There is something reassuringly familiar about logging on to one’s computer and finding that one’s Wednesday morning crossword has been set by Dac.
And, of course, Dac has not disappointed, providing us with another accessible puzzle peppered with beautiful surfaces. Inevitably, the smoothest of those surfaces feature prominently among my favourite clues today, e.g. 16, 18, 21, 22, … If pressed to select a couple of absolute favourites, I would select the & lit. at 2 and 18, for its misdirection.
Incidentally, 15 was a new term for me, and I would be keen to hear if others agree with my parsing at 9 (is “dread” here a noun or an adjective?) and 10 (is “filter” actually part of the definition, since I don’t see an Americano as a filter coffee, but rather as an espresso topped up with hot water?) In any case, these are details in what overall was a thoroughly enjoyable, beautifully clued puzzle, in my opinion.
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clue
| Across | ||
| 01 | SACKS | Lowly dwellings without hot fires
S<h>ACKS (=lowly dwellings); “without hot (=H, as on tap)” means letter “h” is dropped; the “fires” of the definition is a verb, meaning “dismisses from job” |
| 04 | POP SINGER | Piano works popular with German artist
P (=piano, as a musical instruction) + OPS (=works, i.e. operations) + IN (=popular) + GER (=German) |
| 09 | AMERICANO | Aboard steamer I can order filter coffee
Hidden (aboard) in “steAMER I CAN Order” |
| 10 | DREAD | Rastafarian briefly attracted publicity
DRE<w> (=attracted; “briefly” means last letter dropped) + AD (=publicity); the reference seems to be to “dreadlocks”, typical of Rastafarians |
| 11 | BRETON | French/British school
BR (=British) + ETON (=school, in UK) |
| 12 | COME INTO | Inherit small business, revamped on time
CO (=business; “small” indicates an abbreviation, i.e. of “company”) + *(ON TIME); “revamped” is the anagram indicator |
| 14 | ALL-WEATHER | Wall heater adapted for hot and cold conditions
*(WALL HEATER); “adapted” is anagram indicator |
| 16 | PAID | Installed in home, I settled
I in PAD (=home, as in bachelor pad); a bill that has been “settled” has been “paid” |
| 19 | DIGS | Really likes // temporary accommodation
Double definition |
| 20 | LAST ORDERS | Drinks ultimately stored (except for wine) in cupboards
STO<red> (“except for wine (=red)” means letters “red” are dropped) in LARDERS (=cupboards); “last orders” is the last time one can order drinks in a bar, hence “drinks ultimately”! |
| 22 | BROUHAHA | Maybe storm in a teacup created by tea, you say? That’s funny
Homophone (“you say”) of “brew” (=tea) + HA-HA (=that’s funny) |
| 23 | HERBIE | Volkswagen, black one, found in here
[B (=black, as in HB pencils) + I (=one)] in HERE; Herbie the Love Bug is a sentient anthropomorphic 1963 Volkswagen Beetle that featured in a number of Walt Disney films |
| 26 | SALON | In old hospital, large round room for guests
[L (=large) + O (=round, i.e. pictorially)] in SAN (=old hospital, i.e. sanatorium) |
| 27 | EQUERRIES | On-line questions about royal palace staff?
R (=royal) in [E- (=on-line, as in e-mail, e-commerce) + QUERIES (=questions)] |
| 28 | CURRENTLY | Far from straight to withhold payment for accommodation these days
RENT (=payment for accommodation) in CURLY (=far from straight, e.g. of hair) |
| 29 | GO FOR | Prefer // to attack
Double definitions |
| Down | ||
| 01 | STARBOARD | Sailor tucked into special rations in part of ship
TAR (=sailor) in [S (=special) + BOARD (=rations, as in board and lodgings)] |
| 02 | CREPE | Snack served up in Dieppe perchance
Reversed (“served up”) and hidden (“in”) in “DieppE PERChance”; & lit. |
| 03 | SLIPOVER | Top cricketer facing delivery of several balls
SLIP (=cricketer, i.e. close-in fielder) + OVER (=delivery of several balls, in cricket) |
| 04 | PLAN | Shrub, say, mostly seen in plot
PLAN<t> (=shrub, say); “mostly” means last letter dropped |
| 05 | PROPONENTS | Fans, one notes, regularly supporting rugby player
PROP (=rugby player) + ONE + N<o>T<e>S (“regularly” means alternate letters only are used) |
| 06 | INDEED | Definitely something done at home
Cryptically, something done at home would be an “in deed” rather than an “out deed”! |
| 07 | GREENGAGE | Plum joke penned by English writer
GAG (=joke) in GREENE (=English writer, i.e. Graham Greene, 1904-91) |
| 08 | RODEO | Was inactive, it would seem, in wild west show
Cryptically, an inactive participant in a rodeo would “ride O (=nothing, i.e. no broncos!)” |
| 13 | ATTACHMENT | Affection // that comes with some emails?
Double definition: some emails are sent with attachments (=attached files) |
| 15 | LOGROLLER | Dodgy US politician, note, with luxury car
LOG (=note, record) + ROLLER (=luxury call, i.e. RR); logrollers are US politicians that trade favours/votes, etc for mutual political gain |
| 17 | DISPENSER | Ailing president’s no time for chemist, perhaps
*(PRESIDEN<t>’S); “not time (=T)” means letter “t” is dropped from anagram, indicated by “ailing” |
| 18 | TREE FROG | Customer finally got free woolly jumper
*(<custome>R + GOT FREE); “finally” means last letter only; “woolly” is anagram indicator; the tree frog is a “jumper”, i.e. an animal that can jump! |
| 21 | CHANGE | Church with no end of incense for convert
CH (=church) + ANGE<r> (=incense, i.e. enrage; “with no end” means last letter dropped); the “convert” of the definition is a verb, not a noun |
| 22 | BASIC | Simple degree is set up by college
BA (=degree, i.e. Bachelor of Arts) + SI (IS; “set up” indicates vertical reversal) + C (=college) |
| 24 | BRIEF | Short-lived // responsibility
Double definition |
| 25 | PUNY | Feeble joke, ultimately unfunny
PUN (=joke) + <funn>Y (“ultimately” means last letter only) |
I pleasant romp for the most part although for some reason LAST ORDERS defeated me, perhaps a little more time spent staring at it might have done the trick.
RatkojaRiku, your example of B- Black as in the HB pencil didn’t ring quite true for a pedant like me. I took it to be more of a standard abbreviation such as in B&W films etc. Upon googling there seems to be quite a history behind pencil gradations, almost interesting one might say (on a quiet day). H for Hardtmuth and B for Budweis. a multitude of sites out there all pretty much on the same theme. Presumably written by people who should probably get out more.
Note to self – take own advice…
Thanks to Dac and blogger
Not too difficult but with plenty to challenge, including 2 new words at 3d and 15d (which I parsed as you did) and a few tricky clues eg BROUHAHA and STARBOARD, which was not the anagram it at first appeared to be. A v. small point but for 3d, I’m not sure if ‘delivery’ is not doing double duty, with SLIP=’cricketer facing delivery’ and OVER=’delivery of several balls’ though on reflection your parsing is more plausible. I could well be wrong but I took DREAD to be a noun. As a coffee ignoramus sorry that I can’t help with AMERICANO. Good to have something other than a ‘roo’ for ‘jumper’ and I liked HERBIE (I initially put in ‘combie’) which I don’t remember appearing before.
Thanks to Dac for an enjoyable Wednesday evening peri-prandial solve and to RR.
I took the definition at 3d to be ‘top’ as I have always referred to a sleeveless pullover as a ‘slipover’ Then I think ‘slip’ is just a cricketer who fields in the slips and ‘over’ is a delivery of several balls.
Always nice to be Dac-ed on a Wednesday.
Cricketing slips are not facing deliveries, that’s batsmen (limit of my cricket knowledge).
Didn’t know logroller but gettable from the cryptic bit, which is how it should be.
I also should have stared longer at the clue for last orders, blindingly obvious when shown.
I assumed dread was a noun, originally a synonym for wearers of dreadlocks in my experience.
B = black is very definitely a pencil thing.
10a: If DREAD stands for Rastafarian it is a metonymy, which is a noun. Google gives this definition “the substitution of the name of an attribute or adjunct for that of the thing meant, for example suit for business executive, or the turf for horse racing.”
Incidentally, the H for Hardtmuth and B for Budweis thing only appears in Wiki from a single US video source. Doesn’t seem to be supported anywhere else on the whole of the internets.
That seems to have niggled you Mr/Ms Sidey.
We have the Czech company also claiming it – http://www.koh-i-noor.cz/en/interesting-information-about-the-company
Maybe I’ve been suckered in!
Fine puzzle, blog the same. B for ‘black’? Ignore pencils; it just is. Like the sky is blue, it just is.
All went in smoothly without too much trouble. 20ac was my LOI. Just couldn’t see it and I was about to do a word search when it suddenly came to me.
The only definition of B as an abbreviation for black in Chambers is in relation to pencils.
Dac’s puzzles are so good, so flawless, that they attract very few comments generally speaking. I hope Dac doesn’t think this means they are unappreciated.
@Dormouse 9
Yes. Ish.
In Chambers b/w= black and white (might need to go to the video ref for that one…)
Thanks Dac and RR
baerchen @ 10: Yes, agreed, Dac’s puzzles are very neat (but not bovine). As regards your last comment Ho iFn Ho!!