Everyman 3,558

31 comments on “Everyman 3,558”

1. Yes, a real ten-minute job, reminding me why we changed from The Observer to The Indy on a Sunday. We don’t seem to get time to read any Sunday papers these days so neither gets bought any longer…but the ‘too easy’ Everyman certainly influenced my purchasing choice in the past.

   Everyman seemed to get a little more challenging recently but this one is right back there in the sandpit and borderline material for 15×15, IMHO.

2. It suits me just fine, I still love playing in the sandpit. I started cryptic crosswords this year, and am over 70 years old. It takes me several hours to do, but is the only crossword I can finish.

   I think it is a great crossword for a Sunday. Young beginners can have the help of parents or siblings. Older beginners have the time to struggle through.

   However, I get Tim Phillips point. Would it not be possible for the Observer to publish a second, harder, cryptic crossword as well on a Sunday?

   Thanks Everyman and Flashling, and Fifteensquared.

3. 3a, I read “poor marks having been received” as a low grade. Perhaps marks, francs, lira etc should now have an indication that they are “ancient” money.

   Wonder if Tim Phillips already knew what a GARIBALDI was, apart from the biscuits?

4. The “harder” Observer crossword is the AZED Cookie. It looks daunting but is well worth a look.

5. sidey @4, thanks, it looks daunting, but parsing the clues backwards on fifteensquared might be rather fun. If I get to solve the Everyman more quickly, shall certainly give it a go.

6. Thanks, flashling.

   Yes, straightforward stuff, but that’s what Everyman is meant to be. And sometimes it’s nice to play in the sandpit, even though you’re experienced enough to get to the top of the climbing frame next to it. There will be many out there in the real world for whom, like Cookie, this puzzle is just right each week. And if, a few years down the line, they do get to finish an AZED, then what’s not to like?

   Any road up, I liked CHAGRIN particularly today.

   [flashling, I’m sure you meant to say in 1ac that it’s AB and O carried by TO.]

7. Thanks Everyman & flashling.

   I certainly didn’t know that GARIBALDI was a ‘lady’s blouse.’

   I enjoy the Everyman on Sunday, it makes a change from the sometimes vicious Prize puzzles in the Guardian on Saturday.

8. Often read the blog, to check answers, or for help, but can anyone tell me if there are books of Everyman crosswords for sale? Online would be perfect. Thanks.

9. Probably too late for anyone to pick up the contribution, but for what it’s worth I appreciate all responses here and realise I have been a bit hypocritical given my defence of Rufus and other ‘easy’ weekday crosswords.

   Cookie – you’re absolutely right. My grandchildren are approaching the age when I can imagine a fireside ‘tutorial’ and this would have been ideal. And it might show them a new path that doesn’t involve screens and consoles (he said, on his iPad… ;-))

   And no one is forced to take part in 15×15.

   Apologies to Everyman.

10. Sandpit??

    OK, well I raced through the first 3/4 of this and then came to a shuddering halt, not helped by not knowing the names of the novel/composer/sculptor/play/Chuck Berry song, so all had to be assembled/spotted where possible and then Googled. And for unrelated reasons 20, 23 and 24a all took a while to deduce.

    1a was obviously T[AB]O but the other O was a mystery until I thought about the upcoming ODI today. Doh!
    3d I made the same mistake as Cookie @ 3 re ‘mark’ and agree his sentiment – December 1998 is a while ago now.
    4a I knew as a chockie bickie, not a big girl’s blouse. Another trip to Google to confirm the def.
    Enjoyed 4d and 18a as I like those sorts of clues even if they are generally quite easy.
    Parsed 19d differently from Flashling – I make Song the def (not female), Lay (an alternative spelling for Lai) = lyric, and La = the French female. Makes no difference overall, just a different construct.
    Not especially happy with 22a as if you haven’t heard of the play or song you’re a bit stuffed – there is no secondary fodder to construct the answer. DDs are all very well, but not if both rely on GK imho.

    So this didn’t feel like a romp in the sandpit at all, instead it was a thoroughly satisfactory start to another sunny Auckland Saturday, with Alzheimer’s hopefully deferred again. Thank you, Everyman and Flashling.

    ps Coffee Guy @ 8 there are a couple of Everyman books but both seem to be out of print. Mine is 2007 with a picture of two ladies dancing on the front – Google ‘Chambers Everyman Crossword’ and you might track down a copy second hand, but obviously you’ll need to make sure she’s a virgin.

11. Well we live on a large sand pit (dune) and I really look forward to Saturday mornings and the Everyman crossword and its interesting opportunities to while away time building metaphorical sandcastles in the air. This one was no exception-I can remember my father’s demob suit and the term Garibaldi blouse. 22a was only resolved by filling in the gaps but easily confirmed by Google. The NW corner was filled in 2d, 1a and finally 1d. All-in-all another fun start to the weekend.

    Desperate for some rain up here to fill the tanks. Here’s hoping its an entertaining game today altough I personally find the five-day version much more interesting.

    Thanks as usual to Everyman and Flashling.

12. Well I didn’t find this particularly easy. Didn’t get 16 ac despite having recently sold a car with one on, and also missed 20ac and 17d. Had to check that Garibaldi was a blouse, and would never wear one. Also had to check Chuck Berry’s songs. So it wasn’t a ten minute job for me. But, as Barrie says, it keeps the Altzheimers at bay.
    Still fabulous weather in Auckland. Will be in New Plymouth next weekend so probably won’t check in.

13. Some of those Poms who contribute to this blog are, I find, a little bit “smartypants”. Probably because it took me much longer than 10 minutes to get close to solving this one today! I didn’t know “id est” or Garibaldi. The only memory of that word is a Square we went to in San Francisco. Who’s turn is it to win the one dayer today?

14. This took me several hours to complete, but got it right. I’d never heard of Lehar. Quite liked Layla. Last in was demob suit, and then upend. Not easy for me. Now I can get on with real work, like watching the Blackcaps on TV.

15. Franz Lehar wrote the operetta “The Merry Widow” . I was in the chorus of it once in a local show.,
    Now watching the Black Caps in between breaks. . We’ve had no rain in Brown’s Bay this afternoon. Pity about Eden Park’s weather.

16. Finished three quarters in next to no time but then got stuck with 19d, 22a, 20a and 23a. Didn’t realize 23a was an anagram. Should have guessed 22a. Stool don’t get 20a.

17. Funny did better than most weekends despite being on hol in glorious waihi beach and without any usual resources …. I should try without resources more often
    I didn’t understand ‘lay’ as song – is that common usage ?
    Thought the comment about the smarty pants hilarious partic as unlikely any will read this a month on!’ I agree and would hate any puzzle I could complete in ten mins .. How in satisfying to hv nothing to mull over ..

18. Mean ‘ un satisfying ‘ hard typing in to a phone’s tiny screen

19. This one was OK except for 20a and 13d, on both of which I wemt down completely the wrong track; even with all the cross letters in I couldn’t see the answer. Even though the second word of 20a was obviously “suit” and first word of 13d was “snow” – for that I was set on thinking of a river Snow H_u_e; I was sure that there was a river in Canada … Doh!
    This is my first post to the blog though over the years I’ve checked it many times to make sure I’ve got the solution right as in New Zealand this crossword is published on a Saturday and the solution is not printed until Monday. I hope this doesn’t come across as “cultural cringe” but here goes. I’ve been doing cryptic crosswords for 50 years and sometimes I still find parts of what I regard as the most difficult of the week’s puzzles very tricky. In NZ we are fluent in NZ English and English culture but they are rather different beasts to UK English and British culture. Luckily we use UK spelling and not that used in the USA; but, even allowing for that advantage, I find “sandpit” type comments a tad condescending. I’d like to see their reaction to our Kropotkin setter – one of whose puzzles I have to confess I’ve never been able to complete. Thanks Everyman – you’re fine by me.

20. Good morning. Another fine day in Papamoa coming up. Some rain is desperately needed here too. I always come on to this site but rarely leave a post. Nice to see so many more Kiwis on here now.
    Like others I wouldn’t want a ten minute solve…. I’d have to get in the garden or something if that was the case. Saturday is crossword day not that I spend ALL day on it.
    I managed to get this one nearly completed although some were a case of filling in the obvious missing letters.e.g. 3d and 22a. The one I missed was 24a thanks to a mistake on 15d… I put donatelli!
    Quite often I have to resort to my collection of dictionaries for help but this time demob was the only one I checked.
    I’m fascinated how the setter comes up with a crossword like this at least every week. Does he use a computer/search engine etc to help him? If so surely it’s OK for me to use a dictionary. I never use my computer although I did find this blog ages ago by googling Punch and Judy’s dog. I knew it but couldn’t bring it to mind.

21. Rats @ 16 a demob suit (short for demobilisation) was what was given to all servicemen (who by definition were then ex-soldiers) at the end of the two world wars. The construct is demo meaning a rally + B meaning black (chess abbreviations, B & W) + Suit. If something fits the bill it means it’s suitable.

    Vanessa @ 17 I’m with you on Lay but apparently it’s a spelling variation of Lai. A Lai is a folk song or short lyric. You’ll see from my post that I disagree with Flashling’s parsing of this clue but the answer is sound. And you’d be surprised how often our comments do get read and replied to from the uk.

22. At the cessation of the second world war soldiers were demobilised and given a suit of clothes to wear when they handed in their uniforms hence the term “demob suit” whether it was an actual suit or merely jacket and trousers I can’t quite recall but I do remember my father in a sort of tweed jacket. Franz Lehar was a relatively well known composer who earned a considerable income (enough to put his large number of children through an expensive school) writing sheet music that was then printed and sold before the photocopying machine trumped this source! Lay songs and music are associated with church choirs and adult voices and lay=song fairly common in crosswords. I’m in agreement with 19@ re Kropotkin and his really complex puzzles.

23. Hi Barrie, my SOED has:
    lay le? ? noun2. ME.
    1 A short lyric or narrative poem intended to be sung; a narrative poem; a song. ME.
    b The song of birds. poet. lME.
    E. Huxley: W. S. Gilbert’s lay of the two Englishmen wrecked on a desert island. N. Frye One can never spontaneously burst into song, however doleful a lay.
    2† A tune. Only in 16.

    Is C.16 English fair, maybe but it’s common in crosswords, never seen a Kropotkin crossword, look out for Nimrod or Enigmatist, they’re killers

    And yes I do read them all 🙂

24. Hi Flashling

    Where we differ is you are showing Female as the def. I think Song is the def with La = the French female.

    That leaves Lay = lyric (which your parsing doesn’t mention) which fits with your SOED. Or have I missed something?

25. Oops mea culpa! I hadn’t noticed that. 🙂 You’re spot on, I hadn’t checked it.

26. For what it’s worth (if we are going to be pedantic) I solved the clue as (song lyric)=lay plus (french the)=la hence Layla as in the name of a girl well-known as in the Eric Clapton song!
    I think that this is the way Everyman and Flashling intended

27. At least the answer’s not in doubt even if its construct is open to debate!

    My brain shed a cog anyway as for some unfathomable reason as soon as I solved it I had a mental image of Ray Davies singing Lola, not Clapton singing Layla. Perhaps Alzheimer’s is closer than I thought…

28. Found this somewhat more difficult than the last week but managed to complete it with only the dictionary as a companion (moral support only – that’s my story and I am sticking to it!).

    Struggled with 1d and 16a but the few wines last night must have enabled me to wake up with a clearer head(??) and the answers came to me this morning. So obvious when you look back but aren’t they all?

29. I’ve never heard of ‘lay’ having an alternative spelling of ‘Lai’. I thought a lay was a simple song or ballad. It’s fairly common In Shakespeare to hear of minstrels singing lays, or even roundelays, where a part of the tune repeats over and over. However, on checking the definition, it appears that it can be a lyric as well.

30. I agree with you Barrie it makes more sense to have SONG (well-known and popular) as the result and LAY (lyric) + LA (female form for the in French) as the parsing I also wondered if it could be a double definition both song and girl’s name. It would be interesting to read a solution from Everyman.

31. He generally reads this blog as far as I am aware so let us see if he is up for the challenge.

    No pressure, Everyman!

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