Cyclops has a couple of topical references this fortnight, and thankfully none of them involves Ronald T Dump…
…although his ‘weird’ sidekick JD Vance does get a passing mention at 31A.
Topicality – the surface read of 4A SPACIOUS, with the recent PR ‘cock-up’ of the Oasis concert ticketing scandal, plus using Oasis as part of the anagram fodder; and maybe serendipitously, given lead times, etc., we have ‘crass ex-PM’ Boris touting his memoirs this week – ‘Unsold‘, or something like that? – at 20D BOORISH.
Other than these, there are cameo appearances from Jeremy Hunt in 14A TYNEMOUTH, and Jeffrey Archer – is he still around?! – contributing to 27D INNER. And some scathing assessments of politicians’ verbal output – 13A/24A HOT AIR – and where they produce it from: 30A ARSEHOLE!
My favourite clue was probably the wonderfully succinct ‘Scandalous affair material‘ for 23D RAFFIA. Followed by a nod to the Hitchhiker’s Guide, with ‘Don’t Panic’ at 18D STAY CALM.
A fair amount of skoolboy smuttery and innuendo, with a cock up, dick, bust, butt, drops of semen, a trapped ball and an erection all appearing in the clues – and TUMESCENT and ARSEHOLE in the solutions. But it wouldn’t be a Cyclops without all that!
My thanks, as usual, to Cyclops, and I trust all is clear below.
| Clue No | Solution | Clue (definition underlined)
Logic/parsing |
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| 1A | OSPREY | Fish-eater‘s oversize – kill! (6)
OS (outsize, or over sized) + PREY (kill – usually prey upon?) |
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| 4A | SPACIOUS | Extensive cock up with Oasis concert initially (8)
anag, i.e. cock, of UP + OASIS + C (initial letter of Concert) |
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| 9A | PRAIRIE | Large expanse ripe for development — look into it (7)
PR_IE (anag, i.e. for development, of RIPE) around AIR (look, mien) |
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| 11A | GO-AHEAD | Enterprising energy chief hoarding top grade (2-5)
GO (energy) + HEAD (chief) around (hoarding) A (top grade) |
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| 12A | SHOW OF HANDS | Vote for manual workers’ demo? (4,2,5)
if manual workers (HANDS) demonstrate (SHOW) something, it could be a SHOW OF HANDS! |
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| 13A | HOT (AIR) | & 24ac. Latest broadcast: politician’s pretentious talk? (3,3)
HOT (trendy, latest) + AIR (broadcast) |
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| 14A | TYNEMOUTH | A short time taken by Hunt, yet devastated an English region (9)
TYNE_UTH (anag, i.e. devastated, of HUNT YET) around (taking) MO (moment, a short time) |
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| 17A | SOUP | Thus having an erection for a starter? (4)
SO (thus) + UP (having an erection) |
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| 19A | STUB | Butt, bust operated on (4)
anag, i.e. operated on, of BUST |
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| 21A | TUMESCENT | Bloated corporation at end of the trail (9)
TUM (stomach, corporation) + E (end of thE) + SCENT (trail) |
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| 24A | AIR | See 13ac. (3)
see 13A |
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| 25A | OPPORTUNITY | Chance of corrupted input, or typo? (11)
anag, i.e. corrupted, of INPUT OR TYPO |
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| 28A | FLORIDA | How an habitual drinker appears to gain one state (7)
FLORID (how an habitual drinker looks) + A (one) |
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| 29A | MAGENTA | Mobile meant to suppress a German tone (7)
M_ENTA (anag, i.e. mobile, of MEANT) around (suppressing) A + G (German) |
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| 30A | ARSEHOLE | Seat from where many a politician’s speech originates? (8)
not sure how to classify this – CD? double defn.? – but politicians often make speeches in the house, standing at their seat; and many a politician talks out of their seat (buttocks, ARSEHOLE) |
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| 31A | RED RUM | Ultimately, Senator Vance acted weird for a celebrated winner (3,3)
RED (last, or ultimate, letters of ‘senatoR vancE acteD) + RUM (weird, odd) |
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| Down | ||||
| Clue No | Solution | Clue (definition underlined)
Logic/parsing |
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| 1D | OPPOSITE | Plastic pipes: too contrary (8)
anag, i.e. plastic, of PIPES TOO |
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| 2D | PIANO | OAP in trouble – but upright? (5)
anag, i.e. in trouble, of OAP IN |
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| 3D | EARWORM | Organ on creepy type that sticks in your head (7)
EAR (bodily organ) + WORM (creepy type) [an earworm being a tune or snippet that stays in your head for ages] |
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| 5D | PAGAN | God welcomes a good heathen! (5)
P_AN (Greek god) around (welcoming) A + G (good) |
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| 6D | CHASSIS | Body calling for new cash point on island (7)
CHAS (anag, i.e. new, of CASH) + S (compass point, south) + IS (island) |
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| 7D | OPEN HOUSE | Topless at the Commons, everybody welcome? (4,5)
OPEN (topless, as in an open bottle) + HOUSE (the Commons) |
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| 8D | SEDATE | Just a couple of drops of semen and boyfriend gets to relax! (6)
SE (a couple of drops, or letters, from SEmen) + DATE (boyfriend) |
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| 10D | EXHAUST | Emission – tax to the limit (7)
double defn. – EXHAUST can be emissions from a car; and to EXHAUST can be to deplete, tax to the limit) |
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| 15D | NOTORIOUS | Disreputable, negative rubbish about acknowledgements of liability (9)
NO (negative) + TOR (rot, rubbish, about) + IOUS (IOUs, acknowledgements of liability) |
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| 16D | HUMDRUM | Commonplace stink associated with bass? (7)
HUM (stink) + DRUM (bass drum) |
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| 18D | STAY CALM | Last composed Don’t Panic (4,4)
STAY (last, persist) + CALM (composed) |
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| 20D | BOORISH | Crass ex-PM, ball trapped, needs hospital (7)
BO_RIS (ex-PM) around (trapping) O (round letter, ball), plus (needing) H (hospital) |
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| 22D | SMUGGLE | Sneak dick between legs, perhaps (7)
S_GLE (anag, i.e. perhaps, of LEGS) around MUG (dick, dupe or simpleton) |
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| 23D | RAFFIA | Scandalous affair material (6)
anag, i.e. scandalous, of AFFAIR |
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| 26D | PEARL | Prized example of peer under pressure (5)
P (pressure) + EARL (peer, nobleman) [‘under’ because this is a Down clue] |
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| 27D | INNER | Archer happy to get this meal when ditching date? (5)
( |
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OSPREY
PREY (kill) as a noun works, I think.
ARSEHOLE is clever.
Thanks Cyclops and mc.
Thanks for the blog , good set of clues .
I agree with KVa@1 PREY=kill as the victim .
Hope we do not have to hear about Vance after November .
ARCHER is still around , only retired from the House of Lords in July.
KVa@1, agreed, arsehole was clever, and nice to see a good old British word making a comeback. That horrible Americanism ‘asshole’ has all but taken over. Thanks mc_rapper67 and Cyclops.
Tumescent (21A) was my last because it fitted and because of ‘bloated’ but I could not make head nor tail of the rest of the clue.
An entertaining solve, with several solutions making me chuckle, especially BOORISH and ARSEHOLE.
23D had a pleasing succinctness.
Thanks mc_r for the explanations, and Cyclops for the fun.