*=anag, []=dropped, <=reversed, hom=homophone, cd=cryptic definition, dd=double definition.
After the tougher puzzles we’ve seen from Dac recently, this seemed to come together remarkably quickly. Only the NW corner put up a bit of a struggle, due to my not having followed the hit parade of late.
Great stuff, all the same. It’s a credit to Dac that even his easier ones are both entertaining and satisfying.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | GETTING OVER – dd. |
| 7 | VAR – V[-ery] A[-rduous] R[-ange]. Var being a region on the South coast of France. |
| 9 | ADELE – A + DELE. I vaguely recall hearing of this young lady, perhaps through the weekend supplements. |
| 10 | NOSE RINGS – (NINE GROSS)*. |
| 11 | EMOTIVE – TOME< + I’VE. |
| 12 | GOBELIN – IGNOBLE*. The Manufacture des Gobelins is a Parisian tapestry factory. |
| 13 | EASTERLY – (LATER YES)*. |
| 14 | OTTAWA – O + WATT< + A. |
| 17 | DRIPPY – DIPPY “crossing” R. |
| 19 | PARTICLE – P + ARTICLE. |
| 22 | DECLARE – DE + (L “beset by” CARE). |
| 23 | MANX CAT – MAN + XC + A T. |
| 24 | PRESTWICK – (REST + W) in PICK. |
| 25 | GLEBE – [-r]EBEL G[-rabbed]<. |
| 26 | TAR – hom. of “Ta!”. |
| 27 | MODERN TIMES – (MIMER DOESN’T)*. Modern Times is a Charlie Chaplin movie from 1936. |
| Down | |
| 1 | GRAVESEND – R “within” (GAVE + SEND). |
| 2 | THE COAST IS CLEAR – dd. |
| 3 | ITEMISE – (IS “overseen by” ITEM) “at” E[-ngagement]. |
| 4 | GINGERLY – dd. Reference to Fred and Ginger, of course. |
| 5 | VISAGE – (V + AGE) “to cover” IS. |
| 6 | RAREBIT – RARE + B + IT. |
| 7 | VANILLA ICE CREAM – (ALL I CRAVE MINCE)*. “Pie” as an anagrind here is inspired. |
| 8 | ROSEN – ROSE + N. Readers of my generation will no doubt be gratified to see the great Michael Rosen given a mention. |
| 15 | ADEPTNESS – A + DEPT + NESS. |
| 16 | LAWMAKER – LAKER “touring” (W[-ar]M + A). |
| 18 | PHANTOM – great clue: hom. of “fan” + TOM. |
| 20 | TONIGHT – TIGHT “about” ON. |
| 21 | REMIND – RE + M + IN + D. |
| 22 | DEPOT – D + TOPE<. |
Almost Dac’s greatest puzzle, but I didn’t like ADELE (who she? The only suggestion that came to mind was the opera singer ADELE PATTI). Also the clue to ADELE had the rather obscure DELE (proofreader’s note to delete) as part of the cryptic indications…
Stop Press:
I’ve just googled and found that “ADELE PATTI” is,in fact, ADELA PATTI…
Yawn- sorry,it’s me again.
Adele is, apparently, a Grammy winner.
The ceremony was only three days ago. Who says crossword references are out of date?
I fear we may have proven that it’s us solvers that are out of date!
Adele was indeed very up-to-the-minute, but Laker was a blast from the past. ‘Airline entrepreneur made me think Branson or Stelios, but I guess Freddie L paved the way for them. And very nice to see Michael Rosen get this ultimate accolade!
How is “item” a “couple” in 3d?
If a couple of people are going out together they are often referred to as an item.
Thanks, Colin!
For whatever it’s worth I may mention here that the Indian film industry has the term “item girl”.
An item girl is a dancer who appears in a single dance sequence in a film. She does not have any part to play.
Usually dressed scantily, she would dance to sizzling number set to pulsating music.
Google, if you like, for “item girl”
I may be being thick here, but could someone explain p+article in 19a. to me please? Thanks!
Would you happen to have the clue, Matt? It’s almost five years and 350 or so puzzles I’ve blogged since I tackled this one, so memory’s a little hazy!
19ac Clue reads: Penny’s perhaps a very tiny amount (8)
I took this as Penny = p and ‘perhaps a’ = article – the indefinite article to be precise. ‘Perhaps’ is there because it might have been the definite one ‘the’.
Thanks, Nick. That does make sense.