Everyman 3,955

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The usual suspects from Everyman – this week done down the pub prior to the England football.

If anything I found this easier than most Everyman crosswords, with a lot of old chestnut clues, perhaps it was just me.

picture of the completed grid

ACROSS
1. Sailors travel here for substantial part of meal (4,6)
MAIN COURSE

Crossword staple of MAIN meaning sea

6. Almost perfect notion (4)
IDEA

Most of IDEA(l)

9. Trunk of gin ordered; it helps musician get started (6,4)
TUNING FORK

An ordered [TRUNK OF GIN]* Personally I thought they tuned from the Oboe but I know what Everyman means

10. Bite from insect that’s repelled (4)
TANG

A veritable crossword chestnut, GNAT reversed

11. Singer to emit pained expression before piano piece (12)
YELLOWHAMMER

Now where’s Pierre for his bird links? That crossword staple of singer for a bird & YELL OW! & HAMMER – a part of a piano

15. They provide warmth in essence, husband and son (7)
HEARTHS

HEART – essence & H(usband) & S(on)

16. One found in hedge, perhaps, to argue and quarrel (7)
SPARROW

SPAR – argue & ROW- quarrel. Another one begging for Pierre

17. Some emus tangled with wild equine (7)
MUSTANG

Hidden answer in eMUS TANGled

19. Spicy sausage mostly unpleasant task, ultimately seeing ennui chez Léo (7)
CHORIZO

Most of a CHOR(e) & final letters of (ennu)I (che)Z (le)O

20. Stinking Emmenthal Sir put away (2,3,7)
IN THE SLAMMER

A stinking [EMMENTHAL SIR]*. Less than convinced of some of Everyman’s anagram indicators this week. The other half to this week’s rhyming pair

23. Call for massage, loudly (4)
NEED

Sounds like knead

24. Authorisations for acts of demolition (10)
CLEARANCES

Double definition

25. Exclamation expressing annoyance with a 2022 World Cup host city (4)
DOHA

DOH – annoyed expression & A

26. Do big trees make up this place? In a sense; largely not! (4,6)
GOBI DESERT

[DO BIG TREES]* made up

DOWN
1. Tiny beast‘s enormous power, we’re told (4)
MITE

Sounds like MIGHT

2. Primarily infinitesimal objects; negative, sometimes? (4)
IONS

The Everyman primary letters clue, you knew there’d be one.

3. Focus your thoughts: what might your drink be made from? (11)
CONCENTRATE

Doble defs

4. Develops – or decreases? (7)
UNFOLDS

Double def

5. Moves slowly, after brief second dashes off (7)
SCRAWLS

S(econd) & CRAWLS – moves slowly

7. Rat Pack star working in tandem to secure Alfa Romeo (4,6)
DEAN MARTIN

[IN TANDEM]* worked & (A(lfa) & R(omeo)) inserted – secured

8. Own goal, or a dummy: balls getting weaved? (6,4)
ANGORA WOOL

[OWN GOAL OR A]* dummied. Dummy as an anagram indicator? I guess in Rugby being sold a dummy is just about OK.

12. A father failing O-level about a Catholic computer programmer (3,8)
ADA LOVELACE

It might be argued the original programmer. A DA(d) & OLEVEL* failing with A C(atholic) inserted

13. Impeach Don, ineffectively defended (10)
CHAMPIONED

A reference to Trump? Surely not. [IMPEACH DON]* ineffectively

14. Fellow athlete’s flying, taking drug and artificial body part (5,5)
FALSE TEETH

F(ellow) & E for ecstacy inside a flying ATHLETES*

18. Noted heretic in scene of Jesus’ ministry cut short by duck (7)
GALILEO

Mosf GALLILE(e) & O – zero, duck

19. Italian liqueur one consumed in holiday accommodation on Rhode Island (7)
CAMPARI

A inserted in CAMP & R(hode) I(sland)

21. In the entrance, adjusting central heating: Everyman’s beginning to be a pain (4)
ACHE

Opening letters of Adjusting Central Heathing Everyman. The self referential clue.

22. A little app’s strangely quiet alert (4)
PSST

Hidden answer in apPS STrangely

Anyway well done the English women champs. Blimey.

39 comments on “Everyman 3,955”

  1. Thanks flashling. Perhaps the creative anagram indicators could just be added as another Everyman trademark. My favourite was YELLOWHAMMER which also took me the longest to solve. Otherwise fairly straightforward but enjoyable. Thanks Everyman.

  2. Really enjoyed this.

    For the first time, the rhyming couplet helped me complete the puzzle. I had all but two solutions – 11ac and 5d – and, for a break, I went to 225 to look at comments people had made about last week’s puzzle. Someone mentioned there always being a rhyming couplet and that sent me back to 11ac which I decided must rhyme with “slammer” in 20ac. “hammer” came to mind – and I got it – YELLOWHAMMER – my COTD. Got 5d immediately after.

    Other favourites included: SPARROW (of course), HEARTHS, UNFOLDS and ADA LOVELACE which I got as soon as I read the clue – who else could it be?

    Thanks Everyman and flashling

  3. I also liked YELLOWHAMMER and ADA LOVELACE.
    But PSST was my favourite. Loved the intrigue of ‘strangely quiet alert’. It did seem counter-intuitive, until all was revealed.

  4. For some reason, for me 24ac evoked history’s “authorised” clearances, as in, e.g., the outlawing of the Highlanders, and colonial expansions in general.

  5. Thanks for the blog, my favourites mentioned by the early-birds, martin from 7D also a bird.
    I misread 2D as PION, was just preparing the lecture for this week when I tried to put it in and found my error.
    TUNING FORK , I thought it was the French horn ( Cor! (6,4) a famous Araucaria clue ) for an orchestra?? Maybe we will have an expert to enlighten us later.
    Another decent effort from Everyman I think.

  6. Why assume the musician is in an orchestra? Pre electronic devices, a musician on their own might well have used a TUNING FORK. Good crossie as usual. Thanks, Everyman and flashling.

  7. I’m with flashling that this was on the easy side for an Everyman and one of my quicker solves according to the app. I liked all the bird appearances.

  8. I was taught to tune a guitar to a tuning fork if a piano wasn’t available, and these days use an electronic equivalent.

  9. Ada Lovelace seemed familiar and on checking I see she appeared in an Everyman puzzle in August last year. I thought I’d compile a list of bird appearances since the beginning of the year (I’ve just added Martin which Roz spotted)…

    Pelican
    Sparrow (2)
    Sand Martin
    Ibis
    Puffin
    Snowy Egret
    Eaglet
    Kiwi
    Flamingo
    ?Erne (2)
    Screech Owl
    Tit
    Hawk
    Tern
    Yellowhammer
    ?Martin

  10. [I don’t know why those “?” appear, they’re not indented. Something to do with cutting and pasting I suspect.]

  12. Thanks Everyman and flashling. I agree with Roz – a decent effort, although that does sound a bit like damning with faint praise. Anyway, an enjoyable and not too tricky solve.

    Thanks for the list, Jay. No sign of your namesake yet.

    PS flashling, European not World, but maybe by this time next year…

  13. 9A. Pierre: it is an orchestra that tunes from an oboe. By using the singular “musician” Everyman narrows the definiton to TUNING FORK.

    Thanks both

  15. Jay @9 – we had a MOA a few months ago, but (a) it was part of MOANED, and (b) not sure if extinct birds qualify?
    Also another couple for your ‘geography clue’ list.

    Roz @14 – last week I thought the continuity element might have suffered a discontinuity, but I think we’re back on track.

    Slight quibble with MAIN COURSE – in the navigational sense, isn’t a ‘course’ a route/direction to be followed, rather than a destination? Perhaps ‘Sailors come this way’ would be better than ‘Sailors travel here’?

    And finally… I know this link has been provided before, by me among others, but surely the appearance of CAMPARI gives me sufficient excuse? Hoping for CINZANO soon.

    Thanks Everyman and flashling (also for tweaking the colours – much clearer!)

  16. Getting intrigued by the birds in successive crossies. As Everyman sets for the Observer, wondering if s/he’s enjoying training us to be observant. It prompted me to look up Everyman. Dorothy Taylor who was Everywoman for 30 years loved birds. Is this a coincidence, or am I becoming too Dexterish?

  17. eb @ 15

    “Sailors travel here” is fine. I could say “I travel the M1”, but it wouldn’t make it my destination.

  18. I came here and quickly realised that for some reason I didn’t actually attempt Everyman last week! So trying not to look at any more clues I nipped back to the site and tackled it, albeit having YELLOWHAMMER as a free gift. That accidental head start notwithstanding, I rattled through this quicker than any other Everyman so I do wonder if it’s just easier than usual some weeks?

    Now to see if this week’s is any more of a challenge…

  19. MrEssexboy@15 , I presume your link is Luton Airport ? If we get Cinzano you can find the Leonard Rossiter adverts.
    Perhaps last week was simply the start of a new chain.
    PDM@16 there was a Guardian setter called Janus who would often have many birds in her/his puzzles.

  20. RobT @18 it is intended to be fairly friendly , most weeks it is but we get the occasional tougher one. I learnt to do cryptics using Everyman .

  21. Re colours I’ve noticed the light colours for grid and dark colours for the blog entries is best then. Hopefully I’ll remember in future.

  22. Roz @20, yes I remember you advising me to try Everyman when I first got into regularly doing crosswords (excellent advice) and it is almost always noticeably gentler than the weekday puzzles. I thought this one was at the ‘particularly straightforward’ end of the scale. Today’s is taking me a little longer 🙂

  23. I too have reservations about the definition for MAIN COURSE, inter alia, but unfortunately that sort of thing is to be expected with some compilers.

    As for the anagram indication, I’m persuaded by the suggestion above that Everyman may be seeking to add another irksome ‘trademark’ to his initial letters clue, rhyming couplet, if that’s what it is, et cetera. However, as I’ve mentioned before, Everyman often takes things too far from source, as with taking a synonym of what is a functioning anagrind, and expecting it to suffice. This practice is ill-advised in my view.

  24. [Roz @19, you correctly wafted here from paradise 🙂 And that’s also why I’m looking forward to Cinzano… ah, that subtle blend of herbs and spices!]

  25. tlp @23 – why do you continue to waste your time tackling the Everyman crossword every week when it clearly gives you so little pleasure?

  26. Definitely on the easier side this week, but as I think I’ve completed one Friday in a year and a half, not a problem for me. ADA LOVELACE was my favourite.

  27. 4d I’d say this was a cd — de-creases = un-folds.

    essexboy@15 For what it’s worth, “courses” on a sailing ship are also the large sails lowest on each mast, hence “main course,” “forecourse” etc., also called the mainsail, foresail and so on.

    Thanks Everyman and flashling.

  30. Failed on Ada Lovelace whom I have never heard of. Agree that some anagrinds stretch credibility but the rest was fine.

  32. Yes a little too easy this week, but nothing controversial so I’m ok with it. Now on with the lawns and walking the dog.

  35. No not too easy. A good level for me apart from Ada Lovelace who I haven’t heard of.

    Thank you setter. Keep them at this level.

  36. Ripped through this – must be the daylight saving that just started.
    Ada Lovelace – not a great clue in my view and never heard of her. Oh well, adds to the general knowledge.

  37. Yes this was a little easier than usual but never say ‘too easy’! Ignoring the bird connections for a moment;Yellowhammer would be a pretty good name for a Rap singer – if it isn’t one already.
    Thanks to all.

  38. I was introduced to cryptic crosswords about 5 years ago by a friend who at the time was downloading Everyman puzzles from maybe 15 years ago. I must have managed about 3 a week ever since so I’m now rapidly approaching current puzzles!
    I’m intrigued by the discussion around ‘travel here’ 1ac. It seems to me that this kind of misdirection is just what cryptics are all about. He obviously wants you to assume he’s referring to the destination whereas of course he’s actually referring to the route – in my view a perfectly acceptable alternative reading of the words.
    Like that other common device of two words which clearly seem to belong together – but don’t – one simply needs to be on one’s guard and avoid being lured into crying ‘foul’.
    Like others, in recent years I’ve pondered the possibility of Everyman being a committee, but lately I’m inclined to think otherwise. I’m quite enjoying some of his/her devices, including the wackier anagrinds, but inevitably there are some solutions and parsings which go over my head. A lifetime of Radio 4 listening has undoubtedly provided a huge diet of cultural fodder which has been very valuable!

  39. 12d ‘failing’ does a dual role, shortening the word dad and anagrind for o-level.
    Thanks flashling and E

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