Cyclops 469: Going to the dogs

by

An entertaining Cyclops puzzle this fortnight, with some clever wordplay. I think the very first clue, 8a, has to be my favourite.

Across
8 UNDERDOG Don’t spy on park shaggers enough to be a likely loser?
Dogging is ‘engaging in sexual acts in a public or semi-public place (such as a car park), or watching others doing so’, and if you don’t do enough of it, you must be underdogging. And the clue is a double definition.
9 UNTRUE Archer tale may well be turn off — upset whole bloc of countries
*(turn); EU reversed. Jeffrey Archer is known for his somewhat free and easy relationship with the truth.
11 WHEAT It’s corny, the end of Labourite in question
E = end of Labourite; in WHAT(?), a question
12 THIS WAY UP Cyclops get stuck into awful pushy twat endlessly seen on the box?
I = Cyclops; in *(pushy twa). Seen on packaging boxes, rather than the TV.
13 MATTHEW Familiar ex-Tory MP hack, tense inside: “What, me outed?”
T = tense; in *(what me). Refers to Matthew Parris, journalist and former Tory MP, who ‘came out as a homosexual in a late-night debate in the Commons in 1984 but, by his own admission, nobody noticed.’
15 BOASTER Shaking trouser snake first, our retiring cocky type
BOA = snake; *(tser) — anagram of ‘trouser’ minus ‘our’, with ‘shaking’ as the anagram indicator and ‘retiring’ indicating that the ‘our’ drops out. Tricky wordplay here — had I not been blogging it, I would probably have just written the solution in and not bothered too much about how to get there from the clue.
17 CROWNING GLORY Hair, in a funny way, is our Brian’s long-desired high point?
Double definition: humorous word for hair; what Prince Charles (aka Brian, in Private Eye) looks forward to, i.e. accession to the throne
21 WORKTOP US counter’s ’Labour’ T-shirt?
WORK = labour; TOP = something of which a T-shirt is an example. I am not sure whether ‘worktop’ or ‘counter’ is the US term; Chambers doesn’t say either is.
22 TORNADO Limitless bank returns with Balls’ party — twister!
TOR = ‘rot’ reversed; NA = [b]AN[k] reversed (‘limitless means the peripheral letters are removed); DO = party
24 NO STRINGS Unrestricted feature of air guitarist?
Air guitar does not involve strings.
27 CROWD Russell gets end away on date for the press
Russell CROW[e]; D = date. Definition: press
28 LEADER Hint: Brenda gives head
LEAD = Hint; ER = the Queen (Brenda)
29/25 SYMPATHY SHAG Jump, for pity’s sake!
Sexual congress (‘jump’) participated in because one feels sorry for the other participant
Down
1 MUGWUMP Pot starts to wise up politician, a self-important type
MUG = pot; WU = starts to wise up; MP = politician. A Native American chief; a person of great importance, or one who thinks himself or herself to be so; someone who keeps politically aloof
2 ADVENTURER Maybe Alice’s coming over topless old German artist
ADVENT = coming; [D]URER topless old German artist (Albrecht Dürer).
Alice had Adventures in Wonderland.
3 CROTCH Cold bollocks? Check genital area
C = Cold; ROT = bollocks; CH = check (in chess)
5 SNOWBALL Drink present in second testicle
NOW = present; in S BALL = second testicle
Delicious! Not.
7 PEEPERS Mince pies piss off reps
PEE = piss; PERS = *(reps), with ‘off’ as the anagram indicator. Cockney rhyming slag for ‘eyes’
10 MISBEGOT Ill-conceived as Britain’s premier consumed by unbridled egotism
B = Britain’s premier; *(egotism)
14/4 WHIPPING POST Punishing location — Nick needs fix and good support
whip = Nick (STEAL); PIN = fix; G = good; POST = support
16/6 TERRACOTTA ARMY Chinese figures inscrutably unmoved by the views of the masses
I assume that ‘inscrutably unmoved by the views of the masses’ just indicates that the Terracotta Army have stayed inanimate despite being much viewed at exhibitions.
18 WATER BED Appropriate retirement place for a ’wet’?
Self-explanatory
19 SWINDLE Man, say, first off, is full of empty talk (Sting)
[I]SLE, e.g. Isle of Man; WIND = empty talk. Definition: sting
20 DOG DAYS Ex-political interviewer in boxers, it being a hot time?
Robin DAY; in DOGS = boxers.
Dog Days (Latin: dies caniculares) are the hottest, most sultry days of summer
23 RECIPE Clegg’s first one to be entertained by corrupt peer — the makings of a fool?
C = Clegg’s first; I = one; in *(peer). A recipe could be for Fruit fool.
26 STYX Over which the underworld jams broadcast
The underworld is over the River Styx. And it sounds like (‘broadcast’) ‘sticks’ = jams.

I might manage to edit this by adding a joke or humorous link, but I can’t think of one now (Sunday afternoon).

… OK, not exactly risqué, but… A photon checked into a hotel, and the porter asked if he would like any help with his luggage. “No thanks,” said the photon, “I’m travelling light.”

… which reminds me: Two ducks checked into a hotel, and phoned room service for some condoms. “Would you like those on your bill?” they were asked.

2 comments on “Cyclops 469: Going to the dogs”

  1. Thanks jetdoc. I found this more than usually funny but then I’m easily amused, even by your colleague’s dreadful jokes.

Comments are closed.