28 across: Super-duper car is Matt’s Rolls? (4, 6)
Super-duper was suspiciously odd; we had realised that. Yet by the time we had surmised that it was probably an anagram clue where car is Matt’s Rolls = super-duper, we were over the DA and checking the answers. It took a moment to sink in, and it was enjoyable when it did — super-duper = scam artist (as in someone who dupes) is quite funny.
2 down: Heckler yelled “Coffee!” (5)
An auditory and double-meaning classic! Heckler = mocker so that heckler yelled = mocha = coffee.
7 down: Desert queen to sea-monster, say, below treacherous rip (9)
The movie was great; so was this clue. Sea-monster = scylla (from The Odyssey), sea-monster say = scilla and treacherous rip = pri, which gives sea-monster, say, below treacherous rip = priscilla = desert queen.
3 down: Thus drinking during break, one left wine cocktail (9, 5)
Thanks to AL, we can give this quality clue its due. Here, thus = so, during break = in gap, thus drinking (as in consuming, which is another inventive DA containment indicator), during break = singapo, wine = riesling and one left wine = resling, all of which gives thus drinking during break, one left wine = singapore sling = cocktail.
16 across: Setter gettin’ high from hallucinogenic?
This fine clue I dedicate to Hunter S. The penny dropped here when considering the oddity of gettin’ and concluding that this hallucinogenic probably ends in in. Mescalin immediately came to mind, and then so did the explanation: setter = me and gettin’ high = scalin’, giving setter gettin’ high = mescalin = hallucinogenic.
This DA (21st of November not 22nd) I found enjoyable but very tough.
After six days of carrying it around with me, to peek at in leisure moments, I was still seven clues short and threw in the towel.
I am proud of getting out the ones I did though (and understanding how they worked) especially The Gold: 28 across (I had a big grin on my face when I realised that a duper is someone who dupes), 7 down, 3 down and 16 across. Also 18 down (when I realised that a number is something that numbs).
I worked out 11 across had to be carrick bend or cerrick band. Never heard of the former, but a google would have confirmed it. This was irrelevant to the cross clues anyway.
If I could have got either 1 across or 2 down, I think I would have cracked this DA. All the clues I was short were connected. But it wasn’t to be.
I find 1 across to be a little imprecise for a DA clue, but maybe that is just sour grapes on my part. Is handy really supposed to refer to nearby East Timor?
I think we do have to conclude that handy = nearby, which is a reasonably standard definition.
What’s interesting about that clue is if DA had only given president rather than handy president as the direct clue, I would have had little hesitation writing in the answer. The handy is really the only thing that made the clue difficult.