The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/everyman/3991.
All the usual suspects – the rhyming pair, the self reference, the ‘primarily’ clue, and one difficult parsing in 9D CHINESE CABBAGE. The Marilyn in 1A FRENCH HORN is not the first to come to mind.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | FRENCH HORN |
Perhaps Marilyn’s sweetheart to take care of a little rusty instrument (6,4)
|
| An envelope (‘to take care of’) of R (‘a little Rusty’) in FRENCH (‘perhaps Marilyn’; Marilyn French, American author) plus HON (‘sweetheart’). | ||
| 6 | TSAR |
Betrayer turned, protecting second despot (4)
|
| An envelope (‘protecting’) of S (‘second’) in TAR, a reversal (‘turned’) of RAT (‘betrayer’). | ||
| 10 | INSTATE |
Enthrone in rumpled satinet (7)
|
| An anagram (‘rumpled’) of ‘satinet’. | ||
| 11 | NAHUATL |
Native Americans handing us ‘avocado’, ‘tomato’, linguistically (primarily)? (7)
|
| First letters (‘primarily’) of ‘Native Americans Handing Us Avocado Tomato Linguistically’; as Nahuatl is the Aztec language, this is a very neat &lit. | ||
| 12 | EQUAL |
Some prequalify in uniform (5)
|
| A hidden answer (‘some’) in ‘prEQUALify’. | ||
| 13 | NO CONTEST |
Rain’s stopped play? It’s a foregone conclusion (2,7)
|
| Double definition, sort of. | ||
| 14 | SECOND SIGHT |
A witch may have this assistant, bit of a fright (6,5)
|
| A charade of SECOND (‘assistant’) plus SIGHT (‘bit of a fright’ – either indicating someone who looks unkempt). | ||
| 18 | APOCALYPTIC |
Destructive policy: a pact must be arranged (11)
|
| An anagram (‘must be arranged’) of ‘policy a pact’. | ||
| 21 | SLUMBERER |
Small woodsman, one that’s out for a bit (9)
|
| A charade of S (‘small’) plus LUMBERER (‘woodsman’). | ||
| 23 | BLEAR |
Dim British king (5)
|
| A charade of B (‘British’) plus LEAR (‘king’). | ||
| 24 | TRIAGED |
Medically assessed the ‘riddle’ at the outset: Everyman’s got old (7)
|
| A charade of TR (‘The Riddle at the outset’) plus I AGED (‘Everyman’s got old’). | ||
| 25 | SEASONS |
Adds quality to multiple TV episodes (7)
|
| Double definition. | ||
| 26 | EDNA |
Woman essential to United Nations (4)
|
| A hidden answer (‘essential to’) in ‘UnitED NAtions’. | ||
| 27 | CRESTED TIT |
Spooner’s assessed judgment, briefly seeing bird (7,3)
|
| A Spoonerism of TESTED CRIT – CRIT being short for (‘briefly’) criticism (‘judgement’). | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | FAILED |
Foundered when afield, reeling (6)
|
| An anagram (‘reeling’) of ‘afield’. | ||
| 2 | EASE UP |
Relax: that man’s not still in bed, Cockney informs us (4,2)
|
| Sounds like (‘informs us’) ‘E’S UP. | ||
| 3 | CHARLES BABBAGE |
Inventor: Bach and Elgar’s confused with Barber – runs off (7,7)
|
| An anagram (‘confused’) of ‘Bach’ ‘Elga[r]s’ ‘Ba[r]ber’minus both Rs (‘runs off’). | ||
| 4 | HUE AND CRY |
Hullabaloo near duchy that’s neglected (3,3,3)
|
| An anagram (‘neglected’?) of ‘near duchy’. | ||
| 5 | RUNIC |
Lead operations, in charge of mysterious characters (5)
|
| A charade of RUN (‘lead operations’) plus IC (‘in charge’). | ||
| 7 | SPACE-AGE |
Sensible to get to grips with bit of progress that’s cutting-edge (5-3)
|
| An envelope (‘to get to grips with’) of PACE (‘a bit of progress’ i.e. a step) in SAGE (‘sensible’). | ||
| 8 | RELATE TO |
Sympathise with concern (6,2)
|
| Double definition. | ||
| 9 | CHINESE CABBAGE |
Gorges on English seafood, right away, with most of roll and vegetable (7,7)
|
| A charade of CHINES (‘gorges’ as ravines; I have only come across the word on the Isle of White, with the best known being Shanklin Chine) plus E (‘English’) plus C[r]AB (‘seafood’) minus the R (‘right away’) plus BAGE[l] (‘roll’) minus the last letter (‘most of’). | ||
| 15 | NOTARISES |
Attests to the bona fides of suspicious señoritas (9)
|
| An anagram (‘suspicious’) of ‘senoritas’. | ||
| 16 | CASSETTE |
Tape in difficult test case (8)
|
| An anagram (‘difficult’) of ‘test case’. | ||
| 17 | SOLUTION |
This answer may be saline (8)
|
| Double definition. | ||
| 19 | RESORT |
Make new arrangement for holidaymaker’s destination (6)
|
| Double definition, the first usually hyphenated – RE-SORT. | ||
| 20 | PROSIT |
For model: cheers! (6)
|
| A charade of PRO (‘for’) plus SIT (‘model’). | ||
| 22 | RADAR |
Set of pulses directed one way … or another (5)
|
| A palindrome. |
Enjoyed this although took me ages to get the last two in the SE. I am not sure that I would ever have thought that *adds quality* = SEASONS – really needed the crosses to get that one.
Favourites included: NO CONTEST, SECOND SIGHT, TRIAGED, EASE UP, CRESTED TIT
Did not parse CHINESE CABBAGE
Thanks Everyman and PeterO
Just reading today of the death of Dame EDNA Everage aka Barry Humphries. What a wit! Entertaining puzzle, as usual, I thouhgt. Thanks, Everyman and PeterO.
Liked FRENCH HORN, SECOND SIGHT, EASE UP, SPACE-AGE and CHINESE CABBAGE.
Thanks, Everyman and PeterO!
Never heard of chines for gorges, prosit or Marilyn French ( what a philistine I must be)
Snap Ray@4, but I looked them up, except Marylin French, because I had the HORN and what else could it have been?
Thanks Everyman and PeterO, another well pitced puzzle and blog.
Ray@4: I’ve never heard of Marilyn French either, though I expect I ought to have.
Thanks for the blog, another good puzzle, Marilyn FRENCH new for me as well , Araucaria once clued FRENCH HORN as – Cor (6,4).
INSTATE and NOTARISES for Jay’s list . The rhyming pair was neat, I had to look up chines.
CHARLES BABBAGE , I had the runs off just for BA(r)BE(r) , if we bring in Elgar the clue is a bit imprecise. Maybe we will get a new list of inventors to follow.
HUE AND CRY was the first Ealing comedy , that would make a great follow-on series.
Put me down as another Marilyn French ignoramus. I couldn’t see what it had to with Monroe. There were a few mysterious answers in this one. Had to look up CHINE and even then it implied it was more a ridge than a hole, but what else could the answer be?
Chines were familiar here, but it’s used in Dorset, particularly in Poole and Bournemouth, as well as the Isle of Wight and I grew up using Branksome Chine Beach, so CHINESE CABBAGE went in relatively easily. I do know Marilyn French, I’ve even read The Wonen’s Room, but I didn’t consciously link her to the clue when I solved FRENCH HORN.
I found this a slower solve than Everyman can be.
Thank you to PeterO and Everyman.
I was surprised at 6ac TSAR=despot. Does that mean emperor /king/prince is also despot?
I did not parse 27ac and 7d SPACE AGE = cutting-edge.
New for me: NAHUATL, foundered = failed.
Thanks, both.
michell@10 “I haven’t a clue for firm but fair ruler. 4,3,8 ??
[From Tsar to 15² stalwart: “No, he great!” (6)]
essexboy@12 🙂
Good but some a bit more difficult than usual.
I Googled for the most famous Marilyns and Marilyn French came variously 110th, 39th and 12th. I did not know her but Dawn would certainly have been easier!
For once, I was pleased with the ‘primarily’ clue, which gave an unknown native American. I liked ‘e’s up’, SPACE AGE for the ‘bit of progress’, and CHINESE CABBAGE for the surface and chines.
Thanks Everyman and PeterO.
What a chine looks like : (a) in the valley/mini-gorge (b) down at the beach where the chine emerges :
https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/chine-bournemouth.html
Sorry to hear about the death of the most famous EDNA – Barry Humphries – and indeed wrote this in 15^2, Dec 23 last, during the discussion of “possum” in a Brendan crossword : “I saw Dame Edna starring as The Saviour of London in Dick Whittington, at the New Wimbledon Theatre in 2011 – hilarious !” Glad to have seen that Guardian crosswords have touched on his life on past occasions.
Thank you Everyman and PeterO.
I saw Barry Humphries in Hobart in, I think, 1971. Hilarious then too.
A notch trickier than usual I thought. Using ‘Marilyn’ to clue FRENCH was somewhat obscure. NAHUATL was new to me but I do have various vocabulary gaps. ‘Neglected’ as an anagrind was odd.
Other from that, the usual enjoyable Everyman.
Thanks both.
I am with Roz @7 for the removal of the “r”s – that’s how I saw it too.
Dame Edna – certainly part of my growing up! Barry, a brilliant comedian – my Australian friend says he’s the best ever Australian comedian.
Warning: I made the mistake of searching the bird in 27a to see what it looked like.
It’s a pretty bird. But I’ve got “safe search” turned off and the 5th image result (FIFTH!!!) was nsfw.
I got 4 avians then it’s filth all the way down (or as far as I bothered to look) –
but there are lots of bird pics when I ask for “crested tit bird” so it’s not as if they don’t exist.
Wasn’t sure about “pace” so thanks PeterO for the parsing. nho Nahuatl but was easy to get from the clue. I have read Marylin French but it was only when I had all the crossers that I remembered her.
Late in her short life, Marilyn Monroe had an affair with Yves Montand — her French Hon.
lin@19: the Crested Tit features in Nicolas Bentley’s Book of Birds:
“There are no details in Debrett
About the Crested Tit;
Yet where but in the Upper Set
Would such a species fit?
It’s habitat? Well, I would guess
The bosom of a Marchioness”
(Nicolas Bentley is the son of Edmund Clerihew Bentley)
gladys@21 – I don’t know if any of the bosoms I saw were on titled ladies, lol.
I remembered chines from my trip to Blackgang as a kid. This was a struggle, though, 24 minutes.
Considerably harder than usual. Never heard of chines & gave up trying to parse the cabbage & FRENCH HORN another bung in. The Spoonerism last in & that took a while for the penny to drop too. Good puzzle
Thanks all
I’m confused. This is not the Everyman from 23/4, which was 3992 – or is the date that on which this was posted? I can’t find 3992 either!
Tim Featherstone-Griffin @25
Even though it seems that the Everyman is not being reinstated as a prize puzzle, the solution is still published by the Guardian with the following week’s puzzle, and Fifteensquared maintains that time of publication. I am afraid you will have to wait until next Sunday for the blog of 3992.
Peter@26 , the Everyman is very much a prize puzzle again , about 15 months I think. I send off each week and was lucky enough to win once since the resumption.
1a – got stumped.
Liked Spoonerism having had to write many crits!
Rob
A bit harder than usual. Not happy withTsar as Despot although I got it from the word play. Maybe Everyman is a radical Marxist? He should visit Wellington while parliament is sitting – he’d find lots of kindred spirits (lol)!
Yes, much harder than usual with a number of unparsed bung-ins and a few is this a word look-ups.
I was sure that 1 across referred to the soprano Marilyn Horne; didn’t
realise there was an “e” on the end of her surname until I checked, after reading this blog. Could not parse the rest of the answer, but “french horn” had to be right, given the crossers.
I thought 9 down was toadally unfair. Could not have parsed it in a million years. Got the answer partially on the basis that it formed part of a rhyming pair.
Quite a tricky one.
Luckily for me I went to the IOW on school trip in 1955 which led to Chinese cabbage which led to Charles Babbage. I could hardly credit the lucky guesses until I got some cross ones to confirm them!
Here downunder Everymans are about 6 weeks behind so we can look on line when we finish.
No need for ‘is this a word’ lookups, but a good challenging quizz.
Only quibble is space age – I understand that a a bit of progress can be a pace, but upon reflection, this clue falls a bit below the high standard of the rest of the crossword.
Too hard for this tired brain and missing my partner in crime to help solve the trickier ones. @duane please keep petty politics out of this, you have your opinion but it is not necessarily shared by us all.