Another excellently crafted puzzle from Dac today. As usual, the surface readings are all good.
We’d never come across the solution to 6d before – the author is not one of our favourites, but it just goes to show that you can always learn something new from a good crossword! We’re not sure about the definition to 19d. As far as we are concerned, it has to be a lot earlier as we leave our Indy crossword solve until we are in bed – unless we are blogging of course!
| Across | ||
| 1 | Detaching front bit from wall shelf makes loud din | |
| RACKET | ||
| 5 | A place to sleep in California? Fantastic! | |
| CAPITAL | A PIT (place to sleep) in CAL (California) | |
| 9 | Window cleaners ruined by more hitches, alas | |
| CHAMOIS LEATHERS | Anagram of MORE HITCHES ALAS (anagrind is ‘ruined’) | |
| 10 | Slightly alter window, originally having wood frame | |
| TWEAK | W (first letter of Window – ‘originally’) in or ‘framed’ by TEAK (wood) | |
| 11 | Friend keeps turf cultivated with skill | |
| ARTFULLY | ALLY (friend) around or ‘keeping’ an anagram of TURF (anagrind is ‘cultivated’) | |
| 13 | Fish recipe, one filed by cooks | |
| DORADO | R (recipe) + A (one) in DO (cook) DO (cook) | |
| 14 | I’ll give you my word concert is finishing with Queen | |
| PROMISER | PROM (concert) + IS + ER (Queen) | |
| 16 | European resort empty? Quite the reverse | |
| SPANIARD | SPA (resort) + DRAIN (empty) reversed | |
| 18 | Articles by writer include rare Middle Eastern language | |
| ARABIC | A + A (articles) + BIC (writer) round or ‘including’ R (rare) | |
| 21 | With amusing entertainment finishing early, admit disappointment | |
| COMEDOWN | COMED |
|
| 22 | Something sweet regularly eaten by foul dog? Yes | |
| FUDGE | Alternate or ‘regular’ letters of FoUl DoG yEs | |
| 24 | Additional foreign cash I obtained in French airport, surprisingly | |
| EXTRAORDINARILY | EXTRA (additional) DINAR (foreign cash) I in ORLY (French airport) | |
| 25 | Happy and relieved to be given first place | |
| PLEASED | EASED (relieved) with PL (place) ‘first’ | |
| 26 | Pinching girl, boy’s severely punished | |
| LASHED | SHE (girl) in or being ‘pinched’ by LAD (boy) | |
| Down | ||
| 2 | Unprofessional co-worker implicated in a union leader’s end | |
| AMATEUR | MATE (co-worker) in A U (union) R (last letter or ‘end’ of ‘leader’) | |
| 3 | Flipping head hit desk: I swayed woozily, completely stunned | |
| KNOCKED SIDEWAYS | CONK (head) reversed or ‘flipped’ + an anagram of DESK I SWAYED (anagrind is ‘woozily’) | |
| 4 | In Rome you’ll head study of Italian region | |
| TUSCAN | TU (‘you’ in Italian) + SCAN (study) | |
| 5 | Rare, cute wild animal | |
| CREATURE | Anagram of RARE CUTE (anagrind is ‘wild’) | |
| 6 | Novel instruction for paver working overtime? | |
| PUT OUT MORE FLAGS | If instructed to ‘PUT OUT MORE FLAG(stone)S’, a paver would probably have to work overtime | |
| 7 | More than one choirboy appears afraid to miss mass | |
| TREBLES | TRE |
|
| 8 | Girl taken into hospital is anaesthetised | |
| LISA | Hidden in hospitaL IS Anaesthetised | |
| 9 | Note lawyers in US state look smart | |
| CUT A DASH | C (note) + DAS (District Attorneys, or ‘lawyers’) in UTAH (US state) | |
| 12 | Collection of pots around part of garden | |
| CROCKERY | C (around, as in circa) + ROCKERY (part of a garden) | |
| 15 | A room ‘Independent’ journalist protected against attack? | |
| ARMOURED | A + RM (room) + OUR ED (‘Independent’ journalist) | |
| 17 | Missionary given job in ‘ealthy environment | |
| APOSTLE | POST (job) in ‘ALE (‘ealthy – hale without the H) | |
| 19 | Be impressed ultimately by broadcast about eleven o’clock? | |
| BEDTIME | BE + D (last or ‘ultimate’ letter of impressed) + EMIT (broadcast) reversed or ‘about’ | |
| 20 | A particular problem for playwright | |
| O’NEILL | ONE (a particular) ILL (problem) | |
| 23 | Board and lodgings, perhaps, in part of a castle | |
| KEEP | Double definition | |
I’d never heard of “pit” as a place to sleep before. But I see it’s in the dictionary.
Either I haven’t had enough caffeine this morning or Dac was on something stronger when he set this one. Struggled with it, so thanks for the parsing of several, especially KNOCKED SIDEWAYS. ‘Pit’ as a slang word for bed I had heard of.
Posting intimate details of your marital life probably falls foul of the Fifteensquared site policy, btw.
Thanks to blogger and setter. I was convinced 9d was UT (note) + ADAS (Assistant District Attorneys — lawyers in US) and struggling to parse how Switzerland — CH — could surround it all.
I found this mostly straightforward, but was held up slightly at the end by DORADO and the O’NEILL/LASHED crossers. PUT OUT MORE FLAGS was only vaguely familiar but the wordplay was clear enough, and I didn’t bother to parse CUT A DASH or KNOCKED SIDEWAYS because I had enough checkers in place for the answers to have been relatively obvious. An enjoyable puzzle nonetheless, which is what we usually get from Dac.
I think 6d would only work for those familiar with the book title. ‘Put out’ isn’t really justifiable as an instruction for something that is usually laid.
Apart from that, it’s a Dac, nothing more to say.
Oh yes, I initially entered DORIES for DORADO, seems to fit the wordplay, shame about the crosser.
I found this trickier than usual for a Dac but that may be just me. As enjoyable as ever so thank you to him and B&J.
Quite like the idea of B&J in matching jim-jams solving the crossword in bed but like K’sD not entirely sure I need many more details of their marital arrangements 🙂
Sue, which source told you that the jim-jams were matching? I too had heard the same rumour. You need to share your contact book with me.
Having entered TANNED for 26A (ANN in TED), which is what we used to call a ‘cook’, I got in a proper mess with the playwrights and books. Sorted it all out in the end, though. 11pm bedtime suits me nicely, but further details are available, I’m afraid.
11 pm, poddy?
I arrived even later at this party.
Finished this puzzle only today (23 Nov) as, in my opinion, this was the hardest Dac since ages.
However not much to complain about, even if I am not sure what to think of the enumeration for the writer at 20d (O’NEILL). For me (6) is not ideal while (1’5) doesn’t right either – a bit odd, is’n’t it? I think I would prefer in these kind of situations (1-5), even if there’s no hyphen involved.