Puzzle published on 8 February – pdf available here
There was plenty of fun to be had in this outing, which includes most if not all of the Everyman trademarks, as indicated in the grid. I smiled at the idea of extreme nudism being the NORM, and LIQUID LUNCH brought back some very distant memories, as did the mention of Claude LÉVI-STRAUSS. The unwise vice-consul provided a very neat anagram, and the cockney tramp in the reeds made me think of Magwitch in Great Expectations. Thanks to Everyman.
Moh’s downright egregious cruciverbial hardness rating: Gypsum
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | CLUB |
Nightspot strike (4)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 3 | PRECOCIOUS |
Affected to welcome company that’s smart, irritatingly so (10)
|
| Envelope (to welcome) of PRECIOUS (affected) around CO (company) | ||
| 9 | NORM |
How to describe ‘nudism’ in the extreme? It’s accepted behaviour (4)
|
| An outer letter of ‘nudism’ (nudism in the extreme) might be described as N OR M | ||
| 10 | AFTER A SORT |
Like some laundry ready to put away? Ish (5,1,4)
|
| I guess laundry is only ready to be put away after it’s been sorted. At least, that’s what Mrs Moh orders me to do | ||
| 12 | LIQUID LUNCH |
£51: midday meal that includes booze (6,5)
|
| Charade of LI (51 in Roman numerals) + QUID (£) + LUNCH (midday meal). At first it seemed to me that ‘meal’ was doing double duty here as both wordplay and as part of the definition, but since a liquid lunch includes only booze – at least, that’s how I remember them – I think it’s OK, even if ‘includes’ seems a slightly odd choice of verb. | ||
| 15 | STIPEND |
A little bookie’s tip endangered a little bit of money (7)
|
| Hidden (a little) in bookieS TIP ENDangered | ||
| 16 | ENNOBLE |
Dignify the Spanish worthy across the Pyrénées heading west (7)
|
| Reversal (heading west, in an across clue) of EL (the Spanish) + BONNE (French – so ‘across the Pyrenees’ – for good, rather than worthy, but perhaps someone could suggest a phrase in which the words might be synonymous? Ah, ça c’est une bonne question, peut-être!) | ||
| 17 | VIETNAM |
Drive around volcano somewhere in Indochina (7)
|
| VIM (drive) around ETNA (volcano) | ||
| 19 | AMBIENT |
Reformed inmate welcoming drop of bonhomie – it’s all around (7)
|
| Anagram (reformed) of INMATE around (welcoming) B (first letter – drop – of b[onhomie]) | ||
| 20 | LEVI-STRAUSS |
England cricket captain no more after charge announced, he wrote (4-7)
|
| Andrew STRAUSS (former England cricket captain) after soundalike (announced) of ‘levy’. Claude Lévi-Strauss was a hugely influential French writer and thinker, one of the key figures in stucturalism. Not to be confused with the inventor of riveted blue jeans | ||
| 23 | TURNAROUND |
Unexpected event: performer getting drinks for everyone (10)
|
| Charade of TURN (performer) + A ROUND (drinks for everyone) | ||
| 24 | NOVA |
On reflection, Bard’s river is one full of light (4)
|
| Reversal (on reflection) of AVON (the river that runs through Shakespeare’s hometown) | ||
| 25 | HUMANITIES |
Geography / history unit: shame I failed? (10)
|
| Anagram (failed) of UNIT SHAME I | ||
| 26 | I SEE |
Everyman – scenes – regularly falling out – that’s understood (1,3)
|
| I (Everyman) + S[c]E[n]E[s] | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | CONCLUSIVE |
Vice-consul unwisely decisive (10)
|
| Anagram (unwisely) of VICE CONSUL | ||
| 2 | UNREQUITED |
Merrily reunited, embracing queen that’s snubbed (10)
|
| Anagram (merrily) of REUNITED around (embracing) QU (queen) | ||
| 4 | RUFFLED |
Disturbed, with hair on end, ran away (7)
|
| Reversal (on end, in a down clue) of FUR + FLED | ||
| 5 | CLEANSE |
Having entered church, tends to purify (7)
|
| Envelope (having entered) of CE (Church of England) around LEANS (tends) | ||
| 6 | CRASH AND BURN |
King, seeing that, to pass waterway in fold (5,3,4)
|
| CR (Charles Rex) + AS (since, seeing that) + HAND (pass) + BURN (a small river or watercourse) | ||
| 7 | OBOE |
Cockney tramp that’s found among the reeds (4)
|
| ‘Hobo’ pronounced in a Cockney accent, def referring to musical instruments that use reeds | ||
| 8 | SATS |
Posed first of stiff challenges for schoolchildren (4)
|
| SAT (posed, as in sat for an artist) + S[tiff], definition referring to the Standard Assessment Tests for primary school pupils in England (but no longer elsewhere in the UK) mandated under the National Curriculum | ||
| 11 | LIVE AND LEARN |
Vandal all but leering unpleasantly: let’s move on (4,3,5)
|
| Anagram (unpleasantly) of VANDAL LEERIN[g] | ||
| 13 | OBSEQUIOUS |
Bisque’s prepared with coconut, regularly aiming to please (10)
|
| Anagram (prepared) of BISQUES plus alternate letters (regularly) of cOcOnUt | ||
| 14 | DEATH STARE |
A setter had to dance: it’s not a good look (5,5)
|
| Anagram (to dance) of A SETTER HAD | ||
| 18 | MOVE OUT |
Emotionally affect topless hooligan in retreat (4,3)
|
| MOVE (emotionally affect) + [L]OUT (topless hooligan) | ||
| 19 | ABSENCE |
Lack awareness of stomach muscles, did you say? (7)
|
| Homophone (did you say?) of ‘abs sense’ | ||
| 21 | ETCH |
Leaving France, get to make lasting impression (4)
|
| [f]ETCH (get, without F, ‘leaving France’) | ||
| 22 | PRIM |
Primarily punctilious, reserved in manner? (4)
|
| First letters of P[unctilious] R[eserved]] I[n] M[anner] |