Cyclops has a bit of a look back at recent history this week…
…with 21D referencing NASSER vs Eden from the ’50s, a hint of Thatcher’s IRON GRIP at 10A/18A and the Sun’s GOTCHA headline from the ’80s at 3D, Bob DOLE(FUL) from the ’90s, and a tribute to the multi-decade ROCK STAR Freddie Mercury at 25A/14A.
Plenty of up-to-date stuff as well – several Boris references, some ‘pisspoor’ MPs (although that could refer to almost any period!?) and a wonderful anagram at 27A/2D – with a ‘toxic’ CHEMICAL AGENT leading to CLIMATE CHANGE!
Closely followed by 9D suggesting that Boris’ PERMIERSHIP makes HIM PERSPIRE. (He was supposed to be ‘as fit as two butchers dogs’ after his recovery from Covid, but he doesn’t seem in as good shape these days, and we have recently, and thankfully, been spared too many PR photos of him ‘jogging’ sweatily…)
The surface read of 19D suggests that one of our fellow bloggers, Kitty, has been ‘recruited’ by the Indie – is this just a rumour being put around by Cyclops? I think we should be told…
All in all, some good old honest Cyclops-ean fare – an enjoyable solve, and my thanks to him. Hopefully all is clear below:
STOP PRESS. After posting the blog this evening, Sunday, I’ve just read the news that Bob Dole has died today, at the age of 98. So he had a good long innings – and hopefully Cyclops didn’t put the ‘commentator’s curse’ on him…
| Across | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clue No | Solution | Clue | Definition (with occasional embellishments) / Logic/parsing |
|
| 6A | ENTHUSE | Ten pisspoor MPs collectively having nothing to lose, rave (7) | rave / ENT (anag, i.e. pisspoor, of TEN) + H( |
|
| 8A | TOUCHED | It hurts, being collared by Cruz – affected emotionally (7) | affected emotionally / T_ED (Ted Cruz, US Senator) around (collaring) OUCH (it hurts!) |
|
| 10A | IRON | & 18 A firm control of groin stimulation by hack (4,4) | a firm control / IRON G (anag, i.e. stimulation, or GROIN) + RIP (hack, slash) |
|
| 11A | CARICATURE | Coach manipulated a uretic travesty (10) | travesty / CAR (coach, of a train) + ICATURE (anag, i.e. manipulated, of A URETIC) |
|
| 12A | ADDENDUM | Supplement rear with, er, appendage (8) | appendage / ADD (supplement) + END (rear) + UM (er, I’m not sure) |
|
| 13A | AMISS | Sun hacks author – inappropriate (5) | inappropriate / AMI_S (author, Kingsley or Martin) around (hacked into by) S (sun) |
|
| 14A | STAR | See 25ac. (4) | see 25A / see 25A |
|
| 16A | DREAD | Democrat study causes disquiet (5) | disquiet / D (Democrat) + READ (study) |
|
| 18A | GRIP | See 10ac. (4) | see 10A / see 10A |
|
| 20A | SATIN | Smooth material occupied one’s seat? (5) | smooth material / if you occupied a seat, you SAT IN it! |
|
| 22A | SOLITUDE | Sun, sex, top off, naked … leads to complete absence of company (8) | complete absence of company / SOL (Latin, sun) + IT (euphemism for, you know, a bit of the other) + ( |
|
| 24A | BORED STIFF | Fed up, or in the sack sporting an erection (5,5) | fed up / B_ED (the sack) around OR, plus STIFF (sporting an erection) |
|
| 25A | ROCK | & 14 Mercury, say, is unstable next to black stuff (4,4) | (Freddie) Mercury, say / ROCK S (is unsteady) + TAR (black stuff) |
|
| 26A | STICKER | One who keeps going at it – needs second heart! (7) | one who keeps going at it / S (second) + TICKER (heart) |
|
| 27A | CLIMATE | & 2 Toxic chemical agent that’s a threat to the world (7,6) | a threat to the world / anag, i.e. toxic, of CHEMICAL AGENT! |
|
| Down | ||||
| Clue No | Solution | Clue | Definition (with occasional embellishments) / Logic/parsing |
|
| 1D | IN CREDIT | Cider’s off – drunk by stupid nit with healthy bank balance? (2,6) | with healthy bank balance / IN_T (anag, i.e. stupid, of NIT) around (drinking in) CREDI (anag, i.e. off, of CIDER) |
|
| 2D | CHANGE | See 27ac. (6) | see 27A / see 27A |
|
| 3D | GOTCHA | Casual chat after crack results in dubious, snide headline (6) | dubious/snide headline (from the Sun, during the Falklands War) / GO (crack, attempt) + TCHA (anag, i.e. casual, of CHAT) |
|
| 4D | SCATHING | Scornful of Bill’s turned back doodah (8) | scornful / SCA (A/Cs, accounts, or bills, turned back) + THING (doodah, unspecified object) |
|
| 5D | HEARTS | The bloke rats out ‘suit’ (6) | suit (in deck of cards) / HE (the bloke) + ARTS (anag, i.e. out, of RATS) |
|
| 7D | SECEDED | Deeds prepared, incorporating outskirts of Cambridge, and withdrawn (7) | withdrawn / SE_DED (anag, i.e. prepared, of DEEDS) around (incorporating) CE (outskirts of CambridgE) |
|
| 9D | PREMIERSHIP | Boris’s role purportedly makes him perspire (11) | Boris’ role, purportedly / anag, i.e. makes, of HIM PERSPIRE |
|
| 15D | RETRENCH | On sticking end of todger into fish, cut back (8) | cut back / RE (on, with reference to) + T_ENCH (fish) around R (end of todgeR) |
|
| 17D | DOLEFUL | Gloomy and sad as an old failed Republican presidential candidate? (7) | gloomy and sad / Bob Dole is an old, failed US presidential candidate, so to be like him might be to be DOLEFUL? |
|
| 19D | INDICATE | Reveal Kitty’s been recruited by online newspaper (8) | reveal / INDI_E (abbreviation, the Independent, a now online-only newspaper) around (recruiting) CAT (kitty) |
|
| 20D | SNOTTY | Conceited – and a bit of a drip? (6) | double defn. / a conceited person could be described as SNOTTY; and someone with a dripping nose might also be SNOTTY! |
|
| 21D | NASSER | Space organisation broadcast the ruin of Eden (6) | the ruin of (Anthony) Eden / or homophonic double defn.? NASSER (Egyptian leader in the 50s who took on Anthony Eden during the Suez crisis), when ‘broadcast’, can sound like NASA (the American space agency) |
|
| 23D | TORY MP | Member’s circle in attempt to get Boris overturned (4,2) | member (of parliament) / T_RY (attempt) around O (circle) + MP (PM, Prime Minister, Boris, overturned) |
|
Many thanks mc_rapper67 and Cyclops. I agree with you on the excellence of 27a and 9d. I made a note on my copy for 3d (CRACK = GO?). I can see now it is in the Chambers xword Dictionary after your blog confirmed. Must admit I can’t quite think of that usage in context.
Incidentally, I would substitute ‘despicable’ for ‘dubious’ in 3d.
Franko – usage examples of the sort you are looking for might be “have a crack at it” or “give it a crack” meaning ‘give it a go’, ‘make an attempt’.
Thanks for the blog, agree that CLIMATE CHANGE is a super anagram , also liked SOLITUDE and PREMIERSHIP. Seems to have a very wide range with political references, both in time and location.
Verbal @2, ah yes of course, thanks.
U.S. solver here, who is just old enough (!) to remember the Suez crisis and its political ramifications in Britain. “Eden” eventually triggered Anthony, and with that, the homophone made sense. A fun puzzle.