A function $$f:\mathbb {R}\rightarrow \mathbb {R}$$
f
:
R
→
R
is: almost continuous in the sense of Stallings, $$f\in \textrm{AC}$$
f
∈
AC
, if each open set $$G\subset \mathbb {R}^2$$
G
⊂
R
2
containing the graph of f contains also the graph of a continuous function $$g:\mathbb {R}\rightarrow \mathbb {R}$$
g
:
R
→
R
; Sierpiński–Zygmund, $$f\in \textrm{SZ}$$
f
∈
SZ
(or, more generally, $$f\in \textrm{SZ}(\textrm{Bor})$$
f
∈
SZ
(
Bor
)
), provided its restriction $$f\restriction M$$
f
↾
M
is discontinuous (not Borel, respectively) for any $$M\subset \mathbb {R}$$
M
⊂
R
of cardinality continuum. It is known that an example of a Sierpiński–Zygmund almost continuous function $$f:\mathbb {R}\rightarrow \mathbb {R}$$
f
:
R
→
R
(i.e., an $$f\in \textrm{SZ}\cap \textrm{AC}$$
f
∈
SZ
∩
AC
) cannot be constructed in ZFC; however, an $$f\in \textrm{SZ}\cap \textrm{AC}$$
f
∈
SZ
∩
AC
exists under the additional set-theoretical assumption $${{\,\textrm{cov}\,}}(\mathcal {M})=\mathfrak {c}$$
cov
(
M
)
=
c
, that is, that $$\mathbb {R}$$
R
cannot be covered by less than $$\mathfrak {c}$$
c
-many meager sets. The primary purpose of this paper is to show that the existence of an $$f\in \textrm{SZ}\cap \textrm{AC}$$
f
∈
SZ
∩
AC
is also consistent with ZFC plus the negation of $${{\,\textrm{cov}\,}}(\mathcal {M})=\mathfrak {c}$$
cov
(
M
)
=
c
. More precisely, we show that it is consistent with ZFC+$${{\,\textrm{cov}\,}}(\mathcal {M})<\mathfrak {c}$$
cov
(
M
)
<
c
(follows from the assumption that $${{\,\textrm{non}\,}}(\mathcal {N})<{{\,\textrm{cov}\,}}(\mathcal {N})=\mathfrak {c}$$
non
(
N
)
<
cov
(
N
)
=
c
) that there is an $$f\in \textrm{SZ}(\textrm{Bor})\cap \textrm{AC}$$
f
∈
SZ
(
Bor
)
∩
AC
and that such a map may have even stronger properties expressed in the language of Darboux-like functions. We also examine, assuming either $${{\,\textrm{cov}\,}}(\mathcal {M})=\mathfrak {c}$$
cov
(
M
)
=
c
or $${{\,\textrm{non}\,}}(\mathcal {N})<{{\,\textrm{cov}\,}}(\mathcal {N})=\mathfrak {c}$$
non
(
N
)
<
cov
(
N
)
=
c
, the lineability and the additivity coefficient of the class of all almost continuous Sierpiński–Zygmund functions. Several open problems are also stated.