We are well into ‘post-Covid’ setting now, with ‘lockdown’ and ‘coronavirus’ both getting a mention in the clues.
Lockdown frustration still seems to be getting the better of Cyclops, with lots of sexual references – some innuendo-us, some in plain sight! Sex, coitus, groins, jiggling nuts, whips and chains, ‘HOW’S YOUR FATHER’ and an ADULTEROUS FRISSON! But at least he is being sensible, with a ‘withdrawal’, and two mentions of contraceptives as well!
There is a RENEGADE BOFFIN (which I guess meant any scientist who didn’t say what the government want them to say at the daily briefings – remember them?!)
Mentions for Boris (x3), Rees-Mogg and Trump, but none for Keir – has anyone come up with a decent anagram or clue for (Sir) Keir Starmer yet?…
All in all, a fairly ‘standard’ Cyclops puzzle in terms of subject matter and clue readings…and an enjoyable solve to boot.
| Across | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clue No | Solution | Clue | Definition (with occasional embellishments) / Logic/parsing |
|
| 7A | PATRIARCH | Grand old man? A rich prat’s fancy (9) | grand old man / anag, i.e. fancy, of A RICH PRAT |
|
| 9A | LICIT | Parasites’ endless sex is warranted (5) | warranted / LIC( |
|
| 11A | LIVER | Being put at risk by too much booze (5) | double defn.? / a being, or something that lives, could be described as a LIVER?; and the LIVER is something that can be put at risk by too much booze (especially during lockdown!) |
|
| 12A | SALTWATER | Marine’s piss-poor latest war (9) | marine / anag, i.e. piss-poor, of LATEST WAR |
|
| 13A | HOWS YOUR FATHER | Question about the old man’s sex? (4,4,6) | sex / ‘HOW’S YOUR FATHER’ is another euphemism for, well, you know, nudge, nudge, wink wink, a bit of the other, knee-trembler, slap and tickle… |
|
| 16A | BOFFIN | Dicky stuck in box, his advice likely to be ignored by Trump? (6) | his advice likely to be ignored by Trump (and Boris!) / B_IN (box) around OFF (dicky) |
|
| 17A | QUARTZ | Rock as a result of a couple of pints with a character at the end (6) | rock / QUART (a couple of pints) + Z (a character at the end – of the alphabet!) |
|
| 21A | CABINET MEETING | A big enticement to break up gathering of ‘Team Boris’? (7,7) | gathering of ‘Team Boris’ / anag, i.e. to break up, of A BIG ENTICEMENT |
|
| 24A | ROADWORKS | Ways to restrict Labour’s surface improvements? (9) | surface improvements / ROAD_S (ways) around (restricting) WORK (labour) |
|
| 26A | RIGHT | & 25D Part of pitch of Rees-Mogg and his party cronies? (5,4) | double defn.? / the RIGHT WING is part of a football (or other sporting) pitch; and RIGHT-WING (hyphenated) could be used to describe (Jacob) Rees-Mogg and his party cronies |
|
| 27A | TENON | Saw start of Boris’s address? Touching! (5) | saw / TEN (start of Boris’ address, 10 Downing St) + ON (touching) |
|
| 28A | PERSUADER | Sweet-talker rounding up readers (9) | sweet-talker / anag, i.e. rounding, of UP READERS |
|
| Down | ||||
| Clue No | Solution | Clue | Definition (with occasional embellishments) / Logic/parsing |
|
| 1D | SPILL | Small contraceptive leak (5) | leak / S (small) + PILL (contraceptive) |
|
| 2D | STAVE OFF | Bar not available – keep back (5,3) | keep back / STAVE (bar) + OFF (not available) |
|
| 3D | DIGRESSION | Groin side’s mangled – so, going off topic (10) | going off topic / anag, i.e. mangled so, of GROIN SIDE’S |
|
| 4D | FRISSON | Shudder when Boris – no leader – battles with NSF (7) | shudder / anag, i.e. battles, of (B |
|
| 5D | SLOW | & 23D Last and worst arrangement made by UK and US governments in response to coronavirus threat? (4,5) | made by UK and US governments in response to coronavirus threat? / anag, i.e. arrangement, of LAST and WORST |
|
| 6D | STIR-CRAZY | Jiggle nuts, like a lockdown sufferer? (4-5) | like a lock-down sufferer / STIR (jiggle) + CRAZY (nuts) |
|
| 8D | HILARY | Swank, maybe, exhibited by Clinton after large withdrawal? (6) | (actress Hilary) Swank, maybe / HIL( |
|
| 10D | CATCH | Get a dose of the whip and chain (5) | get a dose of / CAT (the whip) + CH (chain) |
|
| 14D | ADULTEROUS | Grown men covering up Euro fiasco, playing away? (10) | playing away / ADULT_S (grown men) around (covering up) EROU (anag, i.e. fiasco, of EURO) |
|
| 15D | OBSCURITY | Anathema to a celeb, being shattered by coitus, without resistance (9) | anathema to a celeb / OBSCU_ITY (anag, i.e. shattered, of BY COITUS) around (without) R (resistance) |
|
| 18D | RENEGADE | Turncoat Frenchman? Bloody hell – English! (8) | turncoat / RENE (stereotypical French male name) + GAD (interjection/mild oath, so similar to bloody hell?) + E (English) |
|
| 19D | STIR UP | Get aroused by heartless bit of tack (4,2) | get aroused / STI( |
|
| 20D | PESSARY | Myra’s septuagenarian turned up holding a contraceptive (7) | contraceptive / reversed, hidden word, i.e. turned up holding, in ‘mYRAS SEPtugenarian |
|
| 22D | BRAWN | Wife nestling into husky thing’s muscle (5) | muscle / BRA_N (husky thing) around (being nestled into by) W (wife) |
|
| 23D | START | See 5D (5) | see 5D / see 5D |
|
| 25D | WING | See 26A (4) | see 26A / see 26A |
|
14 comments on “Cyclops 679 – Stir-Crazy Cabinet Meeting”