Unusually for Cyclops here was a puzzle with a bit of a hidden theme.
Several financial terms crop up as answers. Surely too many for coincidence. Especially with the longest and central answer referring to the multi-billionaires. You know, those people who are very happy to bid up to 440 Million for a Da Vinci, because it is unique and, let’s face it, they wouldn’t really notice the dent in their fortune.
Also unusually, I had this one fully complete on the first pass!
This is a first for me. Feels like a snooker 147.
That’s not cold-solving every clue, but solving them on first attempt – which means there are plenty of crossing letters soon after the first answer, and given that I tackle lights that have the most or highest proportion of crossing letters at each step (favouring those with known first letters) the first answer was the only one cold-solved.
I suppose this means it classes as an easy one compared to most Eye crosswords.
Mind you it always helps when I am blogging the puzzle too because I make notes on the wordplay and thus have more thinking time.
Anyway, for interest here is the order I solved them in: 7 8 2/4 12 1 13 17a 18 14 19 17d 27 20 25 26/21 23/24 5 10 15 16 28 6 9 3
( That’s enough stats. Ed.)
.
A question: How do you measure the quality of puns?
| Across | ||
|---|---|---|
| 7 | ROADIE | Alternative backing by Kate, who’s with a rock band? (6) OR< [Kate] Adie |
| 9 | INTEREST | Hobby that an MP might not admit to having? (8) Wordplay refers to many MP’s reticence about their financial affairs |
| 11 | FREE TRADE | Err, being involved with catastrophic defeat for UK Brexit requirement? (4,5) (ERR + DEFEAT)* AInd: catastrophic – barely adequate adjective suitable for B?exit |
| 12 | SALVO | Barrage of criticism thus constrains failed Democrat candidate – very (5) AL [Gore, Failed Democrat) and V[ery] inside SO (thus) |
| 13 | TITHE | Tax boob hits the bloke (5) TIT (boob) HE (bloke) |
| 15 | CRESCENDO | High point of right nasty scene covered up by Conservative party (9) R[ight] and (SCENE)* AInd: nasty, inside (covered up by) C[onservative] and DO (party) |
| 17 | THE SUPER WEALTHY | ‘Mickey initially taken out of Trump looking silly with Welsh hat’ (Eye) – who he really represents? (3,5,7) (TRUmP WELSH HAT EYE – M[ickey])* AInd: looking silly |
| 19 | KILLED OFF | “Folk lied about source of financing”, as Trump would have Obamacare (6,3) (FOLK LIED F[inancing])* AInd: about |
| 23/24 | AMBER RUDD | Minister‘s signal: “bloody year off!” (5,4) AMBER (signal) RUDD[y] (Bloody – Y[ear]) – Current Home Sec. |
| 25 | ILL-FORMED | Requiring services of NHS document? Balls not in the best of shape (3-6) ILL (Requiring services of NHS) FORM (document) ED [Balls] |
| 27 | ALLUDE TO | Don’t explicitly mention everything about EU do taking time (6,2) ALL (everything), (EU DO)* AInd: about around T[ime] |
| 28 | SNAKES | Creeps, dodgy as Ken and Boris ultimately (6) (AS KEN)* AInd: dodgy, and [bori]S |
| Down | ||
| 1 | PROFIT | Which fat cats like to take for looking fanciable (6) PRO (for) FIT (looking fanciable) |
| 2/4 | FAKE NEWS | The Truth According To Donald Trump? (4,4) Single Def. |
| 3 | SNEEZE | Involuntary ejaculation makes you see Zen differently (6) (SEE ZEN)* AInd: differently |
| 5 | WELLINGTON | Duke foisting wife on another duke (10) W[ife] [Duke] Ellington |
| 6 | ETHOLOGY | The wrong gooly used for study of animal behaviour (8) (THE)* AInd: wrong (GOOLY)* AInd: used |
| 8 | IN THE NUDE | Scottish female oddly united about not being clobbered (2,3,4) (UNITED)* AInd: oddly, around HEN (Scottish female) – I liked that def. |
| 10 | GAUCHE | Hague moving to secure cabinet’s top position? Tactless (6) (HAGUE C[abinet])* AInd: moving |
| 14 | THE OLD BILL | Police told he screwed Clinton? (3,3,4) (TOLD HE)* AInd: screwed. BILL [Clinton] Whole clue surface also reads very well |
| 16 | CLAMPDOWN | Control the French politician wearing Conservative blue (9) LA (the French) and MP (politican) inside (wearing) C[onservative] and DOWN (blue) |
| 17 | TAKEAWAY | Chinese possibly maligned Kate – “Begone!” (8) (KATE)* AInd: maligned, AWAY (begone!) |
| 18 | WAFFLE | Politician’s words that he might well have to eat? (6) DD/CD I initially pencilled-in WEASEL |
| 20 | OPIATE | Work that is consuming a Tory leader is like a drug (6) OP (Work) I.E. around A T[ory] |
| 22 | ELDEST | Having no senior: the source of David Steel’s failure (6) (D[avid] STEEL)* AInd: failure |
| 26/21 | MIKE PENCE | One close to Trump married ex-President with little money (4,5) M[arried] IKE (ex-pres) PENCE (little money) |
( How do you measure the quality of puns? )
A. With a sighsmograph
Damn! Damn! Damn! I actually entered for the first time…. and got one wrong. I had struggled on 9A as the last one since I had ‘theology’ and not ‘ethology’. When I corrected the latter, I rushed to the conclusion that 9A was ‘indecent’, which had a surface fit and then I went no further.
It’s interesting to know how people approach these puzzles. I always try ‘cold solve’ for all and then go for the first run with crossing help. Then plough on struggling for the final clues.
Oh well!! Onwards and upwards! Or should that be across and downwards?
Whenz the next private eye xword due?
pbz @ 2: in the next issue of Private Eye.
Found 28a a bit dodgy – SNEAKS and SNAKES are both valid anagrams, and both match the definition “Creeps”. Other than that, a really good one. Thanks beermagnet and Cyclops!
I’m probably too much of a purist, but I do appreciate accurate and fair clues. I’ve been happily doing PE for years, but recently I’ve thought some of the clues a bit unreasonable, and been wondering whether ‘Cyclops’ is now a different compiler. Occasionally I’ve thought of sending examples to Pedants Corner but never actually done it.
This week I solved it, but I had quite a few issues with the clues, so I went looking online for second opinions, which is how I found this site. And a very pleasant discovery it was, I must say.
I think I’ll be back fairly often.
And the gripes ?
15a: CRESCENDO is not the high point, but a progressive increase in volume. (inaccurate)
28a: Two viable anagram solutions, but SNEAKS is a far better synonym for ‘creeps’ than SNAKES. (unfair, and inaccurate)
16d: Is CLAMPDOWN a synonym for CONTROL? It doesn’t quite work for me as a noun or a verb. CLAMP DOWN works as a verb though.(inaccurate)
9a: Why shouldn’t MPs admit to interest ? Far from obvious. Very tenuous, and unsolvable without the intersecting letters. (unfair)
Just my opinion, – pleased to see some agreement on 28a.
Out of interest, does anyone else feel that Cyclops’ style has changed in recent months ?
Scorpion @5
Sorry for the non-appearance of your original comment. It was intercepted by Akismet, our spam filter, for some unknown reason. I would have reinstated your comment but I have been away from my PC for a while and you had re-posted it before my return.
A bit ‘arsh, Scorpion. Snakes is a bit weaker than sneaks…and indeed, it held me up for a crossing clue for some time, but it still works since snakes probably creep as well. My own fault I went for indecent but, given your comment, maybe MPs would be less likely to admit to an indecent hobby rather than interest!!!!
I’m familiar with having a clampdown on things in order to get matters under control.
And I suspect we have all dropped into a non-musical understanding of crescendo as being the height of the noise rather than the rising up. I am sure I have heard/read of a crescendo of noise, somewhere.
But, yes, this site is quite delightful and a favourite haunt for me.