The puzzle may be found at http://www.guardian.co.uk/crosswords/everyman/3473.Everything was going swimmingly until I hit the SW corner. It was only a few moments’ panic, but it shows how Everyman can pull the wool over my eyes.
| Across | |||
| 1. | Answer in pamphlet makes one carry on (8) | ||
| TRANSACT | An envelope (‘in’) of ANS (‘answer’) in TRACT (‘pamphlet’). | ||
| 5. | Watches a woman’s first swing (6) | ||
| SEESAW | A charade of SEES (‘watches’) plus ‘a’ plus W (‘Womans first’). | ||
| 9. | Asset for forward having extra yard (8) | ||
| PROPERTY | A charade of PRO (‘for’) plus PERT (‘forward’) plus Y (‘yard’). | ||
| 10. | Group of stars interrupted by a bad-tempered woman (6) | ||
| VIRAGO | An envelope (‘interrupted by’) of ‘a’ in VIRGO (‘group of stars’). | ||
| 11. | A Highlander in a cravat (5) | ||
| ASCOT | A charade of ‘a’ plus SCOT (‘Highlander’). | ||
| 12. | One unreasonably held to be above criticism in case, crowd stoned (6,3) | ||
| SACRED COW | An anagram (‘stoned’) of ‘case crowd’. | ||
| 14. | Prostitute‘s toms, carnal we suspect (7,5) | ||
| SCARLET WOMAN | An anagram (‘suspect’) of ‘toms, carnal we’. | ||
| 18. | Girl phones about empty shop in a town down under (5,7) | ||
| ALICE SPRINGS | An envelope (‘about’) of SP (’empty ShoP‘) in ALICE (‘girl’) plus RINGS (‘calls’). | ||
| 21. | Parliamentarian‘s stout leader (9) | ||
| ROUNDHEAD | A charade of ROUND (‘stout’) plus HEAD (‘leader’). | ||
| 23. | Snare large deer (name for male) (5) | ||
| NOOSE | MOOSE (‘large deer’) with N (‘name’) replacing (‘for’) M (‘male’). | ||
| 24. | Uniform worn by soldier, and sailor with axe (6) | ||
| GUITAR | An envelope (‘worn by’) of U (‘uniform’) in GI (‘soldier’) plus TAR (‘sailor’). An axe is a particular kind of guitar, shaped like an axe. | ||
| 25. | A female, articulate and wealthy (8) | ||
| AFFLUENT | A charade of ‘a’ plus F (‘female’) plus FLUENT (‘articulate’). | ||
| 26. | Place containing small back room (6) | ||
| LEEWAY | An envelope (‘containing’) of EEW, a reversal (‘back’) of WEE (‘small’) in LAY (‘place’, verb). | ||
| 27. | Humiliating blunder made by fool getting fine in front of everybody (8) | ||
| PRATFALL | A charade of PRAT (‘fool’) plus F (‘fine’) plus ALL (‘everybody’). | ||
| Down | |||
| 1. | Lead in this getting Oscar? Fine film (3,3) | ||
| TOP HAT | A charade of T (‘lead in This’) plus O (‘Oscar’, phonetic alphabet) plus PHAT (‘fine’), for the 1935 Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers film. | ||
| 2. | Immediately pay the penalty, catching cold (2,4) | ||
| AT ONCE | An envelope (‘catching’) of C (‘cold’) in ATONE (‘pay the penalty’). | ||
| 3. | Select cap randomly from display (9) | ||
| SPECTACLE | An anagram (‘randomly’) of ‘select cap’. | ||
| 4. | Tosca part he turned into a disaster (11) | ||
| CATASTROPHE | An anagram (‘turned into’) of ‘Tosca part he’. | ||
| 6. | Choice of the Spanish, Italian, and English (5) | ||
| ELITE | A charade of EL (‘the Spanish’) plus IT (‘Italian’) plus E (‘English’). | ||
| 7. | Order changed for cashmere? I haven’t a clue (6,2) | ||
| SEARCH ME | An anagram (‘order changed’) of ‘cashmere’. | ||
| 8. | Section of orchestra producing ‘Merry Widow’ on record, ultimately (8) | ||
| WOODWIND | An anagram (‘merry’) of ‘widow on’ plus D (‘recorD ultimately’). | ||
| 13. | Find me working in food game (6,2,3) | ||
| CHEMIN DE FER | An envelope (‘in’) of MINDEF, an anagram (‘working’) of ‘find me’ in CHEER (‘food’), for a gambling card game, a version of baccarat. | ||
| 15. | They may be provided for the rest of the train’s passengers (6-3) | ||
| WAGONS LIT | Cryptic definition. | ||
| 16. | Admiral at sea penning good song (8) | ||
| MADRIGAL | An envelope (‘penning’) of G (‘good’) in MADRIAL, an anagram (‘at sea’) of ‘admiral’. | ||
| 17. | Statuette, popular in price (8) | ||
| FIGURINE | An envelope (‘in’) of IN (‘popular’) in FIGURE (‘price’ – as in “name your figure”). | ||
| 19. | Person takes long time going round wine shop (6) | ||
| BODEGA | A charade of BOD (‘person’) plus EGA, a reversal (‘going round’) of AGE (‘long time’). | ||
| 20. | Season the Italian vegetable (6) | ||
| LENTIL | A charade of LENT (‘season’) plus IL (‘the Italian’). | ||
| 22. | Tipple before a play (5) | ||
| DRAMA | A charade of DRAM (‘tipple’) plus ‘a’. | ||
I really enjoyed this puzzle. I especially liked 18a, 24a, 26a, 19d, and my favourites were 6d, 5a, 20d
New word for me was ‘chemin de fer’ and it was relatively easy to solve due to the clear wordplay.
I was not sure how to parse 1d.
Thanks for the blog, PeterO.
Thanks, PeterO.
Enjoyable puzzle. I couldn’t parse 1d either, Michelle, so much so that I couldn’t even solve it! Never thought of Top Hat. I’ve now looked up “phat” and see that it wasn’t used in GB before the 7Os. Since I haven’t lived in England since the early 70s I feel that my ignorance can be (partly) excused!
‘Phat’ is a new one on me too – although it didn’t stop me getting TOP HAT (great film, btw). It reminded me of the alleged report on Fred Astaire from his first Hollywood screen test: ‘Can’t sing. Can’t act. Balding. Can dance a little.’
Otherwise an enjoyable puzzle from Everyman, who sadly couldn’t make the get-together in Manchester yesterday, so I didn’t get the chance to meet him.
Thanks to him and to Peter for the blog.
24a An axe is slang for an instrument usually but not necessarily a guitar- shape is irrelevant.
Thanks Everyman and PeterO.
Good crossword but some peculiar synonyms, like axe=guitar, phat=fine and cheer=food. I got stuck at first on the parsing of PROPERTY, thinking the forward was a prop. I did like the clue for LEEWAY. WAGONS-LIT was clued rather similarly by Everyman in June of last year.
I somehow convinced myself that 1d was tee off = lead. Something along the lines of oscar =o fine =f , film =f . Nonsense of course but that made 9a and 11a ungettable.
Heh, I had ‘Tip Off’ for 1d, with the word ‘this’ in the clue being a ‘tip’ and the same logic as Bamberger for O F F, the whole being a ‘lead’
Trickier than some of the last few weeks’ Everymans (Everymen?). There were a few that I guessed at with all available letters but I couldn’t seem to make the answer fit the clue. I also wouldn’t count LENTIL as a vegetable, that was what put me off that answer despite it being the obvious choice!
13d and 15d were new to me, seem to be quite specific knowledge. Did particularly like 18a and 21a however.
Never heard of pratfall. It’s not a word heard here in NZ. Couldn’t get 26 across from the clue although I thought that ‘leeway’might fit.
Enjoyable crossword though.
Great crossword, managed to get it out apart from 1D.
Shame really because I got ASCOT! So- I thought TOP CAT!