Cyclops 778 – Republican Convict

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Cyclops seems to be putting a prediction out there this fortnight…

…obviously expecting a verdict in the Trump case, with some time in CUSTODY for the REPUBLICAN PARTY CONVICT?! I’m offering up a PRAYER that T’WILL happen, otherwise its all been a bit POINTLESS.

Some great surface reads, with TONY BLAIR ‘only a bit’ useless at 26D/4D; Piers Morgan’s ’empty cackle’ at 14A PIERCE; Sunak beginning to be crushed by the right’ at 7D PROSPER; Boris’ LEVELLING-UP policy as a ‘bizarre leg-pull’ – which is what it always really was, just a smoke-and-mirrors deception to con a few votes…

And quirky definitions – DANDRUFF as ‘top level fallout’; ASTRONAUT as ‘candidate for rocket at rear’; the REPUBLICAN PARTY as a ‘group of supporters poisoned by Trump’; and CONVICT as ‘can resident’!

16D DIAMETER is a rare example of a ‘mathematical symbol’ clue from Cyclops – something you’d normally see in a Qaos Grauniad puzzle?

I didn’t help myself by lazily putting in ROUGH at 11A – which is where I spend most of my time on a golf course! – until I eventually worked out the outrageous homophone – TOUGH TEE for TUFTY…

 

 

 

And that, I think, is that – the usual fun and games – and high-quality entertainment – from Cyclops. My thanks to him, and I hope all is clear below…

 

Clue No Solution Clue (definition underlined)

Logic/parsing
8A UNEARTH Turn up a hunter’s pants (7)

anag, i.e. pants, of A HUNTER
10A LEATHER Kinky material puts energy into soap? (7)

L_ATHER (soap) around E (energy)
11A TUFTY Difficult part of golf course, said to be like pubic hair? (5)

homophone, i.e. said to be – a TOUGH (difficult) TEE (part of golf course) could sound like TUFTY!
12A POINTLESS Futile instruction to cut the digital gesturing (9)

if you are instructed to cut out the pointing (gesturing with your digits), you might be told to POINT LESS!
13A DANDRUFF Top level fallout when diamonds added to collar (8)

D (diamonds, cards) + AND (added to) + RUFF (collar)
14A PIERCE Morgan’s endless, empty, cackle – prick! (6)

PIER(S) (Piers Morgan, endless) + CE (CacklE, empty)
17A LEVELLING-UP Boris’s duff economic policy, in bizarre leg-pull vein (9-2)

anag, i.e. bizarre, of LEG-PULL VEIN
21A DEDUCT Balls trapped in Channel dock? (6)

D_UCT (channel) around ED (Ed Balls, former Labour politician)
22A AMICABLE Cordial‘s a help to singers? Clever (8)

A + MIC (microphone, aid to singers) + ABLE (adept, clever)
25A ASTRONAUT Playing truant, so a candidate for a rocket at rear? (9)

anag, i.e. playing, of TRUANT SO A
27A TWILL Fabric of time diminished royal (5)

T (time) + WILL (Prince William, diminished to Will)
28A CONVICT Can resident politician Vic start to testify? (7)

CON (Conservative, politician) + VIC + T (start to Testify)
29A REFRAIN Forbear‘s infra-red balls died off (7)

subtractive anagram, i.e. balls, of INFRA-RE(D) (D, died, off)
Down
Clue No Solution Clue (definition underlined)

Logic/parsing
1D CUSTODY Incarceration‘s a bit like a dessert topping, it’s said (7)

homophone, i.e. it’s said – COSTODY (incarceration) can sound like CUSTARDY (a bit like a dessert topping!)
2D NEWFANGLED Lee’s debut secured by having fresh set of Dracula teeth? Too modern (10)

NEW FANG_ED (with a fresh set of Dracula teeth!) around L (debut, or first letter, of Lee)
3D PRAYER War’s end included in settler’s entreaty (6)

P_AYER (settler, financially) around R (end of waR)
4D BLAIR See 26dn. (5)

see 25D
5D FARTHING Note: Rex has ‘doo-dah’ that’s no longer tender (8)

FA (note, in sol-fa notation) + R (Rex, king) + THING (doo-dah, what-not, thingamy)

[the FARTHING is no longer legal tender in the UK]
6D SHOE Trainer‘s small tool? (4)

S (small) + HOE (gardening tool)
7D PROSPER Sunak’s beginning to be crushed by Right – boom! (7)

PRO_PER (right) around (crushing) S (Sunak’s beginning)
9D HOPEFULS Ambitious types of alien UFOs? Help! (8)

anag, i.e. alien, of UFOS HELP
15D REPUBLICAN (PARTY) & 24 Group of supporters poisoned by Trump, turn appreciably sick (10,5)

anag, i.e. sick, of TURN APPRECIABLY
16D DIAMETER Weight-watcher / a mouth opening = part of girth calculation (8)

DI_ETER (weight-watcher) around (divided by!) AM (A + M, opening of Mouth)
18D VICTORIA Hugo sits on one at première of African Queen (8)

VICTOR (Victor Hugo) + I (one) + A (premiere, or first letter, of African)
19D ADVANCE A former Secretary of State pocketing duke’s loan (7)

A + VANCE (Cyrus Vance, former US  Secretary of State) around (pocketing) D (duke)
20D CEILING Caught in lie about government’s top upper limit (7)

C (caught, cricket scoring) + EILIN (anag, i.e. about, of IN LIE) + G (top letter of Government)
23D CUT OFF Copper gets dude to isolate (3,3)

CU (copper) + T_OFF (dude, swell)
24D PARTY See 15dn. (5)

see 15D
26D TONY (BLAIR) & 4 Ex-PM‘s only a bit useless, right? (4,5)

TONY BLAI (anag, i.e. useless, of ONLY A BIT) + R (right)

 

11 comments on “Cyclops 778 – Republican Convict”

  1. Thanks Cyclops and mc_rapper67!
    Loved the puzzle and the blog!

    Top faves: TUFTY, DANDRUFF, CONVICT and DIAMETER.
    CEILING: Is the surface all right? The ‘top upper limit’ part…

  2. Thanks for a great blog , Cyclops at his very best here, biting satire and numerous clever clues.
    TUFTY the squirrel was in road safety films when I was a child, the mind boggles, at least he was not a beaver.
    REPUBLICAN PARTY has a perfect anagram .
    KVa@1 the government may have several upper limits on departmental spending based on various forecasts for demand, growth , inflation etc . One of these will be the top upper limit.

  3. Thanks mc_rapper67 and Cyclops. It might be a false memory but I think TOUGH TEE might have been used before. In any case it was an excellent crossword and I also loved those identified by KVa@1 and Roz @2. I’d also add 14a and 2d.
    Roz@2, I think there were also Tufty badges and they were a source of jokes like “have you got your Tufty badge for that?”

  4. Thanks mc_rapper67 and Cyclops. I just seemed to get into the right wavelength for this one, thoroughly enjoyed it. Too many fun clues to pick favourites.

  6. Argh. 27a I thought was ‘Twirl’ – fabric of time = TWI (shortened twilight) added to RL (royal with middle removed)

  7. Thanks for all the comments and feedback so far – much appreciated, as usual.

    I vaguely remember the Tufty club, but I don’t think I was ever in it…and I am now a proud member of the shiny bald dome club!

    gee at #6 – all TWILL be revealed when the new edition drops on the doorstep on Wednesday…we shall see!

  8. Thanks for the solution mc_rapper – I can see TWILL is defo correct. TWIRL didn’t feel quite right – but I’m new to this game! First ever (almost…) completed cryptic. This site and your explanations have been invaluable in helping me get my head around how they work, so thanks very much to all of you.

  10. Thanks mc_rapper and Cyclops. I also put ROUGH in for 11A, which scuppered me for a while. Really enjoyed this one – as usual from Cyclops there were lots of amusing clues, some spot-on satire and a sprinkling of smut.

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