Everyman 3,800

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The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/everyman/3800.

As Sil mentioned last week, Everyman is falling into a recognisable style, particularly with the four related answers round the perimeter.

Across
1 ASK ME ANOTHER Translate Korea’s anthem? I’m not sure of that one (3,2,7)
An anagram (‘translate’) of ‘Korea’s anthem’.
10 ORLANDO Rosalind’s lover is somewhere in Florida (7)
Double definition, the first referring to Shakespeare’s As You Like It.
11 DATASET File with misrepresented dates disguising a tryst at first (4,3)
An anagram (‘misrepresented’) of ‘dates’ plus ‘a’ plus T (‘Tryst at first’).
12 WIMPS Women’s Institute introducing politicians as ‘namby-pambys‘ (5)
A charade of WI (‘Women’s Institute’) plus MPS (‘politicians’).
13 ENTRENCH Starter missing final touch, brunch with half missing: dig in! (8)
A charade of ENTRÉ[e] (‘starter’; as a dinner course, the word is something of a moveable feast: a starter, intermediate course, or a main course; musically, it is more firmly a prelude) minus the last letter (‘missing final touch’); plus ‘[bru]NCH’ minus the first three letters (‘with half missing’ – unusual to have the first half missing, but why not?).
15 UNSINKABLE Not qualified, installing kitchen unit, eternally buoyant (10)
An envelope (‘installing’) of SINK (‘kitchen unit’) in UNABLE (‘not qualified’).
16 TSAR Head toppled, it’s a Russian leader? (4)
A charade of ‘[i]T’S’ minus the first letter (‘head toppled’) plus ‘a’ plus R (‘Russian leader’, which doubles as the definition)
18 DIGS Enjoys accommodation (4)
Double definition.
20 PERSIAN CAT According to Welsh woman, jazz fan is hairy beast (7,3)
A charade of PER (‘according to’) plus SIAN (‘Welsh woman’) plus CAT (‘jazz fan’).
22 KNOTTING Monarch reserving no time (repeatedly) for tying things up (8)
An envelope (‘reserving’) of ‘no’ plus TT (‘time (repeatedly)’) in KING (‘monarch’).
24 HEART Term of endearment that sounds the same as ‘dear’ when uttered (5)
‘Sounds the same as’ HART (deer, ‘ ‘dear’ when uttered’).
26 ORGANIC GM-free cargo in dingy (7)
An anagram (‘dingy’; even with a soft G an unusual anagrind; the surface suggests the version with a hard G, a variant of dinghy) of ‘cargo in’. Although often linked, ‘GM-free’ and ORGANIC are distinct.
27 OIL WELL I might get boring here: do this to your bicycle chain (3,4)
Definition and literal interpretation.
28 I HAVEN’T A CLUE Worst thing a crossword setter could say? Beats me (1,6,1,4)
Definition (or Everyman’s loose version thereof) and literal interpretation.
Down
2 SALAMIS Age-old battle for spicy sausages (7)
Double definition; see here for the battle of 480BC in which the outnumbered Greek alliance fleet decisively beat the invading Persians.
3 MINUS ONE Work out, in sum, a number (5,3)
A charade of MINUS, an anagram (‘work out’) of ‘in sum’ plus ONE (‘a’). I wondered if there is some (musical? literary?) ‘work’ of this title; there may well be, but it hasn’t invaded my conciousness.
4 A LOT It’s auctioned often (1,3)
Double definition.
5 OLD ENGLISH Kind of sheepdog‘s tongue (3,7)
Double definition.
6 HATER One with spite and broken heart (5)
An anagram (‘broken’) of ‘heart’.
7 RESENTS Begrudges accommodation costs outside Home Counties (7)
An envelope (‘outside’) of SE (South-East, ‘Home Counties’) in RENTS (‘accommodation costs’).
8 HOW WOULD I KNOW In dialogue, ex-chancellor and nationalist leader? Yes? No? Dunno (3,5,1,4)
Sounds like (‘in dialogue’) HOWE (Geoffrey, ‘ex-chancellor’) plus WOOD (John Graeme, ‘nationalist leader’) plus AYE (‘yes’) plus ‘NO’.
9 IT’S HARD TO TELL That ill-sorted muddle suggests things are tricky to anticipate (3,4,2,4)
An anagram (‘muddle’) of ‘that ill-sorted’.
14 TABERNACLE A celebrant converted in temple (10)
An anagram (‘converted’) of ‘a celebrant’.
17 CATHOLIC Broad baby’s complaint about knitted hat (8)
An envelope (‘about’) of ATH, an anagram (‘knitted’) of ‘hat’ in COLIC (‘baby’s complaint’).
19 GEORGE I Scrambled egg containing coddled roe I will serve king (6,1)
A charade of GEORGE, an envelope (‘containing’) of EOR, an anagram (‘coddled’) of ‘roe’ in GGE, an anagram (‘scrambled’) of ‘egg’; plus ‘I’.
21 CHATEAU French cat finds French drink where French drink is produced (7)
A charade of CHAT (‘French cat’) plus EAU (water, ‘French drink’), for the designation of many French vineyards, particularly in Bordeaux, whether or not there is an imposing building attached.
23 TONGA Silver not returning to far-off island state (5)
A reversal (‘returning’) of AG (chemical symbol, ‘silver’) plus ‘not’. Even for our New Zealand followers, it is over 1000 miles ‘far-off’.
25 DOLT Primarily, dope or lazy thinker? (4)
First letters (‘primarily’) of ‘Dope Or Lazy Thinker’.
completed grid

23 comments on “Everyman 3,800”

  1. Thanks to both. This was more of a gentle Sunday solve and all the more enjoyable for that.

    While MINUS ONE is a number on the number line, it is not a number your average person meets on a daily basis. Most would consider this answer as an operation or instruction involving a number, rather than an individual number itself.

    Apart from that, I liked the general tenor of the crossword. The style has settled and is now pitched more at what I am guessing is the intended audience.

  2. This puzzle seemed easier than previous weeks, and I even managed to spot the theme phrases aroud the edge this time.

    My favourite was UNSINKABLE.

    Thanks Everyman and Peter

  4. An enjoyable puzzle.  My favourite was 20a with the hairy beast of a jazz fan.  I also liked the linked answers round the border

    PeterO: I’m not sure the nationalist Wood you suggest in 8d is the one intended – I think it might have been Leanne Wood the leader of Plaid Cymru.  Whichever, I think it was a bit of a leap from “nationalist” to “Wood”!

  5. Pleasant Sunday solve with no real issues.

    I’m more used to ‘introducing’ as a container but I suppose it’s OK as ‘something coming before.’ ‘Reserving’ is an unusual container but in the sense of holding it could work. I would have used ‘admitting’ or some such.

    I liked the hairy beast, the flummoxed setter and the broad baby. Like Lord Jim @4 I thought the nationalist might be Leanne Wood but the other one is just as good. Like Adrianw I spotted that TSAR was hidden, although I’m not sure it could be parsed that way.

    Thanks Everyman and PeterO.

  7. Adrianw @3

    As you and Robi @5 point out, TSAR is certainly hidden in the clue for 16A, but that is not how the clue presents it. A setter will generally include some suggestion for this wordplay, and, more cogently, the words ‘head toppled’ would then be completely extraneous.

    I did not mention it in the blog, but, given the current Everyman’s liking for the form, I think it likely that the clue is intended to have an &lit definition. I chose not to point this out because it seemed to me a rather clumsy attempt.

  8. No problem with negative numbers at 3d but ended up with -6 to go with unsuitable for 15a.  Of course could not fully parse either.

    Also I liked the &lit feel to 16a

  9. I remember. in my father’s library there was the slender Ptarmigan paperback Ask Me Another, a quiz book.   I am not able to recall the author’s name after these sixty years or so… Ah, even as I was writing that line, the name came to my mind: Hubert Phillips. I think this writer had problems/wordplay books too.

  10. PeterO: Thanks for blog – at 3dn perhaps you’re thinking of the ‘Music Minus One’ records, issued so that anyone could take the part of the soloist.

    Rishi@9 – I did once have some of Phillips’ puzzle books – his pseudonym as a setter was Caliban.

  11. Much, much better, thank you.

    New meaning of catholic to me

    Enjoyed 21D

    Agree 16A was a bit loose, but overall this was a huge improvement.

  13. The Everyman puzzles are 3 weeks later in the New Zealand Herald so I’ve just done No. 3,800 .An easy one today which I solved quickly. That’s a great relief as I thought I may have lost my touch .

  15. This puzzle seemed a little easier, perhaps I’m getting better after 20 odd years of solving cryptics!
    Shouldn’t get too cocky, next week will probably knock me onto my backside! ?

  16. This puzzle seemed a little easier, perhaps I’m getting better after 20 odd years of solving cryptics!
    Shouldn’t get too cocky, next week will probably knock me onto my backside! ?

  17. Yes it was easier, but fine for me. Though I couldn’t parse 8d not being familiar with past British leaders, at least Tonga was easy. Just about to watch the All Blacks play them this afternoon.

    Thanks Everyman and PeterO

  19. i enjoyed this, after last week which I did not get at all.

    Got lots of questions if anyone can help I am curious:

    Can anyone explain the relevance of ‘broad’ to mean ‘catholic’ ? Am probably missing something glaringly obvious  but I cannot see it.

    Another one I didn’t understand  Cat = jazz fan?  and no one else has asked (which means it must be obvious)

    Also on Minus One,  in the clue shouldn’t there be two references to ‘number’  as number is both a part of the clue and the entire meaning?

    Some great clues here my faves, I Haven’t a clue, Oil Well, Wimps, Chateau, Digs.

  20. Vanessa @19

    Basically (very basically), get thee to a dictionary.

    Catholic derives from a Greek word meaning universal. Rome hung on to the epithet even after the split with the Eastern Church and, later, Protestant denominations.

    Cat is a rather dated term for a person, particularly (often hep-cat) a jazz fan.

    As my blog put it, ‘a’ by itself indicates ONE, leaving ‘number’ just as the definition. A is a shortened form of an, which is etymologically connected with one.

     

  21. Liked this puzzle very much; just the right level.  Could not parse 8 down or 24 across (the latter being a forehead slapper when I saw PeterO’s explanation) but got them and felt certain of the answers none the less.

    Saw nothing at all to complain about.

    Keep ’em coming, Everyman!

    Vanessa@19:  Have a listen to “Shout You Cats!” (cut 3 on the CD “Maria Muldaur & her Garden of Joy”).

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIHn2ej_kaY

  23. Thanks to the setter and Peter for this. Not been doing cryptics for long, but this was relatively easy and fast to complete, the first time I’d done so without reference to thesaurus, dictionary, google etc. Great to be able to come here and share in the pleasure others are having. An enjoyable work-out for an addled head.

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