Another Wednesday, another puzzle from Dac
I made fairly steady progress solving this. The two most obscure words for me today were FASTBACK (1 across) and BUTTERY (3 down in that particular sense of a College room). There were some fairly basic clues today I thought, examples being FRIGHTFUL at 9 across, TWILL at 13 across, RETEST at 25 across and ABETTER at 6 down. although the surfaces of all of those clues were very smooth.
My favourite clues today were for EARLY ONE MORNING (14 across) for an excellent anagram and PETHIDINE (7 down) for it’s cluing of the PETE element of the wordplay.
As many bloggers have said, you know exactly what you are going to get with Dac; a good sound crossword with no gimmicks or messages.
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Across |
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|---|---|---|---|
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No. |
Clue | Wordplay |
Entry |
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1
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Perhaps do without the second car (8)
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FAST (do without food) + BACK (second)
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FASTBACK (a car whose roof slopes smoothly down towards the rear, giving a streamlined effect;
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5
|
Interfere, laying theatre carpet the wrong way (6)
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(REP [repertory theatre company] + MAT [carpet]) all reversed (laying … the wrong way) (TAM PER)< |
TAMPER (interfere)
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9
|
Just terrible, losing head (8)
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FRIGHTFUL (terrible) excluding (losing) the first letter (head) F
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RIGHTFUL (just)
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10
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Zealot regularly hiding in pit given a walloping (6)
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ELT (letters 2, 4 and 6 [regularly] of ZEALOT) contained in (hiding in) BED (pit, as in ‘the lazy person’s not up yet – he/she’s still in their pit) B (ELT) ED |
BELTED (given a walloping)
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12
|
Landlord initially bearing item of correspondence (3,6)
|
AIR (bearing) + LETTER (landlord)
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AIR LETTER (item of correspondence)
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13
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Fabric wife kept in drawer (5)
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W (wife) contained in (kept in) TILL (a drawer for money) T (W) ILL |
TWILL (woven fabric)
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14
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Many ignore loner performing folk song (5,3,7)
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Anagram of (performing) MANY IGNORE LONER
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EARLY ONE MORNING (English folk song dating back to the 18th century)
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16
|
US leaders encountered in groups round Florida’s capital (8,7)
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FOUND [encountered) + IN + (GATHERS [groups]) containing [round] F [first letter of {capital} FLORIDA]) FOUND IN G (F) ATHERS |
FOUNDING FATHERS (Unites States leaders)
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20
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During middle part of séance, female is very pale (5)
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SHE (female) contained in (during) AN (middle two letters of [middle part] SÉANCE) A (SHE) N |
ASHEN (very pale)
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21
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I came back and dined with daughter, appearing very thin (9)
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(I CAME) reversed (back) + ATE + D (daughter) (EMAC I)< ATE D |
EMACIATED (extremely thin)
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23
|
Judge with base in Shropshire town (6)
|
LUD (Lord, as in the term My Lord when addressing a judge) + LOW (base)
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LUDLOW (town in Shropshire)
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24
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Composer namely gets to sing a couple of notes (8)
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SC (scilicet [Latin]; namely) + HUM (sing with closed lips) + A + (N [note] + N [notes] to give a couple of notes)
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SCHUMANN (reference Robert SCHUMANN [1810 – 1856], German composer)
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25
|
Setter rejigged another examination (6)
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Anagram of (rejigged) SETTER
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RETEST (another examination)
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26
|
People bitter, perhaps, about American ruler once (8)
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MEN (people) + ALE (beer, possibly bitter) reversed (about) + US (United States American) MEN ELA< US |
MENELAUS (In Greek mythology, Menelaus was a king of Mycenaean [pre-Dorian] Sparta, the husband of Helen of Troy, and a central figure in the Trojan War; ruler once)
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| Down | |||
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1
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Coat – new one – in which one gets very hot (7)
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FUR (coat) + N (new) + ACE (one)
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FURNACE (in which one gets very hot)
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2
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Tomato sauce is served up? That’s sweet (5)
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RAGU’S (RAGU [meat and tomato sauce in Italian cookery] IS) reversed (served up; down clue) SUGAR< |
SUGAR (sweet substance)
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3
|
Bachelor, say, last to study in college room (7)
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B (bachelor) + UTTER (say) + Y (final letter of [last to] STUDY)
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BUTTERY (a room in esp an Oxford or Cambridge college where food and drink are supplied to students)
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4
|
Accepted nobleman getting elevated, though lacking aspiration (12) |
COUNT (nobleman) + (ENHANCED [elevated] excluding [lacking] H [a letter associated with aspiration])
|
COUNTENANCED (accepted)
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6
|
A superior assistant? (7)
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A + BETTER (superior)
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ABETTER (assistant)
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7
|
Mr Doherty is about concealin’ drug (9)
|
PETE (reference PETE Doherty [1979 – date], musician, frontman of the Libertines and Babyshambles) containing (about) HIDIN‘ (concealin’) PET (HIDIN) E |
PETHIDINE (a synthetic analgesic and hypnotic, acting like morphine, much used in childbirth; drug)
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8
|
After revision, Alfred reaches good standard (3,4)
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Anagram of (revision) ALFRED + G (good) RED FLA* G |
RED FLAG (standard)
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11
|
Dairy food: exotic fare I’m getting in nursery (5,7)
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Anagram of (exotic) FARE I’M contained in (in) CRÈCHE (nursery) CRE (ME FRAI*) CHE |
CRÈME FRAÎCHE (cream thickened with a culture of bacteria; dairy food)
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15
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Experienced harsh conditions: i.e. drought that’s awful; (7,2)
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Anagram of (that’s awful) DROUGHT I. E.
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ROUGHED IT (experienced harsh conditions)
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16
|
Weaker bar needs iron coating right? (7)
|
RAIL (bar) contained in (needs … coating) FE (chemical symbol for iron) + R (right) F (RAIL) E R |
FRAILER (weaker)
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17
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Dogs seen here, and silence reigns? (7)
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DIN (noise) + GOES (leaves) – noise leaves therefore silence reigns
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DINGOES (dogs)
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18
|
Clan welcoming a French champion (7)
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TRIBE (clan) containing (welcoming) UN (one of the forms of ‘a’ in French) TRIB (UN) E |
TRIBUNE (champion of popular rights)
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19
|
Lines I had included in serenades? (7)
|
I’D (I had) contained in (included in) SINGS (serenades) S (ID) INGS |
SIDINGS (railway lines used for shunting)
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22
|
Meaningless notes from orchestra lately (3-2)
|
TRA-LA (hidden word in [from] ORCHESTRA LATELY)
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TRA-LA (used to express joy, pleasure, etc, or when humming a song.; meaningless notes)
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I agree that this was another fine Dac puzzle. The clue for DINGOES made me smile when I cracked it, PETHIDINE went in from the wordplay, and the FURNACE/FASTBACK crossers were my last ones in.
A personal niggle with puzzles which yield swiftly (apart from the obvious) is being deprived of a sustained excuse for general procrastination! That said, the construction of the surfaces is a paragon and, in some instances, delightful.
I thought “Ludlow” was very neat and agree with Andy B – “Dingoes” was also nice. Whilst they were each awarded a tick, the tale of Mr Doherty received two! Fabulous….
Thunks Duncs
and a pat on the back Dac!
W
What! Only 2 comments!
We started this rather late (again) and had to finish the NW corner this morning. It is difficult to know what else to add as this was a typical Dac, lovely surfaces and a variety of wordplay – a pleasure to solve.
Thanks Dac and Duncan.