A reasonably straightforward puzzle from Everyman, who continues to deliver in a slightly quirky style that’s becoming familiar.
As usual, the anagram indicators are inventive (not to say dubious in a couple of cases), but “it’s Everyman, so that word must be intended as an anagram indicator” seems to be a safe rule. And we have the usual pair of long answers – two Hollywood classics with weather-related titles at 3d and 6d.
Thanks Everyman for providing our regular escape from the current frustrating times.
Definitions are underlined; square brackets [ ] indicate omitted letters.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | HOARSE | In conversation, nag perhaps is grating (6) |
| Homophone (in conversation) of HORSE (nag perhaps). Grating = hoarse as in a rough-sounding voice. |
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| 4 | HAGGISES | Soldier getting into old woman’s starter of entrails, wanting seconds and offal dishes (8) |
| GI (US soldier) inserted in HAG’S (old woman’s) + E[ntrails] + S (s = seconds). | ||
| 9 | TIRANA | Stir an army, to some extent, somewhere in Albania (6) |
| Hidden answer (to some extent) in [s]TIR AN A[rmy]. Tirana, the capital of Albania. |
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| 10 | BEAN CURD | Spooner’s fervent penguin perhaps gets soy paste (4,4) |
| Spoonerism of KEEN BIRD (fervent penguin, perhaps). Otherwise known as tofu. |
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| 12 | ONE-LINER | ‘A fancy ship’? That’s a joke (3-5) |
| ONE (a) + LINER (fancy ship). | ||
| 13 | TWO-BIT | Lousy fool about to show respect? On the contrary (3-3) |
| TIT (fool) around BOW (to show respect) reversed (on the contrary). US slang for insignificant or worthless (two bits = a quarter dollar, so not much money). |
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| 15 | DON’T I KNOW IT | You’re telling me to wink and nod manically before Congress (4,1,4,2) |
| Anagram (manically) of TO WINK + NOD, then IT (which is crossword-speak for “sex appeal”; I’d have thought “congress” implies something much more physical than just “appeal”). You’re telling me = don’t I know it = I’m already well aware of what you’ve just said. |
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| 18 | TAGLIATELLE | I’ll eat gelato endlessly, voraciously (it’s Italian fare) (11) |
| Anagram (voraciously? it means hungrily or greedily, but I can’t see how it works as an anagram indicator) of I’LL EAT GELAT[o] (endlessly = last letter removed). | ||
| 21 | LUTHER | Mostly regressive rule suppressing the theologian (6) |
| Most of RUL[e], reversed (regressive), containing (suppressing) THE. Martin Luther |
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| 22 | VENERATE | Injured veteran English respect (8) |
| Anagram (injured) of VETERAN + E (English). | ||
| 24 | FAT-FACED | A German refused caffeinated concoction: ‘This is not skinny‘ (3-5) |
| Anagram (concoction) of CAFF[ein]ATED, with EIN (the indefinite article “a” in German) removed. | ||
| 25 | PIG OUT | Eat too much, and sulk about hollow icing (3,3) |
| POUT (sulk = appear annoyed) around I[cin]G (hollow = middle letters removed). | ||
| 26 | SUDANESE | Seek damages about Scandinavians becoming members of African Union (8) |
| SUE (seek damages) around DANES (Scandinavians). | ||
| 27 | IDLERS | Slider prepared for lazy folk (6) |
| Anagram (prepared) of SLIDER. | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | HOT TODDY | Drink offering cold comfort? (3,5) |
| Cryptic definition: a hot drink with alcohol and spices, which relieves the symptoms of the common cold. Or at least that’s the usual excuse for drinking one. | ||
| 2 | AGREEING | One wearing green with silver trim, going well together (8) |
| I (one in Roman numerals) inside (wearing) GREEN, with AG (Ag = chemical symbol for silver) around the outside. | ||
| 3 | SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN | Thin, asinine grin displayed in Hollywood musical (6,2,3,4) |
| Anagram (displayed = arranged) of THIN ASININE GRIN. | ||
| 5 | AMEN | Primarily: ‘Agreed! Manifestly! Endorsed! Naturally!‘ (4) |
| Initial letters (primarily) of the last 4 words, and clue-as-definition (Amen = expression of agreement). Everyman now seems to include one of these “primarily” clues in every puzzle; they don’t really require much solving. | ||
| 6 | GONE WITH THE WIND | We don’t weigh thin comic for Hollywood drama (4,4,3,4) |
| Anagram (comic) of WE DON’T WEIGH THIN. | ||
| 7 | STUBBS | He painted horses, mostly fat, on a ship (6) |
| Most of TUBB[y] (fat), contained in SS (originally “single-screw steamship” but used generically for “steamship”). George Stubbs, 18th-century artist best known for depicting horses. |
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| 8 | SEDATE | Some caused a terrifying calm (6) |
| Hidden answer (some . . .) in [cau]SED A TE[rrifying]. | ||
| 11 | TEENAGE | Before start of Epsom, support horse that’s old (13-19 years) (7) |
| TEE (support, for a golf ball) + NAG (horse), then E[psom]. It’s a pity that nag = horse has already appeared in 1a. | ||
| 14 | AWAITED | Expected to be amazed when taking in little island (7) |
| AWED (amazed), taking in AIT (a small island, usually within a river: also spelled eyot). | ||
| 16 | AL CAPONE | Poultry served in beer for hoodlum (2,6) |
| CAPON (a cockerel fattened for eating) within ALE (beer). Al Capone, American gangster. |
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| 17 | MEMENTOS | Reminders of monsieur being passionate, stone me! (8) |
| M (French abbreviation for “monsieur” = Mr), then an anagram (passionate? – another somewhat dubious indicator) of STONE ME. | ||
| 19 | BLUFFS | Isn’t honest with banks (6) |
| Double definition. Bluff (verb) = give an exaggerated impression of one’s abilities or resources, especially when playing cards. Bluff (noun) = steep bank or cliff. | ||
| 20 | STATED | Said ‘Full!’ having swallowed a bit of tomato (6) |
| SATED (full = having eaten enough), swallowing the first letter (a bit) of T[omato]. | ||
| 23 | WEES | Goes with ‘Look up!’ (4) |
| W (with), then SEE! (look!), reversed (upwards in a down clue). Go = wee = urinate. |
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Thanks Quirister, as you say very much Everyman’s style.
‘It’ for intercourse is in Chambers btw.
I enjoyed this puzzle. No queries or quibbles.
24a. Fat-faced means “not skinny”? Any examples of this usage?
23d took me almost as much time to solve as the rest of the puzzle. Not very challenging imho. Thanks Quirister.
I liked 7d STUBBS for the quirky surface. I also liked 15a DON’T I KNOW IT. Yes, “It” can be equivalent to SA for sex appeal, both very dated expressions which mainly live on only in crossword-land (the former being applied particularly to Clara Bow, the “It girl”, in the 1920s). But as Gonzo says @1, “it” can also be a euphemism for sexual “congress” itself, clearly its meaning here.
I was ok with most of the anagram indicators, but I agree with you Quirister about “voraciously” in 18a TAGLIATELLE. I suppose it was chosen to fit the surface, but I don’t really see how it suggests an anagram.
David Gomm @3: there are plenty of hits for “fat-faced cat” on Google!
Many thanks Everyman and Quirister.
My heart always sinks when I see a “Spooner” clue – for it usually means waiting until I have some/most of the crossers, then guessing an answer, then switching initial letters and/or various other cruciverbally-acceptable interpretations of a Spoonerism. At least this time I got 10a relatively quickly – but why a penguin? Are penguins noted for their keenness? (I’m no expert on them!) I think I must be in the minority in finding this sort of clue weak at best, frustrating at worst – and rarely satisfying.
On the other hand: 26A and 16D were delightful, 23D made me giggle – and although I couldn’t completely parse 24A, thanks to Quirister’s help I’m now rather fond of it.
Thank you Everyman and Quirister
Sara last week commented that she was shocked at the Observer stooping so low, that was about the Meghan clue. Lavatorial language is my concern. It is not big and certainly isn’t clever. I’m with simoninBxl @ 4, we were still dubious about 23 down the next day. Todays Everyman is a case in point. I will say no more, but is this all really necessary? If I were prudish this post would not be a shock, but I am not. It just seems a bit uneccessary, and makes me nostalgic for clues in Everyman about golf clubs and military hierarchy. Benny Hill would seem irrelevant today too.
PS my wife just said she was going for a 23down!!
Good, enjoyable Sunday fare.
I largely agree about the anagrinds; voraciously seems somewhat weird, although passionate can mean mad/nuts/wild etc, so just about passes muster. For the Everyman slot, I would tend to stick to the Chambers list of anagrinds unless there is a good reason to deviate.
There were one or two oddities; for example, in 4A, ‘wanting’ usually means take away, not add.
Thanks Everyman and Quirister.
Those of you bothered by Everyman’s anagrinds may need to lie down in a darkened room after today’s outing. I thought “wanting” in 4a was a nice piece of misdirection to keep us on our toes. A bit of toilet humour never hurt anyone and ultimately this is the Everyman crossword. As Gandhi was fond of saying: “Don’t blame a clown for acting like a clown, blame yourself for going to the circus” Cheers E&Q
The apostrophe threw me much more than it should have in 3d, and it was almost my LOI. The plural haggises is legit according to Collins, but ouch, do people use it? If you put 3 haggis (see?) on the dinner table, do you say “we had haggis for dinner” or “we had haggises for dinner” as though they were sausages (which perhaps they are). Any Scots?
About to try today’s
Many thanks everyman for all the sunday solace and thank you Quirister
dutch@10 – “How much haggis?” but “how many haggises?”, in the same way as “how much pudding?”, “how many puddings?”. The former of course being the great chieftain of the latter.
Thanks to Everyman and Quirister.
First time for years that Yorkshire Lass and I have tackled an Everyman, and reet enjoyed it – more thanks to Quirister from us! Posting here to agree exactly with Wellbeck @6 re spoonery clues, but – unlike W – I suspect we are actually very far from alone. bodycheehtah @9 also spot on as to how the easily offended can spare themselves. And finally, used to quite like Benny Hill much to the chagrin of younger daughter who had the daunting task of transcribing his television work for posterity.
Thank you Irishman! I feel less lonely now.
Down here in New Zealand we only got this puzzle courtesy of the New Zealand Herald on May 30. I’m sorry but if this guy’s style is “slightly quirky” then I’m far too strait-laced for him. I thought 23 down was puerile, something I’d expect from the Lower Fifth, or an Eton yobbo.
Must be getting used to this setter now as I got most of these. Agree with Tony @14 about 23 d. Liked the two Hollywood Classics, and teenage , fat-faced, and pig out.
SW corner got me stumped
Like the Meghan clue last week 23d not at all classy
Tofu -bean curd – is also not a paste.. completely unspreadable… just saying
liked al Capone,Pig out, stated, bluffs and hot toddy
Did not like the cluing for fat faced it was not solveable
Apart fm SW corner a good afternoon’s work
This was a DNF for me; could not get 23 down. However I think that those who were offended (rather than, like me, stumped) but this are simply pathetic.
Loved 24 across; the clue was clever but not so obscure that I couldn’t work it out.
As to obscure anagrinds — just assume it’s an anagram, and if the shoe fits, wear it.
Thanks to Everyman and Quirister.
Great puzzle. Not sure what all the fuss is with commonly used benign euphemisms. I thought 23d was a clever clue – too clever for me as it turned out as were a few others. Thanks Quirister & Everyman.