Everyman, ‘the crossword world’s entry point since 1945’,
as the introductory blurb has it. This iteration pretty much does what it says in the blurb, fulfilling the brief with a very solver-friendly grid and all the familiar clue-types in their proper place. There were some rather nifty anagrams, particularly 12d, and I enjoyed the trip across the Channel for the primarily clue. The reference to Clive Sinclair in 19ac was a nostalgic pleasure. And there were also some very pleasing surfaces – the image of James Graham throwing a strop over an unlikely catering mix-up raised a laugh, as did the partially shaven otter. Thanks to Everyman.
Moh’s patent unscientific hardness scale rating: Talc
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | GAGS |
Jokes … silences (4)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 3 | INTERJECTS |
Suddenly exclaims: ‘cistern jet’s malfunctioning’ (10)
|
| Anagram (‘malfunctioning’) of CISTERN JET | ||
| 9 | TOOL |
Implement the return of stolen goods (4)
|
| Reversal (‘return of’) of LOOT | ||
| 10 | AMUSEMENTS |
What’ll make you laugh? Met Gala: ultimately, US menswear not half wacky (10)
|
| Anagram (‘wacky’) of MET A (‘galA ultimately’) US MENS (‘menswear not half’) | ||
| 11 | MANSION HOUSE |
Fellow’s playing dance music; one’s welcomed in mayoral residence (7,5)
|
| MANS (fellow’s) + ON (‘playing) + HOUSE (‘dance music’) around I (‘one’s welcomed in’) for the official residence of the Lord Mayor of London (not to be confused with the Mayor of London, an entirely separate office) | ||
| 15 | VICOMTE |
Very important chap – ou, monsieur très éminent, primarily! (7)
|
| The primarily clue-as-definition | ||
| 16 | FOREIGN |
Backing of rule of monarch from another land (7)
|
| Reversal of OF + REIGN | ||
| 17 | ON EARTH |
Here, so near the drinks (2,5)
|
| Hidden in (‘drinks’) sO NEAR THe | ||
| 19 | VEHICLE |
Clive, he reinvented scooter? (7)
|
| Anagram (‘reinvented’) of CLIVE HE. The wordplay presumably refers to the British inventor and entrepreneur Clive Sinclair, whose battery-powered recumbent tricycle, the C5, launched in the mid 1980s was a commercial disaster, but now looks to have been far ahead of its time | ||
| 20 | HARVEST MOUSE |
Rose must have ‘dealt with’ rodent (7,5)
|
| Anagram (‘dealt with’) of ROSE MUST HAVE | ||
| 23 | ARABIAN SEA |
Asian bear swimming around a body of water (7,3)
|
| Anagram (‘swimming’) of ASIAN BEAR around A | ||
| 24 | STYE |
So, thyme regularly found to be ocular irritant (4)
|
| Alternate letters (‘regularly’) of So ThYmE | ||
| 25 | PRESENT DAY |
Now, Christmas, for example … (7,3)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 26 | EDIT |
Make alterations to the battered safari suit at last (4)
|
| Final letters (‘at last’) of thE battereD safarI suiT | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | GET A MOVE ON |
To age, getting to grips with a change of home: speed it up! (3,1,4,2)
|
| GET ON (‘To age’) around (‘getting to grips with’) A MOVE (‘a change of home’) | ||
| 2 | GROUND CREW |
Crushed – then rejoiced, seeing airport staff (6,4)
|
| GROUND (‘crushed’) + CREW (slightly archaic past tense of ‘crow’ or rejoice) | ||
| 4 | NOMINEE |
One tipped for award? No, Everyman’s, in the end, average (7)
|
| Charade of NO + MINE + E (last letter of averagE) | ||
| 5 | EASE OFF |
Relax in East End as that bloke’s leaving (4,3)
|
| Sounds like ‘he’s off’ in an East End accent | ||
| 6 | JAMES GRAHAM |
English playwright, anticipating ham, getting jam, rages madly (5,6)
|
| Anagram (‘madly’) of JAM RAGES before (‘anticipating’) HAM. Among other things, James Graham is the author of Dear England, which I was lucky to get to see when it played in the West End last year. [Edit: As KVa points out – thank you – it’s more properly a charade of JAM (from the surface) + an anagram of RAGES + HAM] | ||
| 7 | CANT |
Is unable to tilt to one side (4)
|
| Double definition (ignoring the absence of an apostrophe for the first) | ||
| 8 | SO-SO |
Help! Operetta’s overture neither good nor bad (2-2)
|
| SOS + O (start of Operetta) | ||
| 12 | IMMORTALISE |
Memorialist worked to ___ (11)
|
| Anagram (‘worked’) of MEMORIALIST | ||
| 13 | DISCOUNTED |
Cut-price, pooh-poohed (10)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 14 | ANTECEDENT |
Forebear enacted ten plays (10)
|
| Anagram (‘plays’) of ENACTED TEN | ||
| 18 | HAVE-NOT |
Partially shaven otter, poor wretch (4-3)
|
| Hidden (‘partially’) in sHAVEN OTter | ||
| 19 | VISCERA |
Scar I’ve ruptured – showing these? (7)
|
| Anagram (‘ruptured’) of SCAR IVE | ||
| 21 | CARP |
Fish complain (4)
|
| Double definition. I feel we’ve been fed quite a lot of carp, grouse and beef by various setters lately | ||
| 22 | PARE |
Peel fruit on the radio (4)
|
| Soundalike (‘on the radio’) of ‘pear’ |
Thanks MOH for your informative and friendly blog. I found this pretty straightforward except for AMUSEMENTS which appeared from def and crossers, so thank you for the wordplay. I have no idea what Everyman finds amusing. I don’t get the picture or the story in that surface. Maybe I’ve led a sheltered life in some respect? On the other hand, GET A MOVE ON resonated with me.
At least Everyman’s not going to get into trouble today for his geographical or geopolitical placements. No-one can argue that ARABIAN SEA isn’t a body of water, somewhere in the world, and we know that Asian bear is a red herring.
The self-referential clue for NOMINEE showed Everyman’s typical self-effacing humour which I liked.
The 11 letter anagram IMMORTALISE was a good find. My pick for today is CANT.
Liked HARVEST MOUSE, GROUND CREW, EASE OFF, NOMINEE (agree with paddymelon@1) and the innovative IMMORTALISE.
PRESENT DAY: We’ve seen the trick before.
IMMORTALISE
Call it a CAD? A fresh trick, I think.
JAMES GRAHAM
(a minor point)
JAM + RAGES* before HAM
Thanks Everyman and moh.
Agree KVa@2, IMMORTALISE/MEMORIALIST worked has to be a CAD.
Not sure I understand your point about JAMES GRAHAM. Isn’t that what MOH said?
So probably about ten years ago, I was having this discussion about apostrophes here, this being one of the very few places on the Internet where people get into discussions about apostrophes. I asked, a propos of the discussion, what people thought of a double definition clue where one but not both definitions needed an apostrophe–kosher, or not? The example I came up with was “Is unable to tilt (4).” Ten years later, I’m thrilled to see that a professional setter agrees with me that it’s indeed kosher!
To be clear, I’m not claiming credit in any way; I’ve just been waiting for the clue to show up all this time–it seems obvious–for validation purposes.
paddymelon@3
JAMES GRAHAM
I was saying that JAM should be outside the anagram fodder.
KVa@6, I usually bow to your exemplary wordplay sleuthing, and I might be sticking my neck out here, but isn’t it anagram of JAM RAGES then HAM? I’m trying to see what you’re seeing.
Strictly speaking I think KVa is right – it’s JAM from the surface, then an anagram of RAGES, then HAM. Of course it doesn’t make any difference to the answer, and I suppose one could argue that, even with those first three letters in the same place, it’s still an anagram of JAM RAGES. But personally I prefer KVa’s take – blog amended accordingly.
Paddymelon @1, I guess 10ac is alluding to the fact that at the annual Met Gala in NYC attendees seemingly try to outdo each other in the lavishness of their costumes. Which perhaps might amuse Everyman?
Just gotta say MOH and KVa. This is way above and beyond for an Everyman..
😊
Thanks for the blog MOH. I hadn’t been able to parse ground crew. Didn’t think of crew as crowed. I liked IMMORTALISE, I normally find those kind of clues with a gap really difficult to understand, but I must be improving!
This weeks everyman does not appear to be available, the last PDF is last weeks.
Tony@13 the url has changed
https://observer.co.uk/puzzles/everyman/article/everyman-no-4107
@14 Davey thanks a lot
Thanks MOH for the blog. This was the quickest I have finished the Everyman, so I think probably on the easy end of the spectrum, or maybe I was just lucky. Some nice clues as always. IMMORTALISE and SOSO were great I thought.
Either I’m finally getting the hang of cryptics, or this was amazingly easy, but I sailed through 4106 with the greatest of ease!
Thanks to all.
I agree, Rod. Possibly the easiest Everyman we’ve had in years. Nothing held me up for more than a minute or so. I hadn’t heard of James Graham, but I couldn’t have been anything else.
Nice crossword. Smiled at Present Day even though I must have seen it before.
Minor quibbles around the number of anagrams, and why is House dance music?
We thoroughly enjoyed this weekend’s Everyman. IMMORTALISE & MANSION HOUSE our top picks.
@barrie House is a form of music esp from late 80s – 90s onwards, v popular at raves & festivals.
For the first time ever, I found the rhyming pair to be helpful.
Unlike others, I did not find this puzzle to be particularly easy, though I did get it all out.
Thanks to Everyman and MOH.
Pretty straightforward. Never heard of James Graham but enough there to work it out. Mansion House could be tough if you haven’t live in London.
Crozzies can be difficult if you stopped listening to popular music in 1973.
Too easy.
Liked the house for dance music.
Yep – that was straightforward but enjoyable nonetheless