Because I have some trouble using the “less than” sign to indicate reversals in these blogs I noticed that unusually there were no reversals in this crossword. No totally straight Cryptic Defs either. What is here is a good mix, in particular the last four across lights were all nice solid concise clues.
PS. I expect the Eye’s Christmas Special issue will include a stonker of a crossword.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 8/21 | GET YOUR LEG OVER Double def. |
| 9 | ABRIDGE A B RIDGE |
| 10 | SPECS S (Sulphur) Pecs |
| 11 | SCROUNGER CR in (SURGEON)* |
| 12 | SARCASM (CARS)* inside SAM |
| 13 | REDWOOD Ref Sequoia trees and John Redwood – “unearthly” because of his similarity to Mr Spock from Star Trek he is often referred to as a Vulcan |
| 15 | A WEEK IN POLITICS “… is a long time” WEEK ~ WEAK |
| 18 | BLADDER L inside BADDER What’s Peer got to do with it? Full clue: Peer takes the piss out of this immersion of Liberal’s leader in worse surroundings (7) |
| 23 | SCREWBALL No. 10 refers to screw sizes – that’s the screws that hold shelves to walls etc.; party = Ball. As this took me ages to understand it gets my favourite clue award – full clue: Maybe a no. 10 party nut (9) |
| 25 | BOSOM S in BOOM |
| 26 | EXCRETA X (times) in (CREATE)* |
| 27 | CONSORT CON-SORT |
| Down | |
| 1 | ST GEORGE ST g(e)orge |
| 2 | GOBSMACKED Go=Try; SMACK=Hard Drug; inside BED=Sack |
| 3 | PRESSMAN Press=crush; Male Member=Man – but why have “in sport”? Full clue: Hack and crush male member in sport (8) |
| 4 | FAIRER More of a blonde gives the definition, but how does mop mean fair? Full clue: More of a blonde mop should crown Brenda (6) |
| 5 | URDU Hidden in hURD Understood |
| 6 | ADAGIO A DAG(I)O Far from PC indeed |
| 7 | HEBRIDES He-Brides (ho ho) |
| 8 | GASES [ma](SSAGE)* |
| 14 | DOING A BUNK (A KING BOUND)* |
| 15 | AMBUSHES BUSH in (SAME)* |
| 16 | OIL SLICK Picture=Oil; S(L)ICK |
| 17 | INVASION IN (so vain)* |
| 19 | AFRICA C(ook) in (AF(F)AIR)* |
| 20 | REAGAN (ANGER A)* |
| 22 | REMIT R.E.M. IT=sex REM isn’t really blinking but we know what he means |
| 24 | WOES Homophone “rows” in J.Rossese |
I couldn’t get the wordplay for 4d, either.
A peer is one who pees (18a).
Aha — got it!
mop is also given in Chambers as a dialect word, meaning ‘ a hiring fair (prob from the custom of carrying a badge of occupation)’.
MOP = FAIR (a mop is an autumn fair or gathering at which farmhands and servants were hired)
BRENDA = ER (Private Eye’s nickname for QEII).