… are better, maybe.
Maybe Edward Woodward would have had something to say about that, if he was foreward. The three Eds here are the ubiquitous Editor, one Miliband, and the inevitable Balls.
Political topicality provided the longest answer.
Talking topically: Why did the chicken cross the road?
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 8 | MUG’S GAME MUGS (Swots – as in Swots up / Mugs up) GAME (craps perhaps – a dice game) |
| 9 | OFTEN [s]OFTEN |
| 10 | LITERAL LIT (inflamed) ER (Brenda) AL (gangster – Al Capone) |
| 11 | SWEET FA SWEET (winsome) F[emale] A (one) I would’ve expected the enumeration to have been (5,1,1) but I think I’ve seen it as (5,2) before – can’t understand why that is considered OK. Mind you on that reasoning 2 Down should be (1,1,1,1) |
| 12 | CANED CAN (Nick – prison) ED (a hack) |
| 14 | PLAIN TALK (PLAN A IT)* AInd: crap; L[eft] [nic]K |
| 15 | DISUSED DIS (insult) US(American) ED (Miliband) |
| 17 | WHEEDLE ED (Balls – this time) inside (WHEEL)* AInd: spinning |
| 19/5 | COALITION GOVERNMENT COAL (Fuel) IT (sex) ION (molecular charge) GOVERNMENT (control) I needed many crossers to see this. |
| 21 | TIMES Double Def: X, in a calculating way ; organ (Times newspaper) |
| 23 | ANKLETS (KEN LAST)* AInd: sporting. The member whereupon the bangles are being sported is, in this case, a leg. |
| 24 | PARADOX PARA (airborne troop) DOX (homophone of something – “Docks” ?). I presume MOs in the clue means Modus Operandi. Full clue: Absurdity of outspoken airborne troop MOs (7) |
| 26/1 | PANIC BUTTON CD/DD Surprise Jensen (who called him that? Primary example of parentally induced nominative determinism) |
| 27 | SYPHILIS (SLY’S HIP I)* AInd: remedy |
| Down | |
| 2 | USSR US (Land of Bush) SR (Senior) |
| 3 | WALLOPED WALLOP (piss) ED (a hack) |
| 4 | GEISHA (HAG[u]E IS)* AInd: Vacillating. You had to lose the centre of “Hague is” rather than just “Hague” |
| 6 | STATE AID SAID (remarked) about TAT (rubbish) [Cabl]E |
| 7 | UNMASK (MANS)* AInd: screwed inside UK (the country) |
| 10 | LUCID LU[ck] CID (cops) |
| 13 | DISSIDENCE (DENIES CIDS)* AInd: smashed |
| 16 | SPANKING DD: Excellent as in “top hole”; and a very English form of mild S&M |
| 17 | WINDPIPE WIND (rotate) PIPE (cannabis holder) |
| 18 | ESSEX ES (Drugs) SEX (nooky) Ref. Earl of E favourite of Liz I |
| 19 | CRAPPY APP (Appendix) inside CRY (Blubber) |
| 20 | INSIST Homophone “In cyst” – My last in. Not sure why I didn’t see this quicker. The homophone works and is clearly clued. |
| 22 | MADRID MAD (nuts) RID (Free) |
| 25 | RUIN I (one) inside RUN (zip – as in hurry) |
Jorge Larrionda (referee):
“I did not see the chicken cross the road”
24a MOs are Docs (Doctors) here.
Agreed – 24a MO is military acronym for Medical Officer.
24a also can be seen as ‘dox’ = docs = memos (or at least thats how i solved it :-))
As for Button’s ‘nominative determinism’ I see its actually JensOn Button, so perhaps spelling of vicar at baptism was incorrect :-)However the truth is ‘When their son was born, on 19 January, 1980, in Frome, Somerset, southwest England, John and Simone Button named him after Erling Jensen, a Danish friend who competed in rallycross, a branch of motorsport in which John Button had raced with distinction. While the spelling of his name was deliberately changed to differentiate it from the Jensen sportscar’
so its a reverse determinism (I think)- must get a life….
Gazza, thanks for putting me right on the MO = Doctors / Docs / “Dox” homophone.
I saw Modus Operadi and couldn’t get past that.
I also agree with you Rob, well, your last point certainly.