A Puzzle by Dabrite
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The puzzle is available by clicking on the above grid.
As usual, the setter will be delighted to receive feedback from you, the solvers. We do ask that you remember that for most setters this is a new experience, so please only offer constructive criticism.
A review by Prolixic follows:
I am pleased to report that having had three crosswords with increasing problems, Dabrite has returned with a much more accessible (though still tough in places) crossword. The commentometer reads as 3/28 or 10.7%
Across
8a Point of chief interest, so it’s said, is Dreyfus’s bête noire (8)
CLOUSEAU: A four-letter word for a point of chief interest followed by a homophone (it’s said) of so. Whilst not technically incorrect, using a more obscure word as part of the wordplay is not the fairest of approaches, particularly when the homophone could have been extended to involve CLUE SO.
9a White Isle business invested in reversing artificial intelligence (5)
IBIZA: A three-letter word for business inside (invested in) a reversal (reversing) of AI (artificial intelligence).
10a Not exciting thanks to yours truly (4)
TAME: A two-letter word meaning thank followed by a two-letter word representing the setter (yours truly).
11a Emphasise less than 20 (10)
UNDERSCORE: A five-letter word meaning less than followed by a five-letter word for twenty.
12a You heard black is functional? (6)
USABLE: A homophone (heard) of you followed by a five-letter word meaning black.
14a Drawn-out rendition attended by calamity (8)
UNTOWARD: An anagram (rendition) of DRAWNOUT.
15a Stock and Aitken on vacation in country house (7)
VANILLA: The outer letters (on vacation) of Aitken inside a five-letter word for a country house.
17a Judge knew – in manner of speaking – degenerate art student (7)
NEUTRAL: A homophone (in a manner of speaking) of knew followed by an anagram (degenerate) of ART and the abbreviation for a student. Whilst a judge should be the solution, you cannot use an adjective that might describe the noun as a definition for the noun
20a Powerful shot splendid specimen! (8)
SCREAMER: Triple definition (the last one being the exclamation mark).
22a Shreddies for one church football team (6)
CEREAL: The abbreviation for Church of England followed by a four-letter name of a Spanish football team.
23a “Violent sexual desire?” – “Oh,” pair said awkwardly (10)
APHRODISIA: An anagram (awkwardly) of OH PAIR SAID.
24a Dismal old grizzly (4)
GREY: Triple definition.
25a Conservatives accepting utility’s unit of flow (5)
CUSEC: Two single letter abbreviations for conservative include (accepting) a three-letter word for utility.
26a Trouble dropping off a minion’s mongrel (8)
INSOMNIA: An anagram (mongrel) of A MINIONS.
Down
1d Everyone on board‘s completely lost (3,2,3)
ALL AT SEA: Double definition.
2d 8 to illustrate dice (4)
CUBE: The mathematical description of 8 in relation to its power of 2.
3d First person in Paris to have a month devoid of interest (6)
JEJUNE: The French first person singular pronoun followed by a four-letter month of the year.
4d Monotonous funk beat (7)
HUMDRUM: A three-letter word for funk followed by a four-letter word for beat.
5d Get irate about spray of jewels (8)
AIGRETTE: An anagram (about) of GET IRATE. Not incorrect as a clue but cluing a more obscure word as an anagram is not my favourite device.
6d Proverbially dull get rid of Adam’s ale (5-5)
DITCH-WATER: A five-letter word meaning get rid of followed by a five-letter word for Adm’s ale.
7d Increasingly, just more beautiful (6)
FAIRER: Double definition.
13d Writing that favours brevity and simplicity has colour on both sides of page (5,5)
BEIGE PROSE: Two colours (five-letters and four-letters) around (on both sides of) the abbreviation for page. As the solution is not listed in the main UK printed dictionaries, it should not be used.
16d Spooner’s Lady Fortune is bankrupt (4,4)
LAME DUCK: A Spoonerism of Dame Luck.
18d Don is not practical (8)
ACADEMIC: Double definition.
19d Overly plain daughters wanting acid drops for a change (7)
PROSAIC: An anagram (for a change) of ACID DROPS after removing (wanting) the abbreviation for daughters.
21d Charlie and Oscar kiss for a bit of Russian bread (6)
COPECK: The letters represented by Charlie and Oscar in the NATO phonetic alphabet followed by a four-letter word meaning to kiss.
22d Firm behind common (6)
COARSE: The abbreviation for company followed by a four-letter crude name for the behind. Some editors would not allow the four-letter word for behind.
24d Clogs and rubber overshoes (4)
GUMS: Double definition. Perhaps having six double or triple definition clues is too many for a crossword. An indication that the second part of the definition is an American contraction of a type of footwear would be better. Chambers gives the definition as being synonymous with rubber boots, not rubber overshoes.
Thanks Dabrite – for me, much better than your last puzzle where I had to ‘retire hurt’ quite early on. Only a small amount of e-help needed to get across the finishing line but I do have a couple of question marks that await the wisdom of Prolixic.
Smiles for 15a, 26a, 16d, and 19d.
Thanks again and thanks in advance to the aforementioned Prolixic.
A late start for us and a slow one too as the 8a connection took a bit of researching. Did give it a tick once we understood. Plenty of others to enjoy too as we worked steadily through the clues.
Thanks Dabrite.
Not as tricky as previous Dabrite crosswords but still quite a bit of work, not helped by the fact that I had two wrong solutions in the SE corner so I couldn’t finish without revealing letters to see where I’d gone wrong
Thanks Dabrite and, in advance, to Prolixic
Enjoyable and tricky in places – thanks to Dabrite.
I didn’t know the unit of flow so had to verify that and I revealed a letter in the SE corner to get across the line.
The clues I liked included 8a (a good penny-drop moment here), 15a, 7d and 19d.
Thanks for the puzzle Dabrite. Quite tricky, but solvable.
Favourites were 8a (the last one in for me, and as others have said, a proper penny-drop moment), 15a and 26a .
Quite a struggle but at least I crossed the finish line with minimal recourse to the reveal button. Top three for me were 10&11a plus 19d.
Thanks, Dabrite.
Welcome back, Dabrite.
A definite improvement in terms of dialling down the degree of difficulty and simplifying several of the constructions, so credit where credit’s due. I was still somewhat disappointed to see the odd obscure word/phrase populating the grid (I couldn’t see 13d in either Chambers or Collins), and the least said about 22d the better. I thought 19d was the best clue overall.
Thanks to Dabrite, and well done on producing a more accessible puzzle.
Thank you for the puzzle, Dabrite – I found it much more enjoyable than the last one of yours I tackled back in October. Plenty of ticks as I went through, but a few raised eyebrows (all mine!) as well:
17a – I wasn’t convinced that judge and neutral are synonymous in the way this was clued;
5d – one of my pet dislikes in crosswords is obscure words clued as anagrams, and in this case not only is it Another Language, but no checking letter either – the sort of clue that feels designed to give the setter the advantage rather than a fair chance to the average solver;
13d – rather “green paint” – I could see no justification in Chambers;
22d – no. Just no. Unless you’re planning on setting for the Grauniad, of course!
24d – for something as obscure as the second definition, I think it needs US & Slang indicators, but preferably a different second definition entirely.
Otherwise I really enjoyed this, from the penny-dropping moments of 2a & 15a to the wit of 22a, 26a & 18d; a great Spoonerism in 16d, and some good surfaces throughout. Many thanks once again, and likewise also in advance to Prolixic.
It took us a while and we did need some e-assistance. 25a was new to us, plus 3d and 5d. We had the wrong expression for 13d which held us up also. Our favourites were 12a and 26a. We still can’t equate our answer to 17a with ‘judge’. Nevertheless we enjoyed the challenge and look forward to your next one, Dubrite – and also to Prolixic’s review. Thank you both.
Many thanks for the review, Prolixic. Must admit that I didn’t have 20a as a ‘triple’ – more of a single based on the first two words of the clue plus a ‘what the heck’s all the rest about’. It would be nice if Dabrite popped in to comment on your review this time, but I don’t suppose that he will.