The puzzle may be found at http://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/everyman/3497.
The usual substantial fare from Everyman. This week’s film is not one of the greats, and (let us see if we can roust out a few fans) the same might be said of the football team – and for that matter the Northants town is not premier league either, except perhaps in horse-racing circles. However, 10A is definitely top drawer.
| Across | |||
| 1. | Fork in byway, initially leading to farm (6) | ||
| BRANCH | A charade of B (‘Byway, initially’) plus RANCH (‘farm’). | ||
| 4. | Ducks in shopping area by a road close to ponds (8) | ||
| MALLARDS | A charade of MALL (‘shopping area’) plus ‘a’ plus RD (‘road’) plus S (‘close to pondS‘). | ||
| 10. | Potential shown by former PM’s gardener (10,5) | ||
| CAPABILITY BROWN | A charade of CAPABILITY (‘potential’) plus BROWN (Gordon, ‘former PM’), fot the great 18th century designer of English gardens, Lancelot “Capability” Brown. |
||
| 11. | Sat out in front of a Parisian church, being hearty (7) | ||
| STAUNCH | A charade of STA, an anagram (‘out’) of ‘sat’ plus UN (‘a Parisian’) plus CH (‘church’). | ||
| 12. | Boy nicking article is serious (7) | ||
| EARNEST | An envelope (‘nicking’) of A (‘article’) in ERNEST (‘boy’). | ||
| 13. | Estimator abroad in Asian country (4,5) | ||
| EAST TIMOR | An anagram (‘abroad’) of ‘estimator’. | ||
| 15. | Song told a story (4) | ||
| LIED | Double definition. | ||
| 17. | Queen featured in Cuban newspaper (4) | ||
| ANNE | A hidden answer in ‘CubAN NEwspaper’. | ||
| 19. | Set-to with crew, unfortunately, in Northants town (9) | ||
| TOWCESTER | An anagram (‘unfortunately’) of ‘set-to’ plus ‘crew’. | ||
| 22. | Good one in bar, clear (7) | ||
| LOGICAL | An envelope (‘in’) of G (‘good’) plus I (‘one’) in LOCAL (‘bar’). | ||
| 23. | Big eel wriggling across lake, clear (7) | ||
| LEGIBLE | An envelope (‘across’) of L (‘lake’) in LEGIBE, an anagram (wriggling’) of ‘big eel’. Here is an unusual device, the use of the same definition twice running. |
||
| 25. | The minutes of the last meeting should be one of the most important things to be discussed? (4,2,3,6) | ||
| HIGH ON THE AGENDA | Definition and literal interpretation. | ||
| 26. | Film ambassador and bishop on board train (3,5) | ||
| THE BEACH | An envelope (‘on board’) of HE (His Excellency, ‘ambassador’) plus B (‘bishop’) in TEACH (‘train’). | ||
| 27. | Around noon, notice vet coming (6) | ||
| ADVENT | An envelope (‘around’) of N (‘noon’) in AD (‘notice’) plus ‘vet’. | ||
| … Down |
|||
| 1. | Free antelope and most of other ruminants (8) | ||
| BUCKSHEE | A charade of BUCK (‘antelope’) plus SHEE[p] (‘most of other ruminant’). | ||
| 2. | In sacred river, a leading character (5) | ||
| ALPHA | A charade of ALPH (‘sacred river’, from Coleridge’s Kubla Khan) plus ‘a’, for the first character of the Greek alphabet. |
||
| 3. | Piece of furniture – can it be baroque? (7) | ||
| CABINET | An anagram (‘baroque’) of ‘can it be’. | ||
| 5. | In a straight line? Amazing cartwheels, if so (2,3,4,5) | ||
| AS THE CROW FLIES | An anagram (‘amazing’) of ‘cartwheels if so’. | ||
| 6. | Broad-minded, artist included in false statement? (7) | ||
| LIBERAL | An envelope (‘included in’) of RA (‘artist’) in LIBEL (‘false statement’). | ||
| 7. | Vote loser, possibly, for president (9) | ||
| ROOSEVELT | An anagram (‘possibly’) of ‘vote loser’, for either FDR or Teddy. | ||
| 8. | Legislative body established around North America and Spain (6) | ||
| SENATE | An envelope (‘around’) of NA (‘North America’) in SET (‘established’) plus E (‘Spain’, IVR). | ||
| 9. | Football club‘s team had to chill out (6,8) | ||
| OLDHAM ATHLETIC | An anagram (‘out’) of ‘team had to chill’. | ||
| 14. | Highly curious after crime? Sounds like it in place of worship (9) | ||
| SYNAGOGUE | A homophone (‘sounds like it’) of SIN (‘crime’) plus AGOG (‘highly curious’). | ||
| 16. | Object after silly sketch (8) | ||
| ARTEFACT | A charade of ARTEF, an anagram (‘silly’) of ‘after’ plus ACT (‘sketch’). | ||
| 18. | Almost stop by nearby pen (7) | ||
| ENCLOSE | A charade of EN[d] (‘almost stop’) plus CLOSE (‘nearby’). | ||
| 20. | Given a ring and hired? (7) | ||
| ENGAGED | Double definition (but they are different shades of meaning of the same word). | ||
| 21. | Stale pork pie, say, could be past its sell-by date? (3,3) | ||
| OLD HAT | A charade of OLD (‘stale’) plsu HAT (‘pork pie, say’). | ||
| 24. | Spree in Crosby, perhaps ending in Bootle (5) | ||
| BINGE | A charade of BING (‘Crosby, perhaps’) plus E (‘ending in BootlE‘). In addition to the singer, Crosby is the name of various places, one of which, like Bootle, is in Mersyside. |
||
Many thanks PeterO & Everyman
But please don’t malign my home team – Oldham Athletic – it made my day when I saw that Everyman had named them.
Last season, they beat even Liverpool in the FA Cup!
I was born and bred in Oldham although I haven’t lived there since 1971.
Just what an Everyman should be. His alter ego Falcon has an equally good one at http://www.ft.com/life-arts/crossword 19 October
I enjoyed 24dn because I grew up in Bootle and Crosby is only a few miles up the road. By the way, if you are local you say that you live “on” Merseyside, not in it, and the same goes for the Wirral, which is where I live now after having spent 25 years in various parts of the South-East until a few years ago. ARTEFACT was my LOI.
Sadly a good Everyman contains a flaw!
26a Film ambassador and bishop on board train (3,5)
is ambiguous as the word play says “put HEB in TRAIN”, which gives THE BRAIN. And there are three films of that name. There is no indication that TRAIN should be used indirectly, so THE BRAIN should be the solution. See the Films entry in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_(disambiguation)
re #4, (1) it would be most unusual for a five-letter word (train) to appear in a clue and also in the answer for an eight-letter entry (2) any ambiguity would in any event be resolved by the crossing down answers.
Unusual does not mean never. There is no rule that says each and every component of the word play must be indirect. It may be rare for longer words but one and two letter words frequently go straight from the clue to the solution. In this case there happens to be a potentially valid direct usage of a longer word. Somebody should have spotted that and changed the clue.
Having to resort to crossing letters is something you shouldn’t mention! There are two schools of thought which never will agree and we’ve seen the argument too many times already.
Thanks PeterO & Everyman for an enjoyable puzzle.
Re Derek @4; I tried THE BRAIN at first for 26a. I thought it might be possible in an entry level puzzle. OLDHAM ATHLETIC soon changed my mind, however. It took me far too long to see that Crosby=BING.
I particularly liked BUCKSHEE and SYNAGOGUE.
Andy B @3
Thanks for the correction. Even though my connection with Merseyside does not come much closer than landing at Manchester Airport, my first instinct was to use “on”; but before committing myself to publication, I thought I ought to check. If I remember correctly, “in” came from somewhere in Wikipedia. You can’t win.
Derek @4
Well spotted. I cannot remember whether I had any crossers to help when I solved the clue, but I did not consider THE BRAIN (and would not, as a first possibility; in that I agree with nmsindy).
Well we got there but must admit to having never heard of Oldham Athletic or Towcester and only got them by using the crossing clues and the anagrind letters then(in the case of Toswcester) looking up our GB A to Z Road Atlas to check that there was indeed such a place. Aah the challenges of living in the colonies.