Another sound offering from Everyman. Lots of insertions, anagrams and charades, which for an ‘entry-level’ puzzle is fair enough.
Abbreviations
cd cryptic definition
dd double definition
(xxxx)* anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x] letter(s) removed
definitions are underlined
Across
1 Arrive with young dog filled with restless desire
PITCH UP
An insertion of ITCH in PUP.
5 Group in party back in past
BODY
Another insertion: of DO for ‘party’ reversed in BY for ‘past’. ‘She went by/she went past.’
9 Staying smooth in scene, artists are dancing
CREASE-RESISTANT
(SCENE ARTISTS ARE)*
10 Variable fund turning crazy
LOOPY
Everyman is asking you to reverse Y for the mathematical ‘variable’ and POOL.
11 Established lyric finally about tree by sea
CONFIRMED
Our first charade: of C for the last letter of ‘lyric’, ON for ‘about’, FIR for ‘tree’ and MED for ‘sea’.
12 Working out about time for knocking off
DEDUCTING
An insertion of T in DEDUCING.
15 Learner miserable without small vehicle
LORRY
A charade of L and [S]ORRY.
16 Voice belonging to forgotten orator
TENOR
Hidden in forgoTEN ORator.
17 Able to reach remote targets, only securing relative gain initially
LONG-RANGE
Why have I got a picture of Kim Jong-un in my head? An insertion of GRAN and G for the first letter of ‘gain’ in LONE.
19 Repeat ceremony, retaining energy and pace
REITERATE
An insertion of E in RITE followed by RATE. Always strikes me as a bit of a funny word, since ITERATE and REITERATE mean more or less the same, don’t they?
21 Provide food and regular helpings of craft beer
CATER
The odd letters of CrAfT bEeR.
22 Trying to help editor, going after source with purpose
WELL-INTENTIONED
A charade of WELL for a ‘source’ of water, INTENT and ED.
23 Stern breed
REAR
A dd.
24 Beam, beginning to take payment
TRANSOM
The first letter of ‘take’ followed by RANSOM.
Down
1 Drunk induced to follow preference
PICKLED
A charade of PICK and LED.
2 Sitcom and longer delights remade
THE GOLDEN GIRLS
(LONGER DELIGHTS)* It was last aired in 1992 and featured four elderly women from Miami, so I wasn’t in the target audience and hadn’t heard of it. All common words, though, so the anagram fodder provided the answer once a few crossers were in.
3 Hurried with fodder across street
HASTY
An insertion of ST in HAY.
4 Bottle, receiving a shake, mostly narrow
PAROCHIAL
Plenty of insertions this morning: this one is ROC[K] in PHIAL. Shakespeare had it as a VIAL in Romeo and Juliet, but both spellings are accepted.
5 For this reason, breaking point coming up for wild ox
BISON
Another one: SO in NIB reversed. I haven’t given you a rubbish joke for a while, so here’s one:
What did the mummy wild ox say to little wild ox when he was leaving for school?
‘Bye, son.’
6 One making spirits fade, keeping quiet? Right
DISTILLER
An insertion of STILL in DIE followed by R.
7 Histrionic actor dons garment unusually vigorously
HAMMER AND TONGS
A charade of HAM for ‘histrionic actor’ (as in ‘hamming it up’) and (DONS GARMENT)*
8 Heavy dog sadly kept in enclosure
STODGY
An insertion of (DOG)* in STY.
13 Member of order chosen after appeal, not hard
CARMELITE
A charade of C[H]ARM and ELITE for your nun (or friar).
14 Whisk egg in turn, making biscuit
GINGER NUT
(EGG IN TURN)*
16 Projected seat in hearing
THROWN
A homophone (‘in hearing’) of THRONE.
18 Status of nobleman playing mad role
EARLDOM
(MAD ROLE)*
20 Change in contractual terms
ALTER
Hidden in contractuAL TERms.
21 Feature on area producing porcelain
CHINA
A charade of CHIN and A.
Many thanks to Everyman for this morning’s puzzle.
Thank you Everyman and Pierre.
I enjoyed this puzzle as I usually do, but stupidly failed to get 5a and entered LOONY at 10a. Favourite clues were those for HAMMER AND TONGS and LONG-RANGE.
What did the mummy bison say to the baby bison? It’s pasture bedtime – we have a farm of bisons nearby…
Thanks Pierre and Colin (Everyman).
Cookie, two can play at that game!
What’s the difference between a buffalo and a bison? You can’t wash your hands in a buffalo.
(Old, I know, but still good.)
It might be an entry-level puzzle, but I still solve Everyman every week, probably because it’s about all I can cope with on a Sunday morning. 🙂 Found this one a little chewier than usual. I suspect I still haven’t got used to the new Everyman’s style, though, even though he’s been in the job quite a while now!
Nice puzzle, bit easier than the last couple of weeks which I solved a bit late and didn’t comment on. You were right Audrey, I was finishing Dial M for Murder at Howick Little Theatre.
I find these puzzles a nice standard, so a bit disheartening to have them dismissed as entry level, there are plenty of cryptics that are a lot easier than these imho.
Thought I might have guessed right about where you’ve been, Barrie.
Couldn’t get parochial and don’t think much of the reasoning either.
I agree that it’s disheartening to hear these puzzles dismissed as “entry level”. They are not easy and perhaps that’s why there are not so many comments these days. They are hard work to solve.
Interesting comments. I rate Everyman in the mid-range of difficulty. There are toughies to challenge the mind. These are supplemented with straightforward anagrams and double definitions which fill the gaps for the harder ones. Less reference to the classics, geography, history and science than, say, The Times or Kropotkin in NZ. ?
Interesting comments. I rate Everyman in the mid-range of difficulty. There are toughies to challenge the mind. These are supplemented with straightforward anagrams and double definitions which fill the gaps for the harder ones. Less reference to the classics, geography, history and science than, say, The Times or Kropotkin in NZ. ?
A nice crossie. Overnight I had 16d and 13d remaining. THROWN came easily enough but CARMELITE had me thinking for a while. Eventually parsed it.
Well, it’s all happening in NZ. A change in government and the ABs got beaten. All for a better end, I hope?
I found this ver’ tuff, although I managed to get it all out. Could not parse
“long range” (17 across); got it from the literal meaning and the cross letters.
Likewise “parochial” (4 down). LOI was “carmelite” (13 down).
Thanks for the comments. I did put ‘entry-level’ in inverted commas, because it means different things to different people. Of the crosswords I’m familiar with, then Everyman and the Guardian Quiptic are the ones I’d describe as good for beginners or near beginners. They’re certainly the ones I recommend to friends who want to try out cryptics. Of course, some people will find the Everyman tough if they are just starting out, but with a bit of practise, help from friends, and Fifteensquared, you can certainly improve. So I didn’t intend to dishearten anyone.
Always good to have comments from our NZ contributors. I do try to check them out when they arrive.