How is it possible, week after week, to say anything new about Dac? As always, the surfaces are elegant and smooth and there are no real points of contention, so far as I can see. This one took slightly less time than usual (21 minutes, which is reasonably fast for me. No doubt the speed merchants would take a quarter of that).
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | B(LAZE)R |
| 4 | PROMPTER — 2 defs |
| 9 | chURCH INquisitively |
| 10 | CAPULETS — (up)rev. in (castle)* |
| 12 | JUTE — 2 defs |
| 13 | CONT((newspape)R)ACT ED |
| 15 | HEAVENLY HOST — 2 defs |
| 18 | GOING CONCERN — the old ones are the best |
| 21 | ASTERISKED — (it’s as Derek)* |
| 22 | MEGA — hidden rev. in ‘stage musical’ — I can remember as a boy fifty years ago using the word ‘wizard’ (to describe a very exciting Portsmouth football match, actually, a 3-3 draw) and having the impression as I did so that I was even then using a rather dated word |
| 24 | IN ACTION |
| 25 | PIQUE (tigh)T |
| 26 | MO NICKER |
| 27 | FLESHY — (elf)rev. shy |
| Down | |
| 1 | BLUE JOHN |
| 2 | AL C(A T)RAZ(e) |
| 3 | (th)E(XI)(restauran)T |
| 5 | ROAST CHICKEN — (steak’n’chicor(y))* |
| 6 | MA (U PASS) ANT |
| 7 | TWENTY — presumably this is simply that in a soccer game 20 is an unlikely score |
| 8 | RE SIDE |
| 11 | ROLLING STONE — ‘rock’ is part of the wordplay, not the definition, although Rolling Stone is indeed a rock magazine |
| 14 | DEMO C RAT IC — Dac is a day late with his Nina |
| 16 | REVENUES — (never use)* |
| 17 | INFANT RY — what is the question mark doing? Is it there because of Dac’s unusual departure from Ximenean-ness (ChildLine with no space)? Or is it not in fact such a departure — I’m not sure? |
| 19 | B A R(1)UM, I think, rather than BA R(1)UM |
| 20 | S TRAIN |
| 23 | P ILL |
ChildLine is the correct form of logo for that organisation, irritatingly, which would have forced Dac’s hand here.
Nice clue (among many others) though, and worth being burned alive in the wicker of one’s Ximenean colleagues’ wrath.
Loved 1D as a simple bit of fun. Can’t quite claim a quarter of John’s time, but did beat a third.
This maybe the first time ever I’ve been helped in finishing a crossword by noticing a possible pangram with a letter missing – in this case the ‘K’ of MONICKER, my last entry.
Excellent crossword, as ever from Dac.