Solving time: 20′
Another rather fast solve for me… though spent a couple of minutes at first staring until the first clue (EVITA) succumbed. VP Spiro Agnew shows up again, proving that he’s not just anagram fodder. A few other American clues (GALVESTON, FAIRBANKS, RANCHES) but not really enough to identify a theme.
Across
| 1 | A, SLAP, ON THE, WRIST – def is “reprimand”, wordplay: rev(pals=friend’s) then (not he)* followed by WRIST=”joint”. Note that a “joint reprimand” could have been a kind of cryptic def for the whole thing. |
| 9 | AP(PET)ISER – PET in praise*. A “bonne bouche” is a tasty morsel. |
| 12 | GAL,VEST,ON – It’s in Texas (made famous by Glen Campbell’s eponymous song). |
| 13 | T(U,SCAN)Y – U for universal film rating (you’d think it’d be D for Disney) and SCAN in T[in]Y. |
| 15 | D,E FACTO=(to face)* – “criminal” is a nounal anagram indicator here which is a little unusual for Everyman I think. |
| 19 | BOOTLE,[mellin]G – Without checking I assume that “Melling” is also in Lancashire – certainly BOOTLE must be. |
| 22 | SHE,BA – given that there was a Queen thereof, presumably she had a kingdom. |
| 24 | A,G,NEW – see, he’s not just anagram fodder after all (Nixon’s veep). |
| 26 | THE PROMISED LAND – (Handles imported)*. Now that I’ve noticed one, I keep seeing them: nounal anagram indicators. This time it’s “product”. |
Down
| 1 | A(S A MATTER OF FAC)T[here] – def is “in reality” (note that 15A is “actually”). Wordplay is: (a staff car to me)* in A and T where containment is indicated by “carrying”. |
| 2 | L(UP)IN – it’s a kind of plant: UP=winning in rev(nil=nothing). |
| 3 | PETTY, C(A,S)H |
| 6 | WAS,T[her]E – rev(saw=spotted) then “there” with “her” removed, leaving TE. |
| 7 | IDENTICAL – (dialect in)* — frequently “broadcast” is a homophonic indicator, this time it’s a (verbal!) anagrind. |
| 8 | TAKEN FOR GRANT,ED – Cary GRANT was indeed born in Bristol (I actually knew this). |
| 16 | FOOLS, GOLD – not a bad antonymical bad clue since FOOLS GOOD (iron pyrite) didn’t actually make anyone rich. |
| 18 | S(AN,CT)UM – our “problem” is just a SUM in this case. |
| 19 | BI(ST)ROS – BIROS are Brit ballpoint pens (“writers”). The cryptic grammar is a bit strained here: “X brought in Y” for “X in Y”. |
| 21 | B[l]OWER – only clue I had trouble with: unsurprising since “line’s dead” is supposed to indicate that it’s absent, i.e. has been removed – in this case L from BLOWER (for “phone”). |
| 23 | E,V(IT)A – My first clue: no such state as East Virginia but that doesn’t matter in crypticland. |
I think ‘criminal’ is used here adjectivally, as in ‘wicked or very wrong’. The noun (meaning ‘someone guilty of a crime or crimes’ according to Chambers 21st) wouldn’t do the trick at all, unless I’m very much mistaken.
The clue is: “Actually, daughter has to face criminal” — i don’t see how criminal can be an adjective in the surface reading? (and its operand is “to face” which can only be a verb rather than a noun).
what am I missing?
Slight correction – Biro has nothing to do with being a Brit thing – its a brand name
well, sort of… how about a brand name for a ballpoint pen that is used in Britain to mean a random ballpoint pen? It wouldn’t resonate among Americans. See the wikicomment at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biro
What I think you might be missing is that surfaces are there to mislead, not (in most cases) to be taken literally! Sure, ‘criminal’ looks like a noun in this clue, but at the cryptic level I’m pretty sure the use is adjectival.
Cheers
P
… I forgot to add, amid troubles posting, that your imperative TO FACE is another deception: it’s not a part of speech at all in the cryptic reading, but fodder for the anagram.
Biro pedantry: I don’t think it is a current brand name. The wiki page on ballpoints suggests that the RAF licensed an early version from Biro himself – maybe that’s how the name go into Brit colloquial.
OK — I relent on the usage of criminal — in the cryptic reading it can be given an “adjectivial” role (which applies to its fodder “to face” — which, Peter, is what I meant by “operand”).
“Dad, can you give me a hand with this crossword?”… the words I’ve waited so long to hear! With a little help, my 16 year old daughter completed this (amazing what avoidance of revision can drive you to). Having started out on the Everyman myself, I’m delighted it still provides a sound, amusing but accessible way in.
When it comes to anagram indicators, I think we sometimes pay too much attention to grammar and not enough to meaning. ‘Criminal’ falls down on the latter count for me.
It might be quite tough for me to resist ‘criminally insane’, however.
Still can’t post under usual conditions –