Everyman 3,764

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The puzzle may be found at https://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/everyman/3764.

Even the multi-part wordplays fell in easily this time.

Across
1 SWAP Revolutionary handles exchange (4)
A reversal (‘revolutionary’) of PAWS (‘handles’, verb.
3 OSTRACISED Exiled sailor found going round islands (10)
An envelope (‘going round’) of I (‘island’) in OS (Ordinary Seaman, ‘sailor’) plus TRACED (‘found’). The answer has an interesting history: in Athens of the fifth century BC, one person a year could be exiled for ten years, by a majority vote; the votes consisted of the person’s name written on a potsherd, a piece of broken pottery (ostrakon). Marine biologists and assiduous crossword solvers might also come across ostracods, tiny members of the Crustacea with a bivalve-like shell.
9 RED-HOT POKER Perennial communist joining photo arranged by king with hesitation (3-3,5)
A charade of RED (‘communist’) plus HOTPO, an anagram (‘arranged’) of ‘photo’ plus K (‘king’) plus ER (‘hesitation’).
Kniphofia, Red-hot Poker
Knophofia, Red-hot Poker
11 AWL Boring thing, litigation, beginning to end (3)
LAW (‘litigation’) with the first letter moved to the end (‘beginning to end’).
12 PREACHER Minister and agent in retirement keeping contact (8)
An envelope (‘keeping’) of REACH (‘contact’) in PER, a reversal (‘in retirement’) of REP (‘agent’).
13 DOG-TAG Make joke about time needed to produce identification (3,3)
An envelope (‘about’) of T (‘time’) in DO GAG (‘make joke’).
15 STEPTOE AND SON Sitcom from past, one’s noted, being broadcast (7,3,3)
An anagram (‘being broadcast’) of ‘past one’s noted’, with an extended definition.
18 MADE-TO-MEASURE Enraged by last item in puzzle book? Answer of course fitted (4-2-7)
A charade of MAD (‘enraged’) plus E (‘last item in puzzlE‘) plus TOME (‘book’) plus A (‘answer’) plus SURE (‘of course’).
20 OLD HAT Outdated lot had to change (3,3)
An anagram (‘to change’) of ‘lot had’.
22 DETRITUS Editor, on reflection, right to cut biblical book? Rubbish (8)
A charade of DE, a reversal (‘on reflection’) of ED (‘editor’) plus TRITUSS, an envelope (‘to cut’) of R (‘right’) in TITUS (an epistle of Paul, ‘biblical book’).
24 TIE Restrain language in speech (3)
A homophone (‘in speech’) of THAI (‘language’).
25 INVIGILATOR Soldier left, given cover by popular pilot, without a supervisor (11)
An envelope (‘given cover by’) of GI (‘soldier’) plus L (‘left’) in IN (‘popular’) plus [a]VIATOR (‘pilot’) minus the first A (‘without a’).
26 LUMINARIES Is main rule altered for famous people? (10)
An anagram (‘altered’) of ‘is main rule’.
27 FRAY Fight using force with beam (4)
A charade of F (‘force’) plus RAY (‘beam’).
Down
1 SYRUPY Sentimental spot about your university (6)
An envelope (‘about’) of YR (‘your’) plus U (‘university’) in SPY (‘spot’).
2 ADDRESSED Directed commercial in costume (9)
A charade of AD (‘commercial’) plus DRESSED (‘in costume’).
4 SUPPERTIME Issues raised about superior part of day for meal (10)
An envelope (‘about’) of UPPER (‘superior’) in STIME, a reversal (‘raised’ in a down light) of EMITS (‘issues’).
5 RAKE Dissolute man in scrape (4)
Double definition.
6 CARBON-NEUTRAL Ecofriendly vehicle on notable run after modification (6-7)
A charade of CAR (‘vehicle’) plus BONNEUTRAL, an anagram (‘after modification’) of ‘notable run’.
7 START Stone sculpture for instance found (5)
A charade of ST (‘stone’, standard abbreviation for the weight) plus ART (‘sculpture for instance’).
8 DILIGENT Hard-working inspector, given illumination, taking information in (8)
An envelope (‘taking … in’) of GEN (‘information’) in DI (Detective ‘Inspector’) plus LIT (‘given illumination’).
10 ORCHESTRATION Box clever finally in speech, making arrangement (13)
An envelope (‘in’) of CHEST (‘box’) plus R (‘cleveR finally’) in ORATION (‘speech’).
14 LEGAL EAGLE Set up two beers, entertaining good lawyer (5,5)
An envelope (‘entertaining’) of G (‘good’) in LEG, a reversal (‘up’ in a down light) of GEL (‘set’) plus ALE ALE (‘two beers’).
16 SPECTATOR Criminal protects a witness (9)
An anagram (‘criminal’) of ‘protects a’,
17 IMMORTAL Bad round that’s beginning to be memorable (8)
An envelope (’round’) of T (‘That’s beginning’) in IMMORAL (‘bad’).
19 ASTRAY Off course since attempt to skirt area (6)
An envelope (‘to skirt’) of A (‘area’) in AS (‘since’) plus TRY (‘attempt’).
21 DREAM Ambition about breaking barrier (5)
An envelope (‘breaking’) of RE (‘about’) in DAM (‘barrier’).
23 OVER Finished up in secure vocation (4)
A hidden reversed (‘up’ in a down light) answer in  ‘secuRE VOcation’.
completed grid

17 comments on “Everyman 3,764”

  1. Lovely surfaces to the clues- liked 9- and getting some momentum took a while.

    Very enjoyable, as always.

     

    Thank you Everyman

  2. I failed to solve DOG TAG and could not parse 3a.

    My favourite was 18a MADE TO MEASURE.

    Thank you Peter and Everyman

  3. Thank you Everyman for an enjoyable puzzle and PeterO for an interesting blog.

    Quite hard today.  I got all tied up with 14d wanting to enter REGAL EAGLE (stupid guess for Queen’s Counsel), LAGER with ALE for the two beers, but finally sorted it out correctly.

    Incidentally, IS is needed for ‘islands’ in 4a.

     

  4. PS, I have started doing last week’s puzzle the following Sunday, i.e. today, since the postal service from France is too slow for me to enter the competition, and it is hard to comment after a week’s lapse.

  5. Thank you Everyman and PeterO.
    May I suggest for 14a LEGAL EAGLE that G (good) has not to do with LEG. Rather SET – GEL – (up) is LEG. Then ALE(G)ALE entertain ”G (good)!.
    I liked carbon neutral, made to measure, Steptoe and Son and red hot poker.
    Luminaries dropped in easily, Thanks to NZ wr

  7. Another puzzle well suited to the Everyman slot. It took a while but it all came together. Thanks PeterO for the explanations and especially for the picture. I got the answer from the wordplay but had not heard of it as a flower however I had taken a picture of a Red-Hot-Poker during a recent trip to Wales but did not know the name. LOI was Start and I really enjoyed Invigilator. Thanks All

  9. I’m sure Chambers will say otherwise, but ‘immortal’ for ‘memorable’?? Aside from that a lot of fun. Many thanks Everyman and PeterO for the last Everyman of our Kiwi year. Many happy returns to you and all.

  10. Hibiscus Dazza @9

    You are right: Chambers does give for immortal: “…never to be forgotten, famous or remembered throughout time”. I do not see any problem.

  11. Maybe a bit of Christmas fog but I couldn’t get 7d. So obvious now. 16d my fav amongst many great clues. Invigilator new word for me even though my daughter was recently one for NCEA.

  12. Satisfying solve even though I failed to parse 3A and had to check that 9A was indeed a flower. Immortal took ages, but no problem with the definition. Just couldn’t see what on earth would fit into _M_O_T_L

    Thanks PeterO and Everyman, happy new year to all.

  13. Couldn’t get 22d nor 24d. My favourite was 9 ac. RedHot Poker dropped in easily as they are common plants in NZ. Took a long time to get 25ac even though it appears I have been one, though I was not called by that name. . Exam Supervisor is what I was called.

    Happy New Year.

  14. We’d never heard of invigilator either; we worked it out from the surface then looked it up in the dictionary to find that it was indeed an actual word.

  16. Got 4d but could not parse it. Not overly happy with 7d though guessed it. FOUND = START? Not working for me. Never heard of INVIGILATOR but parsed it. Needed some electronic help for books of the bible for 22ac as the usual Peter, John, Genesis, Exodus and co weren’t fitting in. Titus is not a book of the bible I knew of.

  17. Rats@16 – Collins Concise Dictionary has ‘Found – to bring into being or establish (something, such as an institution etc)’, I guess used like ‘Otago University was founded / started 1869’ (please excuse my use of past tense).

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