One of those solves where half the grid was filled on the first pass, and for a change there wasn’t anything hugely troubling at the end. The last couple took a bit of thought but not an overly long time. So I rate this on the easy end of the Eye crossword difficulty scale.
I notice there’s LOLS down the middle in column 8. I hope we all had some when solving it.
| Across | ||
|---|---|---|
| 8 | COCKTAIL | Manhattan member sexualised woman? (8) COCK (member) TAIL (sexualised woman?) Manhattan is an example of a cocktail so maybe the clue is made interrogative for that, but as “tail” is a derogatory term I prefer to think the “?” lives on the sub-definition of the second half of the charade. |
| 9 | SPIDER | Prised asunder, a fright in the bathroom? (6) PRISED* AInd: Asunder. I heard someone say they found a spider in the bath so large that they thought they’d better call it a taxi for it when they “suggested it leave the house” |
| 11 | AUDIO | Recorded sound bite of Obama after German transport (5) AUDI (German transport) O[bama] (bite of) Last in. As soon as I got the leading “A” AUDIO was clear from the definition, but I have not seen “bite of” used to indicate a bit of a word. |
| 12 | BOTTOM OUT | Reach lowest point with twerk position? (6,3) Double Def. Need I say more |
| 13/25 | CABINET RESHUFFLE | It can be wretched, about to get limp – maybe an opportunity to put more women in office? (7,9) (IT CAN BE)* AInd: wretched. RE (about) SHUFFLE (limp) plus wordy and hopeful definition. (Answer to the question: Only if they think it will help keep them in power) |
| 15 | OCTOPUS | Cop-out processed southern sea food dish (7) (COP OUT)* AInd: processed. S[outhern]. Do people eat octopuses? Not me. But you can’t be sure that one won’t turn up: Mistaken home deliveries |
| 16 | ABYSS | Gulf book, Tony’s ultimate, coming in bottom in US (5) B (book) [ton]Y inside ASS (bottom in US). First answer after attempting some 8 others – later than usual |
| 18 | TABOO | Banned cricketer arse over tip with balls (5) BAT< (cricketer) Reverse Indicator: arse over tip. OO (balls) |
| 22 | ATTIRED | Reckless dare involves stupid tit wearing clothes (7) DARE* AInd: reckless. around TIT* AInd: stupid |
| 24 | STUFFED | Roger, the journalist, packed (7) STUFF (Roger) ED (the journalist) |
| 26 | SCRUM | Crush of people sees hooker’s butt in dirty film (5) [hooke]R inside SCUM (dirty film) That’s film as in gunge on the surface of a rancid puddle rather than the excellent Ray Winstone movie |
| 28 | CROTCH | Carbon decay check for genital area (6) C[arbon] ROT (decay) CH[eck] While loving the use of “Carbon decay” for CROT, I’m unsure if check shortens to CH without some indication. Probably only moaning because it was one of the last I cracked. |
| 29 | STALLION | Sun: “Great one on stud!” (8) S[un] TALL (great) I (one) ON |
| Down | ||
| 1 | SCRATCH | Nick? Drop from the contest! (7) Double Def. Second last in after staring at ?C???C? for a long time being misled into thinking Mr Clegg and his chances of remaining leader of his party in any further “contest” |
| 2/27 | ACID RAIN | Bitter, outspoken act of Brenda which creates poor atmosphere (4,4) ACID (Bitter) RAIN homophone: “Reign” (act of Brenda) HInd: outspoken |
| 3 | ATTORNEY | Rate Tony pisspoor counsel (8) (RATE TONY)* AInd: pisspoor |
| 4 | TITBIT | Boob, having chip as a snack (6) TIT (boob) BIT (chip) |
| 6 | IDIOT PROOF | Nut added to booze strength – within even Boris’s ability? (5-5) IDIOT (Nut) PROOF (booze strength). We all wonder if he has Uxbridge muddled with Oxbridge |
| 7 | BRITISH | “Brother, independence – shit poor!” reveals Salmond’s ultimate national identity? (7) BR[other] I[ndependence] SHIT* AInd: poor. |
| 10 | UTMOST | Ultimate grotesque tum on drunken sot (6) TUM* AInd: grotesque, SOT* AInd: drunken. I did not get this clue because I read “Tum” as “Turn” – indeed I got the answer from the def. and then wondered how it could fit the wordplay. |
| 14 | BEAUTY SPOT | Perverts toy with pubes at Beachy Head, say (6,4) (TOY PUBES AT)* AInd: Perverts (in the verbal sense). Beachy Head is an example of a Beauty Spot as heavily indicated by the “say” (unlike 8A cocktail) |
| 17 | SOD OFF | Earth moved? Get lost! (3,3) Double Def. of a sort. A sod is a lump of grass, a tussock, a divot – Aargh we know what it is, and it’s been moved – off – with a “?” – so we get it, and it’s a lovely clue |
| 19/5 | BRUSSELS SPROUT | What makes a fart from the EC pontificate about “Right”? (8,6) BRUSSELS (EC), SPOUT (pontificate) around R[ight]. What? Do Brussels make you fart? I hadn’t noticed – but then I’m the one who particularly likes Brussels around here… |
| 20 | RAT RACE | Mad scramble to get on “Arse Nation” (3,4) RAT (Arse) RACE (Nation) |
| 21 | ADAMANT | After a blockage, TV presenter gets very hard (7) A DAM (a blockage) ANT (TV Presenter – normally spotted in wilderness accompanied by Dec) |
| 23 | RAUNCH | Bawdiness spread all round uni (6) RANCH (spread) around U[ni] |
| 24 | SLEUTH | Eye shows the US bombed round Kabul’s eastern border (6) (THE US [kabu]L)* AInd: bombed. Nice misleading clue given the def., Eye, would usually refer to the magazine itself. |
A bloke at work has decided to send his kids to a fee-paying satanic faith school. You won’t believe the sacrifices they are going to have to make.
Re: 15A Those octopuses are getting everywhere! Tentacles-terrorise-Dubliners
28ac> I’m unsure if check shortens to CH without some indication.
Just checked an old chess book, one that uses the P-K4 type notation. Glad to see I remembered correctly: “ch” for check.
Thank you lemming. I should have checked myself