A few Trump-ian references this time round – let’s face it, he will be ‘the gift that keeps on giving’ to satirists and crossword setters for the next four years – and the usual mix of UK politico-bashing and Carry-On-esque puerility that makes Cyclops so enjoyable…
I couldn’t see any theme-ettes, or Ninas, unless Cyclops has gone all playground text-speak on us with ‘U COW DOLL’ down the two columns either side of the centre!
Most toe-curling reading was 24A – ‘Trump finally gets USA – leer grotesquely for gratification (8)’, although 4D – ‘A dick in charge? It’s only natural (7)’ – and 20A ‘Put in mind of elected list (fixed) (6)’ could both also be taken as referring to recent events across the pond.
I didn’t help myself by putting HAIR at 6A – HAIR being another of Charles’ (and my) previous ‘indulgences’ – but soon spotted the error of my ways.
All in all, an enjoyable solve and blog. Looking forward to the Cyclops Christmas Special next – and a happy (and cruciverbal) festive season to one and all!
| Across | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clue No | Solution | Clue | Definition (with occasional embellishments) / Logic/parsing |
|
| 1A | SPECIOUS | Dicky copies the Eye? Doubtful (8) | doubtful / SPECIO (anag, i.e. dicky, of COPIES) + US (the Eye) |
|
| 6A | POLO | / 23 Charles’s one-time indulgence, Hirst’s bad habit (4,5) | habit (item of clothing) / POLO (game once played by Prince Charles – he may still indulge occasionally, in a veterans team?) + SHIRT (anag, i.e. bad, of HIRST) |
|
| 9A | SPRIG | Second obnoxious type Holly cut off? (5) | holly, cut off / S (second) + PRIG (obnoxious type) |
|
| 10A | ADVISORY | Consulting Davis: desperate alternative at May’s end (8) | consulting / ADVIS (anag, i.e. desperate, of DAVIS) + OR (alternative) + Y (end letter of May) |
|
| 11A | RENOUNCE | Reliable electronic news sources breaking EU con cut (8) | cut / REN (first letters of Reliable Electronic News) + OUNCE (anag, i.e. breaking, of EU CON) |
|
| 12A | WRETCH | Bastard making women vomit (6) | bastard / W (women) + RETCH (vomit) |
|
| 13A | HON SEC | One’s about to shaft hard Conservative official, in short (3,3) | official, in short / H (hard) + C (Conservative), around (shafted by) ON SE (anag, i.e. about, of ONES) |
|
| 15A | FOLLICLE | Hairy bottom of ‘feminine’ Cole – ill winds (8) | hairy bottom (something at the bottom of a hair!) / F (feminine) + OLLICLE (anag, i.e. winds, of COLE ILL) |
|
| 17A | AFTER YOU | “Screw your fate!” – not what a would-be leader should say (5,3) | not what a would be leader should say / anag, i.e. screw, of YOUR FATE |
|
| 19A | SHRIMP | Taking little time, May is on the rise, hardly a great person (6) | hardly a great person (in size) / S_IMP (reversal, on the rise, of PM – May – IS), around HR (hour, time, abbreviated, or made little) |
|
| 20A | INSTIL | Put in mind of elected list (fixed) (6) | put in mind / IN (elected) + STIL (anag, i.e. fixed, of LIST) |
|
| 22A | PLEASURE | Trump finally gets USA – leer grotesquely for gratification (8) | gratification / P (final letter of TrumP) + LEASURE (anag, i.e. grotesquely, of USA LEER) |
|
| 24A | UPTHROWN | Vomit-like, suppressing argument, Hunt struggles with protest leader (8) | vomit-like / UPTH_N (anag, i.e. struggles, of HUNT + P – leading letter of Protest), around (suppressing) ROW (argument) |
|
| 25A | PAIRS | Busts President’s opening broadcasts (5) | busts (as in pairs of breasts) / P (opening letter of President) + AIRS (broadcasts) |
|
| 26A | SNAP ELECTION | / 27 Might Theresa May call one “Line-up to embrace the little dictator”? (4,8) | might Theresa May call one? / S_ELECTION (line-up, as in a selected team) around (embracing) NAP (Napoleon, dictator, abbreviated, or made little, or maybe just referring to the fact that he was vertically challenged) |
|
| Down | ||||
| Clue No | Solution | Clue | Definition (with occasional embellishments) / Logic/parsing |
|
| 2D | PISSED OFF | Did number one sour, being resentful? (6,3) | being resentful / PISSED (urinated, did ‘number one’) + OFF (sour) |
|
| 3D | CURIO | Sought-after item, ‘Arse I’, fitted with ring (5) | sought-after item / CUR (arse, unpleasant type) + I + O (ring) |
|
| 4D | ORGANIC | A dick in charge? It’s only natural (7) | it’s only natural / ORGAN (a dick) + IC (in charge) |
|
| 5D | STATE OF SUSPENSE | That uncertain feeling of Georgia, say, stuck with Trump’s vocal mate (5,2,8) | that uncertain feeling / SATE OF S. US (Georgia could be said to be a STATE of the S(outhern) US) + PENSE (homophone, i.e. vocal, of PENCE, Trump’s running mate and vice-president elect) |
|
| 6D | POSTERIOR | ‘Operation Back Tories’ failed to get Republican arse (9) | arse / PO (OP, operation, backwards) + STERIO (anag, i.e. failed, of TORIES) + R (Republican) |
|
| 7D | LYRIC | Expressively emotional, pathetic Cyril (5) | expressively emotional / anag, i.e. pathetic, of CYRIL |
|
| 8D | AVOWAL | Sounds like an ‘E’ maybe is a confession (6) | a confession / homophone – AVOWAL sounds like A VOWEL, for example ‘E’ |
|
| 14D | SWEAT SHOP | Labour’s bound to produce an environment of exploited people (5,4) | an environment of exploited people / SWEAT (labour) + S (contraction of IS) + HOP (bound) |
|
| 16D | LAMBRUSCO | Booze spread Carol’s bum (9) | booze / anag, i.e. spread, of CAROL’S BUM |
|
| 18D | YELLOW | Cry “Ouch!”, as newspapers undergoing prolonged exposure do (6) | as newspapers undergoing prolonged exposure (to light) do / YELL (cry) + OW (ouch!) |
|
| 19D | STEEPLE | Trustee, pleading, nurses big erection (7) | big erection (oooerrr, matron!) / hidden word in, i.e. nursed by, ‘truSTEE PLEading’ |
|
| 21D | NIP IN | Enter quickly, going up and down (3,2) | enter quickly / NIP IN is a palindromic phrase, so reads the same going up and going down… |
|
| 23D | SHIRT | See 6ac. (5) | see 6A / see 6A |
|
I also went wrong on 6a – I got the wrong Charles. I already had the ‘l’ in position 3 so I thought of Nell Gwyn – a one time ‘indulgence’ of Charles II. Then I googled ‘Nell Shirt’ and believe it or not there is such a thing. As a result ‘Posterior’ was my last clue entered as I had it starting with N.
You weren’t the only one to be thrown by confusing Charles II & III