What can we say? It’s the beginning of the month so it’s Dac again with another of his excellent puzzles with their trade-mark great surfaces.
We found this fairly straightforward. We had not come across the entry at 5d before, but its meaning is obvious and the wordplay is clear.
| Across | ||
| 1 | Make use of English politician and – behold – recovery at last (6) | |
| EMPLOY | E (English) MP (politician) LO (behold) Y (last letter of ‘recovery’) | |
| 4 | Home not very warm? Run inside, showing no fear (8) | |
| INTREPID | IN (home) TEPID (not very warm) with R (run) ‘inside’ | |
| 9 | Old Scot has saved nothing? That’s loopy (5) | |
| PICOT | PICT (old scot) round or ‘saving’ O (nothing) | |
| 10 | Overweight NCO initially unchanged before fasting period (9) | |
| CORPULENT | CORP (NCO – corporal) U (first letter or ‘initial’ of ‘unchanged’) LENT (fasting period) | |
| 11 | Sculptor‘s record with stone from Germany (7) | |
| EPSTEIN | EP (record) STEIN (German for ‘stone’) | |
| 12 | Dogs without lead, lots (6) | |
| OODLES | ||
| 14 | Bill to develop research on sport (8,7) | |
| SNOOPERS’ CHARTER | An anagram of RESEARCH ON SPORT – anagrind is ‘to develop’ | |
| 16 | Doubtful victories even after recruiting a hundred engaged in fighting (2,6,7) | |
| ON ACTIVE SERVICE | An anagram of VICTORIES EVEN – anagrind is ‘doubtful’ –round or ‘recruiting’ A C (hundred) | |
| 19 | Wanderer returns bearing small fruit (6) | |
| DAMSON | NOMAD (wanderer) reversed or ‘returning’ around or ‘bearing’ S (small) | |
| 21 | Stresses one American is taken in by nasty sect (7) | |
| ICTUSES | I (one) + US (American) ‘taken in’ by an anagram of SECT – anagrind is ‘nasty’ | |
| 23 | Approving of place for witch to chant (9) | |
| ENDORSING | ENDOR (place for witch) SING (chant) | |
| 24 | People hostile mostly when facing a medical procedure (5) | |
| ENEMA | ENEM |
|
| 25 | Flash, going round semi-nude in public building (8) | |
| MONUMENT | MOMENT (flash) round NU |
|
| 26 | Expressed strong feelings as book is rejected by editor (6) | |
| EMOTED | TOME (book) reversed or ‘rejected’ + ED (editor) | |
| Down | ||
| 1 | Look for words to say (10) | |
| EXPRESSION | Double definition | |
| 2 | Film’s very good about a Spanish painter (7) | |
| PICASSO | PIC’S (film’s) SO (very good) round A | |
| 3 | Where soothing lotion should be put immediately? (2,3,4) | |
| ON THE SPOT | Cryptic definition | |
| 5 | Allowing very few people to view new disagreement with players in a group (13) | |
| NARROWCASTING | N (new) + ROW (disagreement) CAST (players) in A RING (group) | |
| 6 | Song cycle? (5) | |
| ROUND | Double definition | |
| 7 | Bar vicar found locked on the outside (7) | |
| PREVENT | REV (vicar) with PENT (locked) around | |
| 8 | Fruit consumed after start of dinner (4) | |
| DATE | ATE (consumed) after D (first letter or ‘start’ of ‘dinner’) | |
| 10 | Putting up paintings during meeting is an offence (13) | |
| CONTRAVENTION | ART (paintings) reversed or ‘put up’ in CONVENTION (meeting) | |
| 13 | Where environmentalists have been elected, maybe – a cultivated area (10) | |
| GREENSWARD | If GREENS (environmentalists) were to be elected in a WARD (electoral division of a local council), it would be the ‘Greens’ Ward’ | |
| 15 | Wind dispersed a rare mist (9) | |
| AIRSTREAM | An anagram of A RARE MIST – anagrind is ‘dispersed’ | |
| 17 | A group of musicians playing, showing lack of restraint (7) | |
| ABANDON | A BAND (group of musicians) ON (playing) | |
| 18 | Vet softly probing small creature (7) | |
| INSPECT | P (softly) in or ‘probing’ INSECT (small creature) | |
| 20 | Hastily leave university common room before noon (5) | |
| SCRAM | SCR (Senior Common Room – in a university) AM (before noon) | |
| 22 | Hairstyle is proper messy after lots of cutting (4) | |
| PERM | Hidden in ‘proPER Messy’ | |
What can I say? Well, something, since no-one else seems minded to.
As always, an enjoyable Wednesday puzzle from Dac. NARROWCASTING was new to me, but since we have BROADCASTING, why not? ICTUSES I had to really think about, but with four crossing letters out of seven and clear clueing, fair enough.
SNOOPERS’ CHARTER was a great clue.
Thanks all three.
Lots of neat and precise surfaces, but finished all too quickly. Did not know either NARROWCASTING or SNOOPERS CHARTER, latter had to be what it was after crossers,unless it was SPOONERS CHARTER, perhaps an enactment for the promulgation (or outlawing) of crossword Spoonerisms.
Thanks to Dac and Bertandjoyce.
A nice relaxing Dac to come home to after an unexpectedly busy day. Too many excellent clues to single out a CoD.
Thanks, Dac and B&J.