Everyman

Everyman 4,061/18 August

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Another pleasing and sound cryptic from Everyman. Abbreviations cd cryptic definition dd double definition cad clue as definition (xxxx)* anagram anagrind = anagram indicator [x] letter(s) removed definitions are underlined Across 1 When … Read more >>

Everyman 4060, Sunday 11 August 2024

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What we have come to expect: not perhaps the most exciting surfaces (except for some, particularly 22dn), but plenty of ingenuity shown, and sound clues.

Definitions in crimson, underlined. Indicators (anagram, homophone, hidden, inclusion, etc) in italics. Anagrams indicated (like this)* or *(like this). Link-words in green.

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Everyman 4056

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Nice sound crossword with quite a few double definitions here, I thought — not perhaps too many, though. They are usually easy for the solver because it’s generally pretty obvious what has to be done, and they are often easy for the setter since one only has to find some appropriate synonyms.

Definitions underlined, in crimson. Indicators (homophone, hidden, juxtaposition, etc.) in italics. Anagrams indicated (like this)* or *(like this). Link-words in green.

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Everyman 4,053/23 June

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One or two niggles from me in this week’s puzzle, but overall a pleasing solve. Abbreviations cd cryptic definition dd double definition cad clue as definition (xxxx)* anagram anagrind = anagram indicator [x] … Read more >>

Everyman 4,052

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There is much in last Sunday’s blog quoting Alan Connor’s attitude to the difficulty of the Everyman crossword (see, in particular, Shanne@42). It looks as if AC is unaware of the fact that the Everyman has moved far from the entry-level crossword that it used to be. Some of the clues in this puzzle, although perfectly sound, are really quite tricky. Of course there are some which are pretty straightforward, as there should be in any broadsheet crossword, but by no means all of them. The long complete anagrams were often hard to see.  By me, anyway.

There are seven complete anagrams here, so far as I can see, which is a quarter of the clues: quite an achievement. There are also the rhyming answers at 11ac and 20ac (although I can’t see any others). The ‘primarily’ clue, which had always apparently been there, has disappeared: difficulty of setting or a further disregard for the novice solver?

In a blog about a year ago I mentioned that there always seemed to be 28 clues (no criticism at all), and pointed out that the setter saved himself work that way. Someone posted and said that it was sometimes more than 28. I’ve never seen such an Everyman crossword.

Definitions underlined, in crimson. Indicators (homophone, hidden, anagram, juxtaposition, etc) in italics. Anagrams *(like this) or (like this)*. Link-words in green.

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Everyman 4,049/26 May

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The consensus seems to be that the difficulty level of the Everyman puzzle has moved upwards in recent times. They are still well-constructed and pleasing puzzles, though, in my opinion. I enjoyed solving … Read more >>

Everyman 4,048

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I thought this was very difficult and there was a period of panic when I thought I’d have to give up and ask for help, but eventually one fell, a fairly obvious one really but it defeated me for a long time, and the others were then solvable. It took a long time to get started, but once I had done so everything went in easily enough, until I reached the impasse already described.

Definitions in crimson, underlined. Indicators (homophone, reversal, hidden, anagram etc) in italics. Anagrams indicated *(like this) or (like this)*. Link-words in green.

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