Dac has provided this Wednesday morning’s cruciverbal workout.
For me, this was a typical Dac solve, as I worked my way through the clues, admiring their smooth surfaces and unambiguous parsings as I went, until I stumbled over the last few entries. Today, I struggled somewhat in the NW quadrant, although once I had solved the clues, I saw no particular reason why that should have been the case. In the end, my last-one-in was 19, simply because it was a new word to me, though it was eminently gettable from the wordplay.
My favourites today were 2 for misdirection, 18, for its (intended?) topicality, and 27 for smoothness of surface.
(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | ACCOST | Speak to accountant about company’s terrible start
AC (CA=(chartered) accountant; “about” indicates reversal) + CO’S (=company’s) + T<errible> (“start” means first letter only) |
| 04 | ACID ROCK | Loud music I’d introduced to a doddery type
I’D in [A + CROCK (=doddery type)] |
| 09 | RANGER | Park keeper used 12 with show of hesitation
RANG (=used phone (=answer at 12)) + ER (=show of hesitation) |
| 10 | DOMINION | London theatre // authority
Double definition |
| 12 | PHONE | Call on mobile perhaps a penny? Honestly, only half that
P (=a penny) + HONE<stly> (“only half that” means 4 of 8 letters only are needed) |
| 13 | WHOLEMEAL | Bread, enough for an entire lunch?
WHOLE (=entire) + MEAL (=lunch) |
| 14 | CENTRE STAGE | Secret agent transferred where everyone can see?
*(SECRET AGENT); “transferred” is anagram indicator |
| 18 | MACHINATION | Scheme a Greek character put to country, chasing money
M (=money) + A + CHI (=Greek character, i.e. letter of Greek alphabet) + NATION (=country) |
| 21 | AXMINSTER | Carpet: tear off about ten thousand inches!
[X (=ten, in Roman numerals) + M (=thousand, in Roman numerals) + INS (=inches)] in *(TEAR); “off” is anagram indicator |
| 23 | OFFAL | Disliking a large portion of liver?
OFF (=disliking, not wanting) + A + L (=large) |
| 24 | BAVARIAN | German graduate’s almost different
BA (=graduate, i.e. Bachelor of Arts) + VARIAN<t> (=different; “almost” means last letter dropped) |
| 25 | MARLIN | River in art of Africa having new type of fish
[R (=river) in MALI (=part of Africa)] + N (=new) |
| 26 | TEENAGER | Youngster with endless energy ate nuts
*(ENERG<y> ATE); “endless” means last letter dropped; “nuts” is anagram indicator |
| 27 | TEASER | Joker finishes off the beer after non-alcoholic drinks
TEAS (=non-alcoholic drinks) + <th>E <bee>R (“finishes off” means last letters only) |
| Down | ||
| 01 | AIRSPACE | Reveals speed where planes fly
AIRS (=reveals) + PACE (=speed) |
| 02 | CONFOUND | Fiddle discovered underneath floor
CON (=fiddle, trick) + FOUND (=discovered); as a verb, to “floor” is to confound, stump, baffle |
| 03 | STEVE CRAM | Former athlete checks up on energy and stuff
STEV (VETS=checks; “up” indicates vertical reversal) + E (=energy) + CRAM (=stuff, as verb); the reference is to British middle-distance runner Steve Cram (1960-) |
| 05 | CHOCOLATIERS | They’ll make coffee and hazelnut toppings – fancy eclairs too
C<offee> + H<azelnut> + *(ECLAIRS TOO); “toppings” means first letters only; “fancy” is anagram indicator; & lit. |
| 06 | DRIVE | Force rhubarb, for the most part
DRIVE<l> (=rhubarb, nonsense); “for the most part” means last letter dropped |
| 07 | OLIVES | I love gathering small fruits
*(I LOVE) + S (=small); “gathering” is anagram indicator |
| 08 | KINDLY | Charitable family idly giving away capital
KIN (=family) + <i>DLY (“giving away capital” means top, i.e. first letter, is dropped) |
| 11 | SWISS COTTAGE | Is explorer taking time beyond south west London district?
SW (=south west) + IS + SCOTT (=explorer, i.e. Scott of the Antarctic) + AGE (=time) |
| 15 | ELABORATE | English political party to make speech? Fancy
E (=English) + LAB (=political party, i.e. Labour) + ORATE (=to make speech); as an adjective, “fancy” is elaborate, intricate |
| 16 | PITFALLS | Problems as mine collapses
PIT (=mine, colliery) + FALLS (=collapses) |
| 17 | ONE-LINER | In city of Nevada, major river rising? That’s a joke
NILE (=major river) in RENO (=city of Nevada); “rising” indicates (here full) vertical reversal |
| 19 | BARBET | Young Simpson introduces live singer
BE (=live, as verb) in BART (=young Simpson, in TV series); a barbet is a tropical bird with a bristly beak, hence “singer” |
| 20 | B-MOVIE | British doctor has struggle making low-budget film
B (=British) + MO (=doctor, i.e. Medical Officer) + VIE (=struggle, compete) |
| 22 | NORMA | Name adopted by woman or man
Hidden (“adopted by”) in “womaN OR MAn” |
19D Barbet was new to me too, but clearly clued. 10A Dominion was last answer and needed all the crossing letters, because I don’t keep a list of London theatre names in my head. But everything went in very satisfactorily, so thanks very much Dac, and well done RatkojaRiku.
How people find things differently! The NW corner was almost all write-ins for me, when I saw the link between 9 and 12. Yet WHOLEMEAL was my last one in – although it was glaringly obvious once I got it. BARBET was new to me as well, but obvious from the wordplay.
Thanks, Dac and RatkojaRiku
I too went through the NW corner like the proverbial dose of salts but then entered a boiled egg phase. Lunch sorted me out, and the rest elegantly revealed itself. I think it just shows the power of the chocolate digestive, the kind of CD I really like.
Excellent puzzle Dac, and of course blog RR.
Count me as another who found the top right a write-in. What held me up at the end was making a big typo in writing in 11dn, which messed up 18ac.
Thought I was going to go through this in a single pass, quite the easiest Dac for a while. Excellent surfaces as per, but they do often lead to easy solves. But this is the sort of easy crossword newcomers should be introduced to rather than Rufus and his dependence on poor cd and dd clues. Just my opinion of course.