Everyman has given us a gentle introduction to the New Year: totally fair clue constructions as always, and nothing too obscure.
Favourite of the day was 3d, but 13a came a close second for ingenuity, and 15d for the surface – reminiscent of recent Christmas family gatherings perhaps? Several nouns in clues that need to be read as verbs to get the answer.
Best wishes to Colin as he steps back from setting the Everyman puzzles, and thanks for this and all the previous entertainment.
Definitions are underlined; square brackets [ ] indicate omitted letters.
| Across | ||
| 1 | COUNTERACT | Oppose matter, given time by court (10) |
| COUNT (matter, as a verb, as in “that doesn’t matter”) + ERA + CT (court). | ||
| 6 | SPUR | Gush, giving up time to offer encouragement (4) |
| SPURT (gush) without the T. | ||
| 9 | EXPRESS | Swift in air (7) |
| Double definition – the second as in “to air one’s opinion”. | ||
| 10 | LAWLESS | Perfect, not loud and unruly (7) |
| [f]LAWLESS, minus F (forte = loud in musical notation). | ||
| 12 | CIRCA | In India cricket’s turned around (5) |
| Hidden answer in indiA CRICket, turned (reversed). Around = circa = approximately. | ||
| 13 | UPSETTING | Happy environment or sad? (9) |
| UP (happy) + SETTING (environment). | ||
| 14 | DISCOMPOSURE | Party politician, with nothing certain, showing unease (12) |
| DISCO (party) + MP + O (nothing) + SURE. | ||
| 18 | ALL OF A SUDDEN | Reformed feudal land so abruptly (3,2,1,6) |
| Anagram (reformed) of FEUDAL LAND SO. | ||
| 21 | NOCTURNAL | Negative eccentric ran cult active at night (9) |
| NO (negative) + anagram (eccentric) of RAN CULT. | ||
| 23 | CATCH | Disadvantage that’s hidden in contract (5) |
| Double definition: the second as in to contract (or catch) a disease. | ||
| 24 | LARGEST | Greatest king in line grows old and decrepit finally (7) |
| R (rex = king) in L (line) + AGES (grows old) + [decrepi]T. | ||
| 25 | ISOLATE | Slow to follow one, very cut off (7) |
| I (one) + SO (very), followed by LATE (slow). Isolate = cut off, as a verb. | ||
| 26 | ARMY | Force in peculiar myth (4) |
| Hidden answer in peculiAR MYth. | ||
| 27 | THREADBARE | Ragged number outside commercial pub (10) |
| THREE outside AD (commercial) + BAR (pub). | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | COERCE | Firm before receiving constant pressure (6) |
| CO (company = firm) + ERE (before) containing C (constant). Coerce = pressure, as a verb. | ||
| 2 | UMPIRE | Doubtful expression beginning to perplex and anger judge (6) |
| UM (doubtful expression) + P[erplex] + IRE. | ||
| 3 | THE MAGIC FLUTE | Might a cut feel wrong in opera? (3,5,5) |
| Anagram (wrong) of MIGHT A CUT FEEL, for the Mozart opera. | ||
| 4 | RESOURCES | Embittered, dry up after referring to funds (9) |
| RE (referring to) + SOUR (embittered) + SEC (dry) reversed (up, in a down clue). | ||
| 5 | COLTS | Pass on tips from trainers for young players (5) |
| COL (a mountain pass) + the end letters (tips) of T[rainer]S. Colt = a young inexperienced sports player. | ||
| 7 | PRECIOUS | Rice soup not normally costly (8) |
| Anagram (not normally) of RICE SOUP. | ||
| 8 | RESIGNED | Gave up being philosophical (8) |
| Double definition. | ||
| 11 | WITH ONE ACCORD | Humorist, refined, entertaining a hundred, with endless heart, all together (4,3,6) |
| WIT (humorist) + HONED (refined), containing (entertaining) A C (hundred in Roman numerals) + COR[e] (endless heart). | ||
| 15 | MADELEINE | Created row, grabbing auntie’s last cake (9) |
| MADE LINE (row as in a row of chairs), containing (grabbing) [aunti]E. A small sponge cake from France. | ||
| 16 | MAGNOLIA | Tree I yearn to climb in Massachusetts area (8) |
| I LONG, climbing (reversed in a down clue), in MA (abbreviation for the state) + A (area). | ||
| 17 | PLECTRUM | Pick second item of clothing in range, not first (8) |
| [c]L[othing] (second letter) in [s]PECTRUM (without the first letter). Plectrum = guitar pick. | ||
| 19 | STRATA | Levels achieved by son with skill raised cheers (6) |
| S (son) + ART (skill) raised (reversed in a down clue) + TA (cheers = thank you). | ||
| 20 | THIEVE | Steal hearts in match against Spain (6) |
| H (hearts) in TIE (match) + V (versus) + E (abbreviation for España). | ||
| 22 | NATCH | Stirring chant, of course (5) |
| Anagram (stirring) of CHANT. A rather ugly abbreviation of “naturally” (= of course), but accepted by Chambers. | ||
I enjoyed this puzzle, but could not parse 23a CATCH.
Thanks B&S
Thanks both. Entered URGE at 6a (SURGE less “s” = second = time) which threw me for a while
Thank you Everyman and Quirister.
Very enjoyable, I loved the clue for MADELEINE with its reminiscence of “Tante Léonie” and the young Marcel Proust.
Two super anagrams, those for ALL OF A SUDDEN and THE MAGIC FLUTE. NATCH is also given by the COED as a colloquial abbreviation.
This puzzle felt odd. I thought it might be the new setter at first as the early clues seemed rather one-dimensional and it wasn’t until the top right hand corner that some of the better clues eventuated (10, 13A for example). But perhaps I’m overthinking what lies ahead.
Didn’t get plectrum but the rest were simple enough. I’m feeling a bit sad about Everyman. Hope he’s doing better.
Like Barrie, I thought it was the new setter too. Still not sure as the puzzle felt different.
Like Barrie, I thought it was the new setter too. Still not sure as the puzzle felt different.
I Just feel lucky to be able to work out the answers, I don’t have any qualms about this setting style. Perhaps too easy for some, but not for me….. I never got Plectrum but quite liked a lot of clues I thought 12 ac and 5d which were short but very good and both had me stumped for ages.
Plectrum was foreign to me as well. Threw in Electrum thinking elect might satisfy the pick bit and hoping somehow the rest might fit the clue but not to be. Good clue though. Still feels like the same setter to me. Will miss him. Thanks to all
So next week we get the new Everyman? This was Colin’s last crossword?
Good crossword. Fairly straight forward I thought except I had to look up Natch & I completely missed the contract meaning for Catch.
This didn’t feel any different to me. The only real sticking point was flawless, and once that was in the others in that NE corner fell into place. All the best Colin, and thanks for the blog today Quirister. Looking forward to a new challenge.
Two of Colin’s to go. 3771 is his last, I believe
Another Goldilocks puzzle from my pov. Got it all out and managed to parse everything except for 23 across where I somehow could not bring to mind the catch-a-disease meaning for “catch”. Duhhhhh!