As the preamble says, this is an anniversary puzzle. And with lots of other coverage of the same anniversary in the last week or so, it’s not hard to guess the subject.
There are many references to the Apollo 11 moon landings (and related topics) in the surfaces, as well as a few thematic entries. Generally these are neatly done. Some of the other clues are a bit weak: those who don’t like Everyman’s somewhat loose attitude to definitions and the grammar of surfaces will not be pleased, there are some dubious cryptic definitions (not my favourite form of crossword clue), and I can’t really see how 21d is supposed to work. My favourites were 28a, a somewhat tongue-in-cheek addition to the theme, and the amusing conjunction of slang terms in 7d.
In earlier Everyman puzzles I’ve mentioned a couple of entries that suggest the setter’s acknowledgement of some of the critical comments in these blogs. Looking at the clue to 22a, I wondered . . . . Everyman, if you’re reading this, we’d love to hear from you again. And thanks for the puzzle.
Definitions are underlined; square brackets [ ] indicate omitted letters.
| Across | ||
| 1 | NEIL ARMSTRONG | Astronaut Glenn aims to re-enter extremely dramatically (4,9) |
| Anagram (dramatically) of GLENN AIMS TO with the first and last letters (extremely) of R[e-ente]R. The surface refers to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Glenn, the first American in orbit. | ||
| 10 | EGG ON | Horse beset by frantic one with spur (3,2) |
| GG (gee-gee = child’s word for horse) contained in an anagram (frantic) of ONE. Spur = egg on = encourage. | ||
| 11 | NUMBER TWO | Buzz notably with anaesthetic to suppress (6,3) |
| NUMBER (anaesthetic = something that numbs) TO, suppressing (containing) W (with); the grammar of the wordplay is a little clumsy but I think it’s “W, with NUMBER and TO suppressing it”. The definition refers to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzz_Aldrin, the second man to walk on the Moon. | ||
| 12 | ABERRANCE | Overcoming resistance, president conducted cosmic expedition’s starting points and departure (9) |
| ABE (president = Abe Lincoln) + RAN (conducted), around R (resistance), then the starting letters of Cosmic Expedition. The surface suggests John F. Kennedy, who was the US president responsible for the Apollo project. Aberrance = deviation / departure from the correct way. | ||
| 13 | MOOLA | Nationalist wanting moon landing: adventure primarily requiring money (5) |
| MOO[n], without the N (nationalist), then the first letters (primarily) of Landing Adventure. Moola (or moolah) = slang term for money. | ||
| 14 | EXOTICA | Earth gets horrendously toxic article, matter from afar (7) |
| E (earth) + anagram (horrendously) of TOXIC + A (the indefinite article). | ||
| 16 | ROOMFUL | People going into space? (7) |
| Cryptic definition. Room = space; or room = an enclosed area within a building, so roomful = as many people as can fit in a room. Not terribly convincing, but the surface fits the theme. | ||
| 18 | NO SWEAT | Immediately, Soviet leader subdued with worry: ‘This is not rocket science!?’ (2,5) |
| NOW (immediately) containing (subduing) S (leading letter of Soviet), then EAT (worry, as a verb). No sweat = not rocket science = not difficult. The Soviet Union got the first man into space (see 25d), so the US had to go one better by landing on the moon. | ||
| 20 | CEDILLA | Niçoise ingredient? (7) |
| Cryptic definition: ingredient = component, and cedilla = the mark below the letter C in Niçoise that means it’s a soft rather than hard C. So nothing to do with https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salade_ni%C3%A7oise, for which the approved ingredients seem to be a matter of some controversy. | ||
| 22 | EMEND | In conclusion, this setter has to improve (5) |
| ME (the setter of this puzzle) in END (conclusion). | ||
| 24 | POPPYCOCK | ‘Ready to go off!?’ ‘Ready to go off.’ ‘Nonsense!’ (9) |
| Pop = go off = explode, but would anyone really use “POPPY” to mean “ready to go off”? I’m not convinced, and the !? suggests that Everyman realises this is a bit of a stretch. COCK = prepare (ready, as a verb) a gun for firing. | ||
| 26 | CAMERA-SHY | Showed up with spots, ruby-red essentially: unlikely to take a selfie (6-3) |
| CAME (showed up = arrived) + RASH (spots) + the middle letter (essentially) of rubY-red. | ||
| 27 | ALIEN | Early on, 1 recalled being in space (5) |
| First few letters (early on) of 1 across, reversed (recalled). Neat, but it’s a pity that the answer is included in the following clue, which rather gives it away. | ||
| 28 | SPACE INVADERS | Small step among alien surroundings at first: it diverted a generation (5,8) |
| S (small) + PACE (step) + IN (among) + VADER (alien: Darth Vader from Star Wars) + S[urroundings]. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Invaders, the early video game, a popular diversion in its day – which I’m horrified to realise was about 40 years ago. Time flies. | ||
| Down | ||
| 2 | EL GRECO | Painter returning from greengrocer gleefully (2,5) |
| Reversed (returning) hidden answer (from) [greengr]OCER GLE[efully]. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Greco – Spanish Renaissance artist, but originally from Greece, hence his nickname. | ||
| 3 | LUNAR TIDE | Mentally derail nut with influence of the moon (5,4) |
| Anagram (mentally = crazily) of DERAIL NUT. | ||
| 4 | RUN IN | Enter at speed and arrest (3,2) |
| Double definition: the second is “to arrest and take into custody”. | ||
| 5 | SYMMETRIC | ‘Balanced‘ lunatic emits cry about first sign of moon (9) |
| Anagram (lunatic) of EMITS CRY around the first letter of M[oon]. | ||
| 6 | RHEUM | Space, they say, is cold (5) |
| Homophone (they say) of ROOM (space). As always, homophones depend on your pronunciation, and those who pronounce ROOM with a short vowel sound may dispute this one. Cold as in the common cold virus. | ||
| 7 | NUT LOAF | Put heads together for veggie dish (3,4) |
| NUT and LOAF are both slang terms for “head” – the second from Cockney rhyming slang “loaf of bread”. Otherwise known as nut roast. | ||
| 8, 9 | WE CAME IN PEACE FOR ALL MANKIND | Pinnacle: men of America walked out with message from 1 (2,4,2,5,3,3,7) |
| Anagram (out) of PINNACLE MEN OF AMERICA WALKED. Part of an inscription on Apollo 11’s lunar module. | ||
| 9 | See 8 | |
| 15 | ANTIPASTI | Contrary and tense, I assembled hors d’œuvres (9) |
| ANTI (contrary) + PAST (past tense) + I. I’m not sure whether “assembled” refers to the components of the wordplay, or to “hors d’oeuvres” (antipasti are a number of separate ingredients served together as the first course of a meal), but it works either way. | ||
| 17 | ON DRY LAND | Visiting the moon – or returned from journey? (2,3,4) |
| The Moon could indeed be described as a dry land. Or back on shore after a sea voyage. | ||
| 19 | STEAM UP | Dim son to join forces (5,2) |
| S (son) + TEAM UP (join forces). A window or lens may “steam up” with water vapour, in which case vision through it would dim, but it’s a rather weak definition. | ||
| 21 | LOONIER | More bananas or more nuts? (7) |
| I may be missing something, but this appears to be two versions of the same not-very-cryptic definition: bananas and nuts are both slang for “crazy”. Both “loopier” and “loonier” fit here, with no way to determine which is intended; but “loony” is probably a more common word, and it comes from “lunatic” so fits with the moon theme. Maybe it’s just me, but I didn’t really get the sense of “oh, yes, of course” that should come from solving a good clue. | ||
| 23 | DORIC | Architectural order seen in sand or ice (5) |
| Hidden answer (seen in) [san]D OR IC[e]. Classification (order) of ancient Greek architecture. | ||
| 25 | PAY TV | Sky etc originally passed at Yuri’s tremendous velocity (3,2) |
| Initial letters (originally) of Passed At Yuri’s Tremendous Velocity – referring to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuri_Gagarin, the first man in space. Subscription-based television services. | ||
Even with the obvious theme, I found this more difficult than the Saturday Prize puzzle last week.
I like the long one 8/9.
For 21d – I had guessed LOOPIER not LOONIER but could not parse it unless it was a CD.
16a ROOMFUL – not sure if I fully understand this one unless it was a CD.
New for me was CEDILLA.
Thanks Everyman and Quirister.
I didn’t know the quotation at 8dn & 9dn so struggled with it a bit apart from MANKIND which also appears in the better-known one that marks the same occasion. Re 17dn, the journey to the moon famously ended with splashdown in the Pacific ocean, so not ON DRY LAND. N = Nationalist is in Chambers who seem have a policy of reducing as many words as possible to single-letter abbreviations however little they are used; I prefer setters to exercise a little restraint and avoid employing obscure ones.
Thanks both. Everyman seemed intent on hammering the theme into as many clues as possible.
I didn’t like 24a, 17d and 21d.
Good setting to get in all the themed entries but some loose definitions.
I particularly liked CEDILLA and the good anagram for WE CAME IN PEACE … The message of course also came from Aldrin, Collins and Nixon. I also liked the self-deprecating EMEND.
Like Quirister, I thought the grammar at 11A didn’t really work. I didn’t like the definition for STEAM UP – IMHO, ‘excite’ would have worked better. As above, LOOPIER was as good as LOONIER for 21D. In 13A for the grammar to work properly it would need a hyphen as in Nationalist-wanting; otherwise it’s moon wanting nationalist, which of course makes no sense.
Thanks Everyman and Quirister.
Thanks Everyman and Quirister
Re 21D, there was a post by Everyman on last weekend’s graun thread that the clue was a late re-write after an earlier version didn’t pass muster (due to an ’outrageous pun’ if I remember right). They then realised that the unchecked N or P both gave fully parsable answers, so either would be accepted if an entry was sent in.
Good morning Quirister and all. Here’s what I wrote at the Guardian / Observer site last week:
Apologies for the ambiguity, and very well spotted. I changed this clue at the last minute after the test solvers failed to be amused by a preposterous pun (on the N version), leaving us with the unpleasant situation of a double-definition with an unchecked square allowing different synonyms. Because it’s a prize puzzle, we will leave the clue as is and accept both answers.
An awful feeling and a wretched coincidence that it should happen alongside the jolly self-deprecation at 22 across. Hallo, Madam Hubris.
For definitions in Everyman, my feeling is that lapsed and occasional solvers need some which are on the nose, by which I mean generally the top of the dictionary entry (I personally prefer solving to be largely without aids).
I find that solver satisfaction is greater if there are a few clues where the part of speech is unexpected given the surface, and an occasional dash of wryness has long added to the gaiety of the Everyman series.
This last applies especially in those instances where the primary definition would obviate the need to examine the wordplay, and one tweaks said wordplay and chooses intersections such that the clues with literal defs assist with those requiring a smidgeon more in the way of contemplation.
Thank you once again to all those who solve and review!
Hope this doesn’t sound ungenerous given Everyman’s helpful post, but I am happy with some contemplation, less so with quite so many loose definition and, as others have commented, the very hard leap to19d, the loose clueing for 24a and overall, a sense of not being in the same newspaper, let alone on the same page. My Sunday morning pleasure is receding, week by week.
My wife and I agree with Sara; our Sunday morning enjoyment of doing the Everyman crossword is at an all-time low. The current setter’s style seems so far removed from the style of recent years. Perhaps we’ll just dip back into the archive for our weekly fix rather than continue with the increasing disappointment of the present.
Gavin B@8
I highly recommend dipping into the archive. I have been doing that the past few months since the old Everyman retired.
Thanks to the setter for popping in. I agree with Everyman that solving shouldn’t need aids.
I thought that today’s offering was much better.
I enjoyed this, and the theme certainly helped. I thought 28a SPACE INVADERS was clever, misleadingly suggesting a themed answer.
I did have reservations about 24a POPPYCOCK, along the lines of Quirister’s comment.
Thanks for dropping in, Everyman. I smiled at your wry comment at 22a. Like Shirl @10 I thought today’s puzzle was very good (no spoilers) and very much in the Everyman tradition.
Interesting to discover the new Everyman is still on probation with the result that some clues are thrown together at the last moment. This has been my suspicion given the much-commented sloppiness of the clues, but I’d put it down to spending most of the week assembling word patterns round the edge etc. If the setter is still reading, can I put in a request for greater precision? It is called Everyman after all.
I didn’t care much for ROOMFUL- which I parsed in the same way as Quirster- but otherwise I quite enjoyed this. I didn’t have a problem with LOONIER given the theme either, although the crossers did help.
Thanks Everyman.
Bob M @ 12
Having to rewrite existing (not ‘throw together’) clues at the last minute isn’t because the new Everyman is ‘on probation’.
Having spoken to various long-established setters at Parcel Yard gatherings, several of them have expressed frustration at being ‘requested’ by their editors to carry out late changes for one reason or another (not just in the graun/observer stable).
Thanks to Quirister and to Everyman for dropping by. It must be frustrating to have to make last-minute changes, so I can see how that would not be ideal. I thought this was a fine puzzle, thought the theme was was executed, and I also felt a little tinge at 22a. I still feel there’s a looseness in definition here and there, but I’ve noted that on previous occasions, and maybe it’s the style. Best of luck to Everyman.
Oh and one more thing – kudos to Everyman for avoiding a slam-dunk puerile clue for 11a.
If I have guessed the “outrageous pun” correctly, I think most people would have found it pretty acceptable in a Paul puzzle.
Thanks Quirister for the blog and Everyman for this good example of hammering home a theme which I really enjoyed. I also feel that I have to stick up for you on the clue for POPPYCOCK which amused me very much as I wrote it in feeling that the question mark indicated the looseness there. One man’s meat, I guess. Hi
Thanks Quirister for these explanations. I always enjoy a themed puzzle but I’m afraid this proved beyond me for many of the reasons outlined above and I was left disappointed. The first Everyman I’ve failed to complete in a long time.
I’m a little behind having been away on holiday, hence the late comments. I have to say I really struggled with this one, and didn’t finish it, which is unusual for me. Still a lot of clues which I feel are rather weak or don’t quite work. However, I am prepared to forgive a lot for 22A. It is very nice to know that Everyman is taking notice – thank you!
Not sure when you will get NZ comments on this, we are out of sequence and instead of this we got a recycled puzzle 3647 from 2016. Harrumph.
Thanks for that Barrie. I’ve just done this one online waiting for delayed flight home from Samoa. Pity its not in the Herald as I thought this was a cracker & really appreciated the theme, even a few weeks later. Thanks Quirster & especially to Everyman for dropping by and sharing your perspective.
What is going on? We have got the wrong puzzle this week . Last week we had some altered clues. Does anyone want to write to the Herald?
Barrie, thanks for the steer on this, knew there had to be something wrong when I solved this one completely (unusual for the past couple of months) and on Saturday afternoon.
Looking at the comments from overseas, perhaps it’s just as well we didn’t get it. Some are talking about dipping into the archives. Someone appears to have done that for us. I see my comments were there on 3647 so I obviously did it even though I can’t remember it.
Yes what is going on Harold??? Wrong clues and now a wrong puzzle, it’s not ok. I will be writing in.
I have just done this on line. When I say ‘done’ I mean I finished around half, gave up, looked at the answers, and agreed with practically all the criticisms above. I am genuinely surprised that some of these clues get through the (four did he/she say?) checkers that apparently vet them.
I circled 11,12,13,16,20 and 26A and 4, 6 , 19 and 21D as all being flawed for one reason or another. Quite disappointing.