The puzzle may be found at https://observer.co.uk/puzzles/everyman/article/everyman-no-4127 in the interactive form and at https://cdn.slowdownwiseup.co.uk/media/documents/obs.everyman.20251123.pdf as a pdf.
Everyman is keeping up the good work, with the usual features: the rhyming pair at 8A MAGNIFYING GLASS and 22A SNAKE IN THE GRASS; the self-reference at 24A MEAN; the geographical reference at 14A NEPAL; the one-word anagram at 14S NOSTALGIA, and the ‘primarily’ clue announced as an acronym, for an acronym, at 5D BOGOF. All of these are highlighted in the grid.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | ORAL |
Otherwise lying about the French exam (4)
|
| A charade of OR (‘otherwise’) plus AL, a reversal (‘lying about’; ‘lying is superfluous to the wordplay) of LA (‘the French’). | ||
| 4 | PUBS |
Round houses? (4)
|
| Cryptic definition with play on a round of drinks. | ||
| 8 | MAGNIFYING GLASS |
Detective’s helper having gang sign; family’s worried (10,5)
|
| An anagram (‘worried’) of ‘gang sign family’s’. | ||
| 11 | SIROCCO |
Gentleman, wanting company, reflected: It brings warmth (7)
|
| A charade of SIR (‘gentleman’) plus (‘wanting’) OC CO (‘company reflected’; I suppose the idea is that with a mirror one can see both the original and its reflection); a sirocco is a warm Mediterranean wind off the Sahara. | ||
| 12 | OFFENCE |
Crime of stolen goods’ receiver (7)
|
| A charade of ‘of’ plus FENCE (‘stolen goods’ receiver’). | ||
| 13 | SAMARITAN |
Airman sat about: he was once good, they say (9)
|
| An anagram (‘about’) of ‘airman sat’; a reference to the Biblical parable of the Good Samaritan. | ||
| 14 | NEPAL |
High state and somewhat saturnine pallor (5)
|
| A hidden answer (‘somewhat’) in ‘SaturnNE PALlor’; high as in the Himalayas. | ||
| 15 | AMASS |
Collect collection of glam assistants (5)
|
| A hidden answer (collection of’) in ‘glAM ASSistants’ | ||
| 16 | GLOSS OVER |
Explain away, before stint of bowling, England’s third defeat (5,4)
|
| A charade of G (‘EnGland;s third’) plus LOSS (‘defeat’) plus OVER (‘stint of bowling’ cricket, would you believe), with ‘before’ indicating the order of the particles. | ||
| 19 | SHAMPOO |
Scratching backsides of stain, low-quality bathroom product (7)
|
| SHAM[e] (‘stain’) plus POO[r] (‘low-quality’) with both words minus their last letter (‘scratching backsides’). | ||
| 21 | AT A LOSS |
Confronted with a puzzle – for no monetary gain (2,1,4)
|
| Double definition. | ||
| 22 | SNAKE IN THE GRASS |
Small, almost bald, with dignity regularly stripped, that man: tell-tale treacherer (5,2,3,5)
|
| A charade of S (‘small’) plus NAKE[d] (‘bald’) minus its last letter (‘almost’) plus INT (‘dIgNiTy regularly stripped’) plus HE (‘that man’) plus GRASS (‘tell-tale’, informer). | ||
| 23 | WEEP |
Small – minimal amount of money – sob! (4)
|
| A charade of WEE (‘small’) plus P (penny, ‘minimal amount of money’). | ||
| 24 | MEAN |
Stingy Everyman starts to audit nibbles (4)
|
| A charade of ME (‘Everyman’ as the author of this crossword) plus AN (‘starts to Audit Nibbles’. | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 2 | RAILCARDS |
Train-users’ conveniences: bars containing source of merriment (9)
|
| An envelope (‘containing’) of CARD (‘source of merriment’, an amusing person) in RAILS (‘bars’). In the UK, |
||
| 3 | LAYS OUT |
Exhibits floors (4,3)
|
| Double definition. | ||
| 4 | PONTOON |
Boat 21 (7)
|
| Double definition, the second being an alternative name for the card game. Any connection with 21A AT A LOSS is purely coincidental. | ||
| 5 | BOGOF |
Acronymic bargain offering, gratis, other fare? (5)
|
| A variant of the ‘primarily’ clue (‘acronymic’) requesting the first letters of ‘Bargain Offering Gratis Other Fare’. The slightly dubious-sounding acronym is “Buy One Get One Free”, for an &lit definition. | ||
| 6 | AMUSES |
Australian engages in deep thought; causes hilarity (6)
|
| A charade of A (‘Australian’) plus MUSES (‘engages in deep thought’). | ||
| 7 | AS WELL |
Besides a balloon (2,4)
|
| A charade of ‘a’ plus SWELL (‘balloon’). | ||
| 9 | GARAM MASALA |
Spicy mix: Frenchmen embraced by Australians: sadly, tabloid up for describing them? (5,6)
|
| A double envelope (’embraced by’ and ‘describing them’) of M M (‘Frenchmen’; M for monsieur) in A A (‘Australians’ again) in GARSALA, a reversal (‘up’ in a down light) of ALAS (‘sadly’) plus |
||
| 10 | ANNA PAVLOVA |
Dancer crashed a van twice; Opel (not electric) (4,7)
|
| An anagram (‘crashed’) of ‘a van’ plus ‘a van’ (‘twice’) plus ‘Op[e]l’ minus the E (‘not electric’). | ||
| 14 | NOSTALGIA |
Daft analogist’s rose-tinted view (9)
|
| An anagram (‘daft’) of ‘analogist. | ||
| 15 | ASSIST |
Back up donkey in pole position? (6)
|
| A charade of ASS (‘donkey’) plus IST (1st., ‘in pole position’, motorsports). | ||
| 16 | GROWN-UP |
Adult joke, curt oath, good to recall (5-2)
|
| A reversal (‘to recall’) of PUN (‘joke’) plus WOR[d] (‘oath’ – “I give you my word’) minus its last letter (‘cut’) plus G (‘good’). | ||
| 17 | ON A WHIM |
For fun, circle that guy that’s eaten pasty up (2,1,4)
|
| An envelope (‘that’s eaten’) of NAW, a reversal (‘up’ in a down light) of WAN (‘pasty’) in O (‘circle’) plus HIM (‘that guy’). | ||
| 18 | RESIST |
Confront second attempt at exam about Sweden (6)
|
| An envelope (‘about’) of S (‘Sweden’ IVR) in RESIT (‘second attempt at exam’). | ||
| 20 | PIECE |
Heard last word of Silent Night: sidearm? (5)
|
| Sounds like (‘heard’) PEACE (“Sleep in heavenly peace” ‘last word of Silent night’ – more particularly, the last word of the first verse, which may be reprised at the end). Alternative version:
|
Thanks. It was a fun puzzle.
A small correction: in 9D, “RAG” instead of “SUN” and an even smaller one: in 2D, “railcards” in place of “railcars”