Everyman 3,626

by

A lovely Spring morning here in deepest Suffolk, a spot of gardening (ok I was coerced by Mrs Flashling) & then the crossword.

A quick solve with nothing to hold me up, but fits the old Everyman style just fine.

completed grid

Across

1 Endless story family doctor developed into topic (7,5)
TALKING POINT
Endless TAL(e) & KIN (family) & GP (doctor) & INTO* developed. Surprisingly convoluted for an Everyman I thought, but a good ‘un.

9 A door well designed for truck (3-6)
LOW-LOADER
[A DOOR WELL]* designed

10 Have home next to old green (5)
OLIVE
O(ld) & LIVE (where my home is)

11 Plant receiving a gentle touch (6)
CARESS
A received by CRESS

12 Solid vessel in trouble (8)
HARDSHIP
HARD (solid) & SHIP (a vessel)

14 If teased badly, time to be despondent (9)
DEFEATIST
[IF TEASED]* badly & T(ime)

15 Range covered by disco perhaps (5)
SCOPE
Hidden (covered) answer

16 In distress, divided (3,2)
CUT UP
Double definition

17 Fearful about agent, turned and ran away (9)
SCARPERED
REP (agent, reversed) in SCARED (fearful)

19 Final net value resolved (8)
EVENTUAL
[NET VALUE]* resolved

21 Stoat‘s hesitation in front of pit (6)
ERMINE
ER (hesitation) & MINE (pit)

23 One not using animal products for example in vehicle (5)
VEGAN
E.G. in VAN

24 Serious post in place in Kent (9)
GRAVESEND
GRAVE (serious) & SEND (post)

25 Station group angry after tea (7,5)
CHARING CROSS
CHA (tea) & RING (group) & CROSS (angry)

Down

1 Wrong test for the oddly reliable person (5,2,8)
TOWER OF STRENGTH
[WRONG TEST FOR THE]* oddly

2 Hurry up and appear with second instrument (4,5)
LOOK SHARP
LOOK (appear) & S(econd) & HARP

3 Home and dry, having no heart for form of racing (4)
INDY
Wrong paper shirley?? US motorsport. IN (home) & a heartless D(r)Y

4 Enormous worry newspaper raised with trade union article (10)
GARGANTUAN
NAG (worry) & RAG (paper) both reversed & T(rade) U(nion) & AN (an article)

5 Egg-shaped ornament initially empty (5)
OVOID
O(rnament) & VOID (empty)

6 Union rebel sighs, ordered to show sociability (15)
NEIGHBOURLINESS
[UNION REBEL SIGHS]* ordered

7 Mild pressure applied to edge of Bakewell tart (6)
PLACID
P(ressure) & one of the edges of (bakewel)L & ACID (tart)

8 Great footballer occupied by work for human beings (6)
PEOPLE
OP (work) in PELE. Even died in the wool sport hating crossword fiends might have heard of Pele…

13 Musical song’s aim is varied (4,6)
MISS SAIGON
[SONG’S AIM IS]* varied.  Easy solve but a nice little clue.

15 Wild horse, pure one with unusual power (9)
SUPERHERO
[HORSE PURE]* wildly

16 Stick around with permission (6)
CLEAVE
C(irca, around) & LEAVE (permission)

18 Democrat studies fears (6)
DREADS
D(emocrat) & READS (studies)

20 Number on love right for singer (5)
TENOR
TEN (a number) & 0 (love) & R(ight)

22 Powder used by hospital cleaner (4)
TALC
Hidden (used by) answer

12 comments on “Everyman 3,626”

  1. Thank you Everyman and Flashling.

    Seem to remember this took me a little while to get started, then got tied up on entering OVIDE at 5d (the word does not exist, not even Franglais, but it is the French name for the poet Ovid). However, I enjoyed the solve.

    I had to check the musical MISS SAIGON by googling, but PELE was known to me (I would not call professional football a sport). I liked OLIVE, CLEAVE, CARESS, HARDSHIP, DREADS, SCARPERED and many other clues.

  2. My favourite on the day was NEIGHBOURLINESS, but as Cookie said, there were a lot of good clues. It was also a good level for an Everyman (even 1a, I think, as they should stretch new solvers a little if they are to prepare them for the ‘mainstream’ Guardian cryptics).

    Thanks, Everyman and flashling.

  3. Very much in the traditional Everyman style, nice and straightforward, even if it turns out I’ve been misspelling 25ac for years…

  5. Took me a while to get started, but once I had a few, I got the rest out with few problems. I liked Gravesend and Charing Cross, especially as I’ve been to both. Gravesend was the port at the mouth of the Thames where many immigrant ships left for NZ, and was where my grandfather left from.

    Thanks Flashling. Happy gardening

  6. After staring at a blank sheet the first time through, the answers came quite quickly in the end. Although unlike Audrey, I would have struggled with the geography ones without most of the crosses filled in first. Good puzzle again. Thanks to all.

  7. I found this crossword fairly straight-forward. Last one in was 7d Placid, but I had Placed. Acid = Tart, that’s clever.
    I liked 21a Ermine, 23a Vegan, 24a Gravesend & 25a Charing Cross.
    Now to do some gardening on a fine sunny day. It’s almost like summer.

  8. I echo all the above. Hardship and People were my LOI for no real reason. Nice crossword, beautiful day here in Auckland, and tonight is opening night of the play I’m in. All’s well with the world.

    Superhero (15D) was the word for the DIY COW crossword comp a little while ago (an online contest for setters to have fun and learn a bit about how cryptic clues should be constructed. Helps solvers, too, I find). My entry ‘Comic caper (9) ‘ did rather well, probably more Rufus than Everyman though.

    Thanks Flashling and Everyman.

  11. One day, Audrey, yes. I really don’t have time at the moment but I might fancy it as a retirement project. I am currently a ‘checker’ for a regular setter, which I enjoy immensely.

    Thanks re break a leg, it went well last night. Howick Little Theatre if anyone wants a night out watching a dark comedy.

  12. “Stove” was the obvious answer for “range” for 15 across – and it all fits together OK. But we couldn’t see what it had to do with disco. Felt a bit stupid when we looked up Flashing’s solve and found that “scope” was hidden in the clue.

Comments are closed.