A pretty quick solve for me; though I admit that I got a bit stuck on 20a — not because it’s difficult, but because I didn’t expect it to be so simple and obvious!
My star clue has to be 10d/25d, just because it gives me the excuse to include a link to Blackadder. Special mention for the definition at 26a, too.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AT A PUSH | One thanks press only if pressured to A = One; TA = thanks; PUSH = press. Definition: only if pressured to |
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| 5 | ASTOUND | Obama’s to underwrite housing shock Hidden in ‘Obama’s to underwrite’, with ‘housing’ as the containment indicator |
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| 9 | BANKRUPTCY | Financial ruin and much reduced Conservative party bunk off *(C party bunk), with ‘off’ as the anagram indicator |
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| 12 | ENTRANCE | Knock out tradesman’s used by some lovers A double definition of sorts: ‘knock out’, in the sense of ‘to fill with enthusiastic or rapturous delight; to put into a trance’; reference to alternative sexual preferences |
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| 13 | HEEHAW | Beastly ejaculation of two males, one way and another, taking a week HE, then HE, reversed = two males, one way and another; A; W = week |
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| 14 | PRIMER | Po-faced Brenda’s first coat PRIM = Po-faced; ER = Brenda (the Queen). Definition: ‘first coat’ (of paint) |
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| 16 | CANUTE | Utterly twattish leaders having whip round for (failed) repulsive monarch? UT = Utterly twattish leaders; in CANE = whip King Canute (Cnut) demonstrated that his powers did not extend to repulsing the incoming tide. Bizarrely, when I googled this, the main photo to appear was of Ryan Giggs. |
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| 18 | ODD LOT | Advised party to do a U-turn, being an atypical bunch TOLD = advised; DO = party; all reversed |
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| 20 | AGENTS | Arse-clenching debut by urinal operatives A = Arse-clenching debut; GENTS = urinal. Definition: operatives Quite a clue for such a simple word. |
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| 22 | GOBANG | Traditional game that’s an order to shag A Japanese game, played on a checkerboard, in which the object of the game is to be the first in placing five pieces, or men, in a row in any direction; also ‘Go bang’ = an order to shag The word count was given as ‘(0,6)’ here; I suppose that’s not exactly incorrect. |
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| 23 | INDECENT | Suggestive of Enid getting pissed on little money *(Enid), with ‘getting pissed’ as the anagram indicator; CENT = little money. Definition: suggestive |
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| 26 | EXHUMATION | Out with Maxine’s potty… hot inside… raising a stiff one *(Out Maxine H), H being ‘hot’. Definition: raising a stiff one, i.e. a corpse |
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| 27 | INTENSE | Deeply emotional, trendy Putin’s heart seen to flutter IN = trendy; T = Putin’s heart; *(seen), with ‘to flutter’ as the anagram indicator. Definition: Deeply emotional |
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| 28 | IN DEPTH | Screwing tip: end with hard penetrating *(tip end H), with ‘screwing’ as the anagram indicator (H = hard). Definition: penetrating |
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| Down | |||
| 2 | TRAINERS | Maybe those having difficulty doing business — no head for shoes [s]TRAINERS = constipated individuals, minus the first letter |
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| 3/11 | POKER FACE | Unfathomable mug has shag — pisspoor farce POKE = shag; *(farce), with ‘pisspoor’ as the classic Eye anagram indicator. Definition: ‘Unfathomable mug’ |
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| 4 | STUNNER | Balls up and name Brenda as a “right bit of all right” NUTS, reversed = Balls up; N = name; ER = Brenda, making her second appearance |
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| 6 | SAY WHEN | Different ways only women inform me if I’ve poured enough drink *(ways); HEN = only women |
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| 7 | OFF-CENTRE | Right-leaning Blair’s end: entering into no effect conflict? R = Blair’s end; in *(no effect), with ‘conflict’ as the anagram indicator (one which, being nounal, would be unacceptable to some purists) |
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| 8 | NECTAR | Brum’s place for exhibitionists to acquire revealing tops, which is very sweet NEC = National Exhibition Centre, in Birmingham; first letters (tops) of ‘to acquire revealing’. Another clue that makes the most of quite a simple word. |
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| 10/25 | THE SCOTTISH PLAY | Those whom Salmond would set apart and pressure to screw — a tragedy, to put it discreetly THE SCOTTISH = those whom Alex Salmond would set apart; P = pressure; LAY = screw It is considered unlucky to say the name of The Scottish Play — Don’t mention Macbeth |
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| 15 | MEDIA HYPE | Eye had PM throwing a wobbly about independent press excess? *(Eye had PM); containing I = independent |
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| 17 | STAND OUT | Piss about changing Dan’s project STOUT = piss, in the sense of beer; containing *(Dan) |
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| 19 | LEGLESS | Pissed member before bar LEG = member; LESS = bar, in the sense of ‘except, but for’ |
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| 20 | ABDOMEN | Stomach turning bod into prayer finally? *(bod); in AMEN = the final word of a prayer |
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| 21 | GOBLIN | Gnome’s coarse organ — not a thing to be elevated GOB = coarse word for ‘mouth’, though I would dispute that the mouth counts as an organ; NIL = not a thing, reversed |
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| 24 | CUTIE | Nick Clegg at heart accepting one’s “an endearing person” CUT = Nick; E = Clegg at heart (middle letter); containing (‘accepting’) I = one
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I am sadly short of jokes and/or amusing links this week. So I will just leave you with a selection of Twop Twips from Twitter:
PUT a pound coin in the fridge. Then, if you ever need a pound coin, simply look in the fridge.
FAT SHOPPERS. Ensure you’re not used in a background montage on BBC obesity programmes by wearing logos on your arse.
BUILDERS. Excite sexually confused passers by, by having a nipple tattooed on each buttock.
CONVINCE a neighbour that you’re their stunt double by dressing up as them and falling off their roof.
PRETEND you’re Alex Ferguson by retiring then going into work everyday to stare at the bloke who got your old job.
BEES can make jam as well as honey. Simply crush them up finely and boil with plenty of sugar.
A JAM JAR full of wasps makes a handy iPod replacement for a bagpipes enthusiast.
FOOL people into thinking your printer is 3D by leaving unpainted Airfix models in the output tray.
CATCH narcissistic rodents by baiting a mousetrap with a tiny mirror.
MAKE people think you’ve got a George Foreman grill by putting a steak in your laptop and closing the lid.
Thank’ee. I notice, incidentally, that that makes three puzzles in a row with a constipation-related clue. Is this a record?
I’ve been enjoying reading Private Eye – The first 50 years. It’s good on background and behind-the-scenes tattle, though has scant mention of the crossword. The main reference comes in the entry for its first setter, Tom Driberg / Tiresias, who used to turn up at the office on Wednesdays to dictate the clues and ogle the male talent …