It’s Sunday, it’s Everyman. It’s what we expect.
Usual great stuff with a few traps for the unwary, well ok me.
Across
1 Silver in swamp? It’s an illusion (6)
MIRAGE
Ag (silver) in MIRE
4 Sun, great comfort (6)
SOLACE
SOL( sun) & ACE (great)
8 Deduction about anger with me for loss of confidence (14)
DISCOURAGEMENT
RAGE & ME both inside DISCOUNT (deduction)
10 Defeats with swords (5)
FOILS
Double definition
11 Soldier on exercises, singular in honour (9)
PERSEVERE
P.E. (exercise) & S(ingular) in REVERE (honour). Spent far too long looking at PARA at the start for soldier…
12 Smuggled goods in car not uncommonly used by group (10)
CONTRABAND
[CAR NOT]* uncommonly & BAND (group)
14 Bishop with insolence causing deviation (4)
BLIP
B(ishop) & LIP
16 Hard, ignoring front row (4)
TIFF
(s)TIFF
18 Slim script I revised with no right to be glib (10)
SIMPLISTIC
[SLIM SC(r)IPT I]* revised
21 Expenses from past masters (9)
OVERHEADS
OVER (past) HEADS (schoolmasters)
23 Absolutely excellent in speech (5)
PLUMB
Sounds like plum, but I’d initially put in UTTER which mucked things up for quite a while.
24 Disorder of noisy bar held up piece by Gershwin (8,2,4)
RHAPSODY IN BLUE
[NOISY BAR HELD UP]* disorderly
25 Carbon, material for pencil (6)
CRAYON
C(arbon) & RAYON
26 Interfere with sound of gong (6)
MEDDLE
Sounds like MEDAL
Down
1 Second inspector going over story containing a change (12)
MODIFICATION
MO (second) & D.I. (inspector) & A in FICTION
2 Unfinished matter raised in controlled language (7)
RUSSIAN
ISSU(e) (matter) reversed inside RAN
3 List of words and tips from author in magazine (8)
GLOSSARY
Tips of A(utho)R inside GLOSSY (a magazine)
4 Pea soup, as gran ordered, lacking nothing (5,4)
SUGAR SNAP
[S(o)UP AS GRAN]* ordered
5 Walk heavily with burden (6)
LUMBER
Double def
6 Opening of cinema formerly with a large screen (7)
CONCEAL
C(inema) & ONCE & A & L(arge)
7 Abandon work to follow doctor (4)
DROP
D(octo)R & OP(us)
9 Claimed beeps ruined animated film (10,2)
DESPICABLE ME
[CLAIMED BEEPS]* ruined
13 Musical benefit about gear with plug (9)
BRIGADOON
RIG (gear) & AD(vert, plug) all in BOON (benefit)
15 Internet provider in stupid deal (8)
DISPENSE
I.S.P. in DENSE
17 Say nothing to stop more uninhibited student (7)
FRESHER
SH (say nowt!) in FREER
19 Riotous set, loud and untidy (7)
TOUSLED
[SET LOUD]* rioting
20 Carpenter easily upset (6)
CHIPPY
Double definition
22 Beginning to struggle, artist lacking good protein (4)
SOYA
S(truggle) & (g)OYA
Thanks Everyman and flashling
I enjoyed this puzzle. My favourite was BLIP
Thank you Everyman and flashling.
The puzzle took me quite a while to solve, but was fun. I, too, spent a long time looking at PARA as the start for Soldier – after solving the clue, SOLDIER ON was my favourite.
I should have said PERSEVERE was my favourite!
…and yet another enjoyable Everyman. I thought CONCEAL was superb and very well-hidden. Lots of good surfaces including PLUMB (second last) and DISPENSE (last one in). Thanks to E and f.
I found this quite straightforward, having fortuitously missed the misleading PARA possibility. I particularly enjoyed the numerous smooth surfaces.
Thanks, Everyman and flashling.
Another one who spent too long looking for PARA. Doh! Another good Everyman that took me longer than it should have.
In 1 Down, why is MO meaning second?
Hi Rob, MO is slang(ish) for moment or instant hence just like a second.
Rob @7 and flashling @8
As in the expression “be with you in a mo”, equivalent to “be with you in a second”.
Thanks flashling,
I struggled all the way through, but when entering OVERHEADS surprised myself to glance around and find that I’d finished. Count me as another looking for para….. at PERSEVERE!
Thoroughly enjoyed this even though I found some of the clues tricky. Thought “Soldier on” was a classic, having been fooled earlier on like many others. One of the best in recent times. Thanks to all.
Yes, a very enjoyable one to solve. Particularly liked the “medal” = “gong”.
Hear, hear. Splendid crossword, especially Soldier On (yep, guilty of the para red herring as well).
Enjoyed Meddle, Modification, and of course Persevere.
Never heard of the cartoon film but nothing else would fit.
Grumped a bit at Russian as I thought the ‘matter’ was Tissue with both ends missing. Now I see it.
Only remaining grump is Chippy – I get the carpenter (and round here also the fish and chip shop) but why is that ‘easily upset’?
Much more enjoyable puzzle this week. Conceal was my favourite. Never heard of the film either.
Barrie, I think I’ve heard English people say something like, ” You’re a bit chippy, aren’t you?” We don’t use that expression here.
I haven’t been in for a while, still doing the puzzles but nothing significant to add. This week was very good, I liked 6d conceal and once I’d swapped outgoings for overheads, the bottom left corner slotted into place. Thanks to all.
Hi Audrey, I lived in England until I was about 25 and I don’t recall it at all.
Chipper, yes, but that has almost the opposite meaning.
Ah, well, we live and learn. And it is nice to bask in another good All Black performance and see the sun.
Barrie, I had to resort to the dictionary to confirm Chippy – described as ‘Resentful or oversensitive about being perceived as inferior’ & derived from ‘Chip’ as in a chip on one’s shoulder. Not a usage of that word I have ever come across.
However, it could perhaps be used to describe the Wallabies approach to Saturday’s match….
Not bad. Couldn’t parse Brigadoon but the rest were ok.
DexterC – thank you, I like that explanation. Pity my dictionary wasn’t so forthcoming.
I must confess to a severe case of the sulks since I lost out on a part in a play that I considered rightfully mine (AND for which I thought the Director had pregiven me the nod) quite recently. That seems to fit bleedin’ Chippy down to its last sour grape, pips and all.
See you all(?) this weekend.
Oh dear I just want to see if anyone else had a ‘ruined Saturday ‘ last weekend on 3rd with the rubbish t the herald put out for us…..what on earth to do if it repeats this Sat coming……????
Yes, me too and yesterday’s one. Help, is there anyone out there that has found a blog or something similar? I’m about to contact the paper to complain.