The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/everyman/3688.
Everyman regularly makes this a difficult part of the blog: his puzzles are so finely honed and with such natural surfaces that it is not easy to come up with anything fresh to say here. There are probably more envelope clues than usual in this one.
| Across | ||
| 1 | CRIBBAGE | Game reserve captured by writer, opening out (8) |
| An envelope (‘captured by’) of BAG (‘reserve’) in [s]CRIBE (‘writer’) minus its first letter (‘opening out’). | ||
| 5 | SPAR | Dispute bringing strikes about (4) |
| A reversal (‘bringing … about’) of RAPS (‘strikes’). My first choice was SPAT, which is perhaps a better fit for ‘dispute’ but not so good for ‘strike’. | ||
| 10 | MASON | Child led by mother to become builder (5) |
| A charade of MA (‘mother’) plus SON (‘child’). | ||
| 11 | ANCESTRAL | Inherited bric-a-brac finally in a home artist left (9) |
| An envelope (‘in’) of C (‘bric-a-braC finally’) in ‘a’ plus NEST (‘home’) plus RA (‘artist’) plus L (‘left’). | ||
| 12 | THREE MEN IN A BOAT | Warning about bone I name wrongly in humorous story (5,3,2,1,4) |
| An envelope (‘about’) of EMENINABO, an anagram (‘wrongly’) of ‘bone I name’ in THREAT (‘warning’). The humorous story is by Jerome K Jerome. | ||
| 13 | REMOVED | Took off from Maine, going west, having wandered around (7) |
| An envelope (‘having … around’) of EM, a reversal (‘going west’) of ME (USPS standard abbreviation, ‘Maine’) in ROVED (‘wandered’). | ||
| 15 | TRIVIA | Petty details in dogma I virtually reversed (6) |
| A hidden answer reversed in ‘dogmA I VIRTually’ | ||
| 17 | ANGLER | One fishing in lake consumed by exasperation (6) |
| An envelope (‘consumed b’) of L (‘lake’) in ANGER (‘exasperation’). | ||
| 19 | LITHIUM | Element of false humility not unknown (7) |
| An anagram (‘false’) of ‘humilit[y]’ minus the Y (‘not unknown’). | ||
| 21 | AS A MATTER OF FACT | Actually in bad form, fat cat at sea (2,1,6,2,4) |
| An anagram (‘bad’) of ‘form fat cat at sea’. Yes, ‘at sea’ is anagrist, not anagrind. | ||
| 23 | ORIGINATE | Arise and make speech about island spirit (9) |
| An envelope (‘about’) of I (‘island’) plus GIN (‘spirit’) in ORATE (‘make speech’). | ||
| 24 | DAISY | Flower ending in display behind platform (5) |
| A charade of DAIS (‘platform’) plus Y (‘ending in displaY‘). | ||
| 25 | GATE | Speaker’s way of walking, making entrance (4) |
| A homophone (‘speaker’s’) of GAIT (‘way of walking’). For once, a homophone which I think would be difficult to dispute – and there is no doubt which version is the answer. | ||
| 26 | STEP ON IT | Can old favourites, coming back, hurry up? (4,2,2) |
| A reversal (‘coming back’) of TIN (‘can’) plus O (‘old’) plus PETS (‘favourites’). | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | CEMETERY | Burial ground encountered between church and eastern railway (8) |
| A charade of CE (‘Church’ of England) plus MET (‘encountered’) plus E (‘eastern’) plus RY (‘railway’), with ‘between’ indicating the order of the particles. Or you could regard it as an envelope, but there are enough of those elsewhere in this puzzle. | ||
| 2 | INSTRUMENTALIST | Play recruit, receiving thanks led by popular player (15) |
| A charade of IN (‘popular’) plus STRUM (‘play’) plus ENTALIST, an envelope (‘receiving’) of TA (‘thanks’) in ENLIST (‘recruit’ as a verb). | ||
| 3 | BINGE | Begin disorderly spree (5) |
| An anagram (‘disorderly’) of ‘begin’. | ||
| 4 | GO-AHEAD | State of India with leader in authority (2-5) |
| A charade of GOA (‘State of India’) plus HEAD (‘leader’). | ||
| 6 | PERSONIFICATION | Embodiment of spirit once in a broadcast (15) |
| An anagram (‘broadcast’) of ‘of spirit once in a’. | ||
| 7 | RELATE | Connect with engineers behind schedule (6) |
| A charade of RE (Royal ‘Engineers’) plus LATE (‘behind schedule’). | ||
| 8 | SCRIPT | Text about split accepted by saint (6) |
| An envelope (‘accepted by’) of C (circa, ‘about’) plus RIP (‘split’) in ST (‘saint’). | ||
| 9 | ESSAYIST | Writer with influence in fight, not right (8) |
| An envelope (‘in’) of SAY (‘influence’) in [r]ESIST (‘fight’) minus the R (‘not right’). | ||
| 14 | VOLCANIC | Explosive in large container carried by express, mostly (8) |
| An envelope (‘carried by’) of L (‘large’) plus CAN (‘container’) in VOIC[e] (‘express’, verb) minus its last letter (‘mostly’). | ||
| 16 | AMETHYST | Satisfied with hotel in fantastic stay? It’s a gem (8) |
| An envelope (‘in’) of MET (‘satisfied’) plus H (‘hotel’) in AYST, an anagram (‘fantastic’) of ‘stay’. | ||
| 18 | RITUAL | Trade union in retreat overturned custom (6) |
| An envelope (‘in’) of TU (‘trade union’) in RIAL, a reversal (‘overturned’) of LAIR (‘retreat’). | ||
| 19 | LARGEST | Greatest finish from scorer, for example, coming up in final (7) |
| An envelope (‘in’) of R (‘finish from scoreR‘) plus GE, a reversal (‘coming up’ in a down light) of EG (‘for example’) in LAST (‘final’). | ||
| 20 | SARONG | Excerpt from Caesar on Gallic garment (6) |
| A hidden answer ( ‘excerpt from’) in ‘CaeSAR ON Gallic’, for a one-part garment. | ||
| 22 | FED UP | Agent, out of bed, tired (3,2) |
| A charade of FED (Federal ‘agent’) plus UP (‘out of bed’). | ||
Thanks both. Good puzzle. Put me down as another SPAT for 5a
Thank you Everyman and PeterO.
Another SPAT here. THREE MEN IN A BOAT went in from T…E and AS A MATTER OF FACT from A. A; I do not really like these long words or phrases, they are either write-ins or horribly convoluted clues or long anagrams, PERSONIFICATION and INSTRUMENTALIST being nearly the last in. However, the puzzle was enjoyable as a whole.
Yet another spat here, and I agree about the long solutions. Still, very enjoyable puzzle and thanks to Everyman and PeterO.
Is there a prize for fourth place with SPAT? If so, I claim it. It all got sorted in the end though. The Everyman tends to contain a couple of long clues; I guess they are a way in for less experienced solvers if they are obvious from the enumeration.
Good puzzle; thank you both.
26a made me chuckle when I got it. And yet another SPAT here !
SPAT never even occurred to me although I do think that RAPS is a better synonym for ‘strikes’ but there again SPAT is a better synonym for ‘dispute’.
I thought LITHIUM was brilliant and found the puzzle quite easy this week.
Entertaining as ever. Thanks to PeterO and Everyman.
Another good puzzle from Everyman. LITHIUM was my favourite too, but I also liked AS A MATTER OF FACT and PERSONIFICATION (sorry to disagree, Cookie).
Thanks, Everyman and PeterO.
Yep, spat was my first thought too. 🙂 Overall about par for Everyman, and as enjoyable as ever. Just right with half a mind on dinner cooking in the background.
Blimey, was this the same setter? Seemed to have a really basic feel to it. Perhaps he’s gone soft or got bored with writing simpler clues than he’s wont.
Yes ok, I put down Spat to begin with too. But i don’t agree that this was par for an Everyman, it seemed much easier than some he’s served up – if indeed it really is the same setter?
I agree with Barrie. This was easier but that suits me. I did most without needing to look anything up, and that is unusual. But I do think this is the same setter, as the clues follow the same pattern. I enjoyed this. I hope we have more at this level.
No, Audrey, I’m sure it was the understudy. Sadly we’ll never know.
“Spat” never even occurred to me for 5 across. Saw “spar” immediately.
Couldn’t completely parse “cribbage” (1 across) — got “bag” for “reserve”
but didn’t see the “writer” connection; felt a bit duh when I read PeterO’s blog.
Messed things up in the SE corner for a while by putting in “thulium” rather than
“lithium”, not realising I had too many u-s and too few i-s. But eventually got
it straightened out.
“Three Men in a Boat” is one of my favourite books, so I saw that answer
immediately from the letter count.
Found the puzzle neither particularly hard nor particularly easy.
I missed the last two crossies as I’ve been ill. This week’s one was pretty good. LITHIUM, as others have said, was a very good clue. I also enjoyed 21ac as both “in bad” and “at sea” could have been the anagram indicators. Tricky!