A PDF of this puzzle may be found at https://tinyurl.com/Everyman4162
A pretty standard Everyman puzzle, albeit without a couple of the standard characteristics – no geographic reference or single-word anagram, for example. But nothing too arduous and only one or two fairly minor quibbles along the way (see below). Thanks to Everyman.
Moh’s Sunday morning cruciverbal hardness scale rating: Talc
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | VICTOR HUGO |
Who wrote fantastic Gothic oeuvre, never wanting energy? (6,4)
|
| Anagram (fantastic) of GOTHIC O[e]UVR[e] (never wanting energy – but surely “never having energy” would be better? Or am I confusing two slightly different senses of “want”, ie to lack and to desire?) | ||
| 6 | OPTS |
Chooses, therefore, to go back to grasp point (4)
|
| Reversal (to go back) of SO (therefore) around (to grasp) PT | ||
| 9 | SHAKE HANDS |
Agree to unnerve crew (5,5)
|
| SHAKE (unnerve) + HANDS (crew) | ||
| 10 | DELI |
Finally obtained some delightful salami – here? (4)
|
| A different take on the standard ‘primarily’ clue. Last letters (finally) of obtaineD somE delightfuL salamI | ||
| 11 | PRETTY PLEASE |
Prepay and settle rent, prithee (6,6)
|
| Anagram (rent, as in torn) of PREPAY SETTLE | ||
| 15 | UNLEARN |
Completely forget number Lauren arranged (7)
|
| Anagram (arranged) of N LAUREN | ||
| 16 | PEELERS |
Detectives who’ll prepare potatoes? (7)
|
| Double def, the first referring to the nickname given to police officers after the founder of the Metropolitan Police, Robert Peel) | ||
| 17 | NON-STOP |
Section of canon’s to play on a loop (3-4)
|
| Hidden in (section of) caNONS TO Play | ||
| 19 | OBSERVE |
Old boy to wait at table and make remarks? (7)
|
| OB + SERVE | ||
| 20 | UGLY DUCKLING |
Subject of a swan song? (4,8)
|
| Cryptic def. I’m sure you all know the Danny Kaye song | ||
| 23 | TSAR |
Title socialists avidly revoked, primarily! (4)
|
| And here’s the proper ‘primarily’ clue – initial letters of the first four words | ||
| 24 | PICKET LINE |
We come to work? Yes and no (6,4)
|
| Cryptic def. Strikers on a picket line do indeed travel to their place of work. But not to work | ||
| 25 | EASE |
Principally, Everyman, more than once, pronouncedly moderate (4)
|
| Soundalike (pronouncedly) of “EEs” (Everman principally, more than once). For the def, moderate is a verb | ||
| 26 | PHONED IT IN |
Made little effort: piano sharp (that’s one element) (6,2,2)
|
| P (piano) + HONED (sharp) + I (one) + TIN (an element). A reference to Fleet St in years gone by when, instead of turning up to the office to work, old hacks would file their stories over the phone from the pub | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 1 | VAST |
Very big and very secure, but lacking function (4)
|
| V (very) + [f]AST (secure, lacking F for function) | ||
| 2 | CRAB |
Sour-tempered type, conservative, upset drinking establishment (4)
|
| C (conservative) + reversal (upset) of BAR | ||
| 3 | OVER-REACTED |
Actor veered off and got upset about nothing (4-7)
|
| Anagram (off) of ACTOR VEERED | ||
| 4 | HEARTEN |
Take courage and judicially try X (7)
|
| HEAR (judicially try) + TEN | ||
| 5 | GIDDY-UP |
Exhortation to make a nag depart? (5-2)
|
| Cryptic (barely) definition. I suppose there could be some misdirection in the meaning of ‘nag’ as ‘scold’ | ||
| 7 | PIED-A-TERRE |
Red tea and ripe bananas in second home (4-1-5)
|
| Anagram (bananas) of RED TEA RIPE | ||
| 8 | SPIDERS WEB |
Bird sweeps up structure containing insects (7,3)
|
| Anagram (up) of BIRD SWEEPS | ||
| 12 | LEEDS UNITED |
Players in starring roles the reader ennobled, we hear (5,6)
|
| Soundalike (we hear) of “leads (in starring roles) you (the reader) knighted (ennobled)”. As a lifelong Leeds fan, there seems to me a certain irony in the reference to “players in starring roles” at a club that struggles to remain in the top flight. A more significant quibble, though, is that knights are not actually members of the nobility | ||
| 13 | TURN TURTLE |
Flip over and unwisely flutter runt that’s not strong (4,6)
|
| Anagram (unwisely) of [f]LUTTER RUNT (without the F, for “not strong”) | ||
| 14 | PLANELOADS |
In announcement, manifest seams of ore as can be aerially transported (10)
|
| Soundalike (in announcement) of “plain” (manifest) “lodes” (seams of ore) | ||
| 18 | PUCKISH |
Mischievous, like element of ice-hockey game? (7)
|
| Double def, the second being somewhat whimsical | ||
| 19 | OILSKIN |
Partially uncoils kinks in outerwear (7)
|
| Hidden in (partially) uncOILS KINks | ||
| 21 | GIST |
General idea is tucking into G&T (4)
|
| Insertion of IS (tucking into) in GT | ||
| 22 | KEEN |
Eager to wail (4)
|
| Double def |
VICTOR HUGO
Meant to be a CAD, I think.
About ‘wanting’, I have seen it being used as a deletion indicator
in some puzzles and as an inclusion indicator in some others.
Nothing different from what you have already said.
The clue looks all right considering that ‘wanting’ works both ways.
LEEDS UNITED
I was thinking that knights were nobles. Thanks to your blog, I have
a chance to correct my understanding.
GIDDY-UP
I agree with the blogger’s comment.
PLANELOADS
Is there a part of speech mismatch between the def and the solution?
Or am I misreading the clue?
Liked SHAKE HANDS and PICKET LINE.
Thanks moh for the neat blog.
Thanks for the blog , I agree with several of your quibbles .
VICTOR HUGO – wanting=needing makes it work .
SPIDERS WEB a very neat construction .
PICKET LINE a strong contender for worst clue of the year .
10ac DELI jumped out as a hidden word (first four letters of delightful).
It was only later I saw the “finally” way of parsing the clue.
Unpleasant. Got halfway through and gave up. Too hard for me.
So is ‘up’ the anagrind in 8D?
@5
Yes – in the sense of “amiss”
Worth noting the antonym pairing of PRETTY and UGLY. A gimmick Everyman uses in place of the rhyming pair every now and again.
I agree with Jay@7 about the antonym although there could be a call for 8 & 12 being a soundalike ending -TED. My main grumble is at 16 where most police officers don’t work as detectives. Generally a good crossword. Ta to E & MOH
@4
It’s hardly encouraging to someone new to crosswords to be informed that the hardness scale rating is Talc. Which I assume is a general grading and not within the context of “the crossword worlds entry point”
KVa @1, on reflection I think you’re probably right about 1ac being intended as a CAD – I’d never have thought to describe Hugo as a gothic novelist (The Hunchback of Notre Dame notwithstanding), so I’d have to judge it as a not terribly successful CAD! Re PLANELOADS, I see your point about the awkwardness of the definition, but I think it just about works.
Roz @2, I have to agree about SPIDERS WEBs being very neat constructions…
Jay @7/Humph@8 – I did highlight the paired solutions in the grid, albeit in a rather pale lavender colour, so maybe it wasn’t obvious. And you’re correct, of course, about most police officers not being detectives, but maybe in so far as they detect crime/criminals it’s close enough?
Douglas @9 – I certainly don’t mean to put anyone off with my entirely subjective ratings, and apologies if that’s the way it came across. Yes, insofar as it has any validity at all, it’s meant to indicate the difficulty level (as I personally found it) among cryptics as a whole, ie it’s not Everyman-specific. But I really wouldn’t pay too much attention to it!
Douglas@9 , in support of MHO I think that Everyman should always be Talc but often isn’t . This does not mean it is easy for everyone , I started with the Everyman and it used to take me all week but I can see now it was an easier puzzle for seasoned solvers . There will always be a range of solvers with different experience and you will improve a lot over time .
I found this a pleasantly engaging solve, and wouldn’t judge its difficulty as that depends on tiredness, mood, blood alcohol level, and much else.
Thanks one and all.
Exactly so, Etu@12. I would refer readers to the first blog I did using the moh’s scale, where I made precisely that point: https://fifteensquared.net/2025/03/31/independent-12004-by-lette/
Thanks to moh for the blog. I did like LEEDS UNITED even if it is factually wrong re knights being members of the nobility as moh pointed out.
Belated thanks, Kennan @6. I get it now.
Sorry, KenMAN.
moh 13, thanks for the link 😆
For those of us with a limited number of surviving teeth, I’d suggest a scale ranging from pork scratchings to blancmange.