The last time we had the pleasure of blogging a Dac puzzle was last July so we were very pleased to see his name above the puzzle this week.
As expected, an enjoyable solve – all very well clued, good surfaces and no particularly unusual words (with the possible exception of Creon – new to us)
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | Youngster forever safe when accompanied by father, note (5,3) | |
| PETER PAN | PETER (safe) PA (father) N (note) | |
| 5 | Mind job, etc, being reorganised (6) | |
| OBJECT | Anagram of JOB ETC – anagrind is ‘being reorganised’ | |
| 10 | Barman prepared repast after very little time (7) | |
| TAPSTER | An anagram of REPAST after T (time) – anagrind is ‘prepared’ | |
| 11 | Giant sounds sadder than everyone else, might you say? (7) | |
| OUTSIZE | A play on the fact that if you are sadder than everyone else you may well OUT SIGH them – homophone indicator is ‘might you say’ | |
| 12 | Poor Edward, gripped by recurring desire (5) | |
| NEEDY | ED (Edward) inside or ‘gripped by’ YEN (desire) reversed or ‘recurring’ | |
| 13 | Accessory on car one’s reversed near entrance (9) | |
| SIDELIGHT | SI (reversal of one’s) DELIGHT (entrance) | |
| 14 | Position in rest home attracted Anne in a way (4,9) | |
| CARE ATTENDANT | An anagram of ATTRACTED ANNE – anagrind is ‘in a way’ | |
| 18 | Moody office worker taking ages with one sort of arithmetic (13) | |
| TEMPERAMENTAL | TEMP (office worker) ERA (ages) MENTAL (one sort of arithmetic) | |
| 20 | Greek island to ancient city? That encompasses satisfactory type of holiday (5,4) | |
| COOKS TOUR | COS (Greek island) TO UR (ancient city) around or ‘encompassing’ OK (satisfactory) | |
| 22 | He ruled Thebes a long time after King Charles (5) | |
| CREON | EON (long time) after CR (King Charles). However, we cannot find CR in Chambers as an abbreviation for King Charles, but GR stands for King George and ER for Queen Elizabeth – both are in Chambers – perhaps CR will appear if and when we have a King Charles III. | |
| 23 | More willing to perish in tower (7) | |
| READIER | DIE (perish) inside REAR (tower) | |
| 24 | Children absorbed by play money, once (7) | |
| DRACHMA | CH (children) inside DRAMA (play) | |
| 25 | Polish rabbi enters holy place (6) | |
| SHRINE | R (rabbi) entering SHINE (polish) | |
| 26 | Postgraduate close to exasperation, meeting cheeky young student (8) | |
| FRESHMAN | MA (postgraduate) N (last letter or ‘close’ to exasperation) after or ‘meeting’ FRESH (cheeky) | |
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | Turned up with fizzy drink, last of wine kept for later (3,2,3) | |
| PUT ON ICE | UP (reversed or ‘turned’) TONIC (fizzy drink) E (last letter of wine) | |
| 2 | Elevated site overlooking Crete sadly inaccessible to most people (3,6) | |
| TOP SECRET | SPOT (site) reversed or ‘elevated’ over an anagram of CRETE –anagrind is ‘sadly’ | |
| 3 | Some brat, typically grumpy (5) | |
| RATTY | Hidden in (‘some’) bRAT TYpically | |
| 4 | A burden directors must shoulder everywhere (6,3,5) | |
| ACROSS THE BOARD | A CROSS (burden) ‘being shouldered’ by THE BOARD (directors) | |
| 6 | British PM once restraining a cross, formidable woman (6-3) | |
| BATTLE AXE | B (British) ATTLEE (PM once) around or ‘restraining’ A X (cross) | |
| 7 | Chopping head off oil baron (5) | |
| EWING | ||
| 8 | A number proceeded through outskirts of Tenby (6) | |
| TWENTY | WENT (proceeded) inside or ‘through’ TY (first and last letter or ‘outskirts of Tenby) | |
| 9 | Pet dog ran with red ball thrown round middle of woods (6,8) | |
| GOLDEN LABRADOR | An anagram of DOG RAN RED BALL – anagrind is ‘thrown’ around O (middle better of ‘woods’) | |
| 15 | Cost of entry varies, Simon said (9) | |
| ADMISSION | An anagram of SIMON SAID – anagrind is ‘varies’ | |
| 16 | Child actor – about ten – in London area (9) | |
| TOTTENHAM | TOT (child) HAM (actor) around TEN | |
| 17 | Ordinary worker’s eaten banana (8) | |
| PLANTAIN | PLAIN (ordinary) around or ‘eating’ ANT (worker) | |
| 19 | I transport American high-flyer (6) | |
| ICARUS | I CAR (transport) US (American) | |
| 21 | Old and new song being broadcast (2,3) | |
| ON AIR | O (old) N (new) AIR (song) | |
| 22 | Breeding shown by Conservative female (5) | |
| CLASS | C (Conservative) LASS (female) | |
A lovely green slope. Thanks to B&J too.
We beg to differ – in our opinion this was not Dac at his best. We didn’t like ‘recurring’ as a reversal indicator in 12ac, and in 13ac a SIDELIGHT is hardly an accessory for a car – it’s a legal requirement. As for 14ac, we would normally refer to a care assistant rather than a care attendant. And we weren’t happy with the clue for PLANTAIN -it implies that ‘plain’ should be inserted in ‘ant’, not ‘ant’ in ‘plain’; we have similar reservations about SHRINE.
But there were some touches of brilliance as well. We liked OUTSIZE, COOK’S TOUR, DRACHMA and FRESHMAN.
Thanks, though, Dac and B&J
What a pleasure this was and only the ruler of Thebes needed checking on.
Big ticks alongside 18,20&25a plus 1,4,6&19d.
Many thanks to Dac and to B&J for the blog.
A most enjoyable diversion from real life. Like B&J I had to deduce CREON (I just assumed CR, so thanks for not neglecting your bloggerly checking duties), and also couldn’t place exactly who EWING was.
Liked TOP SECRET, ACROSS THE BOARD, the child actor in TOTTENHAM and more.
Thanks to Dac and Bertandjoyce.
DAC more in his Flamande for the Times Quickie mode with this fluffy offering but pleasant enough. Marks deducted for 9d – as all countrymen know, only Retrievers are Golden, Labradors are Yellow.
Golden retrievers, yellow Labradors
Ah yes: good crossword compiling. I came to this from The Grauniad’s ill-made and maladroit contrivance, and what a relief it is.
Mind you, I have been to Tenby, and I can’t recommend going any further than its outskirts.