Everyman 3,948

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The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/everyman/3948.

All the boxes are checked – the self reference in 26A, the ‘primarily’ clue at 12A, and the rhyming pair down the sides – yes, it must be an Everyman.

ACROSS
1 COUNT DRACULA
Rely on doctor, having cold in a university city – he takes bloods (5,7)
A charade of COUNT (‘rely’) plus DR (‘doctor’) plus ACULA, an envelope (‘in’) of C (‘cold’) in ‘a’ plus U (‘university’) plus LA (los Angeles, ‘city’). A curious plural, ‘bloods’.
10 HOLD-UPS
Delays robberies (4-3)
Like most two-word clues, a double definitiion.
11 RAINBOW
Seven colours shown by East End artist? (7)
A charade of RA (‘artist’) IN BOW (‘East End’; traditionally, a Cockney is someone born within earshot of Bow Bells, the bells of the church of St Mary-le-Bow in London).
12 LIEGE
Primarily, ‘Lord’ in erstwhile genuflectory England? (5)
Firat letters (‘primarily’) of ‘Lord In Erstwhile Genuflectory England’, &lit – that is, the entire clue may be read as the wordplay described, bur also as the definition.
13 SOLEMNLY
Without levity, individual, macho Australian’s dismissed (8)
A charade of SOLE (‘individual’) plus M[a]NLY (‘macho’) minus the A (‘Australian’s dismissed’).
15 NUT CUTLETS
‘Veggie options?‘ ‘Fruitcake and prune.’ ‘Let’s.’ (3,7)
A charade of NUT (‘fruitcake’ as an insult to a person’s intelligence) plus CUT (‘prune’) plus ‘let’s’.
16 PAIN
Bother, it’s French bread (4)
Double definition.
18 RAPT
Performed hip-hop for audience, wholly engrossed (4)
Sounds like (‘for audience’) RAPPED (‘performed hip-hop’).
20 SENSUALISM
Gratification in sun, aimless, unwinding (10)
An anagram (‘unwinding’) of ‘sun aimless’.
22 NARRATOR
Chronicler of nonsense Scottish island’s brought back (8)
A reversal (‘brought back’) of ROT (‘nonsense’) plus ARRAN (‘Scottish island’).
24 PLAIN
Unvariegated lowland? (5)
Double definition.
26 EYEBALL
Everyman cries loudly: take a close look (7)
Sounds like (‘loudly’) I BAWL (‘Everyman cries’).
27 BEEHIVE
In summer, there’s a buzz about this hairstyle (7)
What I refer to as a “definition and literal interpretation”,; you might alternatively call it a double definition.
28 UNDER PROTEST
Unwillingly assembled French and German articles for exam (5,7)
A charade (very unusually, indicated by ‘assembled’) of UN DER (‘French and German articles’, indefinite and definite respectively) plus PRO (‘for’) plus TEST (‘exam’).
DOWN
2 OILIEST
Within gazebo I lie stagnating, extremely unctuous (7)
A hidden answer (‘within’) in ‘gazebO I LIE STagnating’.
3 NAUSEOUS
United twice involved in horrible season: it’s sickening (8)
An anagram (‘horrible’) of ‘season’ with U U (‘united twice involved’).
4 DOSH
Hard turf offered up for cash (4)
A reversal (‘offered up’ in a down light) of H (‘hard’) plus SOD (‘turf’).
5 AIR HOSTESS
Former attendant has stories to reel off (3,7)
An anagram (‘to reel off’) of ‘has stories’.
6 UNITE
In Whitsun I tearfully wed (5)
A hidden answer in ‘WhitsUN I TEarfully’.
7 ALBANIA
Outlaw assuming pseudonym abruptly in Balkan state (7)
An envelope (‘assuming’) of BAN (‘outlaw’, verb) in ALIA[s] (‘pseudonym’) minus the last letter (‘abruptly’).
8 THE LONE RANGER
Northern eagle represented old American icon (3,4,6)
An anagram (‘re-presented’) of ‘northern eagle’.
9 AWAY IN A MANGER
In arrangement, a Wagnerian may offer a seasonal song (4,2,1,6)
An anagram (‘in arrangement’) of ‘a Wagnerian may’; not by Wagner, and not this season.
14 BLUE-COLLAR
Improper to arrest working class (4-6)
A charade of BLUE (‘improper’, sexually explicit) plus COLLAR (‘arrest’).
17 HAPPIEST
Epitaphs rewritten to become most jolly (8)
An anagram (‘rewritten’) of ‘epitaphs’.
19 PARVENU
Spiralling up, raven is a climber of sorts (7)
An anagram (‘spiralling’) of ‘up raven’.
21 ITALICS
CIA list altered showing characters like these (7)
An anagram (‘altered’) of ‘CIA list’.
23 AWARD
Ace part of hospital getting prize (5)
A charade of ‘a’ plus WARD (‘part of hospital’).
25 UBER
No time for potato, perhaps in taxi (4)
A subtraction: [t]UBER (‘potato, perhaps’) minus the T (‘no time’).

picture of the completed grid

32 comments on “Everyman 3,948”

  1. Thank you Peter O and Everyman. Enjoyed this one.
    Everyman’s fodder for the anagrams is usually impressive. Particularly liked AWAY IN A MANGER, and as Peter O points out, a distraction from the answer. Also liked the diconnect between Northern Eagle and the other old American icon THE LONE RANGER.

    I went down a rabbit hole looking for a 4 letter word ending in third person singular ‘s’ for ‘çries’ in the homophone EYEBALL. Didn’t think to take it as a phrase transposed to the first person, rather than the individual words.

    Favourite PARVENU, for the misdirection with ‘up’ being part of the fodder, rather than a reversal indicator in a down clue, the lovely word picture of the raven spiralling up, and the definition ‘a climber of sorts’.

  2. Got this quite quickly for me – except for one.

    Solved COUNT DRACULA straightaway which helped.

    I think my favourite was BLUE COLLAR. Also liked UNDER PROTEST (and have seen “under” clued like this recently), RAPT (very neat), BEEHIVE (made me laugh), RAINBOW

    Did not get EYEBALL – very annoying.

    Thanks Everyman and PeterO

  3. I pretty sure the plural “Bloods” in 1a refers to a doctor taking blood for pathology tests.

  4. True Willbar@3, I think I mostly hear it on American shows. I just saw it as a misdirection and a bit of a joke. And if Count Dracula takes the blood from numerous people I s’pose he takes bloods.

  6. Thanks for the blog, I thought this one was just right. Wiillbar@3 surely has the right idea for the unusual bloods.
    Spooner’s Catflap has been taking note of the semi-regular long anagrams of famous names, Enid Blyton etc. Last time it was discussed I mentioned Count Dracula and here it is. Perhaps it is just as well that Everyman did not use an anagram here.

  8. [If she knew the joke (maybe Oz only?), she wouldn’t approve of nut cutlets either]
    Getting your bloods done is pretty standard GP-speak in this part of the world.

  9. [… and you could add the ABC nature programme I’m listening to just now, called What The Duck]

  10. That felt like a straightforward Everyman to me, with my LOI as UBER, which I try to forget exists. I liked the misdirection of COUNT DRACULA and AWAY IN A MANGER.

  11. Another fun crossword. 21 made me chuckle, thinking of past grizzles about Everyman’s flamboyant writing.

  12. Yes! Break through for me as I managed to complete it with relative ease. I never thought I would be able to write that. The only downside was the reminder of Man U’s dismal season at 3D!

  15. One of the better Everymans, I felt. Although I have tried to teach young men that Manly doesn’t have to be macho, I suppose it’s ok for crosswords.

  16. Congrats to MarieB @12!

    Funny how Everyman’s clues seem to spill over from one week into the next. The previous puzzle had STEWARD (‘Flight attendant to depict aliens in retirement’); here we have AIR HOSTESS. This one has RAINBOW as a solution; next time… I’ll say no more, but it’s not a spoiler as it’s in the clue.

    I enjoyed this, like everyone so far I think (it can’t last 😉 ). Thanks Everyman and PeterO.

  17. Good Everyman, I thought.

    I would normally associate ‘assuming’ as a containment indicator, but in the sense of ‘donning’ I guess it could be used as an inserter.

    I thought the Northern eagle anagram was neat.

    Thanks Everyman and PeterO.

  18. As blogged pretty much, with one or two extra annoying things. Essentially, I suppose, the ‘risk-taking’, if that’s what it is, leads to inaccuracy or ambiguity that I just don’t get along with.

    I see the use of ‘extremely’ = most deployed again, causing me to infer that this could become a trademark to go with some of the other idiosyncrasies we find in the modern Everyman. I hope not, naturally.

  20. Failed to parse 7d because I got stuck on AL being Al Capone, so thank you PeterO for setting me straight.

  21. I thought this was just right for an Everyman, particularly for those new to Cryptics. With mostly easily understandable clues and few trickier ones to stretch development. Thanks Everyman.

  22. [Snap, paddymelon @13, Ann Jones is cool, along with so many RN presenters. I mourn in advance the day Phillip hangs up the mic, and send him the occasional email of applause and encouragement]

  23. Whilst I had the letters and could figure it out from the clue, when I tried to parse it I got COUNT DRCAULA?

  25. Thanks Grantinfreo, I get it now. I’m not very good at these things and can only really manage the Everyman.

  27. Excellent Everyman. One quibble: What is “In summer” doing,
    really, in 27 Across? OK, bees are around, buzzing, in summer,
    but AFAICS it adds nothing and is distracting.

    LOI was “eyeball” — didn’t see that “loudly” was a homophone indicator for the longest while.

  28. Lots of good clues, lots of write-ins and only a couple of head-scratchers. My fav was Parvenu, for all the reasons mentioned above. I agree Rolf, 27a would have been a more elegant clue without ‘In summer’.

  29. I enjoyed this immensely sitting outside in the weak winter sun…..I too thought the outlaw was Al Capone . Got Albania but couldnt justify the ‘Bania’ but decided it had to be right. Are Nut cutlets really a veggie option ? no veggies I know to be in nut cutlets (increasingly unimpressed that vegan offerings in some establishments are deemed ‘ good for you’ but are the most processed items on many menus. Counter productive?) My fave clue was Count Dracula –
    – stunning! Under Protest and Rainbow.
    Quite a few more anagrams in here than usual but not complaining…

  30. Yep. 60 minutes – stop the clock! – while making tea and listening to the radio. They’re not all like this.

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