A few reasonably tricky clues this time, and a bit of a panic when stuck on 4D, so quite satisfying to finish this one in the end.
This week’s Eye dropped on my mat unexpectedly early on Saturday containing the Christmas monster crossword. I think I’ll have to reserve Boxing Day to tackle that.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 7 | SUNNI SUN (tabloid) (IN)< (elected to back) |
| 8 | ACROPOLIS A (OLI)* inside CROPS AInd: crude |
| 11 | EARTHLING EAR (organ) L[ong] inside THING (bag) |
| 12 | PUBES PUB (Local)E[nergy] S[tress] (source of stress) |
| 13 | POP SONG PO (pisspot) S[ting] (Sting’s opening) inside PONG. Definition: number |
| 15 | CURSORY CURS [t]ORY |
| 16 | EROGENOUS ZONE E (base finally) (SURGEON ZOE)* around ON[tario] AInd: plastic |
| 18 | BUS PASS (SAP’S)< inside BUS. Took me a while to realize “no. 10, possibly” gave BUS |
| 19 | TWISTER T[ories] then T[ony] inside WISER |
| 22 | RESIT [mand]E[lson] inside (SIR)* then T[ime] AInd: jittery |
| 23 | MOUTH WASH (WAT’S HO-HUM)* AInd: Poor |
| 25 | SCOTCH EGG SCOTCH (put a stop to) EGG (urge) |
| 26 | RUMPS [Donald t]RUMP’S Ref: To America’s answer to “Sralan” Sugar Trump wiki |
| Down | |
| 1 | ASLEEP L[abour] inside A SEEP |
| 2 | ENTRAP ([h]EN PART[y] (skirts removed))* AInd: Out of control |
| 3/15 | HIGH COURT JUDGE HIGH (Pissed) COURT (palace) Judge (try) |
| 4/23 | MAKING ENDS MEET CD/DD “bums” for ENDS. Last one I put in: I misled myself by pencilling ONES in the middle word and couldn’t see through that mistake till I had all the crossing letters. |
| 6 | FLYBLOWN Help on decoding this please: Tainted outcome of being given head by one whose aim is poor? (8) I can see the def. is Tainted, and BLOWN is “being given head”, but how is FLY “one whose am is poor”? |
| 9 | PAPARAZZI CD |
| 10 | SASSY S[arah] (at first Sarah) ASS (Palin’s behind) Y (the demise of probity) |
| 14 | ORGIASTIC Hidden: cORGI A STICk |
| 17 | RESISTOR (TORIES S R)* Excellent AInd: “the reinvention of” and an excellent surface so I’m giving this my favourite clue award: It impedes the reinvention of Tories (outside of South), right? (8) |
| 18 | BORIS (ROB)< IS (has a life) I liked this one too: Follower of Ken, elevated Nick, “has a life” (5) |
| 20 | TRAUMA RA (skirt half ref: Ra-ra skirts) inside TUM (belly) then A (grade) Bit rough clueing A by “Grade”- we don’t all get Grade A y’know |
| 21 | REHASH RE-HASH |
| 24/5 | HARD DRUG DD |
Yeah, I had no idea about 6D either. Could the ‘fly’ be of the trouser variety, not directing into the bowl?
For 6D, and I apologise in advance for the crudity, I think the idea is that if you were being given head and the person doing so had a poor aim, then they might end up blowing your fly rather than, er, your old chap.
Thank you Chris. I think you’ve hit the nail on the head with that one.