A PDF of this puzzle can be found at https://tinyurl.com/Everyman4158
I found this a pretty straightforward iteration of Everyman, with most of the usual clue types on display, and with none of the awkwardness of cluing that has sometimes been on display in recent months. Ticks from me for NEANDERTHAL, QUESTION MARK, the cleverly worked MATE and the nicely paired LEAPT AT and SIDLE UP. Thanks to Everyman.
Moh’s dodgy cruciverbal hardness scale rating: Talc
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | MARY |
Woman to spoil end of party (4)
|
| MAR + [part]Y | ||
| 3 | OPPROBRIUM |
In favour of British getting into narcotic juice: disgrace! (10)
|
| Insertion (getting into) of PRO + BR (in favour of British) into OPIUM | ||
| 9 | IOTA |
Letter from Athens returned to you in Paris (4)
|
| Reversal (returned) of À TOI (“to you” in French) | ||
| 10 | PERSISTENT |
According to sibling, canvas is fixed (10)
|
| PER (according to) + SIS + TENT | ||
| 12 | CIRCULATION |
Number of readers an issue for first-aider (11)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 15 | UNMASKS |
Kim disheartened; Susan sadly shows up (7)
|
| Anagram (sadly) of K[i]M SUSAN | ||
| 16 | INSULIN |
Regulator cutting short abuse: cool (7)
|
| INSUL[t] (cutting short abuse) + IN (hip, cool). Insulin, of course, regulates the level of glucose in the blood, as we diabetics know only too well | ||
| 17 | SUNDIAL |
Take time here on cloudless day (7)
|
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 19 | SOPRANI |
Singers giving appeasing gift to Indian princess (7)
|
| SOP (appeasing gift) + RANI (Indian princess or queen). The plural ‘soprani’ is, to the say the least, less usual in English than ‘sopranos’, but Chambers allows it, so no quibble from me | ||
| 20 | NEANDERTHAL |
Palaeolithic man tilled earthen land (11)
|
| Anagram (tilled) of EARTHEN LAND | ||
| 23 | HEN PARTIES |
Spooner’s to corral lusty types for women’s gatherings (3,7)
|
| Spoonerism of “pen hearties” | ||
| 24 | CUBE |
Cut into pieces: eight or 27, perhaps (4)
|
| Double definition (8 and 27 being the cubes of 2 and 3 respectively) | ||
| 25 | STICKY TAPE |
Aggro given by ultimately snarky, flippant imitator: this’ll help you hold things together (6,4)
|
| STICK (aggro) + last letters (ultimately) of [snark]Y and [flippan]T + APE | ||
| 26 | MEWS |
Overheard one inspiring announcements from Persians (4)
|
| Soundalike (overheard) of “muse” (one inspiring). I think the clue ought to end in a question mark or a perhaps to indicate a definition by example (there are other cats besides Persians) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | MAIN COURSE |
With a prune, mint sauce or nuts will give you substantial fare (4,6)
|
| Anagram (nuts) of MIN[t] (mint with a prune) SAUCE OR | ||
| 2 | RETIREMENT |
Entire term ghastly – not going to work any more (10)
|
| Anagram (ghastly) of ENTIRE TERM | ||
| 4 | PREFABS |
Assembled accommodation in anticipation of the Beatles (7)
|
| PRE (in anticipation of) + FABS | ||
| 5 | ROSSINI |
Musician, somewhat gross, in isolation (7)
|
| Hidden in (somewhat) gROSS IN Isolation | ||
| 6 | BUSINESS PARK |
Public transport lines not beginning to reach flash commercial area (8,4)
|
| BUS + [L]INES + SPARK (flash) | ||
| 7 | ITEM |
About time: Everyman twice sent up as ‘particular’ (4)
|
| Reversal (sent up) of ME and I (Everyman twice) around T | ||
| 8 | MATE |
Primarily: marry / amigo / tisane / ending! (4)
|
| First letters of the last four words, which all, in their different ways, can mean “mate”. For those who have never tried maté, the version made with yerba found in Argentina and Chile, while pleasant enough, is rather less stimulating than the Andean version, which is made with coca leaves. Very good for altitude sickness | ||
| 11 | QUESTION MARK |
Doubt value of pre-euro currency? (8,4)
|
| QUESTION (doubt value of) + (deutsch)MARK | ||
| 13 | BLEAK HOUSE |
Empty bath containing ooze onto river: that’s novel (5,5)
|
| Envelope (containing) of B[at]H around LEAK (ooze) + OUSE (one of three rivers in England to bear that name). Seems to me that using ‘ooze’ for leak rather gives the OUSE bit away | ||
| 14 | INFIELDERS |
Cricketers arranged friendlies (10)
|
| Anagram (arranged) of FRIENDLIES | ||
| 18 | LEAPT AT |
Eagerly approached meadow with dung covering rabbit’s tail (5,2)
|
| LEA (meadow) + (cow)PAT around [rabbi]T | ||
| 19 | SIDLE UP |
Furtively approach drink, hiding empty (5,2)
|
| SUP around (hiding) IDLE (empty, as in a boast or a threat, perhaps) | ||
| 21 | THUS |
So it’s hours being regularly wasted (4)
|
| Alternate letters (being regularly wasted) of iTs HoUrS | ||
| 22 | ANTI |
Antagonistic to some characters from Pleasant Island (4)
|
| Hidden in (some characters from) pleasANT Island |