The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/everyman/4083.
Not a common grid, but it gives Everyman the space for his paired rhyming answers (highlighted in the grid in beige, along with the self reference in blue, the ‘primarily’ clue in green, and the geographical reference in pink).
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | EPIC |
Perhaps selfie after selfie, ultimately overblown (4)
|
| A charade of E (‘selfiE ultimately’) plus PIC (‘perhaps selfie’ – indication by example), with ‘after’ giving the order of the particles. | ||
| 4 | PLUS |
Also one of Disney+’s characters (4)
|
| One of the commoner words in my blogs, and there the character is in ‘Disney+‘. | ||
| 8 | STRIKE UP THE BAND |
Spooner’s to cycle past Royal Courts of Justice? Let’s hear some music (6,2,3,4)
|
| A Spoonerism of BIKE UP THE STRAND (‘cycle past the Royal Courts of Justice’ in London). | ||
| 11 | FLANNEL |
Principally, facecloth (literally); alternatively, nicey nicey eulogising laudation? (7)
|
| The usual ‘principally’ clue to give all comers an easy entry: first letters of ‘Facecloth Literally Alternatively Nicey Nicey Eulogising Laudation’, with, for a little novelty, an &lit made up of two definitions. | ||
| 12 | ÉMIGRÉS |
Result of rogue régimes? (7)
|
| An anagram (‘rogue’, or just possibly ‘result of rogue’ if you want to identify the clue as an &lit rather than as having an extended definition) of ‘régimes’. | ||
| 13 | LATTER-DAY |
Duke wearing beam following frothy coffee: how modern! (6-3)
|
| A charade of LATTE (‘frothy coffee’) plus RDAY, an envelope (‘wearing’) of D (‘duke’) in RAY (‘beam’ of light). | ||
| 14 | DRAWN |
Depicted as haggard (5)
|
| Double definition. | ||
| 15 | STOLE |
Thieved a gown (5)
|
| Another double definition; an academic stole fits the ‘gown’ definition best. | ||
| 16 | MERCURIAL |
Describing silvery metal, irritated Marie Curie twice cut off by lecturer (9)
|
| An anagram (‘irritated’) of ‘Mari[e] Curi[e]’ with both words minus their last letters (‘twice cut off’) plus L (‘lecturer’).
Correction: ‘Marie Cur[ie]’ minus the last two letters. |
||
| 19 | AMATEUR |
Head of Anatomy to regret tartan cap – flipping unprofessional (7)
|
| A charade of A (‘head of Anatomy’) plus MATEUR, a reversal (‘flipping’) of RUE (‘regret’) plus TAM (o’ shanter, ‘tartan cap’ – not necessarily tartan meaning patterned, but it suggests the Scottish connection). | ||
| 21 | MILKSOP |
Namby-pamby takes money from old prince (7)
|
| A charade of MILKS (‘takes money from’) plus O (‘old’) plus P (‘prince’). | ||
| 22 | CLOUD-CUCKOO-LAND |
Loud coo and cluck up here? (5-6-4)
|
| An anagram (‘up’) of loud coo and cluck’ , with an extended definition treating the answer rather literally. | ||
| 23 | BRIE |
Quick – cut French cheese (4)
|
| BRIE[f] (‘quick’) minus the last letter (‘cut’). | ||
| 24 | NOSE |
In hearing, is conscious of sensory organ (4)
|
| Sounds like (‘in hearing’) KNOWS (‘is concious of’). | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 2 | PEKINGESE |
Pink geese, barking dog (9)
|
| An anagram (‘barking’) of ‘pink geese’. An alternative spelling is without the G. | ||
| 3 | COUPLED |
Joined overthrow of government – then governed (7)
|
| A charade of COUP (‘overthrow of government’) plus LED (‘governed’). | ||
| 4 | POTTERY |
Like young wizard’s bowls and plates? (7)
|
| Double definition, the first being a whimsical reference to Harry Potter. | ||
| 5 | UTERI |
Taking slices of charcuterie – we’ve all been there (5)
|
| A hidden answer (‘taking slices of’) in ‘charcUTERIe’, with an allusive definition.. | ||
| 6 | USEFUL |
American-European union welcomed by Florida as advantageous (6)
|
| A charade of US (‘American’) plus E (‘European’) plus FUL, an envelope (‘welcomed by’) of U (‘union’) in FL (‘Florida’). | ||
| 7 | EDISON |
Inventor facing the wrong way: side on (6)
|
| A charade of EDIS, a reversal (‘facing the wrong way’) of ‘side’; plus ‘on’. | ||
| 9 | ROAST POTATO |
Criticise King Edward for one having beef with this? (5,6)
|
| A charade of ROAST (‘criticise’) plus POTATO (‘KIng Edward for one’). | ||
| 10 | ADRIATIC SEA |
Acid satire represented a part of the Med (8,3)
|
| A charade of ADRIATICSE, an anagram (‘re-presented’) of ‘acid satire’; plus ‘a’.. | ||
| 14 | DOUBLOONS |
Old Spanish coins criminally unsold? Boo (9)
|
| An anagram (‘criminally’) of ‘unsold boo’. | ||
| 15 | STARCH |
Formality that’s found in toast (6)
|
| Double definition; toast from wheat bread contain plenty of starch. | ||
| 16 | MARQUEE |
Grammar queen ignored to some extent in exhibition venue (7)
|
| A hidden answer (‘ignored to some extent’) in ‘gramMAR QUEEn’. | ||
| 17 | RAMEKIN |
Mike ran madly to get little baking dish (7)
|
| An anagram (‘madly’) of ‘mike ran’. | ||
| 18 | LIPIDS |
They’re fatty muscular flaps: Everyman had tucked in (6)
|
| An envelope (‘tucked in’) of I’D (‘Everyman had’) in LIPS (‘muscular flaps’). | ||
| 20 | ELDER |
Tree you might turn to for advice (5)
|
| Take it from an ent. Esentially a double definition mashed together – this has been called a sesquidef. |
I’m probably being thick, but if you remove both the of the letter e from Marie Curie, then where does the e in mercurial come from? Good Everyman though and got it all out in the end. Thanks Everyman and PeterO
Greyhound @1 I parsed that as taking off the IE from either Marie or Curie – because MERCURIAL needs one I and one E, not both.
I found this back to Everyman level and straightforward – loved the Spoonerism, and I can’t usually say that.
Thank you to PeterO and Everyman.
Cut off two letters off Curie rather than the e off both.
Ah thanks Shanne and Grantinfreo – that makes sense.
My faves: S U T STRAND, FLANNEL (yes, it’s novel), ÉMIGRÉS (works as an &lit for me) and ELDER (mainly for the explanation in the blog).
Thanks Everyman and PeterO.
More of the traditional level of Everyman. I too loved the spoonerism, I never complain about them, but this was top not h.
Thanks both.
Generally enjoyed it this one.
Favourite clue – 8A: best Spoonerism in ages.
Decided that 15A must be STOLE but really didn’t like it as a clue. Even when referring to an academic stole as suggested here it is still more of a scarf type item of clothing worn around the neck and shoulders. You wear a stole and gown. The stole itself is not a gown.
That aside, good fun.
Thanks Everyman and PeterO
Another good Everyman
Liked: UTERI, ROAST POTATO, DRAWN, EPIC, STARCH and like others loved STRIKE UP THE BAND
Thanks Everyman and PeterO
Slight complaint with Cloud cuckoo land definition.
Please don’t cycle down the strand btw, awful road.
Thanks e and p
UTERI – “we’ve all been there”. Nice 🙂
Everyman has used similar EMIGRES/régimes clues on a couple of previous occasions (see 4,006 and 3,968).
8a. Interestingly there’s a George Gershwin song called STRIKE UP THE BAND from 1927 which was then taken by the Gerry Mulligan quartet in 1956 who turned it into a ‘contrafact’ piece called BIKE UP THE STRAND. You’ll find them both on YouTube.
Good fun, thanks to Everyman and PeterO.
15a STOLE: “1. A long robe.” [Join your local (not just UK) library and get free access to oed.com.]
Favourite: POTTERY.
New for me: STOLE = gown.
Steady, enjoyable solve. I’ll ask again – is it just me or has the Everyman undergone a transformation in the past few weeks? I get the sense that a lot of the sassy flimflam has been banished and we’re getting puzzles reminiscent of the good old days of the Everyman. I no longer find myself asking why I wasted those 10 minutes or so on an ultimately disappointing crossword (which had sadly become the norm most Sunday mornings for longer than I care to remember.)
One of Everyman’s best, I thought. Loved the Spoonerism. Jay@11 Fascinating about Gerry Mulligan. I shall look forward to contrafact appearing in a crossword.
@14 vannucci – I have been avoiding tempting fate to say Everyman has got back on track. This time last year I had given up on it because the clues were looking like incomprehensible nonsense.
Somehow I got back into it over the summer and they’ve gradually morphed back to fun, enjoyable stuff. Certainly since about December they’ve been very accessible.
(That said, today’s 26th has one or two of the incomprehensible and I can’t get my last clue – fate tempted?!?
Echo Petert re yours @11, Jay, great bit of husic mitstory!
Petert@15 and Grantinfreo@17, you’re welcome. I only discovered this fact about the Spoonerism because someone asked the question last weekend as to whether it had ever been used before. I was pleased to find it had.
Should you be interested there is a Wiki page here devoted to jazz contrafacts which lists the original and contrafact composers.
I would never have got “bike up the Strand” had I not already done the rhyming clue. “Oh, the Courts must be on the Strand.” Shrug.
Thanks for the blog, I agree with Vannucci@14 and HG@16 , I think the puzzle has good and bad runs. People bring it to me at work to ask for help or to complain, very few complaints in the last month or so . I wear a STOLE sometimes for formal events.
Very enjoyable, the last few Everyman grids have been a lot more amenable to us learners, near to quiptic in my perception anyway. Thanks Peter O.
…mistory …
Is “up” really a sufficient anagram indicator?
Enjoyed this puzzle. Everyman seems to like playing with ‘special characters’. Some of the definitions are a bit marginal, as others have commented, but I’m ok with them mostly. Loved STRIKE UP THE BAND and UTERI. Please aim for this sort of level, Everyman!
Greyhound @1
I have has a busy day, and have only just now been able to correct the error you point out in 16A MERCURIAL.
First of all thank you Everyman and PeterO. As tricky as I would expect for an Everyman but with a mix of some very and not so satisfying clues. STOLE didn’t really work for me either. The final one to go in was STARCH. I blocked myself off convinced it must be STANCE but couldn’t find the relation to toast. Did anyone else think it was referring to a drink toast? Did anyone else notice that both Saucery and Sorcery fit for 4 down. Saucery is apparently a medieval kitchen. Doesn’t quite work for the definition of plates and bowls? but still funny 😁 my favourite was UTERI.
I had stance, as in let us all be upstanding as the formality to a toast. I think it’s a better answer.
Liked Pottery and agree with all those welcoming in what has to be a different (and better) setter.
Great crossword today- our top picks like everyone else 8ac STRIKE UP THE BAND and 5dn UTERI – a real laugh out loud moment.
Thanks to all involved.
A bit easier than some but good fun.I enjoyed epic, latter day, uterine and cloud cuckoo land.
It was nice not to have any dodgy clues – mercurial was not a real problem.
Completed over eveningtripples.
Lovely view was coupled with a decent puzzle.
Harder than last week – and better.