Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

More difficult again than usual I thought.

I was not helped by having a few wrong answers at first (3D, 15A).

I didn't spot a rhyming couplet although the alliterative pairs are present and correct.

FOI: 25 and 26.

LOI: 22

I can't really parse 16A :/

I wouldn't say any clue was particularly outstanding, I'd say 17 was my favourite though.

Another excellent puzzle - what a great year it's been for the ever popular Everyman, with the quality of the clues has been consistently high:-)

Lots of favourites - I love the succinctness of 7d and 13a but my COD has to be the outstanding 1a.

Thanks to Everyman.

16a - hidden

Ah yeah, I missed the obvious in 16A :)

Yeah I liked 13A as well. 7D took me too long to get because I had the wrong second letter for 15A (I thought it didn't make sense, lol).

Thanks to Everyman.
I also found it on the difficult side (stalled out for a while mid-solve), overall high level of cluing.
FOI 2, LOI 17.
COD is 21 because of misdirection. Also liked 23, 11, 22, 16d, 4, 8, 12 and 9.
A few less than stellar clues: 25, 15 and 3 were really easy and I don't love 24, though on reflection they're all OK.

Hi Geeker, hi PS,

I think one of the main reasons that some of the less than stellar clues stand out some much now is because of the overall improvement in quality. There seems to be a tightness, intelligence and wit in the clue writing now that, perhaps, hasn't always been there.

Brendan,
Good point, agreed. And a few easy clues aren't really out of line for an "Everyman"-targeted puzzle.
I'm a relative newcomer to Everyman puzzles, have only been doing them for about a year.

I didn't realise how easy they usually are so it's a good introduction for people I think.

Monday in the Graun is usually easy but it's too tempting to cheat ("check this" is cheating too I think).

I don't think the Quiptic is as good an introduction either, the clues are too terse for my liking... I usually prefer the Monday puzzle.

Still annoyed about 12A in yesterday's prize lol ;)

enjoyed this and felt 19 painted a vivid picture! thanks Everyman

I don’t know, maybe I was just on the right wavelength, but I found this a very easy Everyman. It may have helped that I remember Jono I believe it was stating that this particular grid almost always features the alliterative pairs. COD was 13a for me.

....and some interesting goings-on in the corners!