The Observer crossword from Dec 23, 2018
I did this one on Christmas Eve after a day full of Trains, No Boats & Planes.
Despite being rather tired, I experienced no problems whatsoever. And so, it must have been Everyman Lite, I guess.
All perfectly fair but the lack of any added information in maroon in my blog is solely due to the crossword being rather ‘plain’ this time – for example, no cultural references.
This is my last blog of the year and therefore I wish everyone who reads this a Very Happy 2019 !
Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.
| Across | ||
| 1 | SET-UPS | Organisations in dispute still around (3-3) |
| Hidden [in] in: dispute still , then reversed [around] | ||
| 4 | ESOTERIC | Secret ring in compound in command (8) |
| O (ring) inside ESTER (compound), then IC (in command) | ||
| 9 | LIMELIGHT | Maiden in story, delicate in glare of publicity (9) |
| M (maiden) inside LIE (story), followed by LIGHT (delicate) | ||
| 11 | ROVER | Run across wanderer (5) |
| R (run) + OVER (across) | ||
| 12 | CHASE RAINBOWS | Pursue fanciful goals, having hour in event with artist with fashionable inclinations (5,8) |
| H (hour) inside CASE (event), followed by RA (artist) + IN (fashionable) + BOWS (inclinations) | ||
| 14 | THING | Obsession with affair (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 16 | INHERITOR | Successor I hire, not bothered by resistance (9) |
| Anagram [bothered] of I HIRE NOT, followed by R (resistance) | ||
| 17 | DISBELIEF | Inspector’s complaint about core of policy causing incredulity (9) |
| DI’S (inspector’s) + BEEF (complaint) around [po]LI[cy] | ||
| 19 | PIECE | Speaker’s quiet part (5) |
| Homophone [speaker’s] of PEACE (quiet) | ||
| 21 | CONTAINER SHIP | Vessel for cargo designed to enrich Spain (9,4) |
| Anagram [designed] of TO ENRICH SPAIN | ||
| 24 | PROXY | Substitute for unknown quantities (5) |
| PRO (for) + X (unknown quantity …) + Y (… and another one) | ||
| 25 | ICELANDER | Nordic person, one with family around east, turning communist (9) |
| I (one) + CLAN (family) around E (east), followed by a reversal [turning] of RED (communist) | ||
| 26 | STRIDENT | Loud and clear, after end of appointment, getting told to go outside (8) |
| RID (clear) after [appointmen]T, this having SENT (told to go) going around it | ||
| 27 | IMPART | Reveal demon with skill (6) |
| IMP (demon) + ART (skill) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | SOLICITUDE | Concern about one in lonely state (10) |
| C (about) I (one), together inside SOLITUDE (lonely state) | ||
| 2 | TIMPANI | Drums upset sleep? Endlessly nervous about that (7) |
| TIMI[d] (nervous, endlessly i.e. without the last letter) around a reversal [upset] of NAP (sleep) | ||
| 3 | PULSE | Seeds to beat (5) |
| Double definition | ||
| 5 | SIT ON THE FENCE | Be indecisive after admitting one theft in error (3,2,3,5) |
| SINCE (after) around an anagram [in error] of ONE THEFT | ||
| 6 | TURBOPROP | Engine in lead, up around poor ground, following northward track (9) |
| Reversal [northward] of RUT (track), followed by a reversal of PB (lead, the chemical element Pb, Plumbum) going around an anagram [ground] of POOR | ||
| 7 | REVISIT | Vicar is, on appeal, to consider again (7) |
| REV (vicar) + IS + IT (appeal) | ||
| 8 | CURT | Rude scoundrel on time (4) |
| CUR (scoundrel) + T (time) | ||
| 10 | GRATIFICATION | Good informer, one with answer in story giving pleasure (13) |
| G (good) + RAT (informer) + I (one, for the third time !!), followed by A (answer) inside FICTION (story) | ||
| 13 | FREE SPIRIT | Nonconformist ready to accept split with prophet coming up (4,6) |
| FIT (ready) around {RIP (split) + SEER (prophet), together reversed [coming up]} | ||
| 15 | GREEN-EYED | Jealous desire to possess new watch (5-4) |
| GREED (desire) around {N (new) + EYE (watch)} | ||
| 18 | SUCCOUR | Assistance copper raised during search (7) |
| Reversal [raised] of CU (copper, the chemical element Cu, Cuprum) inside SCOUR (search) | ||
| 20 | ECHIDNA | Animal identified by expedition’s leader on day in country (7) |
| E[xpedition], followed by D (day) inside CHINA (country) | ||
| 22 | REALM | River and wood covering area in kingdom (5) |
| R (river) + ELM (wood) around A (area) | ||
| 23 | OPUS | Love quiet American composition (4) |
| O (love) + P (quiet) + US (American) | ||
Thank you Everyman for an enjoyable puzzle and Sil for a helpful blog.
I liked the anagram for CONTAINER SHIP, at first the clue got me thinking of silver nutmegs and golden pears…
Another good puzzle from Colin. I wonder who will replace him ?. He’ll be a hard act to follow.
I can’t remember how easy or difficult I found this but I was certainly foxed for quite a while
by ECHIDNA which was my last clue. It’s a spiny anteater apparently. I liked CONTAINER SHIP,
PROXY ( simple but effective ) and SOLICITUDE which also fooled me for quite a while.
Many thanks to Sil and Everyman.
Another good puzzle. My favourite was DISBELIEF. The consistency of Everyman from one week to another is amazing and I agree Colin will be tough to replace. Many thanks to Colin, Sil, the other bloggers, and all the responders for a year of many enjoyable Sunday mornings. Best wishes to all for 2019.
Not being in the country and far from Fifteensquared, I clearly missed last week’s (sad) news about Colin Gumbrell.
What can I say?
(other than that the blog of his final Everyman puzzle will land on my desk in a few weeks’ time)
Throughly enjoyed this. Good crossword.
Liked container ship. Have seen quite a few out in the Hauraki Gulf recently, along with a few Cruise ships.
Thanks Colin and Sil.
Satisfactory solve. Not overly keen on the definition of Esoteric, it’s not so much secret as arcane and thus not widely known, but that’s different from being secretive imho.
Echidna was a Tilt. Never heard of them.
Thanks Colin and Sil.
Hi Barrie what is a TIlt?
Enjoyed this-
But agree I didn’t relate esoteric with secret …but extended definitions I guess all part of the learnings
LOI. 1ac and 3d
FOI 11ac then I saw container ship
A pretty easy puzzle. I think all up this took me 15 – 20 minutes. I hope Colin is doing better
Also found this an easy puzzle but my solve took closer to an hour. Being a great fan of David Attenborough an echidna looks like our hedgehog
Twenty minutes phew! Glad it’s way more of a challenge for this punter
Me too Vanessa. I’m not sure I could be bothered if they fell in that quickly. This one seemed easier than most though.
This one was a pleasant stroll. Echidna was no problem for me, having spent half my life across the ditch. It is a spiny anteater from the land of Oz.
The echidna is also another of Australia’s weird animals – an egg-laying mammal.
Vanessa, TILT = thing I learned today.