For those that haven’t picked up on it yet, the last puzzle from ‘Everyman’ was a few weeks ago: 3573, which had a ‘farewell’ theme and which Peter O blogged. Allan Scott, having set the Everyman puzzle for 21 years, has stepped down. I just want to say thank you to him, because I’ve only been doing, and later blogging, his puzzles for the last eight years of those 21, but they have given me a lot of pleasure and have helped me get a whole lot better at cryptics in general. So we have a new setter, and this is my first blog of his Everyman puzzle. I’ll tell you what I thought later on, but what did you think?
Abbreviations
cd cryptic definition
dd double definition
(xxxx)* anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x] letter(s) missing
definitions are underlined
Across
1 Novelist and son out of order
AMISS
A charade of AMIS and S. For the novelist, you can take your choice: Martin or Kingsley.
4 Published title without qualification
OUTRIGHT
A charade of OUT and RIGHT.
10 Preoccupied, write riddle with no middle
PENSIVE
A charade of PEN and SI[E]VE, with ‘riddle’ in its sense of the thing that gardeners use to sift soil.
11 Foam very good for skin
SURFACE
A charade of SURF and ACE.
12 Upright piano in club with interior redesigned
INCORRUPTIBLE
An insertion of P in (CLUB INTERIOR)* with ‘redesigned’ as the anagrind and ‘in’ as the insertion indicator. P for the musical ‘piano’ – softly.
14 King with work in store around westward citadel
ACROPOLIS
This is perhaps a bit convoluted for the Everyman tradition. An insertion of R for ‘king’ and OP for ‘work’ in SILO for ‘store’ and CA for ‘circa’ or ‘around’ reversed.
16 Time and inclination for long walk
TRAMP
A charade of T and RAMP.
17 Changes course, strain being audible
TACKS
A homophone of ‘tax’.
19 Tired pair in situation without a winner
STALEMATE
A charade of STALE and MATE.
21 Fashionable families worried about revolutionary element very little
INFINITESIMAL
See my comments at 14ac. A charade of IN for ‘fashionable’ and a reversal of TIN in (FAMILIES)* The anagrind is ‘worried’; the insertion indicator is ‘about’; the reversal indicator is ‘revolutionary’.
24 Capital account without pound in it is abandoned
TBILISI
See my comments at 21ac. An insertion of BI[L]L in (IT IS)* The anagrind is ‘abandoned’; the insertion indicator is ‘in’; the removal indicator is ‘without’. And I wasn’t helped by the fact that I can never remember how to spell this.
25 Practical approach exists inside domain
REALISM
An insertion of IS in REALM.
26 Search occupying French father with English ancestry
PEDIGREE
An insertion of DIG in PÈRE plus E.
27 Employ glam rock band with energy coming back
EXERT
A reversal of T REX and E. For those too young to remember, T Rex were a glam rock band and their leader Marc Bolan lived hard and died young, finally coming to rest against a sycamore tree in South-West London.
Down
1 Candidates in place in a film supported by workers?
APPLICANTS
An insertion of PL in A PIC followed by ANTS.
2 Order from one operating in charge
IONIC
Not your DORIC, not your CORINTHIAN, but your IONIC ‘order’ from classical Greek architecture. A charade of I, ON and IC.
3 Rouse resistance and raise support
STIRRUP
A charade of STIR, R and UP. ‘She upped/raised her game.’
5 Poor saint, moving among us, works
UNSATISFACTORY
An insertion of (SAINT)* in US followed by FACTORY.
6 Unusual enticement, not a savoury dish
RAREBIT
A charade of RARE and B[A]IT.
7 United team playing in festive event for country
GUATEMALA
An insertion of U and (TEAM)* in GALA.
8 Connection on right level
TIER
A charade of TIE and R.
9 Note star, rebel after quite staggering drink
TEQUILA SUNRISE
A charade of (QUITE)* LA, SUN and RISE.
13 Prepare simple diet for maximum rate by law
SPEED LIMIT
(SIMPLE DIET)* A full anagram at last.
15 Put right about distortion of deficit
RECTIFIED
A charade of RE and (DEFICIT)*
18 Uncertainty during smart screening
SIFTING
An insertion of IF in STING. ‘That’s a big if.’
20 Some mice ran sneakily over trap
ENSNARE
Hidden reversed in micE RAN SNEakily.
22 Grain, one in middle of confusing system
MAIZE
An insertion of I in MAZE.
23 Finish second best
STOP
A charade of S and TOP.
Many thanks to Everyman for this morning’s puzzle.
I liked 21a, 14a, 5d and my favourite was 7d GUATEMALA.
I needed help to fully parse 6d, 20d and 24a.
Speaking as one of the newer solvers, I thought that 14a and 21a were fine for an Everyman puzzle, based on the fact that I could solve and parse both of those clues, but I did find it easier to solve 24a than to parse it.
Thank you (new) Everyman and Pierre.
NB if the old Everyman reads this blog, thank you for many enjoyable puzzles in the past!
Just realised that what I put in the preamble was pants. I have already posted a blog from our new setter, 3575. Anyway, continue to tell me what you think.
Couldn’t finish this unaided. I know IONIC from chemistry, not architecture. Still haven’t adjusted my radar to the new setter. The puzzle now feels more like the easier end of the spectrum of ‘The Times’ puzzle.
Only because I was at an event where I could surreptitiously try this rather than being bored did I persevere with this and after 3 hours on and off I had all bar 4a, 7d and 19a done.I solved almost of Monday’s Falcon in the FT in about 30 mins and that is how it used to be.
This post, not by me, from the Answerbank, pretty well captures the mood http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Quizzes-and-Puzzles/Crosswords/Question1418749.html
Either the crossword editor has asked the new setter to make Everyman much harder, or doesn’t realise that it is or the new setter can’t set a crossword at the old level.
I’ll give today’s a go and if that is at the same level, I’m stopping -I do this for entertainment and there is no point getting no pleasure from an activity.
Count me as another who found this much trickier than the Everyman puzzles of old. I don’t mind because I am quite an experienced solver, but I can understand why some solvers don’t like the new style. STALEMATE was my LOI after UNSATISFACTORY.
Thanks Everyman and Pierre
I like and enjoy the new Everyman. The old one was fun to do, but all over in no more than 25 minutes most Sundays, and compared to the daily puzzles in the graun I didn’t find it enough of a stretch. The new one has me thinking, which can’t be a bad thing!
Thanks Everyman and Pierre.
I echo Bamberger @4, and after three hours have not got far with today’s crossword, will now probably wait for the help of the check button next Sunday. The Kiwis too are rather upset by the change (they comment several weeks later).
I related IONIC to charge. SURFACE, STALEMATE, PEDIGREE and STIRRUP were good.
I’m not surprised there are people complaining about the new compiler. He(?) has a really difficult job following someone who has developed a distinct style over so many years.
I think the new compiler is doing rather well though despite the occasional odd construction. Someone suggested saving their solving attempt for a week so they could use the ‘check’ facility, I’m sure this might help those struggling.
I think with a bit of patience we’ll all be wondering why we found the change a bit difficult soon.
And it appears that Cookie was the person suggesting waiting a week.
Simon S @6 -I think that Everyman was intended for beginners/those wanting to achieve the satisfaction of solving a crossword in full in a reasonable time. Where does such a solver go now-just the Grauniad quiptic? If you don’t have such easier crosswords, where will the next generation of solvers come from? I decided today to spend no more than 30 mins -and after 30 mins I had solved 5 clues. That is due to my lack of ability but I did regularly get there or thereabouts with the old setter and that gave me a sense of achievement .
bamberger @ 10
I understand your point, but I could never understand why, if Everyman is aimed at beginners, it’s a prize puzzle. Seems to me to defeat the object if a prize is (too/overly) easy.
Simon S @11, perhaps the prize is to encourage beginners? Have got two thirds of the way through today’s now, and although I try to stop keep going back to it!
For those who are still doing today’s Everyman, I recommend that you persevere – I finished it in about an hour this morning and found it very enjoyable – much more so than the puzzles by Anto, Otterden and Vlad this past week which I found a lot more difficult and not as much fun.
Hi Michelle, I have just finished – took me 6 hours on and off. When I was stuck on the last few I went on to ‘Quick Solve’, you put in the number of letters in the clue and the crossers in their position, then see if any of the propositions fit the clue. Cheating in a way but more satisfactory than the ‘Answer Bank’ which I avoid. At least like this I will not have a breakdown!
It seems that I am getting into the new Everyman’s style as I am increasingly enjoying his puzzles.
Personally, I think this is top-notch clueing.
For example, clues like 13d, 20d and 23d are in my opinion little gems.
It all feels more The Times (as AJK rightly says @3) than The Observer.
A puzzle like this can easily be a daily one.
Having said that, this is exactly why some (perhaps even many) solvers complain.
The Everyman is not an entry level crossword anymore and will not be one either, I fear, even after adjusting to this setter’s style.
I consider myself a relatively experienced solver – not in years, but more in understanding crosswords and how to break them down on different levels.
But for me too, recent Everymans (including today’s) took a lot longer to solve than before – time has at least doubled.
It seems that The Guardian/Observer bosses made a choice to change the essence of the Everyman.
If indeed so, they should have told solvers – they could easily have done that in one of the blogs on the Guardian website (but perhaps I missed something).
However if not, thinking that the new Everyman should offer more or less the same level as before, then they made a real judgement error.
All in all, I have double feelings.
I have really come to like the puzzles but, like others, find them unsuitable as entry level crosswords.
There’s one more thing I wondered about.
I always solve crosswords on printed pdfs (even if I bought the newspaper).
I know, I could save trees and go paperless.
But for some reason, I like solving on paper more than looking at a screen.
One has always the full set of clues in view, making it easier to make links or even solve two clues simultaneously.
One can make notes or enter only parts of solutions.
I just wonder whether this makes solving more layered puzzles (as I call it) perhaps ‘easier’.
I know, online you can cheat during solving – something that I don’t want to do, I only turn to resources if I’m completely stuck.
Anyone?
Interesting comments. Here’s my two cents worth. The Everyman puzzles from our recently arrived setter are sound, well clued, but – to borrow Sil’s phrase – certainly more ‘layered’ than before. If, as a beginner, you are faced with a four-element clue, then you’re likely to struggle, and if that puts people off, then it’s not ideal.
Everyman of the last 21 years was ‘formulaic’, but in a positive way: plenty of anagrams to get you going; some long solutions with everyday expressions; almost never any cds. This setter is different, and so he should be. But I hope that he doesn’t discourage improving solvers by making the Sunday Observer puzzle too inaccessible. For those that need harder crosswords, there’s no lack of choice elsewhere during the week.
Welcome again to the new Everyman. A hard act to follow, but look forward to the next puzzle.
Glad to realise my suspicions that there is a new setter for the Everyman are correct. As a perpetual cryptic crossword beginner I feel sad to lose a puzzle which I could manage some of on my own and complete with my partner in the course of the Sunday. I also do miss the element of wit which the previous setter brought to the clues. These feel somehow stodgier to me .
I didn’t always used to complete the Everyman but often made good progress if I had enough time. Over recent weeks I started to really struggle and hardly made any progress sometimes. I’ve learned from these very helpful blogs that there’s a new setter.
I enjoy cryptic crosswords but due to a combination of time and availability, I rarely make much, if any, progress with the Guardian daily crosswords (and even when cross checking with the blogs I often know that I wouldn’t have been able to get the answer). If Everyman is now to become consistently harder then I think it’s a shame and a sad loss of the niche that it filled of cryptic but consistently clued crosswords. For example, I could usually make a start with a few easy to spot anagrams, a well known saying or film from the clue and the pattern of the words and their number of letters and maybe spot the hidden answer (there was usually one). Anagrams that are more fragmented are more difficult to spot and multiple charades (I’m not sure I’m using the right terminology here) do make the clues a lot more contrived and more akin to something that might be seen during the week in the Guardian.
I’m not giving up but I’m not enjoying them as much with making so little progress. If all else fails I do have the Everyman Crossword book that I’ve not done many of and also the archive to work back through but I did used to look forward to the Everyman, even if I had it on the go for most of the week before finishing, or nearly finishing.
The first line of my second paragraph should have read “time and ability” !
Hughr (and others who really miss the Everyman old style), once or twice a month the FT has a crossword set by Falcon.
Falcon puzzles have a style identical to Everyman-as-it-was.
That is no surprise as Falcon is another pseudonym for Allan Scott.
The most recent one can be found here:
http://im.ft-static.com/content/images/6cae4964-f371-11e4-8141-00144feab7de.pdf
This is a Monday Prize Crossword and will be blogged this Thursday.
The Everyman puzzle was do-able, now it is too difficult. I have always know that it was an easier cryptic puzzle, but over a week of occasional sessions I would finish it by the next sunday, and feel a sense of achievement. Now I can hardly do any clues, so unless my brain improves I will be giving up attempting to solve it as it’s just too depressing to fail so completely. The old Everyman was set at my level , the new setter needs to stop being so clever and play to his audience or else we shall get up and leave.
The new “Everyman” is all right, I suppose, but Sunday is the one day I don’t want my brain to be taxed too much.
Cookie, you’re so right as far as this kiwi is concerned! The clues now are way too convoluted and tortuous for me. Will keep trying, but am not really enjoying these puzzles any more.
Finished this in around 2 1/2 hours with use of dictionary and had to google the capital because of my crap geography. Felt really pleased to have got this out. I endorse all the previous comments. Can’t grumble about any of the clues to be honest, they are all sound, just more layered to echo the description already used.
Think I got just three off the bat from the first read through. That’s about a third of what I normally got from Scott.
Speaking of the bat, terrific game today, shame about the rain but the series is well poised.
Tbilisi, where the hell are you? Had never heard of it; and we thought New Zealand was at the back of beyond!
Struggled through the rest though after a slow start. Have to say it was quite enjoyable – now that it is over.
Struggled again. Got about half without any help. Liked some of the clues but the level of difficulty is too much for me to really enjoy.m
The NZ Herald uses The Scotsman double crossword from about 2 years ago in its weekday cryptic. I can complete those quite easily and with pleasure. This new Everyman setter is several levels of complexity more difficult than The Scotsman or Allan Scott’s cryptics. I find no enjoyment in the new setter’s crosswords because I can’t even get started. The NZ Herald, in my opinion, should find an easier cryptic crossword to publish on Saturdays. Thanks to Pierre for attempting to explain the inexplicable.
Yes these latest puzzles have been way too hard for me, too. Last week I managed a bit over half and this week not even that. My problem is sorting which part of the clue is the answer. Yes, far too convoluted for me as well.
I’ve just checked my atlas (The Times concise Atlas of the World). Tbilisi is the capital of Georgia, however there is an apostrophe between the T and b.
I will persevere for a bit longer and will check the link that was mentioned above.
I consider myself to be an experienced solver, I started in the early 1990’s. These puzzles are way too hard for me, but I still derive some satisfaction when I crack a clue, albeit with some electronic help. I will continue, probably more out of habit than anything else.
I am really enjoying these puzzles and the stimulating challenges that they present. Fortunately I was able to solve seven or more clues on my first run through which gave me something to work with as I parsed the remaining clues and eventually resorted to my two thesaurae(?). I can certainly sympathise with anyone that struggles to get started (a la Kropotkin!). The daily one in the Herald is perfect for the start of a weekday but I’m happy with a much more difficult and time-consuming one to occupy me on a Saturday. The clues are well structured and the blog is helpful with fuller explanations where needed-my whole page ends up covered in workings by the time I’m finished and I get a sense of satisfaction if I can work them out. I appreciate that this is my own personal and selfish opinion but feel it deserves a voice in the light of the above disparaging criticisms. It’s probably also pertinent that I started doing cryptic crosswords over sixty years ago with my parents.
I had 4 left without any help but it took me to 3.30pm on Sunday to get that far. In total I must have spent over 5 hours both days trying to figure this crossie out.
I had the remaining clues parsed out except 4ac which I still don’t understand. But for the life of me I couldn’t find the synonyms to knock them off. I had the BIT in RAREBIT and also ACE in SURFACE. In the end I thesaurused UNUSUAL and FOAM and quickly arrived at the answers. I then got UNSATISFACTORY by myself (a nice clue!). I guessed TBILISI (knew it was the capital of Georgia) but didn’t understand the clue.
The last two I didn’t get were OUTRIGHT and EXERT. Others might disagree but I feel EXERT is a bit of a stretch for EMPLOY.
Just my 10c worth on the difficulty level of these crosswords. I can see a lot of solvers, both experienced and inexperienced, struggling with the new setter. I wouldn’t say I am struggling but they are certainly more difficult than before. However I don’t think they are anywhere near as hard as say a Times Cryptic. Now they are hard. I was quickly humbled when I attempted one a while back. Serious tail between your legs stuff. 🙁
We’ve only had a handful of crosswords from the new setter so give it time. I can already see a pattern developing and this will help parse more of his clues.
Sil @ 20 = I’ve just downloaded the Falcon crossword. Took twenty five minutes to complete and I’m afraid to say for the most part it was really quite dull. Maybe I struck a poor one. Or maybe I’m preferring the new Everyman already?
Rats @ 31 Published = Out (is the new book out yet?) and Title = Right (as in legal rights to something = legal title to it).
And if you exert your influence over something you use your influence, or employ it.
Yeah, okay, bit of a stretch. Seen worse.
I agree that we need to give it time. I ‘m not looking for an easy crossword, but I wish all the clues were the same difficulty level as the half of these ones that I could get.
Ha. Most feedback on this site for ages! The setter must be doing something right. This is fun!
It is fun, Mark. The great thing about crosswords is that everyone is different – setters and solvers. I think we do need to give it time. But don’t go abandoning us – the fact that you NZ folk comment four weeks after the rest of us gives me a chance to remind you how poor your cricket team is … if it hadn’t rained we’d have been 2-0 up in the ODIs and out of sight. But can you tell McCullum to stop smashing it everywhere, please?
Did anyone besides me put in “leather” for 11 across? (Lather for foam,
e for excellent, leather = skin.) I can see now that the parsing is somewhat flawed, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. And when the clues are impossible half the time, a somewhat flawed parsing is hard to spot. This messed up the northeast corner for me for a long while. Eventually I realised that “leather” *couldn’t* be right, managed (after great struggle) to get 5 and 7 down;
6 down was fairly easy once I took “leather” out. Then the cross letters revealed
that the answer had to be “surface”.
I question surf = foam, and even surface = skin is a bin tenuous. So the parsing is just about as bad as my “leather” idea.
Oops Pierre, spoken too soon, 2-1 to NZ now! McCullum heeded your wishes but the other two “no-hopers” got us through. Exciting games so far though. However,no good for the insomnia over on this side of the world.
I’ve also downloaded the FT crossword and thoroughly enjoyed doing it yesterday evening. It has some lovely clues in the style of the previous Everyman-it’s the same setter! So if you are finding the current Everyman too demanding I’m confident that you will enjoy this alternative but I would also recommend that you persevere with our current setter and ultimately increase your ability level.
Many thanks to Sil@20
Interesting everyone has a different groan. Took 2 of us a week off and on to complete, without cheating.
I struggle with synonyms, which makes this setter much harder, but that’s ok. Tbilisi was first clue in, so there is no accounting for geographic tastes, even in newZild.