The puzle may be found as a pdf at tinyurl.com/Everyman4159 or (behind a paywall or as a free trial) at https://observer.co.uk/puzzles/everyman/article/everyman-no-4159 in interactive form.
For an Everyman, I made heavy weather of this, and in particular it took me far too long to spot the sound-alike in 17A RAISE. All the usual Everyman trademarks are here, and highlighted in the grid.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | HEADBAND |
Manage group in tennis gear (8)
|
| A charade of HEAD (‘manage’) plus BAND (‘group’) | ||
| 5 | AT WAR |
Fighting a dermal disorder after cycling (2,3)
|
| A charade of ‘a’ plus TWAR, which is WART (‘dermal disorder’) ‘after cycling’. | ||
| 9 | ROGET |
Booked man of many words (5)
|
| A cryptid definition, for Peter Mark Roget, the author of a Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases. | ||
| 10 | CUCUMBERS |
Before seconds, alternately crunch on brown salad components (9)
|
| A charade of CUC (‘alternately CrUnCh’) plus UMBER (‘brown’) plus S (‘seconds’). | ||
| 11 | OVER-EMOTIONAL |
Into amore (‘love’) – badly so? (4-9)
|
| An anagram (‘badly so’) of ‘into amore love’, with an &lit definition. | ||
| 13 | IRONY |
Tough guy finally getting subtle humour (5)
|
| A charade of IRON (‘tough’) plus Y (‘guY finally’). | ||
| 14 | WALKATHON |
What is unusual and concerning about a 50k race no-one runs? (9)
|
| An envelope (‘about’) of ‘a’ plus L (Roman numeral, ’50’) plus ‘k’ in WATH, an anagram (‘is unusual’) of ‘what’ plus ON (‘concerning’). | ||
| 15 | EASY CHAIR |
Laid-back committee head, one comfortably supporting you (4,5)
|
| A charade of EASY (‘laid-back’) plus CHAIR (‘committee head’). | ||
| 17 | RAISE |
Pull up fish escaping from trap (5)
|
| Sounds like (‘escaping from trap’ – trap as in “shut your trap”) RAYS (‘fish’). | ||
| 18 | LIGHT-FINGERED |
Disorder persisted – Spooner’s inclined to steal (5-8)
|
| A Spoonerism of FIGHT LINGERED (‘disorder persisted’). | ||
| 21 | TEMPERING |
Softening but hardening (9)
|
| Double definition. | ||
| 22 | MAMBA |
Primarily mouthy African menace biting avians? (5)
|
| First letters (‘primarily’) of ‘Mouthy African Menace Biting Avians’, with an &lit definition. | ||
| 23 | ASSET |
Hound having chased away bishop: that’s useful (5)
|
| A subtraction: [b]ASSET (‘hound’) minus the B (‘having chased away bishop’). | ||
| 24 | STANDS BY |
Supports – without doing anything? (6,2)
|
| Double definition. | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | HARMONISED |
Admonisher, after massage, is reconciled (10)
|
| An anagram (‘after massage’) of ‘admonisher’. | ||
| 2 | ANGLEPOISE LAMPS |
We’re known to be bent in the workplace and when we’re not charged, you’re in the dark (10,5)
|
| An elaborate cryptic definition (‘charged’ – supplied with current?). | ||
| 3 | BATTERY |
I’ll give you energy: like a pancake? (7)
|
| Double definition, the second being whimsical, made from a batter. | ||
| 4 | NACHO |
Chip‘s the ultimate in he- men, virile, topless (5)
|
| A charade of N (‘the ultimate in he-meN‘) plus [m]ACHO (‘virile’) minus its first letter (‘topless’). | ||
| 5 | ARMENIA |
Country song about chess pieces (7)
|
| An envelope (‘about’) of MEN (‘ches pieces’) in ARIA (‘song’). | ||
| 6 | WHEELCHAIR RAMPS |
They’re inclined to get you to leave (10,5)
|
| Cryptic definition. | ||
| 7 | RASP |
Looking up, I’ll add: a glimpse of rank and file (4)
|
| A reversal (‘looking up’ in a down light) of PS (‘I’ll add’ to a letter, say) plus ‘a’ plus R (‘glimpse of Rank’) | ||
| 8 | SCHILLER |
Romantic German in school, increasingly unwell (8)
|
| A charade of SCH (‘school’) plus ILLER (‘increasingly unwell’). | ||
| 12 | INCENDIARY |
Nicer day in resort: very hot (10)
|
| An anagram (‘re-sort’) of ‘nuicer day in’. | ||
| 14 | WEAR THIN |
Some raw earth I neglected to grow ragged (4,4)
|
| A hidden answer (‘some’) in ‘raW EARTH I Neglected’. | ||
| 16 | CAGIEST |
In America, GI esteemed as ‘most sly‘ (7)
|
| A hidden answer ‘in’ ‘AmeriCA GI ESTeemed’. | ||
| 17 | REGIMEN |
Most of greens, sadly, Everyman’s eaten for diet (7)
|
| An envelope (‘eaten’) of I’M (‘Everyman’s’) in REGEN, an anagram (‘sadly’) of ‘green[s]’ minus its last letter (‘most of’). | ||
| 19 | INGOT |
Leading characters in Irish netball won gold? (5)
|
| A charade of IN (‘leading characters in Irish Netball’) plus GOT (‘won’). The question mark is for the indication by example – an ingot may be of gold or another metal. | ||
| 20 | ETNA |
Estonian regularly ignored volcano (4)
|
| Alternate letters (‘regularly ignored’) of ‘EsToNiAn’. |
