Everyman is such a good choice of cryptic for those new to them, or for those learning the ropes. Always carefully constructed and at a level of difficulty that should encourage people to have a go. You didn’t get all of it? Don’t worry: the same setter, same style, will be back next week.
Abbreviations
cd cryptic definition
dd double definition
(xxxx)* anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x] letter(s) missing
definitions are underlined
Across
1 Understanding close to being achieved
INSIGHT
A dd. For the second definition, you have to separate it into two words.
5 Passing movement covered by radio network
ONE-TWO
Hidden in radiO NETWOrk.
8 Flightless bird in upper region men disturbed
EMPEROR PENGUIN
(UPPER REGION MEN)* Everyman is being kind to you by specifying ‘flightless’, since the clue doesn’t need it. He’s being kind to me because it offers me the opportunity for the obligatory Pierre bird link. There are 17 species of penguin and the Emperor is the biggest. The male is well-known for doing his fair share of the parenting, incubating the single egg while the female goes to sea to feed.
10 Endless surprise about female warrior
AMAZON
A charade of AMAZ[E] and ON.
11 We run to fill a place, so to speak
AS IT WERE
An insertion of WE and R in A SITE.
13 Record by one in criminal realm in denial
DISCLAIMER
A charade of DISC and I in (REALM)* The insertion indicator is ‘in’ and the anagrind is ‘criminal’.
15 Speaker’s strong salute
HAIL
A homophone of HALE for ‘strong’, most often heard in HALE and HEARTY. The homophone indicator, impeccably placed in the surface, is ‘speaker’s’.
17 Gemstone in ring father left
OPAL
A charade of O, PA and L.
18 Rodent getting cold in country
CHINCHILLA
An insertion of CHILL in CHINA gives you the squirrel-like rodent of Andean descent. The collective noun for the little creatures is ‘herd’, I discovered.
20 Large amount in appeal involving god
PLETHORA
Everyman is inviting you to put THOR into PLEA.
21 Fish from mass in shop
SALMON
And inviting you to put M into SALON.
24 File packed with mean tips for muddy field game
FOLLOW-MY-LEADER
I will wager that this is one that everyone will have got from a few crossing letters, the enumeration, and a guess at the ‘game’. The parsing confirms it, but it’s complicated. It’s LOW for ‘mean’, MY for the outside letters (‘tips’) of ‘muddy’, LEA for ‘field’, all inserted into FOLDER for ‘file’. The surface reading is a bit bizarre as well.
25 Agreement following otherwise unpleasant experience
ORDEAL
A charade of OR and DEAL.
26 Apparent end of great struggle dividing revolutionary pair
OUTWARD
An insertion of T for the last letter of ‘great’ and WAR in DUO reversed. The insertion indicator is ‘dividing’ and the reversal indicator is ‘revolutionary’.
Down
1 Flower I placed on ground very softly on conclusion of ceremony
ICELAND POPPY
Not a variety I had heard of, but the PP + Y bit was clearly signposted, so the rest followed from the anagram fodder. (I PLACED ON)* plus PPY with ‘ground’ as the anagrind.
2 One cutting part of flower, mostly brown
SEPIA
An insertion of I in SEPA[L].
3 Good pattern of diamonds around old grotesque carving
GARGOYLE
A charade of G and O inserted into ARGYLE, which I never knew was a ‘pattern of diamonds’. That’s my knew piece of knowledge for this morning.
4 Obligation to carry right flag
TIRE
An insertion of R in TIE.
5 Managing nothing before revenge is wrought
OVERSEEING
A charade of O and (REVENGE IS)* with ‘wrought’ as the anagrind.
6 Momentous, losing wicket twenty short of a hundred
EIGHTY
Nice cricketing surface for those of us into our summer sport. [W]EIGHTY.
7 British government, bit sorry? Absolutely
WHITEHALL
A charade of WHIT, EH? and ALL.
9 Polite source, chap with report initially in demand
WELL-MANNERED
A charade of WELL, MAN and R for the first letter of ‘report’ in NEED.
12 Humorist, working hard on act, set up for retirement
WITHDRAWAL
A charade of WIT, (HARD)* and LAW reversed. The anagrind is ‘working’ and the reversal indicator is ‘set up for retirement’.
14 Way in which actors use sources, coming up with content that’s old
STAGE DOOR
An insertion of AGED in ROOTS reversed. The reversal indicator, since it’s a down clue, is ‘coming up’ and the insertion indicator is ‘with content’.
16 Most inferior copy in box
CHEAPEST
An insertion of APE in CHEST.
19 Postpone research, having day off? Be quiet on that
SHELVE
A charade of SH! and [D]ELVE.
22 Doctor aimed to provide means of communication
MEDIA
(AIMED)*
23 Error in faulty poll
TYPO
Hidden in faulTY POll.
Many thanks to Everyman for a fine Sunday puzzle.
Thank you Everyman for the puzzle and Pierre for the blog – love the bird link!
FOLLOW-MY-LEADER was the last in for me, in my old age I had completely forgotten the game.
I remember my mother planting ICELAND POPPY seeds, but checking on the web find that the plants are not native to Iceland; I wonder how they got their name, perhaps because they grow in the wild in cold regions?
It took an age for me to parse GARGOYLE, then knitting ARGYLE patterned socks for my father came to mind.
Extremely tricky for Everyman I thought. I only managed to enter clues sporadically, never really getting a proper foothold in the grid. Or perhaps I was just tired, which could well be the case Sunday morning. Aren’t you supposed to feel rested by the end of the weekend? Last in were 4d / 15ac / 21ac, in that order.
Thanks Pierre
I do the Everyman rather infrequently, and I found this one very much harder than I remember it.
Yes, this always an excellent puzzle. Last week’s was the first of 2018 where I was stumped for a clue and had to use a crossword dictionary. I think PLETHORA and an intersecting word did for me.
I thought Monday’s Times crossword was slightly easier.
Back to an all correct today.
Many thanks Everyman. It can’t be easy trying to set a certain solving standard week in week out.
Very enjoyable puzzle. My favourite was WHITEHALL
Thank you Everyman and Pierre
Nice. Failed to parse Whitehall, managed to nut out the rest.
My sleeveless golfing woolly has an argyle pattern.
very tricky. 7d got me. jon auckland
At one point I thought the Black Caps were going to be out before I’d finished. As it was we both took a little longer. 14d made me smile but what is a ‘passing movement’?
Surprised this one only registered a few complaints – thought some of the clues really strange. I didnt enjoy it as much and never got 5 ac at all don’t know what sport that is from
I recall from childhood soccer one-two is passing back & forth to get around a defender. Couldn’t parse Whitehall. Had not idea whit could mean bit. Very enjoyable all the same.
I think I have heard Geoffrey Palmer discussing the Whitehall style of government as what our MZ government is based on. I couldn’t parse it either.
Iceland poppies are the common poppies that people used to plant in their gardens. Do ‘t see them so much these days.
I didn’t get 5 ac either and didn’t understand it.
Well this was a toughie. I just finished now and straight on to Fifteen Squared to see how Whitehall was parsed. never new whit meant bit. Took me ages to figure 5ac. Initially I had One Hit which of course threw me completely out for 7d.
Not really sure what to make of this crossie. As I said it was tough, and I enjoy tough crossies, but this one kinda lacked the enjoyment factor a bit. Only clue I enjoyed was 6d which I penned in watching the Black Caps batting collapse. Seems like we’re rubbish without Taylor. Hopefully he recovers from his injuries and we see him play in the pink ball test at Eden Park. I’ll be going for that match.
You didn’t finish this until 11/03, Rats? Same as us….!
Much harder than a normal Everyman, but initially putting Modem in 22D hardly helped. Couldn’t parse Whitehall and would appreciate an explanation of Whit / bit.
N&C
Good evening/morning New Zealand.
Apologies: should have explained ONE-TWO. It’s a football (soccer) term meaning a player, faced with an opponent in front of him, passes diagonally to an team-mate, then runs past the opponent to collect the return pass, thus taking the opponent out of the game. Confused? Wait till Everyman clues NUTMEG.
Whit for ‘bit’ is rather old-fashioned, I suppose. ‘Do you care?’ ‘Not a whit.’
I won’t mention THREE-TWO when it comes to the one-day series, because I know how much you guys hate losing to the English …
V difficult ( only got 3/4 of the way through )