Another fine puzzle from Everyman to accompany the Sunday morning coffee.
Not so many anagrams as normal, and no old films today; but a nod to the cinema nonetheless.
Abbreviations
cd cryptic definition
dd double definition
(xxxx)* anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x] letter(s) missing
definitions are underlined
Across
1 Study occupied by a senior clergyman
DEAN
An insertion of A in DEN for ‘study’.
3 Director in golf club longing to acquire the lot
WOODY ALLEN
Everyman often gives us an old film as an answer, but here we’ll have to content ourselves with a well-known director. A charade of WOOD, followed by an insertion of ALL in YEN for ‘longing’. Manhattan his best work?
10 Interpret former patent
EXPLAIN
A charade of EX and PLAIN for ‘patent’. It’s patently obvious that this was a good clue.
11 Appropriate, a truss (very large)
APROPOS
A charade of A, PROP and OS.
12 A bishop put in a new villa close to shrine – that’s handy
AVAILABLE
Everyman is asking you to insert AB for ‘a bishop’ in A (VILLA)* and then add E for the last letter of ‘shrine’.
13 Suspect definition
SENSE
A dd.
14 Really funny TV channel – cracking
SIDE-SPLITTING
A charade of SIDE for ‘TV channel’ – ‘What side is it on?’ – and SPLITTING.
17 Fly lengthy stages, with old man at the front
DADDY-LONGLEGS
‘Lengthy stages’ of a journey would be LONG LEGS; put DADDY before that and you’ve got the British English common name for the Crane Fly, although elsewhere in the English-speaking world it can refer to a different little critter. I am not happy with DADDY as a definition of ‘old man’. I am a DADDY, but I am firmly stuck in middle age, thank you very much.
21 Sudden round of applause in Oval, inappropriate after Surrey’s start
SALVO
Ah, cricket, and a chance to gloat about England’s retention of the Ashes (apologies to Antipodean commenters and lurkers; you can curse the Manchester rain if you like). A charade of S for the first letter of Surrey and (OVAL)* For those folk who know nowt about cricket, this is a clever clue, because The Oval in Sarf London is Surrey’s home ground.
23 Notices plastered across front of office opening in Milton Keynes?
ECONOMIST
I must admit it took me a while to parse this one: it’s an insertion of O for the first letter of office and M for the first letter of Milton in (NOTICES)*. Keynes is the ECONOMIST, and for those overseas solvers, MILTON KEYNES is a town in Buckinghamshire best known for its concrete cows.
24 Cakes – girl’s got her sixth in her mouth!
ECLAIRS
Great surface, but a bit tricksy by Everyman standards. ‘Girl’s’ is CLAIRE’S; if you take her sixth letter, E, and remove it to the start (‘her mouth’), you’ve got your sticky chocolatey things.
25 One associated with Queen, happy to bring in copper
MERCURY
Freddie MERCURY, lead singer with the band Queen. An insertion of CU for the chemical symbol for copper, in MERRY.
26 Further snake shows renewed energy
SECOND WIND
A charade of SECOND for ‘further’ and WIND in its verbal sense. ‘The road winds/snakes around the steep slopes.’
27 Guide young man round far side of stage
LEAD
An insertion of E for the last letter of stagE in LAD.
Down
1 Two letters for radio presenter
DEEJAY
Supposedly phonetic versions of the letters D and J give you a radio presenter.
2 Valued a piano, much admired
APPRAISED
A charade of A, P for the musical ‘piano’ and PRAISED.
4 Several books in one vehicle
OMNIBUS
A dd.
5 Reach an agreement with party over a vintage port?
DO A DEAL
A charade of DO for ‘party’, A, and DEAL. DEAL is a port in Kent, and the reason that Everyman has labelled it ‘vintage’ is that it is associated with the Cinque Ports. I thought it was one of them, but a flirt on the Internet shows that it’s a limb of Sandwich, which is one of the five.
6 A burden shouldered by the directors in general
ACROSS THE BOARD
A charade of A, CROSS and THE BOARD. We all have our cross to bear, but blogging Everyman once a month is not one of mine.
7 Short row about winning flower
LUPIN
An insertion of UP in LIN[E]. England are up/winning 2-0 in a five-match series with two to play, just for a completely random example of this usage.
8 Gets gen distributed about small savings
NEST EGGS
An insertion of S in (GETS GEN)*
9 Parliamentary proposal an oily Tory made, ludicrously
EARLY DAY MOTION
I couldn’t possibly comment on whether there are oily Tories, but it’s (AN OILY TORY MADE)*
15 Start school
INSTITUTE
A dd.
16 Greek hero you’d assess, mistakenly, as forgotten
ODYSSEUS
You need to take AS out of YOU’D ASSESS and then make an anagram. ‘Mistakenly’ is the anagrind. The legendary Greek king of Trojan Horse fame.
18 What supervisor did about bladed hand tool
OVERSAW
The past tense of OVERSEE is a charade of OVER for ‘about’ and SAW for ‘bladed hand tool’.
19 Jazz musician, proficient guy
GOODMAN
A charade of GOOD and MAN, referring to the jazz legend Benny GOODMAN, the ‘King of Swing’.
20 Remained sober, reportedly
STAYED
A homophone of STAID.
22 Ring up about island shrub
LILAC
An insertion of I for ‘island’ in a reversal of CALL for ‘ring’.
Many thanks as always to Everyman for this morning’s puzzle.
This was a pleasant and enjoyable puzzle to solve. I liked 24a, 6d, 25a and my favourite was 3a WOODY ALLEN.
I couldn’t parse 7d because I got it wrong – I rather thoughtlessly inserted ‘lapin’ instead of LUPIN so I was attempting to parse AP in LIN(e) whilst totally forgetting that the answer I needed was a flower not a rabbit!
New words for me were EARLY DAY MOTION, SIDE TV channel.
For 14a, I discovered that there is an actual SIDE TV channel -“webcasting to the world from Newcastle’s Quayside”, so I parsed it with that in mind.
Re 17a, I think that “old man” is slang for a father, even if he is in his 20s or 30s so please don’t take take offence! And I think it can also be used quite endearingly for a husband or boyfriend too, as in the Joni Mitchell song ‘My Old Man’, lyrics found here – http://jonimitchell.com/music/song.cfm?id=159
I have only just recognised some similarities between this puzzle and Guardian 26022 by Brummie.
Thanks for the blog, Pierre. [My favourite Woody Allen film is ‘Annie Hall’. And congratulations on retaining the Ashes. Maybe we/Australia can try harder next time.]
18d. OVER = about? Can someone give me a sample usage please?
@2 John – eg “the argument blew up over a petty misunderstanding”
Pleased to complete this after coming close last week. I’d had had a few less successful weeks prior to that.
Hi John. I did stop to think about OVER and about, but shikasta has given a good example of the equivalence, I think.
[Pierre@5. Oh well, looks like Australia perked up a bit – ENG 53/3 in second innings, leading by only 21 runs.]
[I was beginning to regret being so cocky when I wrote the blog last Sunday, Michelle.]
Pierre@7
[But you’re looking better now at 129/3, leading by 97 runs]
I got 21a easily and didn’t need any references to cricket. I took salvo to be a round of applause and got the anagram. Totally wrong with 2d and that put me off ever getting 14a. I had applauded for 2d which to me fitted with the clue. Totally off beam with 25a. Didn’t think of the late, great Freddie. Still love his music. Didn’t finish the puzzle but I am getting better.