Everyman 3,899

41 comments on “Everyman 3,899”

1. This was quite a typical old-style Everyman challenge, with many appreciated clues (ANNO DOMINI, ROLLED OATS, etc).
   Thanks Everyman.
   (but too bad this week’s puzzle was 90% write-ins …. where’s the quality control?)

2. Great crossword. 14 was a lovely primarily – convoluted but not contrived. I had 10 as a simple dd (HE’LL). Needed to look up 2 (almost a crime in NZ) and found guilty of writing the wrong kind of untruths with ‘flies’ as the irritating affliction (somehow convincing myself that ‘from’ could be an instruction to remove). Thanks Sil & Everyman.

3. Teeny-weeny gave me an itsy-bitsy earworm.

4. Thanks Sil and Everyman.
   Laughed at Everyman’s self-description as OILY, woolly and glib.
   CAT-SITTERS and POST-IT NOTE also a giggle.

   [Agree rodshaw @1]

5. gif@3. I had that earworm so bad last week that when I saw the itsy-bitsy thing could go in the second word in 24A I lost sight of the def.

6. I didn’t like any of this.

7. Poor surfaces in this puzzle – reminded me of a Tees in the Indy! 🙂

8. Hoskins @7 does he know where you live!

9. Thanks for the lovely blog, 13 D was my last as well, I presume cat-sitters will feed a cat when someone is away ? Agree with Paul@2 that it was a very nice primarily, the rhyming pair was good as well.
   Rodshaw@1 , it is meant to be a write-in if you are an experienced solver, we should not complain, it is not aimed at us.

10. One thing I forgot. 5D has MATISSE as a portraitist. I am no expert but I think that is a little bit narrow as a description for Matisse.

11. Another good puzzle.

    Liked the constructions of HELL and SHED once I worked them out (which took a while) and OILY, ROLLED OATS and ANNO DOMINI made me smile.

    Thanks Everyman and Sil van den Hoek

12. [Roz@9. I take your point, and a lot of discussion lately has been about the Everyman puzzle not being targetted at its supposed audience, But today’s has gone too far the other way. The ‘write-in’ was possible because the definitions were ‘straight’, in many cases. It could be solved as a quick crossword, with letter counts and a crosser here and there. I suppose newer solvers could learn the tricks from working backwards, probably how we all learned. I did.]]

13. [ PDM@12 , I will have a look when I have done the Azed, I should not comment really until I have tried it. I just know that when I was learning that a write-in for some people would be a perfect Everyman for me even if it took me all week ]

14. I’m not going to comment on this week’s Everyman, having just done it, other than to note that the idea of the setter actually being more than one person gathers strength for me. This puzzle from last Sunday seems in a different league entirely and had plenty to like. I agree that, whilst a tad convoluted, the primarily clue was amusing; CAT SITTERS tickled me as, I’m ashamed to admit, did the ‘sort of homophone’. Suit a farmer indeed 😀 . TO THE LETTER was another smile and I enjoyed the construction of EXPOSTULATE. All in all, quite fun and, yes, targeted as Everyman should be.

    Thanks Everyman and Sil

15. In addition to the rhyming pair I noted the NE and SW symmetry in the HE’LL and SHE’D paired constructs and the RATS/STAR EROS/SORE simple reversals.

    As for whether this week’s are 90% write ins @1 @4 and @13: maybe for you in which case do AZED or others. For this solver it was nearer 40% so for once I am pleased to be able to get on with the rest of the day having got a good start and then some work to fill in the gaps. Which to me is an excellent puzzle. So thanks to Sil and to Everypeople for last week’s and this

16. I thought this was a very entertaining puzzle. LA TRAVIATA was very amusing (and I hope not too offensive to Latvians!). CAT SITTERS was a great CAD/CD. And like cosmic @15 I liked the HE’LL and SHE’D pairing. Overall very enjoyable.

    (PostMark @14, I think the current Everyman has made it clear several times that he/she is an individual, not a team. If you want the details, please see my comment @43 on 3,895, 14 June.)

    Many thanks Everyman and Sil.

17. (Sorry, ignore the CAD bit – I’m getting confused! It’s just a cryptic definition.)

18. [Lord Jim @16: thanks for that. Recent discussion on here had led me to think there had been a more recent change. I don’t think I was doing Everyman at the time of either the introduction from the new setter or your exchange with him/her.

    In my defence, from a very recent blog by John I don’t think this one was so dreadful — there are probably a few setters of The Everyman — but… and there was also the comment from Don Manley The new setter(s) is/are anonymous and even Azed’s enquiries about the setter(s) (plus his critical analysis) have gone unanswered.. which prompted yours the following day. And, as you correctly predicted, I was one of those who didn’t see that.

19. I liked the evocation of Wind in the Willows in ROLLED OATS. A rare occasion in Crosswordland where porridge is not prison. Tees and Hoskins are such regular contributors to the Everyman blog, I am beginning to think one of them is the setter.

20. [ Lord Jim@16 I did read your comments and even managed to track down the others you mentioned, very interesting ]
    Cosmic@15 good spot on the other paired answers, I think my comments @9 and @13 are actually agreeing with you.

21. Roz @20. Yes, I agree.

22. I enjoyed this, but had two niggles: why is Matisse called a portraitist? He was surely much more than that. And why is porridge called rolled oats once? One can easily buy rolled oats in the shops.

23. Actually now I look I see that rolled oats are called porridge once. But the same point.

24. Will@23 I think it means that porridge was once rolled oats ( and milk ) before it was made.

25. Hoskins #7: just you wait 🙁

    Copmus #8: you’re assuming Hoskins has a home?

26. Shall we take it as read that Tees and Hoskins dislike Everyman puzzles? The weekly bashing is becoming unpleasant

27. A good Everyman, I’d say. Last in CAT-SITTERS, because I looked for more complicated wordplay. Cleverly hidden in plain sight.

    I’m not a big fan of the “primarily” clues, but 14d was very good.

28. For what it’s worth, for me eight words were write-ins and the rest mostly straightforward except for THE RAINBOW, which I had to use a bit of the check button for this morning, and I’ve read the novel, so shame on me.

    18a I don’t think DRAIN = “eat into.”

    Not a hope of getting IBS in 22d or ROI I 19d.

    Thanks, Everyman and Sil.

29. I enjoy Everyman crosswords in general and this was no exception…

    … except I really hated CAT SITTERS. I can’t work out why other than the surface felt really inelegant – starts talking about the cat sitter and finished talking about the cat owner (the person on holiday). Or maybe it was the use of “cuisine” instead of “food” as cats don’t have cuisines… or maybe it’s because I was still not convinced once I got it.

    It’s rare I have such a negative reaction to a clue. Usually I just shrug and move on from the ones I don’t particularly like.

    That said, thank you Sil for the blog and Everyman for the puzzle.

30. Valentine @28 – I think DRAIN = “eat into” works in the context of finances.

31. I jumped the wrong way on the SATI/YRIC equivalence, and like Paul,T @2 I had LIES as the untruths, though without any better reason than that I couldn’t think of anything else. SUIT-A-FARMER didn’t work for me, but I enjoyed the CAT SITTERS.

32. Derek@26 – the Everyman is the Everyman and everyone can see what they are like, right? Saying what they are like isn’t bashing, is it? If you write a third of a puzzle with poor surfaces and no-one says ‘hang on a minute, these surfaces are awful’ then surely the awful surfaces will continue?

    People have, as far as I can see, moaned about the quality and difficulty of the clues and they have got better according to the solvers, so why not make the setter improve their surfaces via moaning, too?

    Moreover, in giving an honest critique of the Everyman I was also able to give my learned, lovely and much-talented Indy stablemate a little dig to make sure he doesn’t let his own standards slip, surface-wise.

    Might seem unpleasant, but it is not meant to be … ultimately, isn’t the winner the solver when setters get betters? 🙂

33. Enjoyed this mornings puzzle.
    Cat sitters was excellent.
    Missed fibs, but told some lies.
    The Rainbow – doesn’t that take you back.

34. We liked defrost, rolled oats, open sesame and cat sisters. Got fibs but had to check what IBS is.
    Thought oily was a bit rude to Everyman.

35. We still don’t get Cat Sitters – totally gone over our heads. Otherwise a goodie today, but – Matisse was an artist, not a portraitist. He painted many people and many vista’s, would never classify him just as a portraitist though.

36. I think the biggest improvement is the lack of long and tortured surfaces. Not only are the clues more concise, they are also more witty, making this a very enjoyable solve. Excellent work thanks Everyman.

37. OK, some nice clues, but some really awful surfaces. I’m with Hoskins.

    But perhaps I’m just grouchy being back in lock-down and having had a play run cancelled.

38. Barrie, it’s easy to get crotchety during lockdown, but the team of 5 million must stay strong.
    PipNDoug, cat sitters are like baby sitters,,,except usually for longer periods whilst owners are on holiday.
    I like the easy ones, makes me feel clever. Thanks Sil and E.

39. PipnDoug – Persian as in breed of cat. Geddit? 🙂

40. what’s a ‘write-in’
    my fave clue was To the Letter

41. Vanessa a write-in is a clue that you get immediately. You read it, and write it straight in

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