The puzzle may be found at https://observer.co.uk/puzzles/everyman/article/everyman-no-4131 in the interactive form and at https://cdn.slowdownwiseup.co.uk/media/documents/obs.everyman.20251221.pdf as a pdf.
Everyman has come up with a puzzle with a manifest gastronomic theme: every clue or answer is related, generally both (even 16D BILIOUS: bile assists in the digestion of food in the intestines). However, we are missing some of the usual Everyman signatures, such as the rhyming pair.
Note the formation of the pdf URL from the date; it seems that the pdf appears considerably in advance of the Observer site announcing its release, so you can use this to get a jump on the puzzle if you so wish (and it seems to bypass the paywall problem some people have been experiencing).
| ACROSS | ||
| 7 | GENEVA |
Almond cake consumed in Jarbidge, Nevada (6)
|
| A hidden answer (‘condumed in’) in ‘JarbidGE NEVAda’. Google lists some sites giving Geneva cake as being made with almond flour, but Larousse Gastronomique does not mention it. However, it does give a Genoa cake (not to be confused with Génoise) which is made with almond flour. I wonder if there has been a confusion in naming at some stage. | ||
| 8 | RIESLING |
Vino – cheese (not started) – then cocktail (8)
|
| A charade of [b]RIE (‘cheese’) minus its forst letter (‘not started’) plus (‘then’) SLING (‘cocktail’). | ||
| 9 | TORTILLA |
Everything I left over? An omelette and a cake (8)
|
| A reversal (‘over’) of ALL (‘everything’) plus ‘I’ plus TROT (Trotskyite, ‘left’). Spain comes up in both parts of the definition: a Spanish omelette or Spanish tortilla is an omelette with potatoes and often onion; and the very word is a diminutive of torta, Spanish for cake or tart. | ||
| 10 | ASPICS |
A small image’s showing jellies (6)
|
| A charade of ‘a’ plus S (‘small’) plus PIC’S (‘image’s’). | ||
| 11 | ADVOCAAT |
Champion mostly having swallowed a liqueur (8)
|
| An envelope (‘having swallowed’) of ‘a’ in ADVOCAT[e] (‘champion’, verb) minus its final letter (‘mostly’). | ||
| 12 | TIPPLE |
Before curt excuse, spill drink (6)
|
| A charade of TIP (‘spill’) plus PLE[a] (‘excuse’) minus its last letter (‘curt’). | ||
| 13 | STEWED FRUIT |
Drunk at Conference perhaps suggesting compote (6,5)
|
| A charade of STEWED (‘drunk’) plus FRUIT (‘Conference perhaps’ – Conference being a variety of pear). | ||
| 18 | DIGS IN |
Home, once more begins to eat (4,2)
|
| A charade of DIGS (‘home’) plus IN (‘once more’ – another indication of ‘home’). | ||
| 20 | APPLE PIE |
Yankiness yardstick? (5,3)
|
| Cryptic definition. | ||
| 22 | BICARB |
Baking powder composed of bismuth, calcium and rubidium (6)
|
| Chemical symbols throughout: a charade of BI (‘bismuth’) plus CA (‘calcium’) plus RB (‘rubidium’). Baking powder is bicarbonate of soda mixed with an acidic compound, with maybe something such as cornflour to inhibit premature release of carbon dioxide. Bicarbonate of soda by itself does the same leavening job when mixed with an acidic batter or dough, and is known as baking soda; Everyman might well have used that as a better definition. | ||
| 23 | LICORICE |
Sweet bits of lardons in coulis on arborio, perhaps (8)
|
| A charade of LICO, first letters (‘bits’) of ‘Lardons In Coulis On’ plus RICE (‘arborio perhaps’). | ||
| 24 | TURMERIC |
New recruit, Miles, gets curry powder (8)
|
| An anagram (‘new’) of ‘recruit’ plus M (‘miles’). Turmeric is a colouring and flavouring agent which is a likely ingredient in curry powder; as with 22A BICARB, the ingredient is defined as the mixture, which is not very accurate. | ||
| 25 | NIACIN |
Necessity in alimentation; compound; indispensable nutrient, primarily! (6)
|
| First letters (‘primarily’) of ‘Necessity In Alimentation Compound Indespensable Nutrient’, fotr vitamin B3, with an &lit definition. | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | SECONDS |
Supports – ticks (7)
|
| Double definition. | ||
| 2 | BEETROOT |
Red insect with horn’s noise entertaining King (8)
|
| An envelope (‘entertaining’) of R (Rex, ‘king’) in BEE (‘insect’) plus TOOT (‘horn’s noise’). | ||
| 3 | PAELLA |
Lapel splotched with a saffrony mixture (6)
|
| An anagram (‘splotched’) of ‘lapel’ plus ‘a’. | ||
| 4 | DECANTER |
A little prude can’t eradicate provider of vino (8)
|
| A hidden answer (‘a little’) in ‘pruDE CANT ERadicate’; it provides you with vino if you have put vino in it. | ||
| 5 | SLAP-UP |
‘Lavish’ starter for lunch covered in young insects sent back (4-2)
|
| An envelope (‘covered in’) of L (‘starter for Lunch’) in SAPUP, a reversal (‘sent back’) of PUPAS (‘young insects’; a plural alternative to pupae). | ||
| 6 | KNUCKLE |
Rotten luck, Ken: a horrible kind of ‘sandwich’ (7)
|
| An anagram (‘rotten’) of ‘luck Ken’. | ||
| 8 | ROASTED GARLIC |
Pungent ingredient presenting unfortunate gastric ordeal (7,6)
|
| An anagram (‘unfortunate’) of ‘gastric ordeal’. Roasting garlic tones it down considerably, so no extended definition. | ||
| 14 | WINE BARS |
Catch intro to elegant music where one may drink elegantly (4,4)
|
| A charade of WIN (‘catch’) plus E (‘intro to Elegant’) plus BARS (‘music’). | ||
| 15 | ICE CREAM |
Dessert: the writer emits shrill laugh audibly (3,5)
|
| Sounds something like (‘audibly’) I SCREAM (‘the writer emits shrill laugh’). | ||
| 16 | BILIOUS |
Every so often, Linus boils angrily – being this? (7)
|
| An anagram (‘angrily’) of IU (‘every so often lInUs’) plus ‘boils’, with an extended definition. | ||
| 17 | BISCUIT |
‘Unfinished, Cubistic’ – confused, perhaps – snap! (7)
|
| An anagram (‘confused’) of ‘cubisti[c]’ minus its last letter (‘unfinished’). | ||
| 19 | SPAMMY |
Plans sent back: Everyman’s persistently irritating online (6)
|
| A charade of SPAM, a reversal (‘sent back’) of MAPS (‘plans’); plus MY (‘Everyman’s’). | ||
| 21 | PECANS |
Gutted: canapés – mixed nuts (6)
|
| An anagram (‘mixe’) of ‘can[a]pes’ minus its central letter (‘gutted’ – which more often indicates the removal of all but the first and last letters). |
The “food and drink” themed special has become something of an end of year tradition for Everyman. Worth noting last year’s 4,079, and before that 4,027, 3,975 and 3,871.
Enjoyed the puzzle, many thanks to Everyman and PeterO and best wishes to all Everyman contributors!
The “food and drink” themed special has become something of an end of year tradition for Everyman. Worth noting last year’s 4,079, and each year before that 4,027, 3,975 and 3,871, all of which are food and drink themed.
Enjoyed the puzzle, thanks to Everyman and PeterO.
Thank you Everyman and Peter O. I finished it but I was unsure whether I had got ‘stewed fruit’, ‘apple pie’, and ‘wine bars’ right. Peter O has helped with ‘wine bars’. Perhaps the theme resulted in some looser cluing than normal.
I did wonder about GENEVA, so I agree that there seems to be a misapprehension about it.
I wondered whether GENEVA really was a cake, but since Dundee, Eccles and Chorley are other examples, well, it had to be, didn’t it?
Cheers all.
I quite enjoyed that one. Nicely free of obscurities that often crop up in themed puzzles.
Thanks PeterO and Everyman.
I’ve just checked and there’s no mention of geneva cake in Mary Berry’s Ultimate Cake Book so it can’t possibly exist. I enjoyed the crossword, though.
Big Maz, 7:
Love it.
[There’s no mention of any downside to leaving the European Union in the Daily Express either, so there can’t possibly be any, eh?]
Cheers!
Thanks both. It is worth remembering that Everyman always has a “connected” pair, which are often rhyming. The pair here are ROASTED GARLIC and STEWED FRUIT. The pair today do not rhyme either – there is no spoiler in that comment.
Happy New Year to all from the start of the day.
Had “records” rather than “seconds” for 2D.
Also Spamme rather than Spammy.
Toby
A wonderful puzzle which I would have missed but for the suggestions here to get under the paywall. As it stands I cannot access the puzzle on my laptop or tablet but I can by my phone which is not ideal but better than not. The season’s greetings to you all.
I see that there are mentions above of how to access the puzzle without going through the paywall. Can anyone elaborate? I cannot view this week’s puzzle but could previously .
Argh, the paywall has finally caught up with me too!
Thanks to Everyman and Peter O for this week’s offering and blog.
Beetroot and Stewed fruit sort of rhyme.
We preferred MINIMUM to BILIOUS in 16d, as Linus is small and often ‘mum’…
Looked impenetrable on first sweep but slowly and satisfactorily yielded. Some of the culinary definitions were a bit loose, but enjoyably different.
I AGREE with Barrie. Lots of first guesses were wrong.
I liked STEWED FRUIT, LICORICE, RIESLING.
It took me a while to decide between tipple and topple.
Really enjoyed this one – love the theme! ICE CREAM; ADVOCAAT; RIESLING among our favourites. Thanks all!