I think we now know what to expect from Everyman, and this is it.
As usual we have two parallel long entries (3d and 6d). There’s a wide variety of anagram and insertion indicators – though not so obscure as in some previous puzzles, and not too many of either. We have the almost-obligatory Br*x*t reference and a few other clues that seem to suggest recent news events. And an excuse for a bit of nostalgia about children’s books.
There are a few slightly obscure references, though the clues are clear; and Everyman continues to stretch the boundaries of definitions, both in wordplay and answers. But part of the fun (for me at least) is to work out how A could possibly mean B, or to nit-pick about inexact usage. Thanks to Everyman as always.
Definitions are underlined; square brackets [ ] indicate omitted letters.
| Across | ||
| 1 | THICKEST | Dullest dullard overwhelmed by exam (8) |
| HICK (dullard = stupid person) inserted into (overwhelmed by) TEST. | ||
| 5 | SKATER | Fish by river, finding one gliding on surface (6) |
| SKATE (fish) + R (river). | ||
| 10 | MILNE | Entertaining literature: primarily, a deep source? (5) |
| MINE (a source deep underground) containing (entertaining) L[iterature] (primarily). Clue-as-definition (&lit): A A Milne, writer best known for Winnie-the-Pooh. | ||
| 11 | INNUENDOS | Hints end in sight amid unions’ disruption (9) |
| END within (in sight amid) an anagram (disruption) of UNIONS. “In sight” is not strictly necessary but makes the surface better. BA passengers may hope this surface turns out to be accurate sooner rather than later. | ||
| 12 | EPONYMOUS | Giving a name to mouse-pony hybrid (9) |
| Anagram (hybrid) of MOUSE PONY. Used to describe someone after whom something is named (for example Anna Pavlova and the meringue dessert); or the other way round, for example a literary work named after its main character. | ||
| 13 | YALTA | Year on island, topless resort (5) |
| Y (year) + [m]ALTA (island, top letter removed). The resort in question is on the south coast of the Crimea peninsula. | ||
| 14 | STOUTS | In conclusion, Guinness sells these! (6) |
| Last letter (in conclusion) of [guinnes]S + TOUTS (sells). Extended definition: stout = dark beer, as made by the brewer Guinness. | ||
| 15 | NEUTRAL | Impartial head of Ireland ignored in new EU test (7) |
| N (new) + EU + TR[i]AL (test), ignoring I[reland]. | ||
| 18 | PINE NUT | Consume fruitcake with a bit of salad (4,3) |
| PINE (consume = waste away from yearning) + NUT (fruitcake = slang for crazy person). It’s all a bit obscure: this sense of “consume” is rather archaic, and pine nuts are perhaps not the most obvious salad ingredient. | ||
| 20 | MISERY | Stingy; losing pound will get you grief (6) |
| MISERLY (stingy = mean with money), losing the L (abbreviation for pounds sterling, from the Latin libra). | ||
| 22 | NIMES | Half of theological colleges regressive in Languedoc city (5) |
| Half of SEMIN[aries] (theological colleges), reversed (regressive). Nîmes, city in southern France, in the former Languedoc region (now part of Occitanie). | ||
| 24 | NON-LINEAR | Having branches cut back to make room for using the net (3-6) |
| RAN (cut, perhaps in the sense of “escaped”? – a bit obscure), reversed (back), containing (to make room for) ONLINE (using the internet). “Having branches” = “not in a single continuous path” = non-linear. | ||
| 25 | RADIO FOUR | Arid broadcast from our station (5,4) |
| Anagram (broadcast = scattered) of ARID, then OF OUR (from our). I’ve seen this particular radio station a couple of times in crosswords earlier this year. | ||
| 26 | TORAH | Primarily, text orthodox rabbi always honours? (5) |
| Initial letters (primarily) of Text Orthodox Rabbi Always Honors. Clue-as-definition (&lit): the Jewish books of the law, or a wider term for Jewish teaching. | ||
| 27 | SANCTA | Father Christmas, catching cold, retreats (6) |
| SANTA (Father Christmas) containing (catching) C (cold). Plural of sanctum (holy place, or a private space = retreat, as a noun). | ||
| 28 | PAUNCHES | Drinks Australian ingested, displaying signs of overindulgence (8) |
| PUNCHES (fruit-based drinks with or without alcohol) containing (ingested) A (Australian). Paunch = large belly as a result of over-consumption. | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | TEMPER | Soften, harden (6) |
| Double definition, though the second is questionable. Temper = soften = reduce the effect of, as in “temper criticism with encouragement”; or temper = treat metal to increase its strength / toughness (which in fact reduces its hardness / brittleness). | ||
| 2 | ILL-GOTTEN | Telling off about part of Bible having been ripped off (3-6) |
| Anagram (off) of TELLING, around (about) OT (Old Testament). Ripped off = ill-gotten, as in “ill-gotten gains” = stolen or otherwise dubiously obtained. | ||
| 3 | KEEP YOUR NOSE OUT | ‘Back off: yes? No?’: Europe to UK, confused (4,4,4,3) |
| Anagram (confused) of YES NO EUROPE TO UK. The UK’s current political mess continues to provide material for crossword setters. Back off = keep your nose out = stop interfering in something that isn’t your business. | ||
| 4 | SLIP-ONS | Impudence. Boy on Sabbath’s clothing: comfy shoes (4-3) |
| SON (boy) + S (Saturday / Sunday = sabbath), containing (clothing) LIP (slang for impudence). Shoes without laces or other fastenings. | ||
| 6 | KEEP YOUR SHIRT ON | Observe horny suitor fumbling: ‘Cool it!’ (4,4,5,2) |
| KEEP (observe, as in “keep a minute’s silence”) + anagram (fumbling) of HORNY SUITOR. Cool it = keep your shirt on = don’t get angry. “Keep your hair on” is perhaps more common in British English. | ||
| 7 | TIDAL | Every so often, third yawl finds a kind of large wave (5) |
| Alternate letters (every so often) in T[h]I[r]D [y]A[w]L. | ||
| 8 | RASCALLY | Naughty, vandalising cars with mate (8) |
| Anagram (vandalising) of CARS, then ALLY (mate = friend). | ||
| 9 | UNISON | Workers’ groups’ stewards initially rising to show agreement (6) |
| UNIONS (workers’ groups), with the S (initial letter of Stewards) rising (moving up a couple of places in a down clue). Somewhat confusing because there’s a trade union in the UK called UNISON. | ||
| 16 | RARE EARTH | Energy lost from dodgy rear heater’s element (4,5) |
| Anagram (dodgy) of REAR HEATER, with one E (energy) removed (lost). Term for a group of chemical elements. | ||
| 17 | UP IN ARMS | ‘Happy, Sir?’ (Man, unfortunately, is furious) (2,2,4) |
| UP (in a happy mood) + anagram (unfortunately) of SIR MAN. Up in arms = angry and in the mood for a fight. | ||
| 19 | TIN-POT | Second-rate chump has to return prize (3-3) |
| NIT (chump = stupid person) reversed (has to return) + POT (prize money). Slang term for inferior or not to be taken seriously. | ||
| 20 | MINORCA | Endless acrimony with development for island (7) |
| Anagram (with development) of ACRIMON[y] (endless = without last letter). Spanish island, also known as Menorca. | ||
| 21 | BRAHMS | Hindu creator’s not a creator of music (6) |
| BRAHMA’S (belonging to the Hindu creator god Brahma), without the A (not a). The composer Johannes Brahms. | ||
| 23 | MID-ON | Following agreement, I’m reversing position (3-2) |
| I’M following NOD (indication of agreement), all reversed. Fielding position in cricket: on (leg) = the side of the wicket where the batsman stands to receive the ball, and mid = around half-way to the boundary. | ||
It took me a while to get going on this puzzle, and at one point I thought I might give up without finishing.
I liked the two long ones, NIMES, and TIN-POT.
I could not parse NON-LINEAR.
New for me was YALTA which I found via google.
Thanks Everyman and Quirister.
Did not like this at all. Thanks, Quirister for your comments about obscurity, my thoughts exactly. Obscure and little else. It is starting, or rather, continuing not to be fun. I am reluctant to give up on what was a Sunday morning pleasure but the pleasure is becoming quite limited. When I do complete it (not this one) I no longer have a sense of satisfaction, more a grim acknowledgement of a somewhat tedious job done. Hey ho, it’s only a crossword!
I was defeated by TEMPER/MILNE. Pencilled in TEMPER several times but wasn’t happy with it. A bit woolly
The new Everyman is definitely harder and different to the previous compiler but I’ve got used to him/her and now enjoy the puzzle. I’m not keen on double definitions so I struggled to get TEMPER and 10a where I nearly put WILDE which would have made 1d impossible. Like Michelle, I did not notice online in the middle of NON-LINEAR and so couldn’t parse it
I liked NEUTRAL and UNISON. Many thanks to Quirister and Everyman.
Thank you Everyman and Quirister.
I enjoyed this, but, in agreement with Quirister, part of that enjoyment for me “is to work out how A could possibly mean B, or to nit-pick about inexact usage”. With the previous compiler there was little to comment on and only a few people contributed to the blog, New Zealanders, myself included, being the only regular solvers to do so. Perhaps this is a selfish view since many people probably only have time for crosswords on Sunday.
Like Michelle and Davy, I failed to parse NON-LINEAR
My wife and I agree with Sara. It doesn’t feel like fun any more. We are getting them done, so that isn’t an issue, but the flabby definitions are getting us down. It’s not so much a deductive process as now it has become a bizarre second guessing process…We end up crunching the clues out. The comment that comes up most often is , “Well that can’t be right……Oh but hang on, we are dealing with this new guy, so it probably is right” And it nearly always is!
We are discussing changing to another crossword, which will be a wrench, as I have been trying to do the Everyman for the best part of fifty years.
I’m now solving new Everyman in less time than the old one. This week, STOUTS made me smile the most.
The parsing of NONLINEAR also evaded me, though it’s a fair clue. It was the opposite of SANCTA where the parsing was clear but sources seem to disagree as to whether it’s valid as the plural of sanctum.
With old Everyman (as I remember) you hardly ever had to ask “how do you derive that word from that definition?”
My early struggles with new Everyman were what led me to discover FifteenSquared. Now I look forward to Sunday mornings and the latest entry in this blog.
If Mr and Mrs Terry can find another crossword, please do let me know! Unless it is in a Rupert Murdoch paper as I cannot have him or his ghastly news company in the house.
P.S. have managed this week’s offering but with much grumbling.
No NZers in yet, and it’s 5 o’clock on a Saturday! (As Billy Joel famously sang).
Woolly and wonderful? I enjoy the puzzling and the clue relationships.
Keep em coming Everyman. Thanks to all
Couldn’t get started and couldn’t finish. I, too, don’t find these crosswords much fun any more.
Found this very difficult, but got it all out eventually using a wildcard dictionary.
Could not parse a whole lot of answers: stouts, radio four, non-linear, pine nut, neutral, … Thanks to Quirister for the explanations.
Liked “Milne” once I got it.
Away from Auckland this weekend so had to do this one online – used the “check” feature several times which shouldn’t be necessary with a cryptic., but that reflects the obscurity already commented on. Seemed like a throwback to the wobbly weeks earlier in the year.
Pine Nut is our only gripe, otherwise flew though this pretty much in one go. Enjoying this setter!
Well, fancy, here’s me thinking it was an english crossword.. all these new zealanders and even the same suburb, Paul!. i liked it… ‘thickest’ and all the very enjoyable multiple word clues…. 4,4,5,2… these are my favourite clues..Non-linear got me… but i never parsed the clue properly… ‘having branches’ is very clear in retrospect!
It takes me until at least Wednesday to finish these crosswords. I have to admit to cheating on occasion with wordplays.com just to make sure I am on the right track.
Then onto this blog to figure out how some clues work.
Thanks to setters and solvers who share. Must have been frustrating in the old pre-internet days, waiting a whole week!