Solving this went in waves. A smattering of easy clues were entered quickly (e.g. Louvre, Political Asylum) and I thought it would be an easy solve. Then I came to a halt and now I don’t know why. When I picked it up later the clues began to tumble faster towards the end, though I had to think about some of the wordplay. Finally I really enjoyed this one.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 7 | LOUVRE (LOVER)* AInd: pisspoor around [fra]U |
| 8 | KIBOSHED KI[d] (youth, dateless) B.O (personal hygiene problem) SHED (erection) Def: Halted. Last to go in. I didn’t see Kid for Youth till I finally thought of the answer (I had Youth=Lad on the brain and was trying to make Laboured fit somehow) |
| 10/19 | POLITICAL ASYLUM DD one of them a CD or is this simply a charade? : Westminster mad-house. Probably a charade (in both senses!) |
| 12 | THEIR Convoluted wordplay here. Full clue: The Real IRA, lacking guts, having lost one of them (5) I’m willing to be corrected but I think this is THE [real] IR[a], i.e. the whole phrase “The Real IRA” without the middle letters (lacking guts), and then take away the “a” (having lost one), Def: of them |
| 13/15 | EXPENSES CLAIMS (MP LICENSES A SEX)* AInd: change Topical |
| 16 | AIR FORCE ONE (OF CAREER NO.1)* AInd: ballsing up. Use A I for 1. Nice Def: In which Bush can no longer get around |
| 21 | SCATTY [gay]S, CATTY |
| 22 | UNCLE SAM UNCLES (relations) A M (boss of British agent) |
| 24 | LAGER (REGAL)< Though I’ve seen this idea for LAGER/REGAL before this clue felt original: As Brenda knocked back booze (5) |
| 25 | SUCCESSOR (C[ivil] S[ervice] SOURCES)* AInd: unreliable |
| 27 | MASTERLY (SLATER)* AInd: vibrated. Inside MY (Cyclops’s) Def: Crack, in the sense e.g. of a crack marksman. Maybe Cyclops included this so he could boast of setting a masterly clue. |
| 28 | MOVIES (I’VE)* AInd: screwed around, inside (admitted) MOS[s]. Great surface reading here earns this the top-clue award: Kate endlessly admitted: “I’ve screwed around – here’s the pictures!” (6) |
| Down | |
| 1 | SLAPPER DD |
| 2/26 | BULLSHIT BULLS HIT (Archers success tally) |
| 3 | BRITON IT (sex) inside BRO[w]N |
| 4/25 | WILL SELF WILLS (The Prince) ELF (the Fairy) |
| 5 | PORTILLO PORT (left) ILL (dicky) O (bugger all) |
| 6 | CHEESINESS DD one of them a CD: The state of Gloucester? |
| 9 | DURESS [yo]U inside DRESS (sack) |
| 11 | CREDO RED (bloody) inside CO (firm) |
| 14 | PHALANGIST (ASPHALTING)* AInd: crappy |
| 17 | RAT-ARSED RAT (bum) ARSE (bum) D[ead] |
| 18 | CYNIC C[it]Y (City’s lost its heart) NIC[k] (75% cut) |
| 20 | IMPRESS I’M PRESS |
| 23 | LIE LOW LIE (Do an Archer) LOW (sound beastly) |
16ac – it is in fact NO.1 = i, thus ‘OF CAREER NO I’
We enjoyed this again – Cyclops is a clever compiler.
You’re right I can’t count (if that’s what you do with letters)