A sound and good crossword from Everyman. Long ago the idea of this being an entry level crossword seems to have been abandoned and some of the clues, like 1ac, are rather tricky. But it all seems to be sound, and one could argue that that is more important. 3dn and 7dn are a rhyming pair (I can’t find any others) and there are the usual self-referential and first letters clues.
Definitions underlined, in crimson. Indicators (homophone, hidden, reversal, etc) in italics. Link-words in green. Anagrams indicated (thus)* or *(thus).
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | BANNISTERS |
One who went at 15mph at | start of seaside rails (10)
|
| Bannister s[easide] — Roger Bannister famously ran (a fraction of a second below) the four-minute mile, which if you think it out is one mile in four minutes, so 15 miles in 60 minutes — I thought for a long time that it was a reference to some children’s book | ||
| 6 | ROBS |
Steals judge’s clothes, wanting | piece of ermine (4)
|
| rob[e[rmine]]s — robes = judge’s clothes, ‘piece’ of indicates the first letter of the word (not universally popular this, but conventional) | ||
| 9 | SOVEREIGNS |
Gold coins … heads! (10)
|
| 2 defs | ||
| 10 | PEER |
Look, Lord (4)
|
| 2 defs — a peer is a member of the aristocracy and, whatever the exact title, is a Lord as in House of Lords | ||
| 12 | ASSASSINATES |
Dispatches pair of idiots in a trial that ends abruptly (12)
|
| ass ass in a tes[t] — ass = idiot, in = in, a = a, test = trial | ||
| 15 | ON A TEAR |
Carousing, drunk aeronaut stripped of uniform (2,1,4)
|
| *(aerona[u]t) — u = uniform — an expression that is new to me: it’s in Collins so I’ve just gone through my life without ever encountering it | ||
| 16 | PRESENT |
Here‘s a gift (7)
|
| 2 defs — here = present, a gift = a present (both uses of the word with the emphasis on the first syllable) | ||
| 17 | GREATER |
Larger kitchen implement, did you say? (7)
|
| “grater” | ||
| 19 | GALLOWS |
German acknowledges grim sort of humour (7)
|
| G allows — G = German, allows = acknowledges — gallows humour | ||
| 20 | TAX AVOIDANCE |
Shirking one’s duties? (3,9)
|
| CD relying on the sense of duties being, here, the tax sense | ||
| 23 | DOUR |
Grimly obstinate, Everyman’s after | last bit of custard (4)
|
| [custar]d our — our = Everyman’s, the usual self-referential clue | ||
| 24 | STRAVINSKY |
Composer, pious type, yellin’ – by heavens! (10)
|
| st. ravin’ sky — st. = saint (pious type), ravin’ = yellin’, sky = heavens | ||
| 25 | SPEC |
Writing may be done on this feature, with beginning and end discarded (4)
|
| [a]spec[t] — aspect = feature and writing may be done on spec — I think this is the answer, although the definition does seem a bit odd: lots of things, not just writing, can be done on spec | ||
| 26 | ARMAGEDDON |
As Revelation mentions, apocalyptic gathering engendering devastating destruction of Nature, primarily? (10)
|
| The usual first letters clue | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | BASH |
Clobber boy in front of tree (4)
|
| b ash — b = boy, ash = tree | ||
| 2 | NOVA |
In reflection of river, a bright star (4)
|
| (Avon)rev. | ||
| 3 | IRRESPECTIVE |
… regardless of price (it veers wildly) (12)
|
| (price it veers)* | ||
| 4 | THIN AIR |
Characteristic of balding Cockney – where it’s all vanished! (4,3)
|
| Since Cockneys can’t in Crosswordland sound their h’s this is thin ‘air — referring to the expression ‘vanishing into thin air’ | ||
| 5 | RINGS UP |
Enters the price of phones (5,2)
|
| 2 defs — ring up as in ringing a price up on a till, and the usual sense of the term | ||
| 7 | OVER-THE-TOP |
In a gaudy way, like a gilet might be sported? (4-3-3)
|
| a gilet might be worn (sported) over the top (the article of clothing like a shirt) | ||
| 8 | STRESS TEST |
Emphasize international investigation of pressure (6,4)
|
| stress test — stress = emphasize, test = international (as in cricket or rugby) | ||
| 11 | UNREFLECTIVE |
Never file and cut recklessly (without thought) (12)
|
| (Never file cut)* | ||
| 13 | LONGITUDES |
Ungodliest changes that are seen all round the world (10)
|
| (Ungodliest)* | ||
| 14 | LAME EXCUSE |
Reckless exec, Samuel, offering implausible justification (4,6)
|
| *(exec Samuel) | ||
| 18 | ROISTER |
Listing about … one noisy reveller (7)
|
| ro(1)ster — roster = listing, 1 = one — but roister is a verb; roisterer (a noisy reveller) is a noun; at least that’s what Collins says, but Chambers tells me that a roister is a noun meaning a roisterer, so it depends what dictionary one uses — so far as I know nothing is specified for Everyman | ||
| 19 | GRANADA |
Some scallywag ran a dairy somewhere in Spain (7)
|
| Hidden in scallywaG RAN A DAiry — this use of ‘some’ I dislike for two reasons: it’s such a giveaway, and I find it hard to accept that some = some of the letters of, although there are people who are happy with this — no doubt I’ve said this before | ||
| 21 | USED |
Second-hand, unsteady, regularly failing (4)
|
| u[n]s[t]e[a]d[y] | ||
| 22 | CYAN |
Somewhat saucy and kind of blue (4)
|
| Hidden in sauCY ANd |
Thanks John for a comprehensive blog!
Liked BANNISTERS, TAX AVOIDANCE (simple and elegant) and THIN AIR (we have met this balding Cockney before but still…).
SPEC
Heard this usage ‘on spec’ writing before. Searched for details…
Writing on spec (or “on speculation”) is the process in which writers complete a manuscript and submit that to a magazine or book publisher before receiving an assignment and signing a contract. . Markets that request writers submit a complete manuscript in their initial submission are requesting “on spec” submissions..
https://www.writersdigest.com/publishing-insights/when-should-writers-write-on-spec
Another enjoyable Sunday. I think BANNISTERS may be easy or tricky irrespective of crossword experience. Would be interested to hear what ‘beginners’ thought. SPEC on the other hand had an obtuse definition coupled with tricky wordplay requiring both ends to be taken off a word for one of the several meanings of ‘feature’. All too much for my head after chopping various parts.
Thanks John and Everyman.
Looking back I see that I didn’t complete SPEC.I think I probably left it to go back to and forgot and didn’t notice it hiding down there. That never used to happen when I did to them on paper.
We’ve had a few cryptics this week that were easier than this and today’s Everyman is on a par with it. It seems that beginners puzzles are being spread out rather than concentrated on Saturday and Sunday.
Having said that, I enjoyed this. BANNISTERS took a while to click as did ASSASSINATE, but I chuckled at both. I was also wondering why TAX EVASION was too short.
Thanks john for your blog and illustrations
KVa and Paul T have said what I found about (on) SPEC. It might be a phrase familiar to Everyman/Alan Connor as a writer.
As usual, enjoyed Everyman’s apt indicator (reckless), entertaining surface and definition in LAME EXCUSE.
I’m old enough to remember Roger Bannister, by reputation regarding the sub 4 min mile, but I didn’t know about his contribution to medical science. He is quoted in Wiki as having said in 2014 “I’d rather be remembered for my work in neurology than my running. If you offered me the chance to make a great breakthrough in the study of the autonomic nerve system, I’d take that over the four minute mile right away. I worked in medicine for sixty years. I ran for about eight.”
What nicbach said @3 with regard to SPEC. I remember a whole alphabet trawl that failed to unearth it. I know about spec builders, but NHO spec writers. BANNISTERS, on the other hand, I got almost straight away. Must have read ON A TEAR in a novel somewhere, because I recognised it though I can’t say I have ever used it or heard it used. So, a DNF but, overall, pretty good. Thanks, Everyman and John.
I didn’t get DOUR. I am used to seeing the self referential Everyman clue and similar setter references in other crosswords but I have never seen them used to indicate “our” before – usually it’s I, me, my, I’ll, I’d etc – thus singular not plural.
Also didn’t get SPEC
Did get BANNISTERS quickly – and it raised a smile as did GALLOWS and STRAVINSKY
Thanks Everyman and John
Fiona@6
DOUR
Probably it indicates everyman’s (belonging to all of us)…
Thanks for the blog, I agree with the views for SPEC , I thought it might be some sort of old writing desk but no.
LONGITUDES was very good and will make the list for Jay .
I was not impressed with the rhyming pair this week.
ON A TEAR – the Irish students say on THE tear , to mean a drinking spree. I was told that on A tear was US and meant great activity or success, we may get more views later.
I agree with Roz @8 that ON A TEAR is an Irish expression, not new, I acquired it from fellow students.
I needed crossers to get BANNISTERS and did the same mental calculation to check. I did know about Roger Bannister’s later work, but I’m aware of some autonomic issues – if blood pressure doesn’t increase as you stand up, you faint.
I found this a quicker Everyman, midway between Matilda’s Prize (which was very quick for me) and Pasquale’s Quiptic.
Thank you to Everyman and John.
15ac ON A TEAR
American sports commentators use this phrase to mean on a great run of form. First time / only place I have heard it in the wild.
And in case anyone is curious it is Tear as in Rip rather than Tear as in that which you cry
Thanks Setter and Blogger
20 across has to be a much better clue for TAX EVASION, as to shirk is literally to ‘evade (a duty)’ (Chambers). Avoidance of taxes is not necessarily a pretty sight, but it is legal, whereas evasion of same is not.
I got that ho-hum feeling with this puzzle, as is usual for me with Everyman, probably as I find so much of it forced. Plus, I was long ago tired of the idiosyncratic devices he always deploys. Oh well.
Thanks John and E.
Thought this was easier than usual. Most favourite was ASSASSINATES. BANNISTERS, on the other hand, was quite the opposite; got it from the definition (rails), then checked Wikipedia to confirm there actually was a British cyclist (15mph = 24km/h) with the name. So, in the end, BANNISTERS = BANNISTER + S, really?? Disappointing, to say the least… I mean, even a plain anagram (wicked brain nests?) or something more challenging (sober, teed off, confused and short of money?) would have been better imo.
GRANADA was the same template as ANKARA the week before.
SPEC’s clue eluded me, though I was quite sure of it as the answer from a-spec-t, so ended with being able to write on “spec sheet”.
Thank you, Everyman and John.
6ac, ROBS: to be pedantic, your inverted commas should also enclose “of”, as well as “piece” 🙂
15ac, ON A TEAR: never met this before, either
3dn IRRESPECTIVE: “of” is link word, not part of def.
[Does anyone else get hackles up when they see “irregardless”?]
4dn, THIN AIR: Originally:
These our actors, as I foretold you, were all spirits and are melted into air, into thin air.
(Prospero, The Tempest)
13dn, LONGITUDES: great single-word anagram
19dn, GRANADA: curious as to how “some” can be unacceptable as indicating ‘some letters’ while also being a “giveaway”.
Shanne@9, I think Roz was pointing out that the Irish use the definite article in the expression (as opposed to the American indefinite).
Thank you, Everyman and John.
ON A TEAR new to me as well. I thought ARMAGEDDON very ingeniously clued.
[paddymelon@4: I heard Roger Bannister lecturing about neural pathways many decades ago – the hall was packed, but the talk was very dry and he didn’t mention athletics once.]
Tony Collman @13 – I know the phrase as “he’s ON A TEAR” meaning he’s getting drunk or otherwise carousing – I can hear it in my head in an Irish accent with an image of someone I knew drinking heavily and/or partying. Probably from said lad’s roommate, equally Northern Irish, asking me to hang around to help get the guy home.
As John says it’s in Collins, but means ‘showing a sudden burst of energy’.
Didn’t parse BANNISTERS, though I could see it in retrospect. Not sure how many of the audience would understand the reference.
As is often the case, the justification for the ellipsis in 3d is a complete mystery. It doesn’t seem to have any function.
Favourite: ASSASSINATES.
New for me: Roger Bannister’s average speed – 15 mph (thanks, google).
Thanks, both.
Chambers has tear = “spree” so ON A TEAR seems fine regardless of the US / Irish expressions?
Top ticks for SPEC, BANNISTERS & ARMAGEDDON for being the second-best movie to feature this Aerosmith classic
Cheers J&E
25 across completely baffled me. Not one of Everyman’s finest clues I’d say. Otherwise it was vey enjoyable. Thanks John and Everyman.
As I’ve said before, I consider myself still somewhat of a beginner, but I did get BANNISTERS, and enjoyed the clue. Other favourites would be ASSASSINATE and STRAVINSKY. Living in Ireland, I hear ON A (or “the”) TEAR quite often.
Thanks S&B
Favourites for me: TAX AVOIDANCE, STRAVINSKY, THIN AIR, LONGITUDES.
Looking back, SPEC was tricky, but there was nothing too obscure.
Thanks Everyman and John.
Well I really enjoyed this one, but didn’t get SPEC. BANNISTERS was great. And as a geographer, I got LONGITUDES very early on. Thanks both Everyman and John.
KVa@7 Thank you for the “our” explanation, I did raise an eyebrow at that clue. SPEC defeated me completely.
7d Did anybody else try to find an anagram (sported) of “like a gilet”? (I hadn’t solved 6a when I first tried 7d)
Having taken these up a couple of years ago, I can still identify with the beginner struggles and the disheartening experience that comes from looking at clue after clue with mystified shoulder shrugging.
And after the previous 2-3 weeks of convoluted clueing, I struggled through the top half feeling this was more of the same.
But I began to slot in some answers down the bottom and was very pleasantly surprised when, having worked my way back up, to find I had finished this in one of my fastest times. About 1/4 time of the week before.
Having answers in place makes a big difference for beginners. And if you can’t get even a toehold in there, it’s no fun. The “Primarily” clues often seem to be the only gimme these days. Everyman could benefit the beginners with more hidden words, obvious to spot anagrams or easy definitions. I think he sometimes gets away from those to the extent that I question whether it is even the same setter.
@ 19 Bodycheetah
Just put Aerosmith’s Big Ones album on in the car this past week. As it came out in 1994 there is no “I don’t want to miss a thing” but had forgotten how good Cryin’ and some others of their catalogue are
My first gilet was bought specifically to go OVER THE TOP, that is to ‘over layer’ on top of my cagoule for a lunch break on a very cold hill walk, thus avoiding losing heat on removing the outer layer to don the gilet.
I would be happy for Everyman to drop the primarily clue, or to be inventive, as he occasionally is, in flagging it up. It is always so trivial to solve that the cleverness, and satisfaction, seems to be almost all the compiler’s.
15 minutes, so nice and quick this time. BANNISTERS was my favourite, followed by STRAVINSKY. SPEC was my LOI.
@28 I’m sure we are all devastated you didn’t beat your 10 minute record.
I completed this all apart from SPEC. As a beginner it all worked nicely for me – bash was FOI which meant I got bannisters second one in.
DOUR was last as was looking for my/me/I etc not plural.
Agree with the other beginners above, it helps to have toeholds. Getting rid of the primarily clue would be a shame in my view – it may feel “old hat” to regulars but we all have to start somewhere and I found it really useful in my very early days.
I would like to have seen Roger Bannister do 15 mph for an hour, back in 1954. That said, Kipchoge, for his marathon world record, averaged 13.2 mph, in a period of just over two hours.
Per HG’s remarks, I am another who can identify in bemoaning ‘beginner’s struggles’ with this puzzle. I am aware that opinions such as this have been aired on many a previous occasion, and I apologise accordingly, but it simply remains the case that the Everyman was always a gentle and easy puzzle, written with a quiet elegance, that demonstrated genuine class. And if it is no longer that, then what is it? Since the changes, and of late in particular, it has seemingly become radioactively prohibitive for tyros, and ever the more jagged in style. A terrible loss to the canon.
My first Everyman DNF for ages because of SPEC. My misery enjoyed this company.
ON A TEAR came up in this blog: https://www.fifteensquared.net/2023/07/19/financial-times-17472-by-goliath/ – The !rish use it more frequently as “on the tear”
Jonathon Green’s Dictionary of Slang has citations galore, mostly marked [US],[ Aus], and [Ire].
‘tear n. … 2. (orig. US, also tare) a spree, a jollification; an alcoholic binge.
1977 [Ire] (con. 1930s) S. McAughtry Sinking of the Kenbane Head 28: But of course, with his weakness, the money did him more harm than good in the long run, for it only put him on the tear for days.
… In phrases – go (out) on a/the tear (v.) (also go out on the rip) 1. (orig. US) to go out on a spree or binge.’ — This one’s marked [UK} but should be [Ire]:
‘1927 UK] P. O’Donnell Islanders (1933) 141: It’s because Neil is goin’ that yer Aunt Mary is goin’, for she knows fine he’ll go on the tare. An’ Mary Manus is goin’ to keep Manus off the batter.’ — and this one sounds [US]:
‘1933 [UK] Derby Dly Teleg. 26 May 14/2: He […] went off on ‘a tear that was a lallapaloosa.’ It lasted a couple of days.
2021 [Ire] L. McInerney Rules of Revelation 28: [D]ays spent on the tear trying to drink away all sorts,’
OED knows nothing of this.
I’ve met ON A TEAR somewhere, but it’s certainly not part of my own everyday vocabulary.
Ho hum. Somebody somewhere once used ROISTER as a noun. It wasn’t me or anyone I know.
Kva@7: I just took the “our” in DOUR to be the royal we (in its possessive form). You needn’t be royal to use it: think “give us a kiss”, coming from an annoying older relative to mean “give me a kiss.”
And yes, I’ve only ever heard ON A TEAR here in the US to mean “doing spectacularly well on the field/court/ice”. No liquor involved.
[Bodycheetah, HG @19/26: I Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing may be my least favorite of the big Aerosmith hits–speaking here as a fairly big fan. Give me Back in the Saddle, Dream On, or Sweet Emotion any day; or if you prefer the later stuff, Janie’s Got a Gun, What it Takes, or Cryin’.]
I found this to be a gentle and easy puzzle, written with a quiet elegance, that demonstrated genuine class.
My only quibble, as lady gewgaw noted @11, was with 20a TAX AVOIDANCE.
Favourites included 24a STRAVINSKY (because I love that composer), 26a (a brilliant surface for such a long ‘primarily’), and 13d LONGITUDE (the 10-letter one-word anagram).
First one in was 1a BANNISTER. Our teachers used to use the “4-minute mile = 15 mph” example in our arithmetic classes.
Last in, but not difficult, was 25a SPEC. My stepson is a writer of speculative fiction, who jokes that he often writes it on spec.
Thanks Everyman for the gentle fun, and John for the nice colour-coded blog.
Thanks both. The usual combination of clues with the usual ones that cause discussion. But, remember Everyman always includes a geographical clue in addition to the three types you mentioned.
From comments above it appears one needs a connection to the writing profession for the SPEC definition. As paddymelon@4 alluded to Everyman may have fallen for familiarity bias there. If only he’d clued it as: A house may be built on this feature… (my friend is a builder).
ON A TEAR – Ireland – yes, that makes sense. Must have been in an Irish novel. On the other hand, I did not baulk one bit at TAX AVOIDANCE. It may be legal but it is most certainly morally dodgy, so shirking one’s duty to contribute to one’s society properly does not seem to me at all a wrong description.
True Paul T@37. (On) SPEC. I’m familiar with the term in a range of scenarios, doing something on SPECulation. Dictionary.com: Done on a speculative basis; with no assurance of profit. For example, We didn’t design our house; builder built it on spec. The use of spec as an abbreviation for speculation dates from the late 1700s.
g;adys@33
The rooster is a roistering hoodlum.
His battle cry is cock-a-doodlum.
Hands in pockets, cap over eye,
He whistles at pullets passing by.
Ogden Nash
TasssieTim@38, re avoidance versus evasion:
If I donate 1/3 of my gross income to charities, therefore reducing my taxable income, putting me into a lower tax bracket, and I also avoid paying tax on that portion of my income, is that morally dodgy?
The government allows you to put some of your income into an education trust fund for your children, and you avoid paying tax on that income. Is that morally dodgy?
If by avoiding tax I am reducing the amount of my income that goes to support the military-industrial complex, is that morally dodgy?
I think there is a qualitative difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion, and Everyman got it wrong. However, it didn’t prevent me from solving and enjoying the clue, so my earlier comment @35 was really just a quiblet.
I’ve only just got around to looking at this blog this evening, so probably no-one will see this. But I would like to say that I don’t think Everyman has got it wrong with TAX AVOIDANCE. That term as it is used these days refers not to the use of government allowances and reliefs in the way that they are intended, but rather to reducing one’s tax bill in an artificial way, in particular by the use of schemes designed to exploit perceived loopholes in the law. In the UK such schemes have to be declared under the DOTAS (Disclosure of Tax Avoidance Schemes) legislation, and the tax authorities will usually try to challenge their effectiveness.
(This is of course a bit different from tax evasion which is simply deliberately failing to declare or pay your tax.)
Lady gewgaw @11 I’m not sure that Chambers defining SHIRK as to ‘evade (a duty)’ is a convincing argument that the clue would be better for TAX EVASION than TAX AVOIDANCE… especially, when, one line later, it also has: ‘to avoid work or duty’!
Enjoyed this. Didn’t get Spec. Agree with Monkey on the primary clue, but I’d miss it. It’s a useful starter…
Good fun this morning and definitely at the easier end. Enjoyed Tax Avoidance (and the balanced debate about the morality of it), Armageddon (one of the better primarily surfaces) and Stravinsky (which went in easily with crossers before I parsed it). In NZ ‘spec’ is often used in the building industry, which helped.
Easier than it has been for a long while, but still DNF. Got stopped by “spec”. (I agree with Paul@38).
Could not pars “bannisters” — then kicked myself when I saw John’s explanation.
THIN AIR our favourite today; ASSASSINATES a goodie too. Please don’t drop the Primarily clue, we really like having something in there to kick-start the puzzle. We got SPEC but it was LOI so definitely not obvious nut yes, the term is v common here in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Lovely autumn day here in Tamaki Makaurau Auckland, enjoy!
Some very easy, others not so
Rob
In 80 years I’ve never encountered ON A TEAR.
Got ROISTER – thought it was “setter’s license to take liberties ” Got BANNISTERS from the down words and rails : then grinned when the 15mph dawned on me
Spec went in with a ? On a tear similarly but that was an anagram so had to be right.
I thought Cyan was nicely clued.
Was ‘our’ a Freudian admission that there is more than one setter at work?
Give there is a verb roster, the clue for 18d could have been better and more entertaining.
But really liked the puzzle.
Bannister was good.
On a tear – never heard of it and probably hope I never hear it again.