Another bit of Sunday fun from Everyman
With all our favourite Everyman trademarks present and correct. Except that that isn’t quite true. Having not seen the usual geographic reference in recent puzzles – Everyman is, after all, a very well-travelled chap and perhaps feels he’s been everywhere he needs to go – I’ve started to look out for something different. It started a few weeks ago with the appearance of Rafael Nadal, followed the week after by Andre Agassi. And now we have STEFFI GRAF (who, as it happens, is married to Mr Agassi). I may very well be wrong about this, but I have nevertheless tentatively highlighted that clue in the grid. We shall have to wait to see whether this mini-trend continues in coming weeks. [Edit: having glanced quickly at today’s puzzle, I see no sign of any tennis players. Ah well, perhaps they will return…]
My favourites this time out are the aforementioned tennis star, the neat anagram/CAD for RATIONALISE, MAESTRO for introducing me to a new word, and, top pick for me, the rather brilliant HILLARY. Thanks to Everyman.
Moh’s unarguably inexact cruciverbal hardness scale rating: Gypsum
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | AS PER USUAL |
Predictably, sadly, start to unclasp purse, alas! (2,3,5)
|
| Anagram (sadly) of U (start to Unclasp) PURSE ALAS | ||
| 6 | USER |
Computer owner regularly getting bum steer (4)
|
| Alternate letters (regularly getting) of bUm StEeR | ||
| 9 | HAMSTRINGS |
Bad actors smothering series – but to pull them would be painful (10)
|
| HAMS around (smothering) STRING (series) | ||
| 10 | TEAM |
Eleven, maybe, in swarm that’s heard (4)
|
| Soundalike (that’s heard) of ‘teem’ for swarm | ||
| 11 | GOOD CLEAN FUN |
Canoodle, most of fungi spreading – hardly this! (4,5,3)
|
| Anagram (spreading) of CANOODLE FUNG[i] | ||
| 15 | HILLARY |
Adventurer going to extremes with many heights surrounding? (7)
|
| AR (first and last letters – going to extremes – of AdventureR) inside (with… surrounding) HILLY (many heights), &lit definition of Sir Edmund Hillary, one of the two people who were first to reach the summit of Everest in 1953 | ||
| 16 | CHARGER |
It’ll bring your phone back to life – or is that bull? (7)
|
| Double definition of a sort, the second being a slightly whimsical play on bull as short for BS as well as an animal that might charge at you | ||
| 17 | TOURISM |
The writer visiting French city with Frenchman – doing this? (7)
|
| I (the writer) inside (visiting) TOURS (French city) + M (monsieur, Frenchman) | ||
| 19 | AT HEART |
Basically a menace when a little rascal scoots over (2,5)
|
| A THREAT with the R (first letter – a little – of rascal) moving to the right | ||
| 20 | BAD RECEPTION |
It has insufficient bars – or no bar at all (3,9)
|
| Double def, the first playing on the signal bars on a mobile phone, the second on, say, a wedding reception that has no bar | ||
| 23 | ERRS |
Everyman’s introduction, meeting bishop, first of several blunders (4)
|
| E (Everyman’s introduction) + RR (Right Reverend, honorific conferred on bishops in the Anglican and Catholic churches) + S (first of Several) | ||
| 24 | STURDINESS |
Stud rinses off showing lusty quality (10)
|
| Anagram (off) of STUD RINSES | ||
| 25 | DADA |
Duchamp’s / Arp’s derisive avant-gardism, primarily? (4)
|
| First letters of the first four words of the clue, Marcel Duchamp and Jean Arp both being prominent figures in the Dadaist movement | ||
| 26 | CONDIMENTS |
After split second, mint for mint sauce, etc (10)
|
| Anagram (after split) of SECOND MINT | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | ACHE |
A revolutionary’s a persistent pain (4)
|
| A + CHE (Guevara) | ||
| 2 | PUMA |
Quiz mostly a beast (4)
|
| PUM[p] (quiz mostly) + A | ||
| 3 | RATIONALISE |
How to make realisation? (11)
|
| Anagram (to make) of REALISATION with the clue as definition | ||
| 4 | SPIN-DRY |
Activate a kind of cycle and long to swap hands (4-3)
|
| SPIND[L]Y (long) with the L (left) replaced by R (right) (to swap hands) | ||
| 5 | ANGELIC |
Orange licorice, somewhat divine (7)
|
| Hidden (somewhat) in orANGE LICorice | ||
| 7 | STEFFI GRAF |
She regularly attended court having broken giraffe’s foot (6,4)
|
| Anagram (having broken) of GIRAFFES FT for the German former tennis player | ||
| 8 | REMUNERATE |
Pay rock band in Paris, one wanting speed (10)
|
| Charade of REM (the band) + UNE (in Paris, one) + RATE | ||
| 12 | ANACHRONISM |
Bad timing? (11)
|
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 13 | WHITE BREAD |
Chess player getting money – that might be a bloomer (5,5)
|
| WHITE (as opposed to black in chess, so chess player) + BREAD (money) | ||
| 14 | FLOUNDERED |
Stumbled when given flatfish that’s one-third cooked (10)
|
| FLOUNDER (flatfish) + [cook]ED (one-third cooked) | ||
| 18 | MAESTRO |
Top musician, cellist, smeared roset (7)
|
| MA (Yo-Yo Ma, cellist) + anagram (smeared) of ROSET. Wiki tells me that ‘roset’ is another word for the rosin that string players rub on their bows | ||
| 19 | ALTERED |
Modified wonky treadle (7)
|
| Anagram (wonky) of TREADLE | ||
| 21 | VEIN |
Blood vessel‘s useless, you said? (4)
|
| Soundalike (you said?) of ‘vain’ | ||
| 22 | ASKS |
Requests jobs that will take no time (4)
|
| [t]ASKS (tasks without the T) |
I see The Observer paywall is up again this week for Everyman 4147 after a few Sundays’ respite. I’ve tried to update the slowdownwiseup url but that’s not working, either. Can anyone help wiith a link, please, or do I finally have to call it a day with the Everyman after soooo many years?
I won’t be tackling the Everyman anymore – I can’t justify the expense of the subscription just for a crossword. I will miss it, though, it was an enjoyable part of my Sunday routine.
You can access the puzzle for free through PressReader. You need to log in to that app using credentials supplied by your local lending library. The Everyman crossword is in the New Review. I capture the image of the crossword and then print it out.
Seems to be working again today. I’ve only registered (not subscribed) and both Everyman and Gemelo are available 😀
Last one in was BAD RECEPTION, which I thought rather good when I finally got it.
vannucci, 1:
I think that we’re only allowed so many free visits. I delete the O’s cookies from time to time, (which I guess record visits) and was able to print off today’s without charge. Hope this might assist.
Cheers all.
ARhymerOinks #2 – my sentiments entirely. A sad loss after 50 years, but all good things must come to an end……:(
For those struggling to access this week’s puzzle… https://tinyurl.com/Everyman4147
Found this super hard this week -couldn’t get in at all…only managed about 3/4s. Felt more ‘cryptic’ and less straightforward than recent weeks. Frustrating 😵💫. Thanks for all!
Thanks for the blog , I hope people continue to persevere , Jay@7 and others often put links . I am just hoping the Observer continues to publish a newspaper .
I agree with Cara@8 , this seemed a bit tricky after a good run , hope it is a one-off .
If anybody does need a new crossword home , I am told the FT provides free on-line puzzles . I do them in the paper and several each week are very friendly .