Cyclops 772 – Easy-peasy Flip-flopping

Logic/parsing

W (initial letter of Westminster) + IRE (anger) + TAP (chuck)

[a CHUCK can be a gentle stroke or tap under the chin]

HEA_TH (Edward Heath, ex-PM) around (stifling) L (ultimate letter of fraiL)

anag, i.e. out, of TRIES

[a RESIT is more usually associated with exams, but a parliamentary session is a sitting, so another one could be a re-sit?]

CD – KING-SIZED is defined in Chambers as ‘larger than standard’, so ‘quite impressive’; in the bedroom department of a store, they would sell KING-SIZED beds; and if one’s partner was impressed with one’s ‘endowment’, they might describe one as KING-SIZED in the ‘bedroom department’, a euphemism for ‘wedding tackle’?!

F (fellow) + LIP (edge) + F (female) + LOPPING (cutting off)

[The right-wing media, in fact most of the media, seem to be obsessed with Keir Starmer’s policy U-turns and ‘flip-flopping’ at the moment…]

H (leading letter of House) + OLDS (anag, i.e. out, of SOLD) + ON (touching)

DIAL (face, as in watch dial/face) + ECT (anag, i.e. crumpled, of ETC)

double defn.(?) – if you kill, or ‘top’, a lot of things/people, then to go easy on the killing might be to TOP LESS; and Putin often used to like to be photographed TOPLESS to boost his machismo

[poignant timing, with the untimely death of Alexei Navalny last week…]

MAY (Teresa May, another ex-PM!) + FAIR (fine, in a weather sense)

anag, i.e. involving, of MACRO(N->S) IN VEST, changing one N to S (a switch of direction, from North to South)

anag, i.e. prepared, of REAL IDIOT

L_SE (London School of Economics, so a capital university) around (grabbing) OO (round letter O, ball, plural)

(P)LAYING (acting) without P (power, physics), so power-less

double defn – an MP might meet their constituents in a SURGERY, where they might be explaining the latest economic cuts; and during medical SURGERY physical cuts are likely to be made

Logic/parsing

WORK (labour) + WELL (interjection, I say!)

RE (about, regarding) + STFUL (anag, i.e. off, of LUST F)

[the hyphen in F-OFF helps with the ‘lift-and-separate’ here!]

TUTS (voices disapproval at) + I (independence)

POKE (slang for shag, itself slang for to have sexual intercourse with) + FUN (sport)

EASY (anag, i.e. switch, of AYES) + PEASY (like peas?!, so vegetable-like!)

LO_GE (anag, i.e. construction, of LEGO) around ZEN (Buddhist religious doctrine)

homophone, i.e. said to be – HIDE (skin) sounds like (Mr) HYDE (evil character, counterpart to Dr Jekyll)

UNF (anag, i.e. ruined, of FUN) + OLD (past it)

C_UTE (adorable) around (getting) H (hot)

S (second) + TORY (Conservative politician)

STEP (stage) + S (ultimate letter of effectS) + DOWN (not working, as in ‘the computer system is down’)

PRO (in favour of) + DIG (crack, taunt, poke) + y (end of daY)

[a popular beat combo, m’lud)]

ST (leading letters of Severn Trent) + RAIN (downfall)

MEASL(Y) (paltry, mostly) + ES (E, ecstasy tablet, plural = drugs)

ARM_OLE (anag, i.e. poor, of MORALE) around (cracked by) H (hard, hardness of lead pencil)

(S)IDLER, slinky type, losing head

see 1D

S_Y (skirts, or outer letters, of SallY) around EX (once, former)