What do you get if you cross Rishi Sunak with Mike Pence?
A Riski Sikspence? Maybe not, but you certainly get some way to filling-in this grid.
This was at about medium difficulty for an Eye crossword. It took me just over a half-hour to solve with a half dozen clues unsolved after the first pass which took most of that time.
There are some splendid clues in here – 2 down is the favourite. The anagram answer was somehow surprising when spotted.
26 across held me up – I could not stop thinking of CALIBRATE from “mark” as in setting up some kind of scale on some lab equipment, but then what sort of “a big shot” was a “Calib” – some rich arab? I was thankful when I realised it was a totally different type of marking going on.
Then 28 across too used up many minutes. Yes the answer was plain enough, Trump is the great colluder, but why two universities – the anagram fodder was well disguised here.
The pooch at 4 down conjures images and the never-too-be answered conundrum of why, given dogs’ sense of smell is so many thousands of time more sensitive than us poor apes, do they appear to love sniffing the most awful things?
The final clue for Bare-faced liar spread around the grid finishes it off in some style
I suppose I could say more about 24 across, that [t]error wordplay has cropped up many times. But I guess there are always new solvers for whom something like that will be a delight, and occasionally even us old-timey solvers need an easy one to get started so let’s not consider it an, er, error.
Curious fact instead of a joke today.
It is believed there is only one person who met:
The first aviator, Orville Wright,
the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin,
and the first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong
Answer below.
| Across | ||
|---|---|---|
| 7 | CRISIS | Very difficult time of ultimately despotic dictator married to goddess (6) [despoti]C [dictato]R ISIS (goddess) |
| 8 | SCENARIO | Imagined situation of no raise being negotiated with Conservative leader intervening (8) (NO RAISE)* AInd: being negotiated. with C[onservative] put inside |
| 11 | OTHERWISE | Else, not Ernie? (9) Cryptic Definition referring to the likeable mainstream comedians Eric & Ernie / Morecambe & Wise This clue caught my eye due to its admirable terseness and was thus the first read and entered |
| 13 | AESOP | Moralistic author wants a model to do a turn (5) A POSE< (model, turning) |
| 15 | TOP SECRET | European Community in protest, surprisingly not to be made public (3,6) E[uropean] C[ommunity] inside (PROTEST)* AInd: surprisingly. |
| 17 | UNCOOL | Large body needs bracing (not hip) (6) UN (Large body) COOL (bracing). To me if it’s bracing it’s more than cool – it’s bloody cold |
| 18 | MADCAP | Rash doctor holds one on getting head (6) MD (doctor) around (holds) A (one), CAP (one on getting head). Hmm. Just realised “one” is doing double duty – I think it still kind of works like this |
| 21 | MIKE PENCE | Millions standing by ex-President wanting money for ex-running mate (4,5) M[illions] IKE (ex-President) PENCE (money) |
| 23 | GHOST | It’s good to be a presenter and break completely with a lover (5) G[ood] HOST (to be a presenter). Definition is ‘modern’ terminology m’lud. |
| 24 | ERROR | Fear going topless, revealing boob (5) [t]ERROR. Feels like I have seen this exact wordplay many times |
| 26 | CELEBRATE | Mark‘s a big shot on speed (9) CELEB (a big shot) RATE (speed). If you mark an occasion you celebrate it |
| 28 | COLLUDER | No second university could rule out Trump’s role in Capitol attack? (8) (COULD RULE – U)* AInd: out. I got the answer from the def. soon enough, but this wordplay had me foxed for an embarrassingly long time, so I didn’t enter it. Thus this goes down as the penultimate clue solved. “No second university” means forget one of the “U”s in the anagram fodder. Until I saw that I was thinking of all sorts of ways to make the answer: Either Coll. or U could be clued by “university”, but then why “no second”?; “rule out” could anagram to give most of the last letters except where did the “D” come from? etc. |
| 29 | FROLIC | What fun for dithering Labour leader to get in charge! (6) (FOR)* AInd: dithering, L[abour] IC (In Charge) |
| Down | ||
| 1 | ACROBAT | Nothing in bra, sadly? Turn around, I’ll give you a tumble (7) O (nothing) inside (BRA)* AInd: sadly, all inside ACT (turn) |
| 2 | RISHI SUNAK | “I shrunk as I ballsed up as a leader” (5,5) (I SHRUNK AS I)* AInd: ballsed up. Top marks for getting an anagram of the country’s most recent unelected, and richest ever, occupant of Number 10. This clue’s surface reading made me chuckle. |
| 4 | SNIFFER DOG | Two sorts of crack keenly sensed by one? (7,3) Cryptic Def. involving the two meanings that “crack” might take |
| 5 | CROC | Toothy thing, decrepit type getting end away (4) CROC[k] (a decrepit thing, without its last letter) |
| 6 | HOT DATE | Death to fickle sexy escort! (3,4) (DEATH TO)* AInd: fickle. |
| 9 | CREEP | Steal Native American power (5) CREE (Native American) P[ower]. Steal as in move furtively |
| 10 | PISTOL | Weapon possessed by Trump is to ‘liberate’ (6) Hidden inside trumP IS TO Liberate |
| 14 | PROSPEROUS | Shakespearean character joins Private Eye – that’s rich! (10) PROSPERO (Shakespearean character) US (Private Eye) |
| 16 | REASONABLE | Just an earl’s OBE wangled (10) (AN EARL’S OBE)* AInd: wangled. |
| 18 | MUESLI | Character lies about getting oats and more besides (6) MU (character, Greek wiki-M), (LIES)* AInd: about. |
| 19 | IMPEACH | Accuse Trump, say, of having one medium orangey colour (7) I (one) M[edium] PEACH (orangey colour) |
| 20 | STRETCH | What you might do after waking up second time: prepare to be sick (7) S[econd] T[ime] RETCH (oh dear) |
| 22 | NICHE | Getting hot in enjoyable nooky place (5) H[ot] inside NICE (enjoyable) |
| 25 | ROLE | Actor’s interpretation of sound of wind? (4) When you wind something as in winding up a thread, you “roll” it which is a homophone of ROLE. Last one in. Despite the answer being apparent from the definition and crossing letters, I didn’t write it in till I had understood that wordplay, which was not till everything else was in place. |
| 27/12/3 | BARE-FACED LIAR | Fake news purveyor unmasked? (4-5,4) Cryptic Def. One of the best I’ve seen for some time |
It was Patrick Moore.
I bumped into him once, many years ago passing through an airport, but did that very British thing of letting him get on with his life rather than button-holing him and telling him what a difference he made to a young kid keen on science and astronomy in particular with his TV shows and books suitable for children.
Oh well. I’m sure he knew really.
Thank you, beermagnet for your interpretation of 25d. We debated the ‘roll’ of thunder.. maybe that term applies to the wind as well?
Very much enjoyed IMPEACH.
[I have repeatedly been surprised bumping into Patrick Moore when visiting Southdowns Planetarium in Chichester.
Especially after he died.
He donated his Tussaud’s waxwork to that excellent institution, where for some years it greeted us just inside the door.]
Thanks beermagnet and Cyclops. I had marked 11a and 4d as favourites. 4d in particular made me chuckle.
For 18a I had the MAD element as you described then thought of ‘on’ as indicating it preceded CAP. For cap I was thinking in terms of forming a head i.e. getting head.
I have to say that I read the HEAD of something being the CAP. However, I like your idea of a cap on one’s head has some relationship to getting head? Howvever, in my approach, the “one” only has one job to do, I was stumped by this clue for some time since having the A I was a long time convinces that the solution ended in ORAL!!!
Franco had the drop on me since it took some time for me to formulate my thoughts…..to the extent that my post even indicates it was thought through!!!!!
Thanks, Cyclops and beermagnet. Some good laughs here – SNIFFER DOG is suitably daft, and I agree the anagram for Rishi is great.
Thanks for the blog, really good set of clues , I agree that COLLUDER is very neat and precise, RISHI SUNAK is a tough anagram to think up.
For ROLE I thought of ROLL/WIND down the car window.
I still have no idea about the definition for GHOST ?
This was a blast. To the above mentioned favourites, I’ll add NICHE for that ‘nooky place’ and GHOST for its surprising definition.
In the arcane world of perfumery, even human ‘noses’ have been known to spice up their costly scents with distinctly funky or revolting notes that may appeal to canines.
Clearly, those of us with a merely average olfactory nerve are missing out, Beermagnet.
Hi Roz, I thought I was a bit lazy over the description of 23A Ghost
One usage for “Ghost” or “Ghosting” (i.e. as a verb) that has arisen in the last few years is for completely breaking with a partner or date – not replying any messages and apparently vanishing.
I found this on Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghosting_(behavior)
Thanks Beermagnet, seems far too modern for me.
A US coinage, I think, Roz. Maybe blame Covid?
I think I see, it means electronic messages, phones and email etc. I have never sent or received a message in this sense so perhaps I am ghosting the whole world. I do write a minimum of three letters a week, mainly to annoy the sprogs.
Thanks beermagnet, I haven’t been ghosting this blog, just managed to miss the last few for various reasons (I blame Roz for recommending an IO FT puzzle that took me weeks to solve – and that also featured a recent coinage!). Back on it now and enjoyed this as usual, struggled at first with “dithering” as anagram indicator but suppose it indicates uncertainty so fair enough, and I was surprised that no overseas indicator given for MU in 18d but it was one of my favourites with 26A,1d,9d.
[ I must have missed the modern coinage in the IO ? I do get most of it from my students but I have never heard them say ghost or ghosting ]
Really enjoyed this one. A bit chewier than normal, I thought. Lots of laughs along the way, though,, like Trump’s medium orangey colour and what dogs like to sniff.
11ac, OTHERWISE, doesn’t refer to Eric Morecambe, only Ernie Wise, surely.
17ac, UNCOOL:’ Bracing’ isn’t a term I ever use, but it always reminds me of the promotional poster ‘Skegness is so bracing‘. That fisherman doesn’t look like he’s suffering too much.
18 ac MADCAP: I don’t think ‘on’ is doing double duty. It means ‘when’ (as in: ‘on receiving Roz’s letter, I decided it was best left unanswered’): MD holds A, when getting CAP (head).
24ac ERROR: do you mean that wordplay and that apt and amusing definition? If so, I’d say it’s a gag funny enough to be worth repeating.
20dn, STRETCH: Could also be: What you might do on waking up some time. Some time = a term of imprisonment = a STRETCH
27/12/3 BARE-FACED LIAR: I entered BALD-FACED at first, which held me up a little.
Roz@11, I think that if you get ghosted, letters sent via the Royal Mail receive no replies either. I’m sure it would never happen to you, though … despite using such a SCENARIO involving you as a parsing aid, above.
@Tony….I fear your alternative parsing aat 20D is a bit of a stretch…….we need the s and t to make the solution. In your case, they would be doing double time.
@Winsor, it’s not an alternative parsing, it’s an alternative clue, a double definition:
1) What you might do on waking up (same as Cyclops’ def)
2) Some time (as explained above)
@Tony – then how does the ‘prepare to be sick’ part of the clue contribute?
Those words don’t feature in my clue for the word STRETCH, which contains nothing but the nine words in bold-faced type @14. The first seven are the same as the first seven words of Cyclops’ clue for the same answer.
Tony , I thought it was a good alternative to the clue but as I frequently say to my students – If I need to explain this further , there is no point me explaining.
Roz, maybe it depends how well you’ve explained it in the first place? In this case, I think I should have made it clearer to start with that I was not really commenting on Cyclops clue but had thought up a (partially) different clue for the same word, which I liked enough to inflict on the readers of this blog post.
Maybe it is because I am one of the ‘new solvers’ mentioned in the intro, but I initially had RIGHT for 24a.
As in: (f)right boob. By the sounds of it I need some more practice and my mind out of the gutter!
Luke, that’s an amusing error but with more experience you wouldn’t make it because although ‘right’ is a descriptor for a boob, what’s needed is a word which boob (as definition) can stand in place of: in this case, one which stands in place of boob with a different meaning to that of the ‘gutter’ into which Cyclops’ surface dragged your mind.