A Valentine’s Day puzzle from Everyman. Apologies for the late appearance of this, but I was busy on the 14th being romanced by shedloads of attractive and rich fifty-something divorcees, which took my mind off the job. Actually, I forgot that it was my turn to blog.
Abbreviations
cd cryptic definition
dd double definition
(xxxx)* anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x] letter(s) removed
definitions are underlined
Across
1 Tudor monarch keeping church in English system
MACHINERY
The ‘Tudor monarch’ is MARY; you need to insert CH, IN and E in that. I’m not mad keen on the definition.
6 Examine condition in street
SIFT
An insertion of IF in ST.
8 Sort booing diva ruined song
GOOD VIBRATIONS
(SORT BOOING DIVA)* for the song by the Beach Boys.
10 Note element required for language
LATIN
A charade of LA and TIN.
11 Enclose phone receiver
RING-FENCE
A charade of RING and FENCE.
12 Crackpot free to obtain capital
MADRID
A charade of MAD and RID.
14 Erase ink, resolved to be more furtive
SNEAKIER
(ERASE INK)*
17 Noise men whipped up for candidates
NOMINEES
(NOISE MEN)*
18 Try and gamble about conclusion of final in cup
GOBLET
GO for ‘try’ followed by L in BET.
20 Heavenly messenger, in peculiar change, lost
ARCHANGEL
Hidden in peculiAR CHANGE Lost. Gabriel was the most famous holder of the post. He gave the good news to Mary.
22 Light chapter after revolutionary nonsense
TORCH
Everyman is asking you to reverse ROT and follow it with CH.
24 Old man heads for power unopposed again with sum of money for nation
PAPUA NEW GUINEA
A charade of PA for ‘old man’, PU for the first letters of ‘power’ and ‘unopposed’, ANEW for ‘again’ and GUINEA for ‘sum of money’.
25 Use writing machine in class
TYPE
A dd.
26 Rigorous sequence connected with area of medicine
STRINGENT
A charade of STRING and ENT for ‘Ear, Nose and Throat’, the setters’ favourite hospital department.
Down
1 One lusting for power with evil aim came along
MEGALOMANIAC
(AIM CAME ALONG)* Nice surface.
2 Influence from chlorine revealed
CLOUT
CL for element number 17 and OUT.
3 Fashionable outlet I love with name for originality
INVENTION
A charade of IN, VENT, I, O and N.
4 Board game’s ending with bishop in spot
EMBARK
E for the last letter of ‘game’ followed by B in MARK.
5 Desire unknown quantity, being paid
YEARNING
A charade of Y and EARNING.
6 Small argument becoming difficult
STIFF
A charade of S and TIFF. ‘That was a stiff challenge.’
7 Panic badly, losing power in last of money matters
FINANCIAL
An insertion of [P]ANIC in FINAL.
9 Judge, dry old man with skill in private conversation
HEART-TO-HEART
I’ve said before that Everyman likes his multi-part clues, and that’s neither a criticism nor a compliment. Each setter has his or her own style. This is a charade of HEAR for ‘judge’, TT for ‘dry’, O for ‘old’, HE for ‘man’ and ART for ‘skill’.
13 Protest and shout about a cold form of government
DEMOCRACY
A charade of DEMO and A and C in CRY.
15 Change of direction in contest dividing planet without leader
ABOUT TURN
An insertion of BOUT in [S]ATURN.
16 Stage performances including new close-fitting trousers
LEGGINGS
A charade of LEG for ‘stage’ and N inserted into GIGS.
19 Bloom with force cut down
FLOWER
A charade of F and LOWER, with FLOWER as the solution for once, rather than in the surface reading indicating a river.
21 Delight in the morning service
AMUSE
A charade of AM and USE, although I’m not sure about USE and ‘service’.
23 Hurried, for example, climbing series of hills
RANGE
A charade of RAN and EG reversed (‘climbing’)
Many thanks to Everyman for the puzzle.
First Everyman I’ve completed in 2016! Thanks Everyman and Pierre. Agree with your reservations on 1 and 21. Goblet LOI. Liked Papua New Guinea, megalomaniac and heart to heart.
Thanks Everyman and Pierre
In 21 I think that X (be it a person or an object) “was of good use” and “was of good service” are pretty much synonymous..
Well done, SlowMelter, and thank you for your (first?) comment. Keep at it – as the saying goes, the more you practise, the better you get.
A typical Everyman, enjoyable and mostly straightforward. I couldn’t fully parse PAPUA NEW GUINEA, though. I took “again” as another of the “heads for” words, leaving NEW unexplained.
I don’t see any problem with “service” clueing USE. They are equivalent in “out of service/use”. I’m less convinced about “system” clueing MACHINERY, but perhaps “we have the system/machinery in place to …”?
Thanks, Everyman and Pierre.
Thanks Everyman and Pierre.
This was an enjoyable crossword. ARCHANGEL was well hidden, and MEGALOMANIAC and EMBARK had me thinking for a while!
Good puzzle from Everyman which I think is pitched at about the right level. Some great surfaces here of which I especially liked GOOD VIBRATIONS and EMBARK.
Thanks Everyman and Pierre.
Fairly raced through this. Ideal for the moments between cooking the Sunday dinner.
Re 9, why does TT = dry? Thanks.
Charlie @ 8
TT = TeeTotal, aka dry
hth
Doesn’t it drive you nuts when you look at something reasonably obvious for ages and you still can’t see it – eg.12ac, M-d-i-? Oh well, as was frequently written on the school report, “must try harder”. Thanks to all
Completed this one, though some made me think for a while. For once I can even say I enjoyed it, and it was good to,have a clue about our part of the world I.e. 24 ac.
Thanks Pierre and Everyman.
Nice couple of half hours I suppose punctuated by afternoon nap during which I was neither in service nor in use (or of much use come to that). I don’t much mind machinery = system either, as in the wheels/system/machinery of Government grind(s) exceeding slow at times.
A better question is why this website asks for my email address. I could put donaldtrump@gmail.com and it would accept it. Seems a bit pointless.
I just managed to correctly solve this with a bit of guesswork. I did not think of Mary as a Tudor Monarch, but she was Henry VIII’s and Catherine of Aragon’s only child. So the line went Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary Tudor, then Elizabeth I, all three successors being Henry’s children.
Quod erat demonstrandum = which was to be proved. Otherwise QED = quite easily done.
Ear Nose Throat got me – must remember that for next time.
I am sure most of use would easily come up with a better clue for 14ac tho…
Venassa – the WP was ok but good surfaces are sadly not this setter’s strong suit. Pity.
In 26ac I thought that the medical area was astringent, like a skin medication. I would never have come up with ear nose and throat.
Plastic surgery anyone?