Today brings the start of a new month and my monthly encounter with Dac.
Although Wednesday is typically Dac day, I did a double take when I saw that he had chosen this particular grid for his puzzle, since almost all of the grids he chooses have a clue at 1A starting in the top left-hand square.
It was only as I solved the puzzle that I realised the significance of this choice, in that the perimeter reveals four 7-letter synonyms for “fool” – JACKASS, FATHEAD, PLONKER, BUFFOON – after all, it is April Fool’s Day today!
I don’t remember ever having come across a Dac puzzle in the Indy with a theme and/or Nina in the grid. Even if there have been other examples, they are few and far between. Perhaps other solvers can remember some?
Apart from this novelty, the clues were vintage Dac, with smooth surfaces in abundance. My last-one-in was 25, where I had convinced myself that the answer had to be “poop”, as an anagram of “oppo”, but thankfully, I persevered and eventually arrived at a more satisfactory solution and parsing.
My favourites today were 4, 12 and 26, all for their surface readings – what else?! 15 was a word I only vaguely new, while 23 I knew as a cloth or material but not specifically as a “tablecloth”.
Many thanks, Dac, for not having made a fool out of me today of all days!
*(…) indicates an anagram; definitions are italicised; // separates definitions in multiple-definition clues
| Across | ||
| 08 | BOMBARDIER | Wearing a kind of jacket, I briefly drag back officer
[ARDI (I + DRA<g>; “briefly” means last letter dropped; “back” indicates reversal)] in BOMBER (=jacket); a bombardier is the lowest NCO in the British artillery |
| 09 | OLAF | Every other character in pool half Norwegian
<p>O<o>L <h>A<l>F; “every other character in” means alternate letters only are used |
| 10 | UNICYCLE | Dad’s brother maybe reserves really cool transport for the circus?
ICY (=really cool) in UNCLE (=Dad’s brother maybe) |
| 11 | BANANA | Nuts running short? Here’s fresh fruit
BANANA<s> (=nuts, crazy; “running short” means last letter dropped) |
| 12 | FRISKS | Examines suspect? That’s initially fraught with dangers
F<raught> (“initially” means first letter only) + RISKS (=dangers) |
| 14 | ILL-TREAT | Show cruelty towards a little rogue? That’s about right
R (=right) in *(A LITTLE); “rogue” is anagram indicator |
| 16 | FULSOME | Doctor’s recalled drug after flu outbreak’s exaggerated
*(FLU) + SOM (MOs=Doctor’s; “recalled” indicates reversal) + E (=drug, i.e. Ecstasy); “outbreak” is anagram indicated |
| 18 | SABBATH | A bishop takes sauna maybe on special rest day
S (=special) + A + B (=bishop, in chess) + BATH (=sauna maybe) |
| 21 | ON-SCREEN | You’ll see TV programme here about tin Indian’s preserved
CREE (=Indian, i.e. Native American tribe) in [ON (=about, regarding) + SN (=tin, i.e. chemical formula)] |
| 23 | DONGLE | Academic, say, returns holding large computer accessory
DON (=academic) + [L (=large) in GE (E.G.=say, for example; “returns” indicates reversal)] |
| 24 | OPT-OUT | Prefer not to participate in work with solicitor
OP (=work, opus) + TOUT (=solicitor) |
| 26 | CAMBODIA | Rogue containing riotous mob, one reaching a land out east
[*(MOB) in CAD (=rogue)] + I (=one) + A; “riotous” is anagram indicator |
| 28 | NOVA | I’m a star in old Bristol area, making comeback
Avon was the name of the English county that included Bristol from 1974-96, hence “old Bristol area”; “making comeback” indicates reversal |
| 29 | SHOP-SOILED | Like this, article in store is sold off with hope?
*(IS SOLD + HOPE); “off” is anagram indicator; semi & lit. |
| Down | ||
| 01 | JOAN | Female getting nothing in early part of year
O (=nothing) in JAN (=early part of year, i.e. January) |
| 02 | ABACUSES | In first-class coaches, a hundred can be accommodated, they calculated
[A + C (=hundred, in Roman numerals)] in [A (=first-class) + BUSES (=coaches)] |
| 03 | CROCUS | Reptile atop American flower
CROC (=reptile) + US (=American) |
| 04 | KINETIC | Supporting family, summon up a kind of energy
KIN (=family) + ETIC (CITE=summon, e.g. to court; “up” indicates vertical reversal) |
| 05 | ARABELLA | This lady has a rare article printed by weekly magazine
A + R (=rare, as in rare earth) + A (=article, in grammar) + BELLA (=weekly magazine, i.e. a women’s magazine in UK) |
| 06 | SOONER | Accordingly one gets to Romanian capital earlier
SO (=accordingly) + ONE + R<omanian> (“capital” means first letter only) |
| 07 | SAWN | Leader of Socialists wants beard cut
S<ocialists> (“leader of” means first letter only) + AWN (=beard) |
| 13 | ROUEN | Libertine near northern French city
ROU? (=libertine) + N (=northern) |
| 15 | ARTEL | Former Russian cooperative later disbanded
*(LATER); “disbanded” is anagram indicator |
| 17 | MAESTOSO | Orchestra leader accompanies various mates so majestically
*(MATES SO) + O<rchestra> (“leader” means first letter only); maestoso is an instruction in music to perform a movement with dignity or majesty |
| 19 | BONHOMIE | Old boy upset in home surprisingly shows geniality
BO (OB=old boy; “upset” indicates vertical reversal) + *(IN HOME); “surprisingly” is anagram indicator |
| 20 | KNOCK-ON | Lifted head before kick-off: new infringement of rugby rules
KNOC (CONK=head; “lifted” indicates vertical reversal) + KO (=kick-off) + N (=new); a knock-on is an infringement of the rules of rugby whereby the ball is knocked forward with the hand or arm |
| 22 | CHORAL | Singing exam: child’s top
CH (=child) + ORAL (=exam) |
| 23 | DAMASK | Daughter uses a cover as tablecloth
D (=daughter) + A + MASK (=cover) |
| 25 | PROP | Amateur’s oppo has post for support
PRO (=amateur’s oppo(site number), i.e. professional) + P (=post, as in PO); a clothes prop, say, is a wooden “support” |
| 27 | ICER | Yogi ceremoniously carries cake decorator
Hidden (“carries”) in “YogI CERemoniously” |
I was stuck for a while in the NE having written in “POHL” for the Norwegian at 9A, instead of “OLAF”. I picked the other half of the characters. There are various Norwegians with the surname Pohl. But, that came right in the end. I was confused for a while at 3D because “flower” didn’t mean “river”, it actually meant “thing with petals”! “Damask” was my last answer, because I’d never thought of it as synonymous with tablecloth.
All very nice, thanks!
Didn’t spot the NINA at all, probably because I never look for one in DAC puzzles. Not sure if your roué is meant to have an accented e, but it doesn’t display properly on my browser.
Lovely stuff from Dac.
Tiny whinge, an oppo doesn’t mean an antonym, for instance, two bricklayers building the same wall from the ends in would be oppos. It’s a counterpart or someone doing the same thing.
I’d forgotten about clothes props, I think more of the pit or Acrow varieties.
Great stuff, and a fun puzzle for today. I did twig that there would be a Nina around the perimeter, which helped. I too can’t remember a Dac puzzle with a theme or Nina, but I’m sure there must be one in the archives somewhere.
Like sidey, I was into PIT PROP territory, but CLOTHES PROP works just as well. Although you don’t see a lot of them these days because most folk have got one of those rotary outside washing line thingies.
Thanks, both.
Count me as another who can’t remember Dac having produced a puzzle with a nina. I saw what was happening nina-wise almost immediately and it helped me to a faster solve than normal, but it was still another very enjoyable puzzle. SOONER was my LOI.
Good fun – I was on the qv for a nina, with the day and that grid…so that made it a nice easy solve, which was welcome after struggling through the Guardian’s contribution.
Thanks both.
I spotted the Nina – for a change. Having been alerted to the date and then seeing the grid, I wondered and soon saw JACKASS after getting only a few answers. It helped. I spotted a Nina last week before finishing. Is this the start of a trend?
15dn was my LOI. Not a word I knew and I had to guess it from the word play and then googled it.
I was a little surprised by P = post in 25dn. OK PO = Post Office, but it surely isn’t usual to take one of the letters out of a compound abbreviation unless it is also a stand-alone abbreviation? Is P = post one?
Very rare for Dac to have a Nina. So far as I remember he had one a few years ago at an anniversary, some message praising his wife.
Thanks for the nina, Dac – it raised a smile and a chuckle from both of us. Completely unexpected, even with the grid but still with the usual smooth surfaces.
We were late starting tonight so the nina helped us finish a little earlier than usual.
Thanks too to RR.
Dac has done Ninas but they are rare, usually for some centenary, CADs backwards and so on. See the 400 and 500 edition puzzles. Usual greatness from a much under-appreciated master setter.
Ta RR Dac blogs rarely get the comments his skill deserves
In fact there are two Ninas, but only one has been mentioned!
J
Another Nina? Well I see running down column 3 and up 5 MILLS TV UR OK YA but that doesn’t mean anything to me.
Unless it was a reference to Nick Mills who was on the losing team on Only Connect on BBC TV this week. 🙂
Dormouse – No, that can’t be. Unless FRISKS has a rogue ‘L’ in its middle, column 2 reads ‘MIILS’ not ‘MILLS’.
Wil@8 I was also concerned by P = Post. But since it occurs in so many “compound” abbreviations (Post Mortem, Post Meridiem, Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, Post Script etc.) surely we can let it pass…..?
Big thanks to Dac and RR
Couldn’t read my own handwriting. ðŸ™
John H @11 (or anyone….)
Please put us out of our mystery – what is this second Nina to which you refer? You can’t leave us with such a tease unexplained…..
Try the clues rather than the answers…
Muchas gracias John.
I’ve never said this before, but awesome!
Thanks Dac and RR.
I did not have time to do this yesterday, but could not resist today. What a fun puzzle, especially the second nina, have often looked out for one like that but this is the first I have seen, fantastic.
John H – Thank you! I feel such a fool – must remember to open my eyes before looking! On the plus, nice for a puzzle to be giving for so long after its solve. (I always knew that Dac was a bit special!)
WOW – Respect to Dac from both of us!
I couldn’t agree more – two Ninas for the price of one! The sad thing about “unannounced Ninas” is that you miss them, and all the work that has gone into incorporating them into the puzzle, just because you don’t know that they are there and that you are “meant” to be looking for them.