The puzzle may be found at https://observer.co.uk/puzzles/everyman/article/everyman-no-4123 in interactive form, or https://cdn.slowdownwiseup.co.uk/media/documents/obs.everyman.20251026.pdf as a PDF.
All present and correct, with some neat if straightforward constructions.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | BEAR HUGS |
Embraces giving you headlice, according to Spooner (4,4)
|
| HAIR BUGS (‘headlice’).. | ||
| 5 | WARBLE |
Sing happily as blue uniform’s ditched following combat (6)
|
| A charade of WAR (‘combat’) plus ‘bl[u]e minus the U (‘uniform’s ditched’). | ||
| 9 | AGNUS DEI |
Prayer that’s sung, unfortunately – bad idea all round (5,3)
|
| An envelope (‘all round’) of GNUS, an anagram (‘unfortunately’) of ‘sung’ in ADEI, an anagram (‘bad’) of ‘idea’. | ||
| 10 | BIGOTS |
Reactionaries: large (outsize); internally tense (6)
|
| A charade of BIG (‘large’) plus OTS, an envelope, no less, (‘internally’) of T (‘tense’) in OS (‘outsize’). | ||
| 12 | YANKEE-DOODLE |
Fancifully, one’s drawn scribble portraying American icon (6-6)
|
| A charade of YANKEE, a whimsical formation (‘fancifully’) for a person yanked (‘one’s drawn’); plus DOODLE (‘scribble’). | ||
| 15 | CURLY FRIES |
Questionable furry slice as may be served with burger (5,5)
|
| An anagram (‘quesrionable’) of ‘furry slice’. | ||
| 17 | BALL |
Dance and sob audibly (4)
|
| Sounds like (‘audibly’) BAWL (‘sob’). | ||
| 19 | ARCH |
Knowing what may mark a triumph (4)
|
| Double definition. | ||
| 20 | SCRAP METAL |
Recalled former MP (Bow) beginning to sing Any Old Iron (5,5)
|
| A reversal (‘recalled’) of LATE (‘former’) plus ‘MP’ plus ARC (‘bow’) plus S (‘beginning to Sing’).. | ||
| 21 | FRENCH POODLE |
Preposterously: Force getting no help with dog, principally a dainty one (6,6)
|
| An anagram (‘preposterously’) of ‘force’ plus ‘no help’ plus D (‘Dog principally’), with ‘one’ referring back to ‘dog’. | ||
| 26 | OUTFIT |
Firm clothing (6)
|
| Double definition, the first being a term for a business. | ||
| 27 | HIJACKER |
Greeting sailor with hesitant expression: perhaps a pirate? (8)
|
| A charade of HI (‘greeting’) plus JACK (‘sailor’) plus ER (‘hesitant expression’). | ||
| 28 | TIDIER |
In better order, more like 13? (6)
|
| A whimsical coinage, with 13D OCEAN FRONT being subject to tides. | ||
| 29 | ONE-SIDED |
Being pretentious, Everyman’s identified as unbalanced (3-5)
|
| A charade of ONE’S (‘being pretentious, Everyman’s) plus ID’ED (‘identified’). | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | BEAU |
Boy essaying amorous undertakings, primarily? (4)
|
| First letters (‘primarily’) of ‘Boy Essaying Amorous Undertakings’, &lit. | ||
| 2 | ACNE |
What teenagers are loth be seen spotted in? (4)
|
| Cryptic definition. | ||
| 3 | HUSH-A-BYE |
Yeah! Bush composed lullaby (4-1-3)
|
| An anagram (‘composed’) of ‘yeah bush’. | ||
| 4 | GREEK |
Like some salad? I’m angry – not quite; I’m alarmed (5)
|
| A charade of GR[r] (‘I’m angry’) minus its last letter (‘not quite’) plus EEK! (‘I’m alarmed’). | ||
| 6 | AMIGO |
Lammy is goof at regular intervals, pal (5)
|
| Alternate letters (‘at regular intervals’) of ‘lAmMy Is GoOf’ | ||
| 7 | BROADCASTS |
Fat collections of actors in TV shows (10)
|
| A charade of BROAD (‘fat’) plus CASTS (‘collections of actors’). | ||
| 8 | EASTER LILY |
Bloomer as 51 overwhelmed by wind (6,4)
|
| An envelope (‘overwhelmed by’) of LI (Roman numeral, ’51’) in EASTERLY (‘wind’). | ||
| 11 | GENEVA |
Info on electric vehicle’s acceleration in European city (6)
|
| A charade of GEN (‘info’) plus EV (‘electrical vehicle’) plus A (‘acceleration’). | ||
| 13 | OCEAN-FRONT |
None factor in disarray where waves break onto the shore (5-5)
|
| An anagram (‘in disarray’) of ‘none factor’. To me, the hyphen suggests an adjective, whereas the definition is nounal. | ||
| 14 | PROCREATED |
Started a family, as seen in ghastly tape-record (10)
|
| An anagram (‘ghastly’) of ‘tape-record’. | ||
| 16 | RECIPE |
Orders for chef that is leaving flipping épicerie (6)
|
| A reversal (‘flipping’) of ‘epicer[ie]’ minus I.E. (‘that is’). | ||
| 18 | SMALL ADS |
Newspaper feature showing a duke enthralled by underwear (5,3)
|
| An envelope (‘enthralled by’) of ‘a’ plus D (‘duke’) in SMALLS (‘underwear’). | ||
| 22 | CHIME |
Measure of Archimedes: ring a bell? (5)
|
| A hidden answer (‘measure of’) in ‘ArCHIMEdes’. | ||
| 23 | ORION |
Looking up: black ring that shines in the sky (5)
|
| A reversal (‘looking up’ in a down light) of NOIR (‘black’) plus O (‘ring’). | ||
| 24 | SKID |
Small child to lose grip (4)
|
| A charade of S (‘small’) plus KID (‘child’). | ||
| 25 | BRAD |
Pitt the Elder’s last character to be overcome by evil? (4)
|
| An envelope (‘to be overcome by’) of R (‘the eldeR‘s last character’) in BAD (‘evil’). |
Thanks PeterO. My experience was mixed, and not always ”straightforward”, perhaps because I was overthinking some and underthinking others, and missing some GK. Never heard of CURLY FRIES.
I initially tripped up on the wordplay for ORION, not looking for the French noir, although I’m sure it’s been sufficiently assimilated into English for it not to be indicated as French. ORION is very visible in our night sky.
Funny now, in hindsight. My first stab at the clue for ARCH, was ”nous”, as a noun. Knowing what may mark a triumph. NO US!
I did know the old song Any Old Iron and watched Steptoe and Son in my younger days, so SCRAP METAL was okay. As it turns out I didn’t need to know lammy in AMIGO.
CHIME, BRAD and WARBLE were clever.