Private Eye (Cyclops/787) Sorry Oligarchy

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A Cyclops puzzle that started out easy and got harder as I went on.  That shouldn’t happen!

So I rate this more tricky than usual, maybe for the bottom right quadrant.

Some help required with a couple of wordplays:  I don’t think I understand what is going on in AUSTRALIA 28,  and I might be wrong in my assumption of a wordplay glitch in 4.

After getting my new hip I’m very proud to have just finished my 7th Marathon* in 7 days.

Across
1 GROUCH Beginnings of government restrictions that hurt whinger (6)
G[overnment] R[estrictions] OUCH (that hurt)
4 TRESPASS State axes Hair – “it’s sinful!” (8)
SPA or PAS inside (axes) TRESS (hair)
If the state was supposed to be just PA (Pennsylvania) then there is an S adrift
9 OLIGARCHY Maybe Russian billionaires‘ filthy rich goal is to get joy at last (9)
(RICH GOAL)* AInd: filthy, [jo]Y
11 FLIER Father buries false report – a certainty for promotion? (5)
FR (Father) around (buries) LIE (false report)
12 COMET Space traveller’s orgasm temperature (5)
COME (orgasm) T[emperature]
13 PALMISTRY Mate, maybe the Treasury lacks acceptable, handy means of prediction (9)
PAL (Mate) M[in]ISTRY (Treasury, by example) – IN (acceptable)
14 INDICATOR Some finger pointing – which gives an idea of our economic state? (9)
Double Def.  Bank of England is always banging on about financial indicators
17 EATS Dodgy seat, so something for the consumer (4)
(SEAT)* AInd: Dodgy.
18 D CUP Big supporter of CID employee getting raise? (1,3)
DC (CID employee, Detective Constable) UP (raise)
20 LEFT-FIELD What the red-carded player did is untypical (4-5)
Cryptic def using “left” as a verb.
23 POPULISTS Old man, source of unlikely tips for Trump types (9)
POP (Old man) U[nlikely] LISTS (tips, as in capsizes)
25 OLDEN Most favourable to ditch leader from an earlier period (5)
[g]OLDEN
27 AXIOM Top of 1970s skirt removed by old male – an accepted fact (5)
[m]AXI (1970s skirt, top removed) O[ld] M[ale]
28 AUSTRALIA Boozer, at heart, represents this country (9)
Is this just a CD which will bring down ire from the Temperance Movement of Australia?
29 MINORITY Cyclops is backed in Tory rebellion (smaller faction) (8)
IM< (Cyclops is, backed) (IN TORY)* AInd: rebellion.
30 ATTACK America needs time to change course and go on the offensive (6)
A[merica] T[ime] TACK (to change course)
Down
1 GNOCCHI Good, on reflection, and chic somehow, getting balls on a plate! (7)
G[ood] NO< (on, reflected) (CHIC)* AInd: somehow.
2 OPIUM Dope ring: self-righteous Greek character flips (5)
O (ring) PI (self-righteous) MU< (Greek character, flips)
3 CHAOTIC Smart to keep to a U-turn that’s shambolic? (7)
(TO A)< inside CHIC (smart)
5 ROYAL Maybe Andy‘s shag alternative backfired (5)
LAY (shag) OR (alternative) all reversed (backfired)
Is Randy Andy still a royal?  Shurely shome mishtake
6 SUFFICE Measure up cuffs i.e. fancy (7)
(CUFFS IE)* AInd: fancy.
7 ARISTOTLE Upset at Tories claiming Liam initially as “man of ideas” (9)
(AT TORIES +L[iam])* AInd: upset.
8 SORRY Anxiety when son replaces leader –”beg your pardon” (5)
WORRY (anxiety) with leading W replaced by S[on]
10 CAPITOL Topical broadcast attacked by “patriotic” Trump supporters (7)
(TOPICAL)* AInd: broadcast.
15 DECEPTION Social function switches its political party – trickery! (9)
RECEPTION (Social function) with R[epublican] replaced by D[emocrat]
16 REFUSES Won’t accept rubbish sex at first (7)
REFUSE (rubbish) S[ex]
19 POLYMER Cyclops’s cut off when having erection – er, could be cellulose (7)
MY (Cyclops’s) LOP (cut off) all reversed (having erection), then ER
21 FOOTROT Beastly complaint from former prominent socialist, Balls (7)
FOOT (former prominant socialist, ref Michael Foot) ROT (Balls, not a former prominant socialist, yet)
22 DENMARK Working men in Black Country (7)
(MEN)* AInd: working, inside DARK (black)
23 PSALM Son needs taking in hand – one of David’s? (5)
S[on] inside PALM (taking in hand)
24 SHAFT Archer’s release: ‘Stuff ’em!‘ (5)
Double Def
26 DELIA Was sick brought up by this cook? (5)
AILED< (sick, brought up)

(*) or “Snickers” as they are now known

13 comments on “Private Eye (Cyclops/787) Sorry Oligarchy”

  1. AUSTRALIA
    boozer at heart=OZ

    TRESPASS
    I have the same confusion. Are we missing something?

    Thanks Cyclops and beermagnet!

  3. Re 4A, I came to the same conclusion that there appears to be an extra S.
    Re 28A, Boozer at heart = OZ (middle letters) OZ term for Australia. Took me while to see this during solve.
    I marked 22d as my fave. Thanks beermagnet and Cyclops.

  4. Thanks for the blog, very good puzzle, not very political but many neat and clever clues.
    TRESSPASS , is there a state somewhere given by SPA or PAS ?
    Loved the joke , my students are too young to get my Marathon jokes , Aldi Racer bars are a good rip-off version .

  5. Yes, there is an ‘S’ unaccounted for in 4. I think I originally had something like ‘State’s axing …’ but made a late change before submitting the puzzle.

  7. KVa @1 & @2, I’m not guilty of plagiarism (honest, guvnor!). Your posts were not there at the time of drafting, and I only saw them after mine finally updated.

  8. Had a nightmare with this one, most of lower half unsolved (but to be fair was not able to do it at work like I normally do)

  10. Thanks to KVa (and Franko) for putting me straight on 28A boOZer
    I looked at it long enough I should have seen that.
    And Cyclops for popping in and holding his hands up for the late change on 4.
    Last minute changes are always more likely to cause trouble.

    Today I got down reading yesterday’s paper far enough to find this:
    https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/sep/20/mars-brings-marathon-name-back-uk-snickers-bar-nostalgia
    I was a day early with the blog’s joke.

  13. Big thanks to everyone. I had the same worries as all……but note that I only did this puzzle this morning. One thing to query….is a D cup considered big these days?

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