Another well-constructed, accessible puzzle from Everyman. A couple of clue types that this setter doesn’t often use in today’s offering.
Abbreviations
cd cryptic definition
dd double definition
(xxxx)* anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x] letter(s) removed
definitions are underlined
Across
1 Superb parrot and chimpanzee, for example
GREAT APE
A charade of GREAT for ‘superb’ and APE for ‘parrot’. The chimpanzee, our closest relation on the planet, is indeed an example of a GREAT APE. As are we.
5 US soldiers holding turncoat without charge
GRATIS
An insertion of RAT for ‘turncoat’ in GIS for ‘US soldiers’ gives you the Latin word meaning ‘free’ or ‘without charge’.
9 Phone about small error in notice
DISMISSAL
An insertion of S and MISS in DIAL.
11 Tot before a play
DRAMA
A charade of DRAM for the mainly Scottish word for a small measure of spirit or ‘tot’ and A.
12 Oarsmen scoffed, by the sound of it
EIGHT
A homophone of ATE.
13 Briefly run across street musicians
ORGANISTS
Everyman’s inviting you to insert ST for ‘street’ in ORGANIS[E].
14 Unhappy keeping scholarly woman
BLUESTOCKING
A charade of BLUE and STOCKING gives you the term for an educated, intellectual woman. It dates back to the 18th century, and has a history of being used in a derogatory way.
18 Joining friendly US transportation company
UNION PACIFIC
A charade of UNION for ‘joining’ and PACIFIC for ‘friendly’. The US’s largest railroad network.
21 Promising illumination after power comes on
PLIGHTING
LIGHTING for ‘illumination’ after P for ‘power’. And thereto I plight thee my troth, as some of us have said. And in some cases, regretted later.
23 Merle Haggard in _ _ _ _ _ Gantry?
ELMER
(MERLE)* with ‘haggard’ as the anagrind. Merle Haggard is a Country and Western singer, and Elmer Gantry is a movie released in 1960. My (admittedly brief) attempt to link the two has drawn a blank, but I’m happy to be proved wrong. Everyman often gives us an old film as an answer, but doesn’t often give us this ‘fill in the blanks’ clue type.
24 Rebuke daughter deserved
RATED
A charade of RATE and D for ‘daughter’. I would always use BERATE for ‘rebuke’, but my SOED does give ‘scold, chide, reprove angrily’ for RATE, so fair play.
25 Sculpted near Loire, previously
EARLIER ON
(NEAR LOIRE)* with ‘sculpted’ as the anagrind.
26 Popular Bellini opera opening in London
NORMAL
A charade of NORMA for the Bellini opera and L for the first letter of London. NORMAL might not be my first choice of synonym for ‘popular’.
27 Sloth, perhaps, attendee suffered
EDENTATE
A sloth is an example of an EDENTATE, and it’s (ATTENDEE)* with ‘suffered’ as the anagrind. The name comes from the fact that sloths and other related species like anteaters don’t have full dentition and often lack canines and incisors. In French, paresseux is ‘lazy’, and un paresseux is a sloth. Not a lot of people know that.
Down
1 Ingenious device, specially tagged
GADGET
(TAGGED)*
2 Flag officer in the US navy
ENSIGN
A dd.
3 Sporting event at Hilton arranged to include foremost of runners
TRIATHLON
(AT HILTON R)*
4 Following surgery, worker goes after job
POST-OPERATIVE
A charade of OPERATIVE for ‘worker’ preceded by POST for ‘job’.
6 Element causing trouble in the Navy
RADON
An insertion of ADO in RN for Royal Navy.
7 Send on first of mail put into carriage
TRANSMIT
An insertion of M in TRANSIT.
8 Gesture involving sailors in house
STAR SIGN
And another insertion: this time of TARS for ‘sailors’ in SIGN. Referring to the twelve ‘houses’ of the Zodiac.
10 Blonde felt inclined to steal
LIGHT-FINGERED
A charade of LIGHT for ‘blonde’ and FINGERED for ‘felt’. It’s simple, but it’s good.
15 Standard chapter on interior design
CRITERION
C for ‘chapter’ followed by (INTERIOR)*
16 Work out drive required with club
PUMP IRON
A charade of PUMP and the golf club IRON.
17 Clergyman, one entering cathedral
MINISTER
This one’s been round the block a bit, but there’ll be some newbies out there who haven’t seen it before. I in MINSTER.
19 Cheers after Rome’s broken conspiracy of silence
OMERTA
(ROME)* followed by TA.
20 Rim of bell cast in iron
FRINGE
An insertion of RING in FE for the chemical symbol for ‘iron’.
22 Monster in lengthy 11
HYDRA
Again, slightly unusual for an Everyman; he doesn’t often cross-reference clues in this way. Nothing to frighten the horses, though: it’s hidden in lengtHY DRAma (the latter word being the solution to 11ac). The mythical Greek multi-headed monster.
Many thanks to Everyman for another fine Sunday morning puzzle.
I couldn’t finish this.
21a I had p?i?h??i?g and while p the from power I just couldn’t get lighting =illumnation -clearly lacking illumination last Sunday.
23a Simply didn’t knmow elmer=gantry and even with e?m?r I failed to twig that haggard was an anagram indicator.
24a I just didn’t know rate=rebuke
27a I may have realised that it was an anagram but hadn’t come across the word.
A win for Everyman last week.
I also noticed that it was unusual for Everyman to use the slightly indirect inclusion device at 22dn, and as I entered HYDRA I realised that I used to see this type of clue in the Guardian occasionally, but I don’t remember having seen one for a while.
As far as the clue for ELMER is concerned, I think Everyman or the editor may have put the blanks and the italics into the clue to make it a little easier for the target audience. IMHO without them it becomes a much more difficult clue.
The EDENTATE/CRITERION crossers were my last ones in.
Yet another cock-up on the Guardian site means that today’s Everyman isn’t shown, but you can get to the PDF version here.
Many thanks Everybody & particularly Andrew @3.
Andrew@3 – it might be another cock-up but it’s free so I wouldn’t be too hard on them.
Re Andrew @3 that’s great and the 3500 is clearly shown as the start letters to each clue
It may be that the regular Everyman for some reason could not send a puzzle and someone else was asked to step in. This may have been at short notice and that explains clues like the FITB at 23ac and the chestnut at 17dn.
Thanks for Andrew’s post with the pdf. However, please do not comment in any form at all about a prize puzzle whose deadline has not yet passed.
Many thanks
Pierre