Nick: Me this week folks, as Lorraine’s long hours working over the weekends is a bummer.
I thought this was quite hard for an Everyman, with some clever clueing going on; all fair, of course. 12ac is a great clue, using a device I haven’t seen before.
Good stuff!
BTW, a link for the Kiwi’s who seem to get Everyman a month late:
http://www.theguardian.com/crosswords/series/everyman
Across | |||
1. | Outspoken, shocking court (6) | ||
DIRECT | DIRE+CT | ||
4. | Cronies upset about a storyline (8) | ||
SCENARIO | A in (CRONIES*) | ||
9. | Spherical barrel in Capone’s gun (6) | ||
ROTUND | TUN(barrel) in ROD (US slang) rod=gun, hence ‘Capone’s’ | ||
10. | Exploits lad rated silly, at first (6,2) | ||
TRADES ON | SON after (RATED*) | ||
12. | I haven’t, by inference, being a Russian leader (4,3,8) | ||
IVAN THE TERRIBLE | (I HAVEN’T)* – the answer is the clue here; TERRIBLE is the anagram indicator! this is a very clever and new device to me. Great clue! |
||
13. | Fresh information about being imprisoned (5) | ||
GREEN | RE in GEN | ||
14. | Character on form, one worthy of imitation (4,5) | ||
ROLE MODEL | ROLE+MODEL | ||
17. | Disturbed now and then, about to film (2,3,4) | ||
ON THE TOWN | (NOW, THEN*) around TO | ||
19. | Girl Irish boy knocked over (5) | ||
NADIA | (AIDAN)< | ||
21. | Sign on lawn – Don’t Smoke Cannabis (4,3,3,5) | ||
KEEP OFF THE GRASS | cdd – if you can remember the 60’s you wasn’t there |
||
23. | Stair repaired with effort and great skill (8) | ||
ARTISTRY | (STAIR*)+TRY | ||
24. | Drawing round university graduate revealing injury (6) | ||
TRAUMA | (ART<)+U+MA | ||
25. | Knocking back endless wine is ominous (8) | ||
SINISTER | (RETSIN(a)+IS)< | ||
26. | Comment about stain (6) | ||
REMARK | RE+MARK | ||
… Down |
|||
1. | Slipping up, gathering after duke’s heroic action (7-2) | ||
DERRING-DO | (ERRING+DO) after D | ||
2. | Competitive struggle in desert heat (3,4) | ||
RAT RACE | RAT(desert)+RACE(heat) | ||
3. | Lady Chatterley, say, may be against position (9) | ||
CONSTANCE | CON+STANCE – Lady C’s first name | ||
5. | React badly over girl’s free hand (5,7) | ||
CARTE BLANCHE | (REACT*)+BLANCHE | ||
6. | Floor of drain in need of repair (5) | ||
NADIR | (DRAIN)* – opposite of ZENITH | ||
7. | Pretty young woman stood up by friend (7) | ||
ROSEBUD | ROSE(stood up)+BUD[short for buddy=friend] |
||
8. | Wild animal needing power to make sudden swoop (5) | ||
OUNCE | (p)OUNCE an ounce is a Snow Leopard, of sorts |
||
11. | Comic bare for short comedy play (7,5) | ||
BEDROOM FARCE | (BARE FOR+COMED(y))* | ||
15. | Mine eager, working in zoo (9) | ||
MENAGERIE | (MINE EAGER)* | ||
16. | Dealing with one may generate a lot of interest (4,5) | ||
LOAN SHARK | cd | ||
18. | City in northern Italy with name of American one (7) | ||
TRENTON | TRENTO+N | ||
20. | Daughter Laura raving about chapter in novel (7) | ||
DRACULA | (D+(LAURA*)) around C | ||
21. | Poet buried in Stoke, at Shelton (5) | ||
KEATS | hidden: StoKE, AT Shelton | ||
22. | Love unaltered fertile spot (5) | ||
OASIS | O+’AS IS’ | ||
… |
I’ll second this being hard. I couldn’t get 18d and Mr Google tells me that Trenton is the capital city of New Jersey. Would Edinburgh be the Scotand “One”? Hmm.
I also failed on 1d -I thought it was spelled “daring do” so I thought I was missing a letter. Ah well live and learn.
I agree that this was a little harder than the usual Everyman puzzle. I haven’t seen him use the device in 12ac before but other setters have been using it for a while so it didn’t hold me up. I knew of Trenton, NJ so 18dn wasn’t a problem.