Everyman 3,709

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Sorry the blog is a bit late this morning, been a busy week.

The usual easyish crosssword but one or two took a little parsing for the blog.

completed grid

Across

1 Strong resistance with nothing broken (6)
ROBUST
R(esistance) & O for nothing & BUST

4 Inspector’s crony securing very large sale (8)
DISPOSAL
D.I.’S & O(ver) S(ize) inside PAL – crony

9 Controlling worries, going back into loose scrum (9)
MASTERFUL
I kept on thinking this was and anagram on SCRUM* somehow but no it’s FRETS reversed inside a MAUL – a loose scrum

11 Love nearly new dress (5)
ADORN
Most of ADOR(e) & N(ew)

12 Fashion outlet, bit lame? You’re not wrong (4,2,5,2)
TELL ME ABOUT IT
A fashioned [OUTLET BIT LAME]*

14 Modify early theory at regular intervals (5)
ALTER
Alternate letters of eArLy ThEoRy

16 Phoney reproduction hard to return with ceremony (9)
HYPOCRITE
COPY & H(ard) reversed then RITE

17 Church retreat changed talkative type (9)
CHATTERER
CH(urch) & a changed RETREAT*

19 Quiet, absorbed by case, lacking time to make Japanese dish (5)
SUSHI
SH! in most of SUI(t) (case)

20 Recreational facility in America that is large, brought about by modern engineers (7,6)
LEISURE CENTRE
U.S. (America) & I.E. (that is) & L(arge) all reversed & RECENT – modern & R(oyal) E(ngineers)

23 Belief in alien reflected by trap (5)
TENET
E.T. reversed then NET

24 Gel in appropriate phase prepared (4,5)
TAKE SHAPE
TAKE (steal, appropriate) & a prepared PHASE*

25 Large number before year’s end in city inn (8)
HOSTELRY
HOST – large number & end of (yea)R in the city of ELY

26 Section of paint entirely absorbed (6)
INTENT
It’s absorbed in paINT ENTirely. Not the most obvious meaning of section though

Down

1 Payment, in brief hypnotic state, not right (10)
REMITTANCE
A brief is a REMIT & R from T(r)ANCE

2 Herb with some lamb as illustrated (5)
BASIL
Hidden answer some lamB AS ILlustrated

3 Guide about a medium item of cookware (7)
STEAMER
STEER – guide – around A M(edium)

5 Seek for public ground in Dorset area (4,2,7)
ISLE OF PURBECK
There’s going to moans from our NZ commenters in a few weeks I suspect. It’s a ground [SEEK FOR PUBLIC]*

6 Fake photograph? Continue to go into it (7)
PLASTIC
LAST – to continue in PIC

7 Flings involving debatable charmers (9)
SMOOTHIES
MOOT – debatable in SHIES – flings

8 Solitary advance reported (4)
LONE
Sounds like “loan”

10 Brush with fame’s beginning with time with crowd, united in festival (7,6)
FEATHER DUSTER
F(ame) & [T(ime) & HERD – crowd) & U(nited)] all in EASTER – festival, Rather more convoluted than Everyman usually does.

13 Perfection about penalty shoot-out finally getting people involved (10)
REFINEMENT
RE – about & FINE – a penalty & MEN – people & (shoot ou)T finally

15 Markings on court order for men’s trial (9)
TRAMLINES
An ordered [MENS TRIAL]*

18 Prickly plant in varied list in article (7)
THISTLE
A varied LIST* in THE

19 Saint manages without grand hat (7)
STETSON
S(ain)T & G removed from (g)ETS ON

21 Switch craft (5)
TRADE
Double def

22 State a breaking point? Not so (4)
UTAH
Not trivial this, take SO from (so)UTH – a point then insert A

15 comments on “Everyman 3,709”

  1. Morning flashling, and thanks for blogging. In 26ac, it’s the other way round: the definition is ‘absorbed’ and ‘section’ is telling you to look for an insertion.

  3. I parsed 26a as “section” indicating that it was hidden and “absorbed” as the definition. Probably not the most common synonym for “intent” either, though.

    Everyman seems to have been throwing in the odd element of difficulty recently, which will please some though perhaps not those on the nursery slopes, who were glad to have at least one crossword that they could finish every week.

    Liked 10d, and the similarly complex 20a, though the latter was a bit too much hard work for a Sunday!

    Thanks to blogger and setter.

  4. I found this hard to get into and came to a full stop about a third of the way through. Not sure why but I did finish it on the Monday, my last answer being TRADE. I liked DISPOSAL, HYPOCRITE, HOSTELRY and INTENT.
    Entertaining puzzle as always.

    Thanks to flashling and Everyman

  9. You’re possibly right about the odd grumble from this neck of the woods, but not because of anything in 5D. I like Ground as an anagrind. My brickbat involves 10D – since when was a feather duster a brush?

    I found this a half and half puzzle. Flew through the first half and had to battle to finish. The parsing of Utah eluded me.

    Thanks Flashling and Everyman.

  10. Thanks flashling great help in parsing a couple. 5d was no problem thanks to my mate google. Would be interesting how many would get Waiheke Island

  12. I didn’t find 5d a problem either once I worked out it was some isle .. we do have internet too down here u know! In20 ac I was tempted to spell centre as center when it referred to its location but thought better of it … I don’t think a feather duster is brushlike either but ‘yeah nah’

  13. A highly enjoyable crossie which I only finished 5 minutes ago despite starting yesterday morning.

    North East was particularly taxing with 4ac, 6dn and 7dn taking some solving. SMOOTHIES was a great clue with SHIES being timely as I sit here watching the cricket. ISLE OF PURBECK wasn’t so much of an issue as once I realised it was an anagram it was either BURPECK or PURBECK with the crossing letters of HYPOCRITE resolving the issue. Also enjoyed 22ac UTAH.

  14. I didn’t start till today but found this one difficult, despite Flashling saying it was easy. Had to look up Isle of Purbeck. Yes I hope we have Waiheke Island one of these days. This crossword was not the most enjoyable for me.

  15. Finally got there with smoothies being the last one in and after all that what a great clue it was! Agree with the sentiments around feather duster but it had to be that so no complaints. Similarly the Isle of ‘Never heard of’ but figure thats my own fault. Thanks to all.

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