Sunday morning and time to blog the Everyman over the noise of screaming grandchildren.
The usual Everyman crossword but the beginning was odd seeing lots of answers beginning com(e) and margar(…) and wondering if thre was something afoot in the grid. If there is anything else it’s gone straight over my head though.
Thanks Everyman.
Across
1 Orbiting object‘s business fulfilled (5)
COMET
CO(mpany) & MET meaning fulfilled
4 Joker with trick taking in broadcasters? (8)
COMEDIAN
MEDIA (broadcasters maybe) inside CON – trick
8 Novelist, ace in treatment of good raw matter (8,6)
MARGARET ATWOOD
A(ce) inserted in a treated [RAW GOOD MATTER]* Whether the clue surface is true is matter for others to say.
10 Democrat in range with a quiet plan (4,3)
ROAD MAP
D(emocrat) in ROAM ( to range) & A & P = quiet musically
11 Projection: one Oscar for production company (6)
STUDIO
STUD – projection & 1 & O(scar)
13 Principal speaker’s head of hair (4)
MAIN
Sounds like MANE
14 Tomfoolery from poet going into air guitar initially (10)
SKYLARKING
(philip) LARKIN in SKY (air) & G(uitar) initially
17 Potter’s eye transformed conventional image (10)
STEREOTYPE
[POTTERS EYE]* transformed
18 Song in particular I admire (4)
ARIA
Hidden answer in particulAR I Admire
20 Handy tips for novice after bounty (6)
NEARBY
Tips of N(ovic)E A(fte)R B(ount)Y
22 Former partner stopped missing husband? That’s grand (7)
EXALTED
EX (former partner) & H(usband) removed from (h)ALTED (stopped)
24 Communication between writers in agreement (14)
CORRESPONDENCE
double definition
25 Second novel in stark language (8)
SANSKRIT
S(econd) & a novel [IN STARK]*
26 Hides from king in crowd (5)
MASKS
K(ing) in MASS (crowd)
Down
1 Making concessions can be embarrassing (12)
COMPROMISING
Double defintion
2 Spread ruin, vicious in rage (9)
MARGARINE
MAR means RUIN & an anagram vicious of [IN RAGE]*
3 Shock shown by artist with uncertain expression amid cheers (6)
TRAUMA
R(oyal) A(cademician) * UM (uncertain sound) inside TA (cheers)
4 Miserly type, cold fish occupied by collection (10)
CHEAPSKATE
C(old) & HEAP (collection) & SKATE (a fish)
5 Flightless bird caught finally in ditch (4)
MOAT
MOA (a flightless bird) & (caugh)T finally
6 Decline drink with convert (8)
DOWNTURN
DOWN (to drink) & TURN (convert)
7 Keen to retain old bypass (5)
AVOID
O(ld) retained by AVID (keen)
9 Opera spoilt by grand poses (5,3,4)
PORGY AND BESS
[GRAND POSES]* spoilt. A cracker of a clue.
12 Applauded then dismissed, being of no more use (7-3)
CLAPPED-OUT
CLAPPED (applauded) & OUT (dismissed in crickiet)
15 One rages about endless ceremony and annoyances (9)
IRRITANTS
1 & RANTS (rages) over an endless RIT(e) – ceremony
16 Bar, secure, managed without a fearsome guard dog (8)
CERBERUS
Ahh, three heads being better than one. A removed from [B(a)R SECURE]* managed
19 Published title for monk? Not planned (6)
RANDOM
RAN (published as in ran a column in a newspaper) & DOM (a senior monk)
21 Supply answer about love for perfume (5)
AROMA
ARM (to supply) & 0 (love) & A(nswer
23 Ruler in for astonishing upset (4)
TSAR
hidden reversed (upset) in foR ASTonishing
Thank you Everyman and flashling.
I, too, searched for something afoot in the grid, but came to the conclusion that it was just Everyman (inadvertently?) SKYLARKING at the top. It took me a while to see MARGARINE.
Favourite clues were those for PORGY AND BESS, CLAPPED OUT, MASKS, CERBERUS and CHEAPSKATE.
Not many UK comments today?
I really enjoyed this. One hour exactly, perfect level for me. Enjoyed Clapped Out. Random and Masks were my last two.
My only minor gripe was not knowing if it was Mane or Main (and getting it wrong initially). I don’t think that was very well clued as it really could be either.
With Barrie on this one. I too was not sure of MANE or MAIN but Margarine was easy enough to pars.
Is it just me or is Everyman becoming quite easy now? I can recall spending hours trying to do them and now I can knock them off in a couple hours.
The level is quite hard enough for me! Perhaps you are getting too used to this setter?! I put Exalted, Downturn, Comet, Random and Clapped out as my favourites this week and also got Main round the wrong way first time round also. Just adds a bit of a twister to sort out. Never had heard of Cerberus and would never have got that without e-help
I hadn’t heard of Cerberus either, but know it had to be an unusual spelling from the letter. I didn’t manage to parse Random or Aroma, but I agree they have been a little too quick to solve lately.
I found this to be difficult in places ( struggled with margarine , nearby and couldnt see skylarking until the end ) otherwise some great clues and very enjoyable.