Last time I wondered if C had gone a step too far with his capitalisation.
This time I wonder if he has gone a C too far.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 9 | PITCH INTO PITCH (NIT)* 0 |
| 10 | CRUDE C-RUDE |
| 11 | TIMES “X” Who owns the Times? The “Dirty Digger” does: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rupert_Murdoch#Criticism_and_controversy |
| 12 | GROVELLER (LEG OVER L R)* |
| 13 | PUB GRUB (UP)< B[i]G RUB The answer is “Local dish”. I always associate “Pub grub” with pies and pickled eggs, but there is some surprisingly good nosh in pubs these days as they try to keep afloat in the face of the general decline in pub attendance following the smoking ban. |
| 16 | SPY RING SP([Hillar]Y)RING Ref: This “lot” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambridge_Five |
| 17 | CAMPAIGN FUNDS CAMP A then FUN D inside (SIGN)* One of Cyclops’ long clues. It is only apocryphal that MPs are “coy” about revealing all their income – they have to, by law, so of course they do. |
| 21 | BESPEAK (BSE)* PEAK I’m still not sure of this definition: “Evidence (of)” |
| 22 | EXCRETE EX CRETE |
| 24 | REDUNDANT DUN inside (RANTED)* Was this clue a bit obvious in its construction, or was it thus misleading? Full clue: Ranted about Brown getting in: “Not working” (9) |
| 26 | UNCUT [s]U[n] then CUNT with the N (for name) moved “two (to) the left”. Clever use of “taboo word” when an anagram of good old King Cnut might have been just too obvious. Does Cyclops have to be careful about these things? (Certainly not) Is the Eye Crossy syndicated elsewhere or something? (I don’t know) I must stop answering my own questions. I suspect there is a misprint in the clue though – surely it should be “two to the left”. Full clue: Middle of Sun has taboo word: name moved two the left, so not censored (5) |
| 28 | ELFIN (LIFE)* [Gordo]N That sort of slight |
| 29 | EJACULATE E (point) J[ack] (ACTUAL)* [sleaz]E |
| Down | |
| 1 | EPITAPH PIT inside (APE)* H[ard] |
| 2 | ITEM IT ‘EM “The ones” is “Them” vulgarly “’em” |
| 3 | CHASER CHAS (Brian = Prince Charle PAG Windsor) ER (Brenda = TQ) |
| 4 | SNOG Hidden in “haS NO Goolies” |
| 5 | NO NONSENSE DD |
| 6 | SCREW YOU SCREWY OU “Piss off” in the sense of “go away please” |
| 7 | BULL FIDDLE Last I put in. I only got this from the checking letters and have only understood the construction as I type this. It is a “big instrument”. Bull is “Balls” and Fiddle from doctor as in “doctoring the accounts” Full clue: Balls placed over doctor’s big instrument (4,6) |
| 8 | PEERAGE CD and a nice one. It is rare that I appreciate Cryptic Definitions, but this one gets the favourite clue award: Maybe a baron’s “bought it” (7) |
| 14 | BRASSED OFF S[un] ED[itor] inside BRAS OFF Brassed off means “pissed” in the American sense Full clue: Sixties feminists’ suggestion to their sisters, on catching Sun editor pissed? (7,3) |
| 15 | BRICKLAYER BRICK LAYER “Brick” is upper class(?) slang for a “good bloke”, but you must be careful to enunciate when calling someone a brick to their face – they may not think it is a compliment |
| 18 | PREGNANT DD |
| 19 | ABORTED (TOR[y])* inside ABED (“in the sack”) |
| 20 | HEATHEN HEATH E[liminate] N[egative] This one took me a stupidly long time to get – I mentally ran through a host of “Ex-PMs” but must’ve skipped The Grocer the first time |
| 23 | CAUCUS Homophone CORK US |
| 27/25 | CLAPTRAP CLAP (VD) TRAP (gin) |
26ac – well, somebody had to do it, I guess. And who was better placed? I can think of no-one.