The hardest thing when blogging an Everyman is finding something to say in the preamble. There is seldom anything to quibble about in the clues and errors are even rarer. Today is no exception.
I did initially wonder about the climbed=risen in 12ac but then decided that it could be justified in the likes of ‘the politician has climbed/risen to the top of the greasy pole’. A little loose perhaps, but fair enough I think.
Across
1 Place quote in speech (4)
SITE – sounds like (in speech) ‘cite’ (quote)
3 Food shop with variety of hams holding appeal for cookery writer (5,5)
DELIA SMITH – DELI (food shop) plus an anagram of (variety of) HAMS around (holding) IT (appeal)
9 Cut, hard, accepted by lord with variable margin (9)
PERIPHERY – RIP (cut) H (hard) in (accepted by) PEER (lord) plus Y (variable)
11 Direct / association (5)
ORDER – double def.
12 Climbed among debris endlessly (5)
RISEN – hidden in (among) ‘debRIS ENdlessly’
13 Plastic money finally, at that point, used in extremity (9)
POLYTHENE – [mone]Y (money finally) THEN (at that point) in (used in) POLE (extremity)
14 Commend a fine stirring story by Steinbeck (2,4,3,3)
OF MICE AND MEN – an anagram (stirring) of COMMEND A FINE
18 Doctor in no way tires, resolved to show endurance (7,5)
STAYING POWER – GP (doctor) in an anagram (resolved) of NO WAY TIRES
21 Board in reach broken by hand with last bit of karate (9)
COMMITTEE – COME (reach) around (broken by) MITT (hand) plus [karat]E (last bit of karate)
23 Manage cheerful approach (3-2)
RUN-UP – RUN (manage) UP (cheerful)
24 Work out / joke (5)
CRACK – double def.
25 Ground that rider regarded as poor (5-4)
THIRD-RATE – an anagram (ground) of THAT RIDER
26 Notice concerning new row about a hormone (10)
ADRENALINE – AD (notice) RE (concerning) N (new) LINE (row) around (about) A
27 Really essential to deliver yorker (4)
VERY – hidden in (essential to) ‘deliVER Yorker’
Down
1 Classy dancing pro sure to entertain one (8)
SUPERIOR – an anagram (dancing) of PRO SURE around (to entertain) I (one)
2 Book filled with anger was ultimately boring (8)
TIRESOME – TOME (book) around (filled with) IRE (anger) [wa]S (was ultimately)
4 Ideal place kept by Tudor monarch south of river (9)
EXEMPLARY – PL (place) in MARY (Tudor monarch) after (south of) EXE (river)
5 Smart, ignoring time, going over lines in happy episode (5)
IDYLL – [t]IDY (smart, ignoring time) LL (lines)
6 Term poet changed in fragment, being irritable (5-8)
SHORT-TEMPERED – an anagram (changed) of TERM POET in SHRED (fragment)
7 Certainly popular action (6)
INDEED – IN (popular) DEED (action)
8 Appendage on alien insect (6)
HORNET – HORN (appendage) ET (alien)
10 Filled with fear, criticise criminal since apprehending fraud (5-8)
PANIC-STRICKEN – PAN (criticise) plus an anagram (criminal) of SINCE around (apprehending) TRICK (fraud)
15 Weed? There’ll be awful load in end (9)
DANDELION – an anagram (awful) of LOAD IN END
16 Was ankle injured in ballet? (4,4)
SWAN LAKE – an anagram (injured) of WAS ANKLE
17 Prediction from man with tips for company after support (8)
PROPHECY – HE (man) C[ompan]Y (tips for company) after PROP (support)
19 Airman over area spies shrub (6)
ACACIA – AC (airman) A (area) CIA (spies)
20 Spoil atmosphere, supporting demon (6)
IMPAIR – AIR (atmosphere) under (supporting) IMP (demon)
22 Complete group turned up, receiving cheers (5)
TOTAL – LOT (group) reversed (turned up) around (receiving) TA (cheers)
I agree with your preamble, Gaufrid. I only discovered Everyman recently (through this blog) but it’s become a favourite “one cup of coffee” diversion on weekends. EXEMPLARY was my last in – I was trying to make an ER or HR fit before I remembered Henry VIII’s eldest child. I needed your help on ACACIA as I hadn’t seen AC before. How does this abbreviation come about?
Thank you, Gaufrid.
Like matrixmania, I couldn’t parse 19d as I didn’t know AC either.
Thanks both. AC = Aircraftman/woman in RAF
matrixmania @)
According to Chambers, AC is an abbreviation for ‘aircraft(s)man’.
Thank you Everyman and Gaufrid.
The only problem I had was equating rip with CUT, which was stupid, but a certain nasty London murderer did not immediately come to mind, and checking in the COED proved the connection, as it did just now for AC being the abbreviation for “aircraftman” – I prefer to have a back-up as regards Chambers.
That should be “RIP with cut” of course – and I forgot to mention that climbed and RISEN did not bother me since they are often used interchangeably to describe the sun’s progress.
I paused briefly over the airman, as others did, but the rest was plain sailing.
Another good Sunday puzzle. It took me a while to remember AC, but otherwise nothing too tricky, just enough difficulty to keep it interesting.
Thanks, Everyman and Gaufrid.
I too cocked an eyebrow at climbed/risen but I think they are both ok as past participles.
SW corner was the last to yield for a pleasantly satisfactory solve on a gloriously sunny New Year’s Eve morning (that sounds funny, I think you know what I mean).
Thanks Gaufrid and Everyman, happy new year everyone.
Agree with all, just wanted to take the opportunity to wish all a Happy and prosperous New Year.
Found this harder than most but then again that made it more enjoyable when the answers came. The most satisfying for me was “periphery”. To me it’s one of those words which is often heard but rarely seen so it proved to be difficult to visualise in the space especially as “exemplary” and “idyll” were a bit slow in coming as well.
All in all good fun though, thanks to all. Happy New Year to all also.