Everyman 3,787

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The Observer crossword from May 12, 2019

The good news is that this crossword had a similar feel as recent Everyman crosswords and, therefore, it looks like some consistency has set in.
A doable puzzle with quite a few anagrams to make life easier for beginning solvers.


In my previous blog – four weeks ago – I was rather positive about the crossword, a view not shared by the majority of commenters.
That is, until, a couple of weeks later, our friends from Down Under turned up.  And, I must say, they made me feel less lonely.
[yes, guys, I do always read your – for us in the UK – late comments!!!]
While I thoroughly enjoyed solving ‘today’s’ puzzle, I am still not 100% sure whether the clueing as a whole is tight enough for me.
Meanwhile, I do see and appreciate Everyman’s efforts to write a good number of imaginative clues.
There’s a lot in maroon below, certainly not meant to be too critical but on a handful of occasions I had to put some question marks.
Looking forward to those who can turn my ?s into !s.

Definitions are underlined wherever possible and/or appropriate.

Across
1 FLY HALFS Florida’s flashy, unruly sportsmen (3,5)
FL (Florida) + anagram [unruly] of FLASHY
Rugby players, stand-off halfs.
5 STAFFS Where Tamworth is, in the sticks (6)
Double definition
Tamworth is in Staffordshire, abbreviated: Staffs. And the second definition doesn’t need much explanation.
10 I ASK YOU Debtor’s note includes a one-time Murdoch company that’s hard to credit (1,3,3)
IOU (debtor’s note) around {A + SKY (one-time Murdoch company)}
11 INTENSE Under canvas, by the sound of things, getting passionate (7)
Homophone [by the sound of things] of IN TENTS (under canvas)
Not being a native speaker, I had to ask my (Guardian) solving partner whether ‘intense’ and ‘in tents’ are proper homophones.
I was in doubt, she said it was OK – and so, it’s OK then.
12 HAIKU Poem, when recited, evokes shrill birdcall (5)
Another homophone [recited], this time of HIGH (shrill) COO (birdcall)
13 LIE IN WAIT Story concerning wabbit: Bugs Bunny heads off; what will hunter do? (3,2,4)
LIE (story) + IN (concerning), followed by WABBIT minus the two Bs in the middle, those being the heads of Bugs Bunny
That little word ‘in’ can mean almost anything. Chambers tells us that one of the meanings is ‘concerned with’.
I wasn’t fully sure whether that’s the same as ‘concerning’ but – again – my solving partner didn’t have a problem with it.
‘Wabbit’ is a Scottish word for ‘exhausted’ which doesn’t make much sense to me here, but then I remembered Michael Palin as Pontius Pilate in The Life Of Brian.
I don’t know much about Bugs Bunny and I did not look any further either.  I still like Michael Palin more.
14 TEXT MESSAGES Sets exam, gets confused, gives very short bursts of information (4,8)
Anagram [confused] of SETS EXAM GETS
18 WHATEVER NEXT It doesn’t matter which clothes shop now, I’ve seen everything (8,4)
WHATEVER (it doesn’t matter which) + NEXT (clothes shop)
Last time I was at Next I tried to find a nice kitchen bin, also some curtains.
So, ‘clothes shop’? Bit narrow if this is indeed what the setter means. 
In crosswords, ‘clothes’ is often a containment indicator but I rejected that here.
Leaves me with the question what to do with ‘now’.
I thought already that ‘now’ should be part of the definition. But I left it to other solvers. Now, underlined correctly.
21 OUTGROWTH ‘Gut-rot.’ ‘How?’ ‘Dodgy sprout‘ (9)
Anagram [dodgy] of GUT-ROT HOW
23 PUREE Energy follows natural process (5)
E (energy) coming after PURE (natural)
The definition should be seen as a verb.
24 HANOVER Following ousting of duke, relinquish claim to dynasty (7)
HAND OVER (relinquish claim) minus D (duke)
25 OXO CUBE Time running out – cue botox shot: that’ll make this dish tastier (3,4)
Anagram [shot] of CUE BOTOX with the T (time) removed
I do not see why Everyman uses the word ‘this’ here as it suggests that the definition is a dish.
He could just have said ‘a dish’, couldn’t he?
And whether OXO cubes make a dish ‘tastier’, not sure, surely much saltier.
26 SIT-UPS Dines fancily, engorging Italian – so has to do these? (3-3)
SUPS (dines (fancily)) around IT (Italian)
Here’s another one that had me thinking.
Probably Everyman uses the – strictly speaking – superfluous ‘fancily’ here to emphasise the need for a proper workout after gaining so much weight.
That said, I don’t think I’ve ever met someone planning to do sit-ups after a fancy meal.
27 SEMESTER Sees term restructured to become half-year course of study (8)
Anagram [restructured] of SEES TERM
Down
1 FLIGHT Running away from argument about Latin (6)
FIGHT (argument) around L (Latin)
2 YES SIR The old ship’s on fire, losing bow and stern: aye-aye! (3,3)
YE (the old, i.e. archaic form of ‘the’) + SS (ship, steam ship) + [f]IR[e]
3 AS YOU WERE See, our way worked? Never mind (2,3,4)
Anagram [worked] of SEE OUR WAY
Apart from a military command, ‘as you were’ can also be ‘a statement to withdraw something just said‘ (Collins).
‘Never mind’ is surely close enough.
4 FOUR-LETTER WORD For ‘rutted’, lower, coarser profanity (4-6,4)
Anagram [coarser] of FOR RUTTED LOWER
Rather strange to have ‘coarser‘ (with an r at the end) as the anagram indicator.
6 TITAN Goddess from The X Factor wearing bronze (5)
IT (the X factor) inside TAN (bronze)
I always thought that titans were just ‘giants’. But, in those days of old, they could be ‘gods’ too, and yes, even ‘goddesses’.
So, Everyman is right and didn’t opt for the most obvious definition (but then, why should he [if Everyman’s a he]?).
7 FANDANGO Foxtrot, then Latin dance, saving time for another dance (8)
F (foxtrot, NATO alphabet) + AND TANGO (then Latin dance) with the T removed and saved for later (whenever that is)
8 SWEETEST Leader in Scandinavia to go with tax that’s dearest (8)
S[candinavia] + WEE (to go) + TEST (tax)
Setters using ‘wee’ or ‘pee’ do not really do me a favour nowadays.
For some solvers, it’s on their LOL list, though.
9 NINETEENTH HOLE Where rounds follow rounds? (10,4)
Cryptic definition
I needed a lot of crossers to get this one. I thought of rounds of beer (and ammunition, too) but not immediately of golf.
When do I think of golf? Hardly ever, actually.
15 SAXOPHONE Old invader’s truncated call with horn (9)
SAXO[n] (old invader, cut off) + PHONE (call)
I have some problems with the definition here, not sure a saxophone can be described as a horn. 
Although, it probably can be part of the horn section of an orchestra.
Fine (see comments below).   [but I do not like jazz]
16 SWOOSHES She’s describing romances with airy sounds (8)
SHE’S going around WOOS (romances)
17 CASTANET What fisherman might do to catch something resembling a shell (8)
A fisherman might CAST A NET to catch fish
19 PROUST French author in drunken stupor (6)
Anagram [drunken] of STUPOR
20 METEOR What’s remote, hurtling? (6)
Finally, one more anagram [hurtling], this time of REMOTE
The clue as a whole is the (allusive) definition.
It contains all of the wordplay but it is not a full-blood &lit.
22 REV UP To create excitement in vicar, utter profanities for starters (3,2)
REV (vicar) + the first letters of: utter profanities

 

36 comments on “Everyman 3,787”

  1. I couldn’t parse the NEXT bit of 18a WHATEVER/NEXT. (Never heard of the shop, Next – must be British). And still do not understand how to parse it.
    In general, I am not keen on product placement/advertising, so I did not like OXO CUBE.
    I was fine with 13A wabbit = rabbit – it is a childish, pronunciation spelling.
    My father was an avid golfer, so NINETEENTH HOLE was easy for me.
    I am also fine with all the bits in maroon, apart form 18a.

    Thanks Everyman and Sil.

  4. In case it’s not yet clear, “wabbit” in LIE IN WAIT is how the hunter Elmer Fudd refers to Bugs Bunny. I liked that one.

  5. Thanks to both and I also get the feeling these are settling down to become more enjoyable. Everyman is using some new variations in clueing and the extra head scratch is welcome.

    In 18a, I thought the “now” was part of their definition. NEXT I had no idea about so bunged it in as it fitted. I should have googled it obviously. I also wondered about the “this” in 25a and thought “the” would be a better fit. Last time I looked, salt was considered a taste.

    What I really did smile at were HAIKU and NINETEENTH HOLE. The whole thing was very gettable.

  6. “Not sure a saxophone can be described as a horn.”   Take my word for it (as a lifelong jazz listener), it is described as a horn all the time in some circles.

  7. Nila @ 3

    thanks – now I can understand WHATEVER NEXT with ‘now’ as part of the definition.

  8. I thought ‘wabbit’ was fine in a clue that references Bugs Bunny for the reason given by Nila above. It made me smile. Thanks Sil and Everyman. Enjoyed this one.

  9. Glad to see FOXTROT in the clue for 7d – so the “Everyman” who replied to the blog for 3785 wasn’t an imposter!

  10. I also looked twice at ‘concerning’ = IN, but ‘in’ can have so many meanings in so many contexts it’d be hard to prove it wrong. I can only say that I don’t recall meeting it before in many years of solving and blogging crossword puzzles. But that’s not to say that I haven’t!

  11. Is it just me that likes the little symmetries that are starting to be something of a hallmark of these puzzles. They do very a bit but are there. There was the colours a week or so ago. This time we have ‘ext’ on the two big across clues ‘text messages’ and ‘whatever next’. And the square numbers on the two long down clues ‘NINEteenth hole’ and ‘FOURletter word’ All adds to the enjoyment for me.

  13. This was largely OK with some good clues, although as pointed out above British GK was needed to solve some clues.

    I particularly liked the dodgy sprout and the old ship on fire.

    Homophones are difficult but as another native English speaker I didn’t think INTENSE was very good for ‘in tents’ where most people would pronounce the ‘t’ I think. However, it was easily gettable. I didn’t like SUPS = dines fancily much, although I think the ‘fancily’ referred to the literary meaning of sup, as opposed to the usual meaning of ‘to drink.’ I didn’t equate SAXOPHONE to horn but as John E @6 says it seems to be used frequently in jazz circles, so the setter is forgiven. I don’t equate ‘in’ with concerning, so I didn’t like that.

    Overall, I enjoyed the solve despite my nit picking above. Thanks Everyman and Sil.

  14. Thanks Everyman and Sil

    The Next chain started as purely clothes shops, so while it may be a tad out of date I think there’s sufficient justification. Even now, personally I would only go there for clothes.

    And I too thought ‘now’ was part of the definition in that clue.

  15. Regarding “in tents” = “intense” – in Greater London & surrounding sprawl consonants within phrases are often lost. To me, it is a perfectly reasonable homophone

  16. Thanks Everyman and Sil. Re “sups” in 26a, I think Robi’s correct: “dines fancily” is suggesting that “sup” is a literary or pretentious word for “dine”.

    Overall I agree with the general view: clueing is a bit loose in places but we’re starting to get to a consistent style with some wit. And Journeyman@11, no, it’s not just you: I like the symmetry too.

  18. Robi @13.  Does the setter need forgiveness for a clue that is supported by a dictionary definition, e.g. ‘any wind instrument (jazz slang)’ under ‘horn’ in Collins?

  20. That would be a nice idea, Max @19, but a haiku is normally 17 syllables – 5, 7 and 5 in each line.

  21. When using the anagram helper on 21a, the exact answer popped into place on the third shuffle. I had one letter in place, making 8!=40320 possibilities, or actually 10080 because the repeated letters each reduce that by a factor of two. Not astronomical odds, but I have never had that happen before and don’t expect to see it happen again.

  22. Thanks for all the comments thus far.

    Howver, a couple of my question marks are still unresolved.

    Is ‘coarser’ (4d) really a good or even valid anagram indicator?

    And in 25ac, I still do not see a justification for ‘this’.

  23. Sil @22.  Your original query about 4d referred to the r at the end of coarser, which follows another comparative adjective (lower) in order to provide a smooth surface reading.  Coarse and its variants such as coarsen and coarser are recognised anagram indicators.  If I really wanted to find fault with this clue (and I don’t!) I would focus on the fact that the solution suggests that there is some obvious four-letter past participle that would be a grammatical match for ‘rutted’.

  24. Well, John E, we may still disagree. To me ‘coarser‘ seems rather odd. I am fine with ‘coarse’ or ‘coarsen’ etc but an anagram indicator in the comparative form? The fact that the surface ‘needs’ it, is not a good reason for me.

    If other solvers (like you) are OK with it, then no problem. In such a situation I always say “I just will not allow myself to use it this way”.

    If I really wanted to find fault with this clue (and I don’t!)   ….  I don’t want to either!

  25. If you are fine with ‘coarsen’, I can’t see why ‘coarser’ seems odd.  If an anagram is formed by ‘coarsening’ one arrangement of letters to produce a different arrangement of letters, one of these arrangements may logically be described in a clue as ‘coarser’ than the other arrangement.

  26. Lol @ discussion on anagram indicators. Couldn’t help but chuckle. It’s such a subjective thing.

    Overall enjoyed this crossword. Like Sil said, good to see some consistency.

  27. Thanks Everyman for another challenging, humorous and most of all consistent puzzle. Lots of clever clues.

    Thanks too to Sil for taking the time to drop back for us Kiwis. While we were equally unsettled by the appalling inconsistency some weeks back, in general we seem perhaps less pedantic and more inclined to acknowledge recent improvements and embrace the new style.

    I didn’t manage to parse 5ac because I’ve only heard of Tamworth, New South Wales – sounds like it may be their equivalent of Gore. Also got through by Titans for Godesses and Google didn’t provide any further clarity.

  28. Aside from the rather weak first def in 5A I thought this was excellent. I have no issue with Coarser – the fodder is a rougher version of the answer. Simple. And Wabbit has been explained, that’s how I saw it too. Nice.

    Bit odd to see brand names like Next and Oxo, but no more than that.

    And I do like the way this Everyman has little repetitions, here they were things you’d say like As you were, Yes sir, Whatever next, I ask you,

    My only query is whether the plural of fly halfs is fly halves?

  29. Didn’t manage to finish but liked most of it. Tamworth is in Australia so didn’t get Staffs. Never heard of the clothes shop either.

    I liked 1ac and 12ac, but agree with Barrie’s comment re plural of half.

    Thanks Everyman. You are getting better. Thanks Sil. After your comment I’m wondering what your native language is. I’m guessing Dutch.

  30.  

    Could not parse 2 down, 8 down, 13 across.  Didn’t even try to parse 18 across; it *had* to be right!  I put in “titan” for 6 down, but thought (and still think) that it seems wrong.  Using “titan” for “goddess” may be correct, strictly speaking, but is to say the least highly unusual (unheard of, actually) and hense extremely obscure.

    Had to Google “Tamworth” — i was guessing “staffs” as the answer, and figured that there had to be a Tamworth in Staffordshire and that “staffs” was a diminutive of this name.

    Overall, not a bad puzzle, but.

  31. I agree with Barrie. I have never heard of fly half’s.

    Otherwise enjoyed the puzzle.

  32. Another enjoyable puzzle, many thanks to Everyman and Sil. My only quibble is same as Barry @ 1 across: the plural of half is halves.

  34. Fly halves not halfs!! Liked some of this, beginning to get the feel for this setter and having lived in the UK for two decades we have no issue with place names or shops. We even have Next over here in Auckland (Audrey v near you in Albany!) Only gripe 26ac – don’t like that one.

  35. I’m not sure I agree with my fellow country-people regarding the halfs / halves plural. I acknowledge halves is normally appropriate but consider ‘halfs’ acceptable here.

    Fly half is a singular position on the rugby field (1st 5/8th in NZ, noting that 2nd 5/8th / inside centre is considered a mid-field position paired with the centre 3/4).

    Usage I believe would be along the line of introducing the ‘fly-halfs’ (one for each team) to the crowd at the beginning of a match. In such an instance, using halves could indicate two in each team.

     

  36. Yes, Audrey @29, I am a Dutch guy.

    And, by the way, perhaps unlike many others I do read all the comments from Australia and New Zealand.

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