We’re into a new month so Dac is back in the Wednesday slot for the next two or three weeks. I doubt if there will be a puzzle on Christmas Day, so will Crosophile’s last Wednesday of the month be 18th December?
This was a typical Dac puzzle – well constructed clues and a set of entries that didn’t have one scouring dictionaries to find the meanings. For me, EURUS (29 across) was the most obscure entry.
It was nice to see Heath [in the wordplay at 11 across] indicating something other than TED, ERICA or LING.
Favourite clues today, mainly for the smooth surfaces were those for PROTRACTED (20 across), DIESEL (23 across), FIRE ALARM (15 down) and MODE (25 down).
I would put this puzzle on the easier side of middle for difficulty, but I know from experience that I am probably foolish in expressing an opinion of this nature.
|
Across |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Clue | Wordplay |
Entry |
|
1
|
Hauled into court, after work, I get in bother (3,2)
|
(OP [opus; work] + I] contained in (hauled into) CT (court) C (OP I) T |
COP IT (suffer a punishment; get in bother)
|
|
4
|
That poses problem immediately (9)
|
Anagram of (problem) THAT POSES
|
POSTHASTE (immediately)
|
|
9
|
Old pretty clothing is dellicate (9)
|
EX (old) + (QUITE [fairly; pretty] containing [clothing] IS) EX QU (IS) ITE |
EXQUISITE (delicate)
|
|
10
|
Fruit brought in from Angola (5)
|
MANGO (hidden word in [in] FROM ANGOLA)
|
MANGO (fruit) MANGOes are grown in Angola but that may not be enough to make this an &Lit clue
|
|
11
|
Promise given by Heath briefly chasing power (6)
|
P (power) + (LEDGER [reference Heath LEDGER [1979 – 2008], Australian actor, excluding the final letter [briefly] R)
|
PLEDGE (promise)
|
|
12
|
One of two books left by the old retired writer (8)
|
KINGS (the Old Testament contains two books of KINGS) + L (left) + (YE [old form of ‘the’] reversed [retired]) KINGS L EY< |
KINGSLEY (reference Charles KINGSLEY [1819 -1875], English clergyman, historian and novelist. He was the author of The Water Babies among other books)
|
|
14
|
Supply dope to friend in relaxed fashion (10)
|
INFORM (pass information to; supply dope to) + ALLY (friend)
|
INFORMALLY (in relaxed fashion)
|
|
16
|
Work steadily, having entered old college (4)
|
PLY (work steadily) containing (having entered) O [old]) P (O) LY |
POLY (polytechnic; college)
|
|
19
|
There’s merit in learning (4)
|
EARN (hidden word in [in] LEARNING)
|
EARN (merit)
|
|
20
|
Lengthy pamphlet checked by professional editor (10)
|
TRACT (pamphlet) contained in (checked by) (PRO [professional] + ED [editor]) PRO (TRACT) ED |
PROTRACTED (lengthy)
|
|
22
|
Wicked acts of vandalism (8) |
SMASHING (wicked, in its slang meaning of ‘excellent or admirable’)
|
SMASHING (acts of vandalism) double definition
|
|
23
|
Driver shells out at regular intervals for fuel (6)
|
DIESEL (odd letters of [at regular intervals] DRIVER SHELLS)
|
DIESEL (fuel)
|
|
26
|
Doze off during sex? That’s — (5)
|
NAP (doze off) contained in (during) IT (sex appeal) I (NAP) T |
INAPT (not appropriate, to doze off ….)
|
|
27
|
New roof to order? here’s money-saving offer (3,3,3)
|
Anagram of (order) NEW ROOF TO
|
TWO FOR ONE (money-saving offer)
|
|
28
|
Right ignored in reshuffle by D Cameron in power (9)
|
Anagram of (reshuffle) D CAMERON IN excluding (ignored) R
|
DOMINANCE (power)
|
|
29
|
Certain winds about middle of January – such as this one? (5)
|
SURE (certain) reversed (winds) containing (about) U (central letter of [middle of] JANUARY) Note: ‘winds’ could indicate an anagram as well, but I think that would give us an indirect anagram, so I am going for the reversal. E (U) RUS< |
EURUS (South East wind)
|
| Down | |||
|
1
|
Tweets I’d picked up in street near St Paul’s (9)
|
CHEAPS (sounds like [picked up] CHEEPS [tweets]) + IDE (sounds like [picked up] I’D)
|
CHEAPSIDE (street near St Paul’s Cathedral)
|
|
2
|
Former racing champ’s endless resentment (5)
|
PIQUET (reference Nelson PIQUET, former Formula 1 World Racing Champion, excluding the final letter [endless] T)
|
PIQUE (animosity; resentment)
|
|
3
|
After end of shift, more than one scaffolder sets off (8)
|
T (final letter of [end of] SHIFT) + RIGGERS (scaffolders, plural [more than one])
|
TRIGGERS (sets off)
|
|
4
|
Old man in great discomfort (4)
|
PA (father; old man) + IN
|
PAIN (great discomfort)
|
|
5
|
Restaurant’s signature dish is plaice cooked with tasty coating (10)
|
Anagram of (cooked) (IS PLAICE and TY [first and last letters of [coating of] TASTY)
|
SPECIALITY (SPECIALITY [of the house]; restaurant’s signature dish)
|
|
6
|
Respect a great leader in the House? (6)
|
(A + G [first letter of {leader} GREAT]) contained in (in) HOME (house) HOM (A G) E |
HOMAGE (respect)
|
|
7
|
Choose record recently released? (6,3)
|
SINGLE (gramophone record) + OUT (recently released)
|
SINGLE OUT (choose)
|
|
8
|
Last of the useless glue (5) |
E (final letter of [last of] THE) + POXY (rotten, lousy; useless)
|
EPOXY (short for EPOXY resin, an adhesive; glue)
|
|
13
|
Hostile towards northern town (10)
|
WARRING (hostile) + TO (towards) + N (northern)
|
WARRINGTON (town [which happens to be in northern England])
|
|
15
|
Warning device installed by the company is the genuine article (4,5)
|
(REAL [genuine] + A [indefinite article]) contained in (installed by) FIRM (company) FI (RE AL A) RM |
FIRE ALARM (warning device)
|
|
17
|
Singers, those making loud noise about excessive drug-taking? (9)
|
YELLERS (those making loud noise) containing (about) OD (overdose; excessive drug taking) Y (OD) ELLERS |
YODELLERS (singers)
|
|
18
|
Protective garment over one single item of underwear (8)
|
MAC (mackintosh; protective garment) reversed (over) + I (one) + SOLE (single) CAM< I SOLE |
CAMISOLE (a loose under-bodice with thin shoulder straps rather than sleeves; item of underwear)
|
|
21
|
Outlaw secures shelter in Asian kingdom (6)
|
BAN (outlaw) containing (secures) HUT (shelter) B (HUT) AN |
BHUTAN (Asian kingdom)
|
|
22
|
Various European kids took part in winter sport (5)
|
Anagram of (various) (E [European] and KIDS)
|
SKIED (took part in winter sports)
|
|
24
|
River trip begins with introduction from steward (5)
|
S (first letter of [introduction from] STEWARD) + TOUR (trip)
|
STOUR (reference River STOUR of which there are a number in England – Kent, Dorset and Suffolk – to name but three)
|
|
25
|
Fashion world of Jean-Paul Gaultier is heartless (4)
|
MONDE (‘world’ in French. Jean-Paul Gaultier is French) excluding the middle letter (heartless) N
|
MODE (fashion)
|
Thank you Duncan.
I would never describe Dac as ‘easy’ in the sense of the Quiptic in Another Place or Everyman; but his clear clueing will always get you there if you stick with it, I find.
Another entertaining puzzle today: it was only POLY that I struggled with (EURUS I guessed at and checked). The four letter solutions are often the peskiest. And I didn’t know there was more than one River STOUR, so thank you for that too.
And talking of Another Place, there is an excellent Brendan puzzle there today for those – like me – who miss Virgilius’ crosswords in the Indy.
Cheers to Dac for this one.
Quite agree K’sD, thanks Duncan and Dac for helping to recover my confidence after yesterday’s pounding – I see Anax in disguise is in the FT – may try Brendan & that for the journey home …
Another enjoyable Dac puzzle that I thought I had finished fairly quickly but I didn’t get the congratulatory message when I entered what I thought was my LOI, EXQUISITE. It took me a while to see that I hadn’t bothered to parse 29ac properly and had entered a careless “Euros”, so EURUS was technically my LOI.
I agree that the clue for DIESEL was excellent. Well spotted, Dac.
Thanks Duncan for the blog. We needed to check EURUS which was our last entry – straightforward from the wordplay but as you say, rather obscure!
Not much else to say really apart from thanks to Dac for another good Wednesday solve.