Seems like the new setter is calming things down a bit.
Across
1 Drop round, breaking engagement, being wretched (8)
DESOLATE
LOSE (drop) reversed in DATE
5 Some aghast at usurper’s position (6)
STATUS
Hidden answer
9 Clever type getting support with folder for incoming messages (8)
BRAINBOX
BRA (support) & INBOX
10 Duty abandoned, freeze (6)
OFFICE
OFF & ICE
12 Declaration in part of speech with substance that’s binding (13)
PRONOUNCEMENT
PRONOUN & CEMENT
14 Area of water in middle of land behind old church (5)
OCEAN
O(ld) & C.E. & (l)AN(d)
15 Soldier deployed near ridge (9)
GRENADIER
[NEAR RIDGE]* is deployed
17 Embarrass party minute before match (9)
DISCOMFIT
DISCO & M(inute) & FIT
19 Nut about to enter enclosure (5)
PECAN
C(irc)A in PEN
20 Campaigning body urges proper reforms, holding us back (8,5)
PRESSURE GROUP
US reversed inside [URGES PROPER]* reformed
23 Single leprechaun I question partially (6)
UNIQUE
Hidden answer
24 Area with unusual heat in north of capital city (8)
ATHENIAN
A(rea) & [HEAT IN]* unusally & N(orth)
25 Revolutionary encounters English judge (6)
ESTEEM
E(nglish) & MEETS reversed – revolutionary
26 Retired, overwhelmed by change? That’s affectation (8)
PRETENCE
RET(ired) in PENCE (change)
Down
1 Liability in first performance, not united (4)
DEBT
U(nited) taken from DÉB(u)T
2 Clarity from head of state, quietly in control (9)
SHARPNESS
(head of) S(tate) & P (quietly) in HARNESS
3 Nothing upset firm line followed by new president (7)
LINCOLN
NIL reversed & CO(mpany) & L(ine) & N(ew)
4 Moving of earth around uneven road (12)
THOROUGHFARE
ROUGH in [OF EARTH]* moving
6 Employees without leader going over odd bits of extra material (7)
TAFFETA
(s)TAFF & odd letters from ExTrA
7 Observance after time lacking originality (5)
TRITE
T(ime) & RITE
8 Doctor grew silent, getting uncomfortably hot (10)
SWELTERING
[GREW SILENT]* doctored
11 Detective wearing singlet on air got rattled (12)
INVESTIGATOR
IN VEST (wearing singlet) & [AIR GOT]* rattled
13 Stirring up old men – me, George Sand? (3,2,5)
NOM DE PLUME
Def by example. [UP OLD MEN ME]* stirred
16 One working under Conservative in incompetent establishment (9)
INCEPTION
C(onservative) in INEPT & 1 & ON
18 Unknown book penned by sailor? Correct (7)
OBSCURE
B(ook) in OS (sailor) & CURE (corrent)
19 Complaint from annoying person full of rubbish (7)
PROTEST
ROT in PEST
21 Be second in departure (5)
EXIST
S(econd) in EXIT
22 Joint work’s ending most of poverty (4)
KNEE
(wor)K & NEE(d)
Thank you flashling and Everyman
I enjoyed this puzzle, and my favourites were 25a and 1a (LOI).
Found this the toughest yet and had several clues left that i couldn’t compete. I even found the inquisitor more straightforward!
Thanks Everyman and flashling.
This took me a long time last Sunday, so am not sure if it was easier, but I did manage to finish and parse everything.
I did like BRAINBOX, PRONOUNCEMENT, DISCOMFIT, ATHENIAN, THOROUGHFARE, INVESTIGATOR, NOM DE PLUME, PROTEST…
19a, typo C(irc)A. [EDIT fixed thanks]
One hour since I posted, and have finished half of today’s Everyman. That is good going for me, so perhaps they are getting a little easier.
Well, I decided not to be so negative this week and approach the Saturday crossword with the grit and detrmination I used when I first began cryptic solving. And do you know what? It worked, I solved about 75% of it unaided, not fully comprehending the reasons why in some cases, but I head into the weekend a happier person! Flashling’s comments about it being a bit easier are true, there were no stinkers in it this week, just some obscure reasoning. I hope the rest of the Kiwi contingent found the same.
At last! I also found this much easier, and managed to complete most of it in record time (for me). Just in time too, as I thought I’d be having to give up my Saturday morning crossword fix. May be a flash in the pan, but I hope not as this one’s given me fresh hope!
I gave up on three (desolate, sharpness and pronouncement) but enjoyed the rest. Like Rod a few went in without total confidence.
Now have to tidy up after ripping out the kitchen yesterday.
Yes, I found this a lot easier too. (With the help of my dictionary) Finished all but 1 and 9a and 1 and 3 d. The clues were not as convoluted as previous. Wet day here in Papamoa so what do I do now? Shopping, I think.
Yes it was a bit easier this week. I gave up on three (brain box, desolate and debt). Might have got them if I’d thought about them a bit longer. Got a lot of them without understanding why, like Rod, and also found the reasoning obscure. Can’t understand how Athenian = capital city. Surely it’s a person who lives there.
am so excited and chuffed to have finished this on a saturday rather than the usual end of sunday…
was not sure about OS for sailor? new on on me, and is RET for retired a usual abbrev? never seen that i think
anyway, have had big confidence boost after that stinker last weekend…
I figured 24a Athenian by using the letters, thinking about capital cities and now having a little understanding of this setter and thought he just missed out the ‘a’. ie. ‘of a capital city.’. This goes for quite a few of answers…. flying by the seat of my pants.
Of course Margie. Thanks. I didn’t read it carefully enough.
I’ve never heard of OS for sailor either, but I expect it means Ordinary Seaman. It’s more usual to have ABS (Able Seaman).
At first I thought this puzzle was even harder than previously, but eventually got rolling and managed to solve the whole thing *without* resorting to a wildcard dictionary. I even managed to parse every clue!
I found the NW corner the toughest, but when I eventually got the clues out they seemed pretty straightforward in retrospect.
Audrey A@9: “Atheninan” = “of Athens” (the clue says “of capital city”).
vanessa@10: OS = ordinary seaman (as contrasted with AB = able bodied seaman).
I don’t like “brainbox” meaning a ‘clever type”; brainbox means *skull*. However I had seen this usage in a crytic before, so I was more comfortable with it than I might otherwise have been. I guess cryptic setters use this meaning — which it seems is to be found in all dictionaries, often as the first or only (!) definition. Perhaps it’s a Pommy thing.
After being too embarrassed to comment last week this one did seem a bit easier (eventually), although Mr Collins was essential reading on a number of occasions (confirmation only?). Once “Investigator” came on board it seemed to open up a little but that took a while. Fast becoming proficient at “the blank stare”
It’s good to see those who were struggling doing well! Now it is my turn to complain 🙁 It’s Sunday evening and I’ve given up having got through unaided with about 6 or 7 left. With some aid (thesaurus) I gave up with four left so didn’t finish.
In the end I had OBSCURE, TRITE, ESTEEM and PRETENCE.
1) Never knew ESTEEM meant JUDGE. Googling shows it is not commonly used
2) DITTO for PRETENCE meaning AFFECTION
3) In my many years of doing crossies I’ve NEVER encountered OS for SAILOR. It’s almost always TAR or AB
Hopefully I go better next time.
Got this one out – had to resort to electronic help for Pronouncement & couldn’t parse how Pretence and Inception worked.
Vanessa @10: Ret is a cricketing term,used in the score-book when a batsman is ‘Retired Hurt’.