It’s Wednesday morning and thus time for my monthly outing with Dac.
Dac puzzles are always enjoyable, with tidy clues that can be parsed with absolute certainty, relying little on abstruse information or vocabulary. Today’s puzzle was no exception to the rule, although I found this particular puzzle to be easier than the average Dac and worked through it at an even pace from start to finish.
My favourite clues today are 1A and 10, both – surprise, surprise! – for surface! 19 and 25 were unusual, in my opinion, in that a large proportion of the clue accounted for just one element in the parsing – in 19, 5 of the 7 words led to “stole”; and in 25, 5 of the 7 words accounted for the definition.
(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 01 | HORACE | Grammatical fluency largely acquired by male poet
ORAC<y> (=grammatical fluency; “largely” means last letter dropped) in HE (=male); the reference is to the Roman poet Horace (65-8 BC) |
| 04 | MIGRATED | One Greek couple touring Germany went to live elsewhere
{[I (=one) + GR (=Greek)] in MATE (=couple, as verb)} + D (=Germany, i.e. Deutschland) |
| 09 | NO FEAR | What those cured of phobias have? Definitely not
Cryptically, those cured of phobias have “no fear” of anything |
| 10 | WARLORDS | In hospital rooms look after last of our great fighters
[<ou>R (“last of” means last letter only) + LO (=look)] in WARDS (=hospital rooms) |
| 11 | CREPE | French snack rejected by Lance Percival
Reversed (“rejected”) and hidden in “lancE PERCival” |
| 12 | SQUARE LEG | Cricketer out, say, after half a century
OUT (=square, i.e. old-fashioned) + L (=half a century, i.e. 50 in Roman numerals) + E.G. (=say, for example) |
| 13 | ALADDIN’S CAVE | About to enter badly vandalised treasure store
CA (=about, i.e. circa) in *(VANDALISED); “badly” is anagram indicator |
| 17 | INTERMISSION | Stop to do burials near church
INTER (=to do burials, i.e. bury) + MISSION (=church) |
| 20 | MOTH-EATEN | Shabby playhouse right to be got rid of within twenty-four hours
THEAT<r>E (=playhouse; “right (+R) to be got rid of” means letter “r” dropped) in MON (=twenty-four hours, i.e. Monday) |
| 22 | ARGUE | Contend a miscreant has nothing to lose
A + R<o>GUE (=miscreant); “has nothing (=O) to lose” means letter “o” is dropped |
| 23 | RELATION | Family member, for example, avoids demotion
REL<eg>ATION (=demotion, i.e. in sport); “for example (=e.g.) avoids” means letters “eg” are dropped |
| 24 | NICEST | Most pleasant having temperature just above freezing in home
1C (=temperature just above freezing) in NEST (=home) |
| 25 | SUNDRESS | Garment made of lightweight material, small strip
S (=small, in clothing sizes) + UNDRESS (=strip, as verb) |
| 26 | YEARLY | The old railway crosses area every so often
A (=area) in [YE (=the old, i.e. an old word for the) + RLY (=railway)] |
| Down | ||
| 01 | HANDCLAP | Plan Chad devised, getting reluctant applause
*(PLAN CHAD); “devised” is anagram indicator; cf. a slow handclap |
| 02 | RIFLEMAN | Soldier’s condition, last to fall in Marne battle
[IF (=condition, supposition) + <fal>L (“last to” means last letter only)] in *(MARNE); “battle” is anagram indicator |
| 03 | CLARENDON | Cambridge college academic welcomes northern historian
N (=northern) in [CLARE (=Cambridge college) + DON (=academic)]; the reference is to English historian Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon (1609-74) |
| 05 | I’M A DUTCHMAN | Part of Vermeer’s self-introduction? That can’t be true
Cryptically, the expression “I’m a Dutchman” might be used by the Dutch artist Vermeer when introducing himself! |
| 06 | RULER | 15 perhaps and cattle thief? No way
RU<st>LER (=cattle thief); “no way (=St, for street)” means letters “st” are dropped; King Lear (=entry at 15) can be described as a “ruler” |
| 07 | THRILL | Work about sixty minutes? That’s exciting
HR (=sixty minutes, i.e. hour) in TILL (=work, of land, i.e. cultivate) |
| 08 | DESIGN | Plan to remove roadside assistance?
Cryptically, if you were to de-sign, i.e. remove signposts from roads, you would “remove roadside assistance” |
| 12 | SENTENTIOUS | Preachy nun sees to it in new order
*(NUN SEES TO IT); “in new order” is anagram indicator; sententious is “preachy” in the sense of moralising |
| 14 | VISUALISE | Imagine one suit half-packed in case
[I (=one) + SU<it> (“half” means only 2 of 4 letters are needed)] in VALISE (=case) |
| 15 | KING LEAR | Play, breaking a leg in park after dad leaves
*(A LEG IN <pa>RK); “after dad (=pa)” leaves” means letters “pa” are dropped from anagram, indicated by “breaking” |
| 16 | ANCESTRY | An English church’s attempt to identify forefathers?
AN + CE’S (=English church’s, i.e. Church of England) + TRY (=attempt) |
| 18 | SMARMS | Sergeant major with weapons speaks ingratiatingly
SM (=sergeant major) + ARMS (=weapons) |
| 19 | STOLEN | Hot garment made of fur, perhaps, new
STOLEN (=garment made of fur, perhaps) + N (=new) |
| 21 | ENTER | Gain access to part of hospital – emergency room
ENT (=part of hospital, i.e. ear, nose and throat) + ER (=emergency room) |
A Dac puzzle is always straightforward (in so far as a cryptic can be) and this was, I thought, the most straightforward I’d encountered for some time. CLARENDON was my CoD
Thanks, Dac and RatkojaRiku
Now there’s a nice coincidence. I did this whilst listening to a piece of music by Louis Andriessen, a Dutchman who’s written an opera about Vermeer. 5dn came to me quickly.
Wonderful as usual but why is a handclap reluctant applause? A slow one perhaps but a normal one?
An absolute perfect crossword for a daily paper, although I was unable to get round to it till after dinner, a very pleasurable couple of hours spent,just perfect for these lockdown nights we have to endure.