An Eye puzzle on the hard side this time, but still on puerile form.
Solving, I found this more of a struggle than usual. While there were a few that fell quickly at the beginning, I was aware that for many of the clues I couldn’t get I didn’t really know what was going on at all. I took a long time to complete the “first pass”, re-visiting many clues as they acquired new crossing letters and getting no joy. For instance the longest answer at 14A was pondered at least four times before getting the final missing crossing letter (the K from Anorak) switched the light bulb on.
Last answer in was 19A, the only one I have a query on – surely this should be Whip Hand (4,4)
| Across | ||
|---|---|---|
| 7/24/26 | FRONT PAGE STORY | Lead news is ‘Stupid Tory Preston gaffe’ – iron out (5,4,5) (TORY PRESTON GAF[fe])* AInd: Stupid. FE (iron) is removed (out) from Gaffe |
| 8 | DIARRHOEA | Loose end activity? Oh dear, air needs refreshing! (9) (OH DEAR, AIR)* AInd: needs refreshing. First one in. I was very please to spot the anagram and might make this my “clue of the puzzle” except I am a bit squeamish about the subject matter |
| 10 | CLEMENCY | Not all ‘bicycle men’ cycling? Pity (8) Hidden in bicyCLE MEN CYcling. Immediately spotted. I am well aware that just as likely I might have not seen it for a very long time … |
| 11 | NOTICE | Bill lacking neckwear to strangle Corbyn’s no.1 (6) C[orbyn] inside NO TIE (lacking neckwear). … like this one which I only understood very near the end |
| 12 | DEALER | Casino employee gets wood meeting Brenda? (6) DEAL (wood) ER (Brenda). One of a handful here cold solved |
| 13 | DESELECT | Barking, Leeds, etc. to ditch political candidate (8) (LEEDS ETC)* AInd: Barking. Topical surface. Aaron Banks’s dodgy money is now being used to push Tory constituency association to deselect MPs who aren’t Brexity enough |
| 14 | BACKBENCHER | MP behind ministers, one gambling on securing seat (11) BENCH (seat) inside BACKER (one gambling). Didn’t get this till I had all crossing letters |
| 19 | WHIPHAND | Advantage of parliamentary figure getting clap from a number of people? (8) WHIP (parliamentary figure) HAND (clap from a number of people). Last one in. Surely this should be (4,4) ? |
| 21 | SELDOM | Model knackered after sex? Hardly ever (6) S[ex] (MODEL)* AInd: knackered |
| 23 | URINAL | Lunar I’s working place offering relief (6) (LUNAR I)* AInd: working |
| 24 | POLEMIST | Smile awkwardly, being gobbled by Kitty, who’ll not hesitate to give an opinion (8) (SMILE)* AInd: awkwardly, inside |
| 25 | ESPIONAGE | Agent’s thing produces pong – is A&E involved at the end? (9) (PONG IS A E [th]E)* AInd: produces |
| Down | ||
| 1 | ORAL SEX | Head examination needs it (4,3) ORAL (examination) SEX (it) |
| 2 | ANIMAL | One mounting Cyclops’s top grade, long ‘beast‘ (6) AN (one) I’M (Cyclops’s) A (top grade) L[ong]. “Should’ve’got’it’earlier” |
| 3/22 | CITY LIMITS | Extent of London‘s sources of cash injection typically, yet woefully slim with it? (4,6) C[ash] I[njection] T[ypically] Y[et] (SLIM IT)* AInd: woefully |
| 4 | URANUS | Right side of your arse is big cold mass (6) [yo]UR ANUS (arse). Penultimate clue solved. Typically Cyclopean |
| 5 | WHITE LIE | Porky Tory leader out of formal wear (replaced by Labour leader) (5,3) WHITE TIE (formal wear) swap T[ory] with L[abour] Could be BLACK or WHITE but I already had the H so … Also: Definition is from the Cockney Rhyming Slang – Porky = Pork pie / lie |
| 6 | PEACOCK | Company ‘C’ surrounded by top show-off (7) CO[mpany] C inside PEAK (top) |
| 9 | ANORAK | House leader given the boot, a schmuck, ultimately a nerd (6) [m]ANOR (house, leader given the boot) A [schmuc]K |
| 13 | DREAD | Right engages in unfeeling terror (5) R[ight] inside DEAD (unfeeling) |
| 15 | APPENDIX | Deplorable pap? Conclusion: one Times supplement (8) (PAP)* AInd: deplorable, END (conclusion) I (one) X (times) |
| 16 | CASTLE | Ex-Labour minister‘s to make a move on the board (6) Double Definition. Ref. the redoubtable Barbara + O-O in chess |
| 17 | THERESA | May is at that point, since being rejected? (7) THERE (at that point) AS< (since, rejected) |
| 18 | TONSURE | Trump’s crown concerning – certainly not much of a hairstyle (7) T[rump] ON (concerning) SURE (certainly) |
| 20 | AILING | Sick of being unsuccessful? F-off! (6) [f]AILING (unsuccessful, F off) What! No ref to Grayling? |
Sorry kids. I haven’t found much funny lately…
Until my youngest sent me this awful cartoon
(I wish he’d sent it 24 hrs earlier)
You are mistaken about 24A (it’s a monetary kitty — POT — not a feline one) and you’ve introduced a typo into 10A. I agree with you that 19A across should be 4,4 rather than 8. Your comment at 13A about Tory deselection shenanigins deals with just one part of the big picture. There is plenty of factional infighting within some Labour constituency associations!
Thanks John for pointing out the typo and that cat the crept in (the one that called the kettle black) now corrected.
Quite a few that resisted here, but I got there in the end. I had to get most or all of the crossers before I twigged BACKBENCHER, too. Excellent definition. I agree it’s WHIP HAND (and so does Collins).
Thanks beermagnet! I had a few chuckles with this one. I put a star against the clues I enjoyed and this time i’d marked four clues; 8a, 23a, 1d and 4d. All Cyclopean ( to borrow your expression).
As with John and Tony, 19 a threw me a bit being labelled as an eight letter word.
2D puzzled me for a while as I was reading cyclops’s as a possessive. Presumably, CYCLOPS’S is a contraction of CYCLOPS IS. = I AM or I’m?
Probably obvious to most but it had me head scratching.
Got my dim brain in today. 17A: AS< (since, rejected) – is ‘rejected’ being used here as ‘reversed’?
Pete @5. Meaning ‘thrown back’ it indicates reversal. Meaning ‘thrown out’ it indicates an anagram. Take your pick!
Ah! Thanks John E! Makes sense now.