Another good’un – as always – from Everyman, containing just one phrase with which I was unfamiliar. And a small typo in one of the clues.
Abbreviations
cd cryptic definition
dd double definition
(xxxx)* anagram
anagrind = anagram indicator
[x] letter(s) removed
definitions are underlined
Across
1 Barmy story about automobile in island republic
MADAGASCAR
A charade of MAD for ‘barmy’, a reversal of SAGA for ‘story’ and CAR. The reversal indicator is ‘about’. The island is perhaps best-known for these little fellows.
6 Film star getting rid of old clothes
GARB
GARB[O] Greta. She did say ‘I want to be alone’, but only in a film.
10 Right oven for joint
ROAST
A charade of R and OAST for ‘oven’.
11 Dash back across Ohio, say, in station wagon
ESTATE CAR
An insertion of STATE in ECAR, a reversal of RACE for ‘dash’. There is a nod in the clue to the fact that what speakers of British English call an ESTATE CAR is a ‘station wagon’ in the USA.
12 Couple on stage dance
TWO-STEP
A charade of TWO for ‘couple’ and STEP for ‘stage’.
13 Further publication concerning affair
REISSUE
A charade of RE and ISSUE.
14 Desperate, guys in band soon see a different way
ON ONE’S BEAM ENDS
Everyman can come up sometimes with what I’d call ‘old-fashioned’ phrases. I’d never heard this expression and needed all the crossers before I could work it out. It’s an insertion of MEN for ‘guys’ in (BAND SOON SEE)* and apparently it’s of nautical origin.
17 How grandmasters play each other, generally
ACROSS THE BOARD
A dd. The reference is to chess.
21 Cooked neat new North American dish
ANTENNA
(NEAT)* followed by N and NA.
22 Royal court official spoils prince
MARSHAL
A charade of MARS and HAL. Prince HAL is Shakespeare’s fictional character. And HAL is also the scary computer in 2001: A Space Odyssey. ‘I’m sorry, Dave, I’m afraid I can’t do that.’ Just put that in because I know Everyman likes his films.
23 What might keep me warm, I wondered, shivering
EIDERDOWN
(I WONDERED)* Lovely surface.
24 A graduate, with it, returned violin
AMATI
Well, since it couldn’t be STRAD, then it had to be something else. It’s a charade of A, MA and a reversal of IT. Didn’t know it, but the wordplay is very clear.
25 Whitish wooden post
PALE
A dd.
26 Small house on estate I’m getting converted
MAISONETTE
(ON ESTATE I’M)* Another fine surface reading.
Down
1 Hat Norma lost in race
MARATHON
(HAT NORMA)* The anagrind is ‘lost’. I’m in the chilled out group when it comes to anagrinds, which is a good thing in this case.
2 Top game
DIABOLO
A dd. A DIABOLO is a spinning top and also a card game.
3 PMs do it regularly, visit Chequers?
GO TO THE COUNTRY
A cd cum dd. David Cameron will have to GO TO THE COUNTRY in 2015, and his country residence when he’s fed up with the servants in Downing Street is ‘Chequers’.
4 Prize may make son cry
SWEEP
A charade of S and WEEP.
5 Outcome of mowing at the farm
AFTERMATH
At face value, this is (AT THE FARM)* with ‘mowing’ as the anagrind. But it’s a bit cleverer than that, since the origin of AFTERMATH is a ‘second mowing’, from the dialect word ‘math’ for ‘mowing, from Old English mæð.
7 Blamed copper in fixed case ending in bird
ACCUSED
An insertion of CU for the chemical symbol for ‘copper’ in (CASE)* followed by D for the last letter of ‘bird’. The anagrind is ‘fixed’.
8 Bishop with book in bed
BORDER
A charade of B and ORDER.
9 Make a deal once more to save pub after industrial acrion
STRIKE A BARGAIN
An insertion of BAR in AGAIN after STRIKE. And of course it should be ‘action’ rather than ‘acrion’ in the clue.
15 Steps taken to control a rising river
BOSSA NOVA
A charade of BOSS, A and a reversal of the river AVON.
16 Girl receiving help to get to Australian city
ADELAIDE
An insertion of AID in ADELE. Don’t mention the cricket.
18 Keep clubs I dealt out
CITADEL
C for the card suit ‘clubs’ followed by (I DEALT)*
19 Basically, try to interrupt a race
AT HEART
Referencing the Isle of Man TT races, so it’s HEAR in its courtroom sense in A TT.
20 Highly delighted having buried the hatchet
MADE UP
A dd, although the first definition (‘highly delighted’) may only be familiar to those from the North of England.
22 Lacking bit of muscle in America
MINUS
A charade of M for the first letter of ‘muscle’, IN and US.
Another fine Sunday puzzle from Everyman, to whom thanks.
Thanks, Pierre, another enjoyable Sunday puzzle.
I also liked EIDERDOWN, and AFTERMATH, too, though without knowing the etymology – thank you for that.
I can never understand why there are always so few comments on this page.
Another very enjoyable Sunday puzzle.
Thanks Pierre; I echo crosser’s sentiments – I too did not know the ‘second mowing’ of AFTERMATH, which in any case was my favourite clue. I also particularly liked BOSSA NOVA. I had heard of ON ONES BEAM ENDS, so no problems there (but then again, I am also a bit outdated. ;))
I couldn’t get 14a and if you had put it in a list of expressions including made up ones, I’d have happily and confidently said that one was made up.
For 24a I had no idea whether it was abami or amabi. I thought the cryptic lead you unambiguously to the answer?
Bamberger @ 3
“I thought the cryptic lead you unambiguously to the answer?”
It does! As Pierre accurately says in his blog, it’s “It’s a charade of A, MA and a reversal of IT. Didn’t know it, but the wordplay is very clear.”
I think I see what you mean, Bamberger. Since the M is not a crossing letter, it could equally have been ABATI. I took a stab at AMATI and looked it up. But it couldn’t have been either of the ones you suggest because the cryptic grammar doesn’t lead you there, since it must end in -TI.
It could have been any post-nominal sequence, but that’s normal for crosswords: we’re rarely given the letters needed, say, for a containment indication, needing instead to guess at a suitable synonym. I’d heard of an Amati in any case (so to speak: it’s a bit early for puns THAT bad, I agree) so didn’t have to check the old tome.
Pretty much a top-to-bottom solve with BOSSA NOVA my LOI. I knew AMATI and ON ONE’S BEAM ENDS so I didn’t have a problem with them, and I’m from the north so MADE UP was a write-in. An enjoyable solve.
Ref: crosser’s comment at #1.
Why should we worry or feel sorry if a crossword has fewer Comments?
One reason may be that the paper where a particular crossword is published may have a lower circulation and be less popular.
Another may be that the online edition of the paper does not have an interactive version for the solver to spend a few minutes in solving it and move over to this website to put in Comments.
A third may be that a particular crossword is a prize crossword with a deadline for entries – before which the answers cannot be published here. By the time it can be blogged, another puzzle has appeared and solvers have moved on. Only a solver with a question/observation in mind when they solved the puzzle the previous week would drop in here to see the blogger’s take.
Conceivably a fourth reason: a particular crossword may be a stinker with fewer solvers and so fewer commenters or it may be an off-colour one with fewer solvers even admitting to have solved it.
Everyman crossword is regularly reproduced in a Chennai-based paper after a time-lag and is a favourite among solvers – though the number of solvers as the percentage of the paper’s readership may be negligible.
Rishi @8
True, but I just feel it’s a pity for someone to take the trouble to blog a puzzle and then to get so little thanks/recognition!
That’s a kind thought, crosser. It’s always a pleasure to blog an Everyman anyway, and there’s the consolation – if such is needed – that there will be a good number of lurkers, who will check the blog but not necessarily contribute.
Thanks to all for their comments on this one.
Ref Pierre’s comment 10
Thanks 🙂