Everyman has been a bit trickier over the last few weeks, in my opinion. But he’s back this morning to give us a sound and pretty straightforward crossword, which should suit those who use the Sunday Observer puzzle to improve their solving. I learnt a new word today.
Abbreviations
cd cryptic definition
dd double definition
(xxxx)* anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x] letter(s) removed
definitions are underlined
Across
1 A quiet Italian river location may be suitable
APPOSITE
A straightforward charade to get us going: A, P, PO and SITE.
5 A wife, after lively dances, brings out puzzle
JIGSAW
And another: JIGS followed by A W.
9 A tiger, for example, better groomed by mother
MAN-EATER
A further charade: of MA and NEATER.
10 Armed guard in foreign sector
ESCORT
(SECTOR)* with ‘foreign’ as the anagrind.
12 Small drop to drink before opening of Anouilh play
DRAMA
A charade of DRAM and A for the first letter of Anouilh. DRAM is mainly Scottish usage, I think, most often accompanied by WEE. That’s WEE as in ‘small’ rather than WEE as in ‘go for a WEE’, obviously.
13 Arranger ran orgies in resort
ORGANISER
(RAN ORGIES)* with ‘in resort’ as the anagrind.
14 Everything’s ready – Sally nervously checks zip
ALL SYSTEMS GO
A charade of (SALLY)* with ‘nervously’ as the anagrind, STEMS for ‘checks’ and GO for ‘zip’.
18 Fail utterly in warehouse to get articles placed round piano
GO DOWN THE PAN
Well, I got the THE PAN bit straightaway: it’s P in THE and AN, two ‘articles’. But GO DOWN? Wouldn’t you know that a GODOWN is
‘a warehouse in East Asia and India’ (Collins). I’m guessing that, like me, you’ve learnt a new word this morning.
21 Hostile military command makes one uncomfortable
ILL AT EASE
A charade of ILL and AT EASE! ILL in its ‘ill intent’ sense.
23 Cold leaving chest tender
OFFER
[C]OFFER.
24 Attempt to secure one pound for a hat
TRILBY
An insertion of I LB in TRY.
25 Amusement caused by it during Spring term at Oxford
HILARITY
Another insertion: of IT in HILARY, which is indeed what the Spring Term at Oxford University is called.
26 Hand-rolled cigarette in jacket
REEFER
A dd.
27 Ship carrying right flag
STREAMER
An insertion of R in STEAMER.
Down
1 Navy member, a US lawyer
ARMADA
A charade of ARM for ‘member’ and A DA. DA for ‘District Attorney’.
2 Friendly foreign correspondent?
PEN PAL
A cd.
3 Naval base was focal point, primarily in the wars
SCAPA FLOW
Nice surface, since the SCAPA FLOW naval base, in Orkney, played an important part in both World Wars. (WAS FOCAL P)* with ‘in the wars’ the anagrind. My favourite clue today.
4 Those people getting to a super new play
THE MOUSETRAP
A charade of THEM (‘those people’) and (TO A SUPER)*. The long-running West End play. Started out in 1952 and over 25,000 performances have been given since.
6 Playwright at home having caught disease
IBSEN
An insertion of BSE in IN for ‘at home’. BSE is Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, as I’m sure you knew. More easily pronounced as mad cow disease.
7 Director crosses off last character in scene
SCORSESE
A charade of (CROSSES)* and E. Martin SCORSESE: best known perhaps for Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and The Last Temptation of Christ; but there’s plenty more to choose from if you don’t fancy any of those.
8 Battle song
WATERLOO
A dd. Think Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid.
11 Encourages Arnold, perhaps, to get something for breakfast?
EGGS BENEDICT
A simple charade of EGGS for ‘encourages’ and BENEDICT, of whom BENEDICT ARNOLD, a general during the American Revolutionary War, is an example. He defected to the British.
15 Expand on complex
ELABORATE
A dd. An example of a word that can be pronounced two different ways, depending on which of the two definitions you are using.
16 Shiny silver paper in the street?
AGLITTER
A charade of AG for the chemical symbol for ‘silver’ and LITTER.
17 Ring found over in a river in Australian city
ADELAIDE
A reversal of DIAL for ‘ring’ in A DEE.
There was a jolly miller once lived on the River Dee;
He danced and he sang from morn till night, no lark so blithe as he.
19 Declare one’s commitment to a small female company
AFFIRM
A charade of A, F and FIRM.
20 Earnest request made by pair over New Year
PRAYER
A charade of PR for ‘pair’ and (YEAR)* with ‘new’ as the anagrind. Nice misleading surface.
22 Story about bishop and food
TABLE
An insertion of B in TALE.
As always, many thanks to Everyman for today’s puzzle.
Thanks for explaining 18a. Did anyone know that?
Thanks Everyman; clear, straightforward clues.
Thanks Pierre; I of course knew GODOWN 😕 but only after I had consulted a dictionary! In 16 I thought at first that the silver paper was in the street but I couldn’t cram the AG inside anywhere.
STREAMER and DRAMA seemed very familiar. I, too, loved the clue for SCAPA FLOW.
Struggled to parse two of these. One was 14ac and the other was WATERLOO, where I eventually kidded myself that the parsing must refer to “Waterloo Sunset” by The Kinks.
Thanks to Everyman for the crossword, and to Pierre for the blog.
I have not been able to track it down, but I have a distinct memory that in one of Salman Rushdie’s novels one character is an Indian girl who falls in love with a warehouseman, and is not deterred to learn he is Jewish, or, as she puts it, a godown Moses.
Thanks Everyman and Pierre.
I failed to solve 23a, 25a, 19w, 20d, 3d and needed help with parsing 21a.
My favourites were 8d, 11d, 1d, 14a.
Having spent time in Singapore, I know GODOWN – it is the Anglicised version of the Malay word “gudang” = warehouse.
Having spent time in Asia I did know Godown but I’ve never come across Down The Pan. The Mousetrap took ages (and my wife) to solve which is daft as I was in an Auckland production of it last year. Didn’t know Hilary was a term but the crossings gave the answer, and luckily Benedict Arnold features in another play I’m currently in, That Woman, all about Helena Rubenstein. Nice crossword for a cold Saturday morning here in the ‘burbs Down Under.
“Go down the pan” or “go down the gurgler” are relatively familiar adages to me and I had read the term godown used as a warehouse in books with an eastern flavour (The Luminaries??). Oxbridge has three terms specifically labelled-Michaelmas, Hilary and Trinity which I managed to drag out of the memory box. I’ve no idea who the singers were but I now have tune Waterloo where will you.. etc running through my mind and Scapa Flow(5,4) and its history were known to me well before I recognised the anagram! Many thanks Pierre from all of us in this neck of the woods and GO (popular word today) the 1st XI.
Took me a long time but I managed to finish today. Never heard of the word Godown, either, and took me a long time to solve “pan”. It’s more common to use “gurgler” or “tubes” here. Think that must be an English expression. Hilary came to me out of the depths somewhere though I thought it was a college. Thanks Pierre for your explanations.
At last I got one solved without cheating!
Found it rather easy in fact.
Ian, I’m sure even Mangawhai knows of Abba? Waterloo won the Eurovision Song Contest for them way back when and put Abba on the map.
Thanks Barrie I can picture them now and still hear the tune!
I had a good run today, I like clues like 9a, brings a smile to your face when solved . I have been to Scapa Flow, but thoought it was Floe which didn’t help with the go down?
Nice to be getting regular comments from the Antipodes, even if they are delayed by a month. Others might not see it, but bloggers get an e-mail alert when a new comment arrives.
Ian, apologies for putting Waterloo into your head. German has a great word for a tune that won’t go away: Ohrwurm, literally ‘ear worm’.
Just in case it comes up again, Cambridge and Oxford terms are different. The former has Michaelmas, Lent and Easter; the latter Michaelmas, Hilary and Trinity. Hilary is the one that comes up most often.
Keep solving, enjoying, and commenting!
Pierre, we’re lucky it’s only a month. Coronation Street is close on a couple of years behind.
Solved it finally today after getting 4d. Got all answers without help but appreciate explanation of both 18a and 17d. Managed to fluke them
Well we got this all out but had to check that Hilary was indeed an Oxford term and Scorsese a director. Hadn’t heard of a godown being a warehouse – but to “go down the plughole (or gurgler or drain)” are common enough – “Go down the pan”, less so.
Great set of clues and solutions. GO DOWN quite common to those who have been in the East. Loved the use of ZIP in clue to give GO on 14a. Looking forward to next Saturday’s NZ Herald