I smiled at the double-light in column 12 of the grid when it revealed itself. That’s what us crossword fans want isn’t it – a spot of light enlightening.
| Across | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1/13 | DAMAGE LIMITATION | Eye, say, spikes crooked deal – artificial exercise for politicians etc. beset by scandal? (6,10) MAG (Eye, say) inside DEAL* AInd: crooked, IMITATION (artificial) |
| 4 | AGELESS | Prat welcomes back member at end of debate going on for ever (7) LEG< (back member) [debat]E inside ASS (prat) |
| 10 | GROIN | Madcap rowing wife goes for genital area (5) (ROWING -w )* AInd: Madcap |
| 12 | GLUM | Rejected plonker holds length down (4) L[ength] inside MUG< (plonker, rejected) |
| 14 | ABODE | House sees political party leader off – Clare’s work? (5) [l]AB ODE (John Clare is a poet) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Clare |
| 16 | ANALGESIC | Drug to be taken via one’s arse, say, backwards (yes, that’s what it says) (9) ANAL (yes) EG< (say, backwards) SIC (intentionally so written) |
| 19 | BROADSIDE | Blast the non-PC female party! (9) BROAD (non-PC female) SIDE (party) 2nd last answer – thought party was going to be a final DO and the word was going to be an exclamation |
| 20 | CLAMP | Totally upset Cameron starts to acknowledge longstanding Conservative vice (5) PM (Cameron) A[cknowledge] L[ongstanding] C[onservative] all reversed |
| 22 | CHATTERBOX | Conservative, mad character, on TV, who goes on a bit (10) C[onservative] HATTER (mad character) BOX (TV) |
| 24 | GASP | Let out pants as a result of flatulence pressure? (4) GAS (flatulence) P[ressure] |
| 26/11 | BALL GAME | Playing with nuts, Rugby? (4,4) DD One in the Eye style, one by example. |
| 27 | BOTHA | In limbo, Thatcher, the ex-leader (5) Hidden in limBO THAtcher |
| 28/9 | TWIN BEDS | They keep dozy couples apart (4,4) CD |
| 29 | SKIPPER | Cap’n Bob in the old days, dried up fishy thing (7) When alive Robert Maxwell was known in the Eye as Cap’n Bob or the Skipper. But I’m unsure where the S comes from if the dried up fishy thing is a KIPPER. <Edit.> S[hilling] (Bob in the old days) KIPPER. Thanks PeterL |
| 30 | GDANSK | Where Walesa was active, being originally gay and “queer”, singular and constant (6) G[ay] (AND)* AInd: queer, S[ingular] K (constant) |
| Down | ||
| 1 | DWELL | House members do Democrat good and proper (5) D[emocrat] WELL (good and proper) |
| 2 | MASS MEDIA | Body aimed to shake up newspapers etc. (4,5) (MASS (body) AIMED* AInd: shake up |
| 3 | GIGOLO | Young man kept squeezing end of tool between rings after engagement (6) [too]L inside O O (rings) all after GIG (engagement) |
| 5 | GENITALS | Balls and other members, finally socialist, embraced by Neil, sag pathetically (8) ([socialis]T + NEIL SAG) AInd: pathetically |
| 6 | LIGHT | Insult Balls, ultimately dismissed as “easy to pick up” (5) [s]LIGHT the missing S from [ball]S |
| 7 | SYMPOSIUM | Conference: I’m pussy-whipped (Mo being involved) (9) (I’M PUSSY + MO)* AInd: whipped |
| 8 | COMMONS DEBATE | MPs talk of Mates condom distribution to include, initially, errant bishop (7,6) (MATES CONDOM + E[rrant] B[ishop])* AInd: distribution |
| 15 | BIRTHMARK | Labour’s result against a younger Thatcher a stigma? (9) BIRTH (labour’s result) MARK (younger Thatcher) |
| 17 | ENLIGHTEN | Brief tingle he produced, core of penis (9) (TINGLE HE [pe]N[is])* AInd: produced |
| 18 | ASSEMBLE | Act like certain Welsh members having the power to cover up shit? (8) MESS< inside ABLE Last answer. DEf. refers to the fact that the Welsh have an Assembly whereas the Scottish have a Parliament, and the English have the Conservatives. |
| 21 | EXPAND | Mad Paxman booting bloke in rear: “Tell me more than that!” (6) (PAX[man])* AInd: Mad, inside END (rear)* |
| 23 | TULIP | Bulbous thing starts to twitch upon touching cheek (5) T[ouch] U[pon] LIP (cheek) |
| 25 | STINK | Bonkers finally come together, arse over tip – what a fuss! (5) [bonker]S KNIT< |
Given my predilections I’ve got to put a plug in for this one.
What do people who like science and beer want? A Science festival based in pubs !- 14-16 May London, Oxford, Cambridge: Pint of Science
I mean, without science we would never have known about the horsemeat scandal. After which Tesco seem very relaxed about us knowing what else they put in food:
Ta beermagnet,
29 ‘Bob in the old days’ – shilling
Lovely bit of misdirection in that one.
Certainly was. Obviously completely fooled me. And now I think about it, I don’t think Maxwell was referred to as “Skipper”, just “Cap’n Bob”.
Afternoon…
Why is ‘non-PC female’ broad?
Broad is US slang for a woman and it’s not Politically Correct.