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I thought I'd try this today, but these clues have me a little puzzled...

5 Partially risk a terrible injury on the ice (6) Skater
I can see the answer contained in the clue, but what is 'injury' doing in the clue? It serves no purpose and seems there just for surface reading.

15 A. Gate man verifies one's identity (4,3) Name Tag

The answer is obviously an anagram of 'gate man' - but there's no anagram indicator. Also 'verifies one's identity' indicates a verb, yet the answer is a noun.

Is Everyman normally better than this?

It is usually much better than today's crossword. :-((

Thanks, Scorpiojo. I was reminded earlier in the week about Guardian (and Observer) crosswords being available online, so I tackled Everyman today. I thought it was pretty … poor!

Judging by some of the questions/answers on this forum, the clues are usually well constructed. The ones you have shown are very poor. Perhaps it is a temporary setter

The usual setter we have had for a while has withdrawn due to ill health, his replacement today has certainly not hit the spot.

Thanks, Cerasus. I don't think I've looked in on many Everyman threads. Today's puzzle featured an awful lot of really easy, straightforward clues. I've maybe just been unlucky. I'll try to remember to look at it again next week.

Mamya, thanks for that information - I thought Everyman was quite a popular crossword but couldn't understand why when I saw today's! I hope - for the sake of all regular solvers - that normal service will soon be resumed. (And I wish the former setter a quick and full recovery.)

Thanks Mamya. I also wish the usual setter a quick return to good health.

From another website :

A truly sad day for crossword lovers. Rumour has it that this was Colin Gumbrell’s final contribution to the Observer series.


And after I saw today’s [quite shocking] Everyman 3,772 , I can confirm: yes it was.
In April 2015 (actually on my very birthday!) our beloved setter took over from his, equally well-respected, predecessor Allan Scott. I clearly remember that it caused a shock wave for many Everyman solvers as the level of difficulty seemed to have gone up to a significantly higher level. Now, almost four years later, I cannot remember any unfavourable reviews – week in week out, these puzzles were so consistently precise and, above all, immensely enjoyable.

It must have been at the end of 2017 that I asked Gaufrid whether he could give me a monthly blogging slot for the Everyman crossword. It was not only because I had to give up blogging for the FT, it was first of all because I had become to like Colin’s crosswords so much. I blogged ‘only’ 15 of his crosswords but it feels like a lot more.
I am pretty sure the other bloggers will have similar feelings.
Colin Gumbrell’s crosswords will be missed by many many solvers, and he will be a hard act to follow, as some already made clear.

So, dear Colin, huge thanks for all the Saturday and Sunday fun over the years!!
But above all, we here at Fifteensquared wish you strength in these difficult times, hoping you will recover soon

Colin's last contribution was on 20th January 2019