hasn’t been said before? I could very easily just link to, or copy and paste from, the preamble I wrote four weeks ago.

However, today I will highlight a couple of clues that particularly pleased me, the novel wordplay in 11dn and the wordplay and overall surface in 17dn.

Across
1 Reluctant to admit City’s using primitive computer system? (2-4)
LO-TECH – LOTH (reluctant) around (to admit) EC (City)

4 Like people with money, no doubt idle, casually circulating (8)
LEISURED – an anagram (casually) of IDLE around (circulating) SURE (no doubt)

9 Questions Greece’s problems (6)
GRILLS – GR (Greece) ILLS (problems)

10 Punished, / having little money (8)
STRAPPED – double def.

12 Uncouth person, the last to travel abroad (4)
LOUT – [trave]L (the last to travel) OUT (abroad)

13 Middle-class compulsion to get round in city of Idaho (10)
BOURGEOISE – URGE (compulsion) O (round) in BOISE (city of Idaho)

15 Given temporary shelter, say, setter’s distracted (11)
INATTENTIVE – a homophone (say) of ‘in a tent’ (given temporary shelter) I’VE (setter’s)

18 Rehearsal in theatre, with assistant helping all round (11)
PREPARATION PA (assistant) RATION (helping) around (all round) REP (theatre)

21 Stockist has problem acquiring salt, reportedly (10)
WHOLESALER – a homophone (reportedly) of ‘hole’ (problem) ‘sailor’ (salt)

22 Worry there’s some bitter feuding during revolution (4)
FRET – a hidden (there’s some) reversal (during revolution) in ‘bitTER Feuding’

24 Unique individual providing service at London hospital (8)
NONESUCH – NONES (service) UCH (London hospital)

25 Do run away from church (6)
FLEECE – FLEE (run away from) CE (church)

26 Surprise when on this, getting high (8)
ASTONISH – AS (when) plus an anagram (getting high) of ON THIS

27 Responsible for live animal (6)
BEHIND – BE (live) HIND (animal)

Down
1 Phone a posh female up for assistance (5,3)
LEGAL AID – DIAL (phone) A GEL (a posh female) reversed (up)

2 Court case involving British and French individual (8)
TRIBUNAL – TRIAL (case) around (involving) B (British) UN (French individual)

3 Officer left unloaded gun (4)
COLT – CO (officer) L[ef]T (left unloaded)

5 Gets rid of old time dancing in east (12)
EXTERMINATES – EX (old) TERM (time) plus an anagram (dancing) of IN EAST

6 Ace Matisse redraft showing animal (7,3)
SIAMESE CAT – an anagram (redraft) of ACE MATISSE

7 Service offered by two engineers? (6)
REPAIR – RE PAIR (two engineers) with the definition extending to the whole clue

8 I deride short, funny-looking Frenchman (6)
DIDIER – an anagram (funny-looking) of I DERID[e]

11 Admits over six pounds will keep occupant of property slightly short (12)
COUNTENANCES – C OUNCES (over six pounds {six pounds is 96 ounces, here we have a hundred}) around (will keep) TENAN[t] (occupant of property slightly short)

14 Drowned by Rolling Stones, female with piano accompaniment offers Rocket Man? (10)
STEPHENSON – P (piano) HEN (female) in (drowned by) an anagram (rolling) of STONES

16 PM is protected by doctor and a priest (8)
DISRAELI – IS in (protected by) DR (doctor) A ELI (a priest)

17 Plant that’s quite sizeable in Knutsford’s borders? (8)
KNOTWEED – NOT WEE (quite sizeable) in K[nutsfor]D (Knutsford’s borders) – the whole clue could also be the definition if the Knutford area has been overrun by this insidious plant

19 Rule with symbol of authority over a part of Africa (6)
RWANDA – R (rule) WAND (symbol of authority) A

20 Musical instrument is my bag (6)
CORNET – COR (my) NET (bag)

23 Plant falls over when regularly neglected (4)
ALOE – [f]A[l]L[s] O[v]E[r] (falls over when regularly neglected)

7 comments on “Independent 8779 / Dac”

  1. This was, as hedgehoggy said, an excellent crossword.
    However, I found it much harder than usual for this setter.
    The reason for that is the grid.

    Let me make clear that I never complain about a grid, I just take it as comes.
    This one, though, was rather special and one I can’t remember having seen before.
    In the NW and the SE we have two ‘triangles’ each of which are connected through only one light with a broad centre area, going from NE to SW. In the heart of that area there were no less than 8 long solutions (of 10 or more letters).
    For me, that made all the difference today.

    Many thanks to Dac and Gaufrid.

  2. Sorry Sil, not sure what you’re getting at. Thanks Gaufrid my mind didn’t get the c ounces bit should have done.
    Thanks Dac enjoyed that.

  3. We thought the same as Sil about the grid and also about the level of difficulty. If we remember correctly, we thought that the last few of Dac’s puzzles have been trickier.

    No complaints though so thanks to Gaufrid and Dac.

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