I said in my last scheduled Everyman blog that it can be difficult to find something to write about in the preamble and I’m having the same problem today.
This solve was one of those fairly rare occasions when I only needed a single pass through the clues so there must have been nothing untoward or particularly taxing. It was a big help that 1ac went in first, followed by 1dn, and I was then able to complete the NW quadrant before progressing clockwise round the rest of the grid.
Across
1 Meek letter after replacement (10)
SUBMISSIVE – MISSIVE (letter) after SUB (replacement)
6 Large number in service (4)
MASS – double def.
9 King grows old and is uncontrollable (5)
RAGES – R (king) AGES (grows old)
10 Track back during ceasefire behind small building (9)
STRUCTURE – RUT (track) reversed (back) in (during) TRUCE (ceasefire) after (behind) S (small)
12 Twisted screw finally fixed, securing line (8)
WRIGGLED – [scre]W (screw finally) RIGGED (fixed) around (securing) L (line)
13 Part of gun found in river in wood (6)
BREECH – R (river) in BEECH (wood)
15 Proper variety of coral, you recall, initially red? (7,6)
PRIMARY COLOUR – PRIM (proper) plus an anagram of (variety of) CORAL YOU R[ecall]
18 Novelist in state following gripping yarn (8,5)
VIRGINIA WOOLF – VIRGINIA (state) F (following) around (gripping) WOOL (yarn)
20 Duplicate agent put away (6)
REPEAT – REP (agent) EAT (put away)
22 Filter signal’s first followed by coach (8)
STRAINER – S[ignal] (signal’s first) TRAINER (coach)
24 Clean a lot, getting frantic suddenly (3,2,4)
ALL AT ONCE – an anagram (getting frantic) of CLEAN A LOT
25 Identification with Greek character, not a fool (5)
IDIOT – ID (identification) IOT[a] (Greek character, not a)
26 Restrained trend in hearing (4)
TIED – sounds like (in hearing) ‘tide’ (trend)
27 Couriers bringing pickle and mixed greens (10)
MESSENGERS – MESS (pickle) plus an anagram (mixed) of GREENS
Down
1 Calculating weight in fragment (6)
SHREWD – W (weight) in SHRED (fragment)
2 Front of barrier one gripped, prepared for fairground ride (3,6)
BIG DIPPER – B[arrier] (front of barrier) I (one) plus an anagram (prepared) of GRIPPED
3 Corrupt financing – is it not important? (13)
INSIGNIFICANT – an anagram (corrupt) of FINANCING IS IT
4 Methodical, say, working around check on habitual action (10)
SYSTEMATIC – an anagram (working) of SAY around STEM (check) plus TIC (habitual action)
5 Change your answer, against getting up (4)
VARY – YR (your) A (answer) V (against) reversed (getting up)
7 A source of inspiration and delight (5)
AMUSE – A MUSE (source of inspiration)
8 Guide quietly separating woman and man on road (8)
SHEPHERD – P (quietly) in (separating) SHE (woman) HE (man) plus RD (road)
11 Evidence in speech after expression of surprise over cheat (13)
CORROBORATION – ORATION (speech) after COR (expression of surprise) ROB (cheat)
14 European news is yet to be translated for viewer (10)
EYEWITNESS – E (European) plus an anagram (to be translated) of NEWS IS YET
16 Attack rotten thinking lacking power (9)
OFFENSIVE – OFF (rotten) [p]ENSIVE (thinking lacking power)
17 Finished project, dull (8)
OVERCAST – OVER (finished) CAST (project)
19 Overturned instrument good for nothing (6)
GRATIS – SITAR (instrument) G (good) reversed (overturned)
21 Beat / seed (5)
PULSE – double def.
23 Joint outlook needed to some extent (4)
KNEE – hidden in (to some extent) ‘outlooK NEEded’
After a busy few weeks, this was nice gentle way to get back to crosswords. Favourites were PRIMARY COLOUR and the simple but elegant IOTA.
Thanks, Everyman and Gaufrid.
Thanks for the blog, Gaufrid. I remember this being much easier than the previous Everyman. Only a couple of clues caused me delay: I at first entered wrangled instead of WRIGGLED; and CORROBORATION was my last in because of the time it took me to think of rob as a synonym for cheat. Overall, an enjoyable and not too taxing puzzle.
Thank you Everyman and Gaufrid.
I seem to remember I took a while to get PRIMARY COLOUR and EYEWITNESS. As jennyk meant to say, IDIOT was simple and elegant, and GRATIS also pleased me.
Oops, thanks Cookie. I really shouldn’t post at 1:21 am!
On the easy side, but no less enjoyable. 11d gave me a few issues due to my own inability to spell, but the rest caused few problems. Last in 17 and 26.
I enjoyed this puzzle. My favourites were PRIMARY COLOUR & OFFENSIVE
Thanks Gaufrid and Everyman
How exciting to be the first Kiwi in today. Funnily after reading the comments I found this really a hard tackle but thought many clues quite superb. Favourites 1d, 12ac 20ac after being sure I had to remove the P somewhere.
I had to look up the parts of a gun not knowing any part at all apart from the trigger I suppose and thought it was more likely to be breach. Gun enthusiasts may elaborate
Got the brain in gear this morning.
I’m with Vanessa, found the sw corner in particular tricky. Not sure why, humidity may have infiltrated the brain. Idiot and Gratis were nice.
Thanks Gaufrid and Everyman.
Like the other colonials I found this rather tricky. Not helped by having two l’s in Virginia rather than two o’s but then that was silly. And then I looked at a-u-e for ages before I got that one, that being the last one in. However, once it was complete I must say I enjoyed it – or at least enjoyed having finished it! Thanks to all
An enjoyable solve – nothing too taxing while my mum and dad are over from the UK
IDIOT a nice clue, but the surface for AMUSE one of his best I felt. Well played Mr Everyman! thanks too to Gaufrid.