The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/everyman/3732.
A good anagram spot at 4D SURVEILLANCE, and a more familiar one at 26A ESTRANGE.
| Across | ||
| 1 | BUTTRESS | Objection with pressure losing initial support (8) |
| A charade of BUT (‘objection’) plus [s]TRESS (‘pressure’) minus its first letter (‘losing initial’). Yes, the deleted letter is S for ‘Support’, but that would mean that the word was doing double duty, and we don’t want that, do we? | ||
| 5 | PRISON | Pair with one child in place of captivity (6) |
| A charade of PR (‘pair’) plus I (‘one’) plus SON (‘child’). | ||
| 9 | SINECURE | Satisfied about arrangement of nice easy job (8) |
| An envelope (‘about’) of INEC, an anagram (‘arrangement’) of ‘nice’ in SURE (‘satisfied’). | ||
| 10 | STAVES | Parts of barrels, tons in stores (6) |
| An envelope (‘in’) of T (‘tons’) in SAVES (‘stores’). | ||
| 12 | LAY | Put down narrative poem (3) |
| Double definition. | ||
| 13 | UNEMOTIONAL | Revolutionary book in harmony with a line that’s cool (11) |
| An envelope (‘in’) of EMOT, a reversal (‘revolutionary’) of TOME (‘book’) in UNION (‘harmony’) plus ‘a’ plus L(‘line’). | ||
| 14 | CRYSTAL PALACE | Shout by old man in stand, great for football club (7,6) |
| A charade of CRY (‘shout’) plus STALPAL, an envelope (‘in’) of PA (‘old man’) in STALL (‘stand’) plus ACE (‘great’). | ||
| 17 | ROOT-AND-BRANCH | Complete reconstruction of barn to do with farm (4-3-6) |
| A charade of ROOTANDB, an anagram (‘reconstruction’) of ‘barn to do’ plus RANCH (‘farm’). | ||
| 21 | DISTINCTION | Contrast in excellence (11) |
| Double definition,, | ||
| 22 | COO | Speak softly? Successful move in hearing (3) |
| Sounds like (‘in hearing’) COUP (‘successful move’). | ||
| 23 | ORIGIN | Beginning to rig inquiry partially (6) |
| A hidden answer (‘partially’) in ‘tO RIG INquiry’ | ||
| 24 | RESONANT | Vibrant instinct reflected in angry speech (8) |
| An envelope (‘in’) of ESON, a reversal (‘reflected’) of NOSE (‘instinct’) in RANT (‘angry speech’). | ||
| 25 | TAKING | Cheers ruler is receiving (6) |
| A charade of TA (‘cheers’) plus KING (‘ruler’). | ||
| 26 | ESTRANGE | Alienate sergeant in disorder (8) |
| An anagram (‘in disorder’) of ‘sergeant’. | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | BASILICA | Church building I left, entering unadorned area (8) |
| An envelope (‘entering’) of ‘I’ plus L (‘left’) in BASIC (‘unadorned’) plus A (‘area’). | ||
| 2 | TANSY | Plant becomes brown and crinkly, finally (5) |
A charade of TANS (‘becomes brown’) plus Y (‘crinklY, finally’). The way of all plants, particularly those I try to grow. Tanacetum vulgare, tansy |
||
| 3 | RECOUNT | Describe requirement after close vote (7) |
| Double definition. | ||
| 4 | SURVEILLANCE | Call universe complicated, making observation (12) |
| An anagram (‘complicated’) of ‘call universe’. | ||
| 6 | RETSINA | Temperature wrong in most of actual wine (7) |
| An envelope (‘in’) of T (‘temperature’) plus SIN (‘wrong’) in REA[l] (‘actual’) minus its last letter (‘most of’). | ||
| 7 | SEVENTEEN | Number watched gripping episode (9) |
| An envelope (‘gripping’) of EVENT (‘episode’) in SEEN (‘watched’). | ||
| 8 | NESTLE | Edges of notice, somewhat loose, curl up (6) |
| Outer letters (‘edges’) of ‘NoticE SomewhaT LoosE‘. | ||
| 11 | COWARDLINESS | Mock actor’s words about struggle with singular lack of courage (12) |
| A charade of COWARD, an envelope (‘about’) of WAR (‘struggle’) in COD (‘mock’) plus LINES (‘actor’s words’); plus S (‘singular’). | ||
| 15 | YARDSTICK | Standard criticism after cart overturned (9) |
| A charade of YARD, a reversal (‘overturned’) of DRAY (‘cart’) plus STICK (‘criticism’). | ||
| 16 | THROTTLE | Device controlling engine’s power in time, hot and dry in part (8) |
| A charade of T (‘time’) plus H (‘hot’) plus ROTTLE, an envelope (‘in’) of TT (teetotal, ‘dry’) in ROLE (‘part’). | ||
| 18 | OPINION | Work, fashionable one concerning belief (7) |
| A charade of OP (‘work’) plus IN (‘fashionable’) plus I (‘one’) plus ON (‘concerning’). | ||
| 19 | RANCOUR | Conducted tribunal without ending bitterness (7) |
| A charade of RAN (‘conducted’) plus COUR[t] (‘tribunal’) minus its last letter (‘without ending’). | ||
| 20 | ADROIT | Run into trouble, then appeal? That’s clever (6) |
| A charade of ADRO, an envelope (‘into’) of R (‘run’) in ADO (‘trouble’) plus IT (‘appeal’, as in Clara Bow, the It girl). | ||
| 22 | CHAIN | Series about hospital patient with odd parts omitted (5) |
| A charade of C (circa, ‘about’) plus H (‘hospital’) plus AIN (‘pAtIeNt with odd parts missing’). How about that for a TV show idea? | ||
Thank you Everyman and PeterO.
A pleasant puzzle, and I appreciated the clue and illustration for TANSY – I have some in a flower vase that have been exposed to the air for over 30 years, they are still yellowish, the name is derived from immortality!
PS, just realised the flowers have in fact been there nearly 40 years, time flies – and I should have mentioned that the Greek for immortality is athanasia.
An enjoyable puzzle as ever and on the easy side I thought. My last one in was COWARDLINESS which took me ages to decode. Your explanation of this Peter is not quite right. Perhaps like me you kept thinking of Noel Coward but there is no COWARD in the wordplay.
It’s just WAR within COD + LINES +S. Also, you haven’t highlighted ‘lack of courage’ as the definition. No highlight either for ‘curl up’
in 8d.
Thanks to PeterO and Everyman.
Davy @3
Definitions now marked for 8D and 11D. I do not understand what difference you see between your explanation of 11D COWARDLINESS and mine.
Hey Peter, I see now that there is no difference in explanations. Maybe I was confused by the word COWARD as the first word in your explanation. I didn’t read it properly. Sorry.
I found this to be quite tricky for Everyman, though I suspect some of that was down to brain disconnect. Last in 22ac, where I kicked myself when I eventually spotted it.
Very enjoyable Sunday puzzle as always!
Thank you Everyman and PeterO.
Put me in the ‘found this tricky’ camp. Never heard of Cod so couldn’t fully parse 11D, never heard of Tansy nor the expression in 17A, and failed to parse Throttle. Not doing too well, am I.
Throttle is an odd word, has sort of opposite meanings depending on whether it’s applied to man or machine.
Thanks PeterO and EM.
I found this one hard too. Didn’t get buttress. Thought it might be backrest. Tansy is a plant I’ve never heard of even after years of gardening.
Good afternoon relaxation after flying home from Taranaki this morning, and looking forward to watching some grand ceremony and ancient architecture tonight.
Thanks Everyman and PeterO
Just about my level of difficulty also
Lots of new words for me today Lay, root and branch and sinecure all first timers to me.
faves were all the Cs
cowardliness,crystal pal and coo
Root and branch got me. Pays to go shopping with my wife received a plant from new world supermarket named purple tansy. No green fingers though it died
Enjoyed this puzzle — got it out completely, although I could not parse “throttle” (16 down). It was obvious from the literal meaning, but. (Thanks to Peter O for the explanation.
LOI was “Crystal Palace” (14 across) — I struggle with clues involving Pommy football. (Now if it were Aussie Rules …. !!! The Swans thrashed Freo last night, so I went to bed very happy.)
Oooh a tough one but I got it out though I was unable to parse cowardliness. LOI was sinecure, a word I’d never heard of but was able to parse.