Independent 9,012 by Dac

by

I wish setting clues were as easy as Dac makes it seem. Apparently every word just conveniently happens to have a simple way of being broken up to make a convincing surface, although it’s probably more a case of ars est celare artem.

Definitions underlined.

Across
1 HANG-UP
How to finish phone call becomes an obsession (4-2)

How to finish a phone call is to hang up
5 MOCCASIN
Soft leather shoe? We hear soft leather has something wrong with it (8)

“mocha” sin — mocha isn’t just coffee
9 APSE
Part of church collapsed? Only part of it (4)

Hidden in collAPSEd
10 RACONTEUSE
She tells judge about Conservative exploit (10)

ra(Con)te use
11 SOFTWARE
Floppy disks etc collected for waste (8)

(for waste)* — but I can’t quite see what’s happening here: floppy disks are not software, they’re hardware, unless the Collins definition “video cassettes and discs for use with a particular video system” counts; or is it a play on the word “floppy”, which suggests softness?
12 EXTORT
Former partner given wrong milk (6)

ex tort — a tort is in law a civil wrong
13 CHURCHILLIAN
Like wartime leader briefly upset by hot food in tin (12)

(hur{t} chilli) in can
17 STANDS AROUND
Hovers about and pays for everyone’s drink? (6,6)

stands a round
19 BAFFLE
Fox discovered females hiding in hay (6)

ba(f f)le
21 APPLIQUE
I question technology company about material arrangement (8)

Appl(I qu)e
23 SALVADORAN
South American sold caravan but not cycle, surprisingly (10)

(sold caravan – c)* — c = cycle isn’t in Chambers but it is in Collins
24 GRAZ
Greek extremists literally somewhere in Austria (4)

Gr A Z — the ‘extremists literally’ are the extremes of the alphabet — Dac gives us the extra help that setters don’t always give, simply calling A Z ‘extremists’
25 CENSURED
Disapproved of recording, holding on to guarantee (8)

C(ensure)D
26 COYOTE
Creature timid, oddly lacking bottle (6)

coy {b}o{t}t{l}e
Down
2 APPROACH
Mostly brave, adopting professional modus operandi (8)

pro in apach{e}
3 GREAT-AUNT
Limitless treats consumed by thin relative (5-4)

{t}reat{s} in gaunt
4 PARKA
Jacket old man wrapped round chest (5)

P(ark)a
5 MICHELIN-STARRED
Meal rich diner ordered with extremely succulent filling … in such a restaurant? (8-7)

(meal rich diner)* round s{ucculen}t
6 CONCEALER
I’ll hide something in make-up bag? (9)

2 defs, neither of which I really knew: someone who conceals, and the cosmetic — Collins doesn’t give the cosmetic, but Chambers does
7 AGENT
Spy engaged in stashing away dope (5)

a(gen)t
8 INSURE
Protect giant squirrel now and then (6)

{g}i{a}n{t} s{q}u{i}r{r}e{l}
14 CONTENDER
Cheat vulnerable competitor (9)

con [= cheat] tender [= vulnerable]
15 AMUSINGLY
A Greek character alone causing laughter thus? (9)

a mu singly
16 ADJUTANT
Plug project supported by soldier, say, and officer (8)

ad jut ant — Dac doesn’t just calls an ant a soldier, like many setters, since there are other types of ant
18 CARAFE
Glass container – jar – unopened in bar (6)

{j}ar in cafe
20 FIVES
Fine American scorer in ball game (5)

f Ives [the American composer [scorer]] — perhaps fives is not all that well-known by everyone
22  PANIC
Spaniard casts aside his fear (5)
{his}panic
*anagram

9 comments on “Independent 9,012 by Dac”

  3. The usual Wednesday treat from Dac. One very minor quibble re 23ac; I would spell it SALVADOREAN, but without recourse to a dictionary I’m quite happy to accept either that Dac is correct or that it can be spelt either way. And I needed the blog to parse RACONTEUSE and to explain the clue by reminding me of the second meaning of CONCEALER.

    Thanks, Dac and John

  4. A lovely puzzle, thank you Dac. I am a bit confused about 18d though, I would have thought the ‘jar’ was opened since its ‘lid’ is off? I needed help to parse MOCCASIN, thank you John.

  7. unferth @6, Wiki says El Salvador is part of North America, the boundary with South America is the Colombian border, Central America being the southernmost, isthmian, portion of the North American continent.

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