I rather enjoyed this Cyclops — I didn’t find it difficult, but some of the clues were nicely challenging. And it gave me the excuse to give you a link to a classic Monty Python sketch.
Writing the blog, I see I have typed ‘reversed’ rather a lot; it didn’t seem to be a problem, though.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PLUMAGE | Natural wear for a bird (fruity thing, mature) PLUM = fruity thing; AGE = mature “Remarkable bird, the Norwegian Blue…” |
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| 5 | ESPOUSE | Champion internet partner E = internet; SPOUSE = partner |
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| 9 | CANVASSER | Maybe aspiring MP’s camp material House cut and rejected CANVAS = camp material; SER = RES (abbreviation for ‘residence’, i.e. ‘house’, in rather dated estate-agent-speak) reversed (‘rejected’). I took a while to get the last bit of the wordplay here. |
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| 11 | FIFA | Rotten organisation provided, perversely, not a bloody thing, in short FI = IF, reversed = provided, perversely; FA = fuck-all = not a bloody thing, in short |
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| 13 | PEDANTIC | Schoolmarmish frolicking and sex the wrong way breaks muscle *(and), with ‘frolicking’ as the anagram indicator; TI = IT (sex) reversed; in PEC = pectoral muscle |
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| 14/3 | TALK MONEY | Ask how much Tony’s involved with leak about Sadam’s end M = Sadam’s end; in *(Tony leak) |
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| 16 | RABELAIS | Down-to-earth writer demolishes Blair with ease: “pointless” *(Blair eas), with ‘demolishes’ as the anagram indicator (one that would be unacceptable to some crossword purists). Strictly speaking, ‘eas’ is not pointless — it still has an E and an S; it just has one fewer point than ‘ease’. François Rabelais |
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| 18 | GET SMART | Public transport on time, say, given backing? Wise up! TRAM = public transport; T = time; EG = say (for example); all reversed |
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| 21/26/12 | EASY COME EASY GO | Effortless orgasm, not rocket science — try to have laid-back attitude EASY COME = effortless orgasm; EASY = not rocket science; GO = try |
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| 23 | PRICK OUT | Dick shown what to do with seedlings PRICK = dick; OUT = shown Pricking out |
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| 24 | PLAITS | Hairy appendages sporting a split *(a split), with ‘sporting’ as the anagram indicator (another one maybe not for the purists) |
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| 27 | BARKEEPER | Cocktail shaker (dog piss held back inside)? BARKER = dog; with PEE, reversed, inside |
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| 28 | CHORIZO | Nothing in filthy rich Zara’s head — “love hot sausage!” O = nothing; in *(rich); Z = Zara’s head; O = love |
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| 29 | URGENCY | Old city gent almost cleaned out City — “pressing situation” UR = old city; GEN =gent almost; CY = cleaned out City |
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| Down | |||
| 2 | LOCK AWAY | Shut up, avert gaze — Osborne primarily replaced by leader of campaign LOOK AWAY = avert gaze; with O (Osborne primarily) replaced by C (leader of campaign) |
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| 4 | GLAMOUR | At the start, goolies (large) added to lover’s allure GL = first letters of ‘goolies (large)’; AMOUR = lover |
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| 7 | OFFENSIVE | Obnoxious Rotten is even dancing OFF = rotten; *(is even), with ‘dancing’ as the anagram indicator |
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| 8 | SOFTIE | Very newspaper that is supplying weed SO = very; FT = newspaper (Financial Times; IE = that is |
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| 10 | SEPP BLATTER | After short month, a multinational gets turned over by second-mentioned dodgy organization chief SEP = short month; BP, reversed = a multinational turned over; LATTER = second-mentioned Sepp Blatter |
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| 15 | KEEP CLEAR | Glimpse mounting first sign of Clegg’s tragic character? Don’t go there! PEEK, reversed = glimpse mounting; C = first sign of Clegg; [King] LEAR = tragic character |
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| 17 | ESOTERIC | Maybe Morecambe’s keeping alcoholic drug secret SOT = alcoholic; E = drug; in ERIC Morecambe |
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| 19 | SHOW BIZ | Who’s come out, swinging both ways? Zimbabwe’s head of Entertainment *(who’s), with ‘come out’ as the anagram indicator; BI = swinging both ways; Z = Zimbabwe’s head |
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| 20 | TOP GEAR | Sixties cool clothes for this punchy show? This is loosely 60s slang — ‘gear’ actually meant ‘great’ in Beatles-speak; but it also commonly means ‘clothes’. The TV programme, which I have never watched and never intend to watch, features a famously pugilistic presenter whose name I won’t bother to mention. |
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| 22 | BROOCH | Bling item? Bring up, loudly! An item of jewellery (bling) which sounds like (‘loudly’ being the homophone indicator) ‘broach’ (to bring up, e.g. as a subject for discussion) |
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| 25/6 | APPLE STRUDEL | Multinational’s rough, in the clutches of self-serving, twisted, lousy leaders — that’s sweet! APPLE = multinational; RUDE = rough; in [the clutches of] first letters of ‘self-serving, twisted, lousy’ |
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WHITE
A few images for you:
The latest Enid Blyton is a little more realist than earlier ones in the series:
… and here is a more highbrow one for the grammar-aware (personally, though strictly Cambridge in most respects, I rather like the Oxford comma).
I understood “ease, pointless” as meaning “take the last (or first) letter off” rather than having anything to do with compass points. Thanks for the parsing of CANVASSER, and thanks for the blog!
I thought SHOW BIZ as two words was a little odd.