[If you’re attending York S&B please see comments 32&33] - here
I don’t think there is anything to frighten the horses in this standard crossword puzzle by Dac
After last week’s challenging Tyrus I find myself in the calmer waters of Dac this week.
There were some very sparse clues. I particularly liked 20 down ‘two billion people’ leading to BRACE
I noted a couple of excellent anagrams – HERE A VIOLINIST at 10 across and A PROTESTANT BOY at 20 across.
There was some good misdirection in the clue for PERCHANCE with its fishy allusions and its definition of ‘maybe’
Overall a pleasant way to start a Wednesday morning.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
A Catholic, hit hard, gets a big shiner (3,4)
|
A + RC (Roman Catholic) + LAMP (slang for punch or thump; hit hard)
|
ARC LAMP (a device that produces a very bright light; big shiner)
|
|
5
|
To some extent, political group can enlist Liberal (6)
|
PARTY (political group) containing (can enlist) L (Liberal) PART (L) Y |
PARTLY (to some extent)
|
|
8
|
During part of year, I wonder about becoming member of restaurant staff (4,6)
|
(I +AWE [wonder]) reversed (about) contained in (during) WINTER (part of the year) WIN (E WA I)< TER |
WINE WAITER (a member of a restaurant’s staff)
|
|
9
|
Much-loved female Roman’s greeting (4)
|
F (female) + AVE (Latin for be well and happy; Roman greeting when Latin was the language of the people of Rome)
|
FAVE (favourite; much-loved)
|
|
10
|
Here a violinist performed 70s’ disco hit (4,2,2,3,3)
|
Anagram of (performed) HERE A VIOLINIST LOVE IS IN THE AIR* |
LOVE IS IN THE AIR (1977 disco song by John Paul Young)
|
|
11
|
Gave misleading information about paper being stolen (6)
|
LIED (gave misleading information) containing (about) FT (Financial Times; paper) LI (FT) ED |
LIFTED (stolen)
|
|
13
|
Family man hammering nails now (3-2-3)
|
Anagram of (hammering) NAILS NOW SON-IN-LAW* |
SON-IN-LAW (male member of the family; family man)
|
|
15
|
Gay man is exercising in these? (8)
|
Anagram of (is exercising) GAY MAN IS GYMNASIA* |
GYMNASIA (facilities for exercising)
|
|
18
|
Catch close colleague finishing early, retiring (6)
|
PARTNER (close colleague) excluding the final letter (finishing early) R reversed (retiring) ENTRAP< |
ENTRAP (catch)
|
|
20
|
A protestant boy coming to grief in transatlantic conflict (6,3,5)
|
Anagram of (come to grief) A PROTESTANT BOY BOSTON TEA PARTY* |
BOSTON TEA PARTY (political protest December 1773 destroying a shipment of tea by the East India Company and sowing some more seeds of the American War of Independence later in the decade)
|
|
22
|
Ordered World War II pilot to offer no resistance (4)
|
BADER (reference Sir Douglas BADER (highly decorated RAF pilot during the Second World War) excluding (offer no) R (resistance)
|
BADE (ordered)
|
|
23
|
Old individual judged and given a pardon (10)
|
EX (old) + ONE (individual) + RATED (judged)
|
EXONERATED (acquitted, pardoned)
|
|
24
|
Dope and crack for the aristocracy (6)
|
GEN (information; dope) + TRY (crack; gave a go, have a crack)
|
GENTRY (aristocracy)
|
|
25
|
Confused religious scholar carried by beast of burden, with daughter on the back (7) |
(DD [Doctor of Divinity; religious scholar] contained in [carried by] MULE [beast of burden]) + D (daughter) MU (DD) LE D |
MUDDLED (confused)
|
| Down | |||
| No. | Clue | Wordplay | Entry |
|
1
|
I am old model, overwhelmed by some strong hostility (9)
|
( I’M [I an] + O [old] + SIT [model]) contained in (overwhelmed by) ANY (some) AN (IM O SIT) Y |
ANIMOSITY (strong hostility)
|
|
2
|
Part of article mentioned Freud, for one (7)
|
CLEMENT (hidden word in [part of] ARTICLE MENTIONED)
|
CLEMENT (reference CLEMENT Freud [1924 – 2009], British broadcaster, writer, politician and chef)
|
|
3
|
Gather church service is led by archbishop principally (5)
|
A (first letter of [principally] ARCHBISHOP) + MASS (church service)
|
AMASS (gather)
|
|
4
|
Official documents: one’s disregarded by people in hospital (7)
|
PATIENTS (people under medical treatment; people in hospital) excluding (disregarded) I (one)
|
PATENTS (official documents conferring exclusive right or privileges, most commonly associated with sole rights for exploitation of inventions for a period of time. Also used to confer titles)
|
|
5
|
Fish – brill – served about noon maybe (9)
|
PERCH (fish) + (ACE [brilliant; brill] containing [about] N [noon]) PERCH A (N) CE |
PERCHANCE (maybe)
|
|
6
|
Burden of brother in control (7)
|
FRA (friar or brother) contained in (in) REIN (control) RE (FRA) IN |
REFRAIN (burden, part of a song repeated at the end of every verse)
|
|
7
|
Organ prelude not used in stage musical (5)
|
OLIVER (title of a stage musical) excluding (not used) the first letter (prelude) O
|
LIVER (organ of the body)
|
|
12
|
Find night club jolly (9)
|
DISCO (night club) + VERY (jolly – e.g. VERY good, jolly good)
|
DISCOVERY (find)
|
|
14
|
Help to suppress charge over the illegal segregation of races (9)
|
AID (help) containing (to suppress) (PAR [price of shares without premium or discount; charge] + THE) A (PAR THE) ID |
APARTHEID (segregation and separate development of races, especially as formerly practised in South Africa)
|
|
16
|
What antiperspirant guarantees without a quibble? (2,5)
|
NO SWEAT (what anti-perspirant claims to guarantee)
|
NO SWEAT (words used to signify assent, or indicating that something will present no problems) double definition
|
|
17
|
Another rookie teacher’s just starting to take over class? That could be novel (3,4) |
ART (first letters of [just starting] each of ANOTHER, ROOKIE and TEACHER) + FORM (class)
|
ART FORM (a novel is a literary example of an ART FORM)
|
|
19
|
Hard work making road round Virginia (7)
|
TRAIL (road) containing (round) VA (abbreviation for the US State of Virginia) TRA (VA) IL |
TRAVAIL (excessive labour; hard work)
|
|
20
|
Two billion people (5)
|
B (billion) + RACE (people)
|
BRACE (two)
|
|
21
|
Leading man in a commercial (5)
|
HE (man) contained in (in) (A + AD [advertisement; commercial]) A (HE) AD |
AHEAD (leading)
|
All quite straightforward, but a few head-scratching moments. BADE was one of my last ones in as the ‘pilot’ reference was a nice misdirection into thinking it had to be -ACE. The two long anagrams weren’t immediately obvious but a few crossing letters soon made them so. And I thought for a while that 17dn was ART ROOM; don’t know why as the correct answer is pretty obvious, but I even googled to find that there is a novel called ‘Art Room’, although it’s somewhat obscure and not likely to be known to a typical blocked crossword solver.
Thanks, Dac for a pleasant solve, and Duncan for the usual meticulous blog.
I think 14ac parses as RAP (charge) reversed (over)
Very enjoyable. Thanks to both.
Sorry .. I meant 14d
Geebs @ 2 and 3
Yes a much simpler parsing of 14 down – thanks.
I think mine still holds a bit of water, but I’m sure that DAC had your parsing in mind rather than mine.
Thanks, Duncan, for the usual fine blog.
You’re right, no horse frightening moments in this one, although I’d never come across the BURDEN/REFRAIN meaning before. BRACE was very clever and concise.
Thanks to Dac too.
Re Burden/Refrain. FWIW Jerome Kern not only preferred the former but always spelt it ‘burthen’.
That went in quickly after the last couple of days. Quickest solve in a long while.
Hooray for Dac! Impeccably constructed clues, with no dodgy or ungrammatical synonyms/definitions. His work is always a pleasure to solve.
And thank you too, Duncan, for your – as ever – excellent analysis.
Overall a great way to end a Wednesday evening too Duncan.
It did however almost roll into Thursday as well after an evening spent returning from London and then picking up Joyce’s mother from hospital – we left her father behind! Many thanks to the NHS in Nottingham.
Thankfully it was an enjoyable, quick solve and we agree with Duncan about the long anagrams.
Thanks Duncan and Dac – neither of you ever disappoint us!