Everyman 3,625

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The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/everyman/3625.

There are a few definitions here that required a little thought to see that they were OK – which is now par for Everyman. Apart from that, I did not see much difficulty.

Across
1 STEPHEN HAWKING Physicist showing new path he’s worked out with chess piece (7,7)
A charade of STEPHENHAW, an anagram (‘worked out’) of ‘new path he’s’ plus KING (‘chess piece’).
9 OASIS So marsh, except for odd parts, happens to be fertile spot (5)
A charade of OAS (‘sO mArSh except for odd parts’) plus IS (‘happens to be’).
10 WOLVERINE Carnivore in rage, very unhappy, coming back with new energy (9)
A charade of WOLVERI, a reversal (‘coming back’) of IRE (‘rage’) plus V (‘very’) plus LOW (‘unhappy’); plus N (‘new’) plus E(‘energy’).
11 TREBLING Increasing taxation initially relating to jewellery (8)
A charade of T (‘Taxation initially’) plus RE (‘relating to’) plus BLING (‘jewellery’).
12 ODDEST Most unusual depth in poem by saint (6)
An envelope (‘in’) of D (‘depth’) in ODE (‘poem’) plus ST (‘saint’).
14 NOEL End of annual period around Christmas (4)
A reversal (‘around’) of LEON, a charade of L (‘end of annuaL‘) plus EON (period’).
15 STATUESQUE Dignified arrangement of a quest set up without pressure (10)
An anagram (‘arrangement’) of ‘a quest set u[p]’ minus the P (‘without pressure’).
18 LOGANBERRY Fruit began to go rotten in vehicle (10)
An envelope (‘in’) of GANBE, an anagram (‘to go rotten’) of ‘began’ in LORRY (‘vehicle’).
19 COMB Search with horse covering miles (4)
An envelope (‘covering’) of M (‘miles’) on COB (‘horse’).
21 SUPPER Meal, excellent, quietly consumed (6)
An envelope (‘consumed’) of P (piano, ‘quietly’) in SUPER (‘excellent’).
23 ALL IN ALL On the whole exhausted before melodrama’s last lines (3,2,3)
A charade of ALL IN (‘exhausted’) plus A (‘melodramA‘s last’) plus LL (‘lines’).
25 OVERTAKEN Passed area in open range (9)
An envelope (‘in’) of A (‘area’) in OVERT (‘open’) plus KEN (‘range’).
26 CHINO Material from speech in order (5)
A hidden answer (‘from’) in ‘speeCH IN Order’.
27 GEORGES SIMENON Crime writer‘s odd gems one ignores (7,7)
An anagram (‘odd’) of ‘gems one ignores’.
Down
1 SPORTING LISBON Print lingo boss translated for football team (8,6)
An anagram (‘translated’) of ‘print lingo boss’. That took a little working out, as I was expecting (for no very good reason) an English team.
2 EASTER EGG Point for example about registration mark’s hidden feature (6,3)
An envelope (‘about’) of REG (‘registration mark’) in EAST (‘point’ of the compass) plus EG (‘for example’).
3 HASSLE Trouble with fluttering lashes (6)
An anagram (‘fluttering’) of ‘lashes’.
4 NOW AND THEN Occasionally negative, therefore receiving stick (3,3,4)
An envelope (‘receiving’) of WAND (‘stick’) in NO (‘negative’) plus THEN (‘therefore’).
5 ABLE Clever chart from which temperature is taken (4)
A subtraction: [t]ABLE (‘chart’) minus the T (‘from which temperature is taken’).
6 KNEE-DEEP Very involved requirement in store (4-4)
An envelope (‘in’) of NEED (‘requirement’) in KEEP (‘store’).
7 NOISE Sound from hooter, overwhelming one (5)
An envelope (‘overwhelming’) of I (‘one’) in NOSE (colloquial ‘hooter’ – but not in the USA).
8 WEATHER BALLOON Get through election mostly working for high-flying data collector (7,7)
A charade of WEATHER (‘get through’) plus BALLO[t] (‘election’) cut short (‘mostly’) plus ON (‘working’).
13 STORYLINES Plots beginning to subvert Conservative policies (10)
A charade of S (‘beginning to Subvert’) plus TORY (‘Conservative’) plus LINES (‘policies’).
16 QUOTATION Extract estimate of cost (9)
Double definition.
17 ANCESTOR Doctor cares not for predecessor (8)
An anagram (‘doctor’) of ‘cares not’.
20 SITCOM Funny series? Some miss it completely (6)
A hidden answer (‘some’) in ‘misS IT COMpletely’.
22 PIECE Bit quiet, vocally (5)
A sound-alike (‘vocally’) of PEACE (‘quiet’).
24 SKYE King unknown in middle of desert island (4)
An envelope (‘in’) of  K (‘king’) plus Y (algebraic ‘unknown’) in SE (‘middle of deSErt’).
completed grid

17 comments on “Everyman 3,625”

  1. Thank you PeterO and Everyman

    I found this a little bit difficult and I was pleased to actually finish it correctly!

  2. I, too, found this a little bit difficult, especially finding SPORTING LISBON, but managed to finish. WEATHER BALLOON, STORYLINES and EASTER EGG were fun.

    Thanks Everyman and PeterO.

  3. I can’t remember if I found it difficult or not but it was entertaining as usual. I especially liked TREBLING and NOW AND THEN (good misdirection), SPORTING LISBON (great anagram) and STORYLINES (the clue indeed did tell a story).

    My last one in was WOLVERINE and this was mainly due to a wrong answer which made it impossible to solve.
    I’d put ARCH for 5d being an anagram of CHART minus T for temperature but this would have made Clever both the definition and the anagram word : ah well, got there in the end. Will anyone be brave enough to admit to making the same mistake ?. Maybe someone who hasn’t commented before. Go on, give it a go.

    Many thanks to PeterO and Everyman. Keep up the good work.

  4. davy @3, I remember now, I also first put in ARCH at 5d, but when I failed to find the carnivore realised that “clever” was doing double duty – I usually make a note of such errors!

  5. I wasn’t sure that 10ac wasn’t in fact a fictional creature, but the cryptic set me straight and the rest felt fairly straightforward. I’m guessing 27ac was deliberately topical given the new Maigret adaptions on ITV.

  7. For me, this was quite a quick solve, except that TREBLING took me longer than all the rest put together (though not an appropriate three times as long). Like Cookie, I was originally looking for a UK club until the crossers suggested LISBON.

    It was nice to see STEPHEN HAWKING making an appearance, and with an apposite surface to the clue. Although CHINO and SITCOM were straightforward hidden answers, they also both had very suitable surfaces. Other favourites included NOW AND THEN and STORYLINES.

    Thanks, Everyman and PeterO.

  8. Just like the last few weeks this was an enjoyable solve. Being originally from the Northern Climes I persisted with Ligonberry right until the end when logic convinced me otherwise. Also, don’t think I would have got Easter Egg without the crosses first. Good fun though! Thanks to all.

  9. Found this one difficult and missed getting several, including the football team, which I, too, thought would be an English one. Didn’t get knee deep or loganberry either. Maybe I could have got them if I’d persevered longer.
    I thought statuesque meant tall, not dignified.

  10. I got this out correctly with help of my iPhone. Even an online anagram solver couldn’t get Georges Simenon. Yes I hard Arch for 5d but soon went for Able to fit Wolverine.
    Couldn’t believe 2d Easter Egg. Is it a hidden feature? Do some people hide Easter Eggs?
    I quite liked 19a Comb, 20d Sitcom, and last one in 11a Trebling which I found clever and amusing.
    All in all quite taxing but interesting and entertaining. Thanks to the setter and PeterO.

  11. Similar observations re the soccer club and Easter Eggs, we did send our kids on a Easter Egg hunt, but I wouldn’t call one a ‘hidden feature’ necessarily.

    Failed to parse Noel and had to cheat on the writer, the anagram fodder gave too many options.

    Good tussle over my pre dinner gin, however.

    Thanks PeterO and Everyman.

  12. Joe, Hamilton @10

    Easter eggs: Yes and yes. People do hide Easter eggs; and Chambers gives a metaphorical use “an undocumented sequence of code in a computer program activated by a specific set of keystrokes, intended as a joke or often to identify the author”.

  15. what’s a Nina? Over my head! Like others, I thought the clue for 2d not very smooth
    Some of these were tricky, I got fixated on an alternative name for the Black box on 8d
    enjoyable tho.

  17. Found this *very* hard. Got it out, with considerable help from a wild card dictionary. Only got “wolverine” by using the wild card dictionary — no solution for “w.r.e.i.e”
    which led me to realise that “arch” was wrong for 5 down. Then wild-carding on “w…e.i.e” gave me “wolverine” and hence “able” for 5 down. Still could not parse “woverine”, but.

    I thought “ken” for “range” to be pretty far out; likewise “statuesque” for “dignified” is taking great liberties.

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