I must have been having a bad solving day. It took three goes at the puzzle to finish.
There isn’t anything madly difficult, so I just cannot have been on Cyclops’ wavelength that day.
First one in 11A is certainly not very tricky, which was a relief after getting thoroughly confused by the first few clues I read, especially 4A (I would normally call that tasty morsel a Bhaji)
A slow first pass ended up with less than half in place.
An even slower 2nd half had to run to extra time to get the last few.
Mostly the top left corner, of course.
| Across | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MACRON | State “Mate almost president!” (6) MA (State) CRON[y] (mate, almost) |
| 4 | BHAJEES | Be a she, artfully grabbing Jack for starters (7) (BE A SHE)* AInd: artfully, around (grabbing) J[ack] |
| 9 | ADOLESCENT | One on benefit going to Cologne? Immature (10) A (one) DOLE (benefit) SCENT (Cologne?) |
| 10 | BABE | Love second-rate, familiar old president (4) B (second rate) ABE (old president, familiar[ly]) |
| 11 | ELON MUSK | Trump’s on-off buddy, lone rogue, odorous thing (4,4) (LONE)* AInd: rogue, MUSK (odorous thing) First One In |
| 12 | HOBNOB | Biscuit at first neatly inserted in bum by bishop (6) N[eatly] (neatly, at first) inside HOBO (bum), then B[ishop] |
| 14 | ENABLE | Be facilitating, acquiescent – but not in the morning (6) [am]ENABLE (AMENABLE (acquiescent) – AM (morning) Last One In |
| 16 | ASTER | Bloomer showing behind almost (5) ASTER[n] (behind, almost) |
| 18 | RABID | Raging Republican wants an offer (5) R[epublican] A BID (an offer) |
| 20 | ASSENT | Bill might be given it by King Brian – fool goes to hospital (6) ASS (fool) ENT (hospital, Hosp department anyway) |
| 22 | DITHER | Hesitate and only half do it with female (6) D[o] IT HER (female) |
| 23 | NEGATIVE | Being squeezed by local inhabitant, say “no” (8) E.G. (say) inside (being squeezed by) NATIVE (local inhabitant) |
| 25 | SPIT | Gob, ultimately famous, mine (4) [famou]S PIT (mine) |
| 27 | LACKLUSTRE | Want unpredictable result? How dull! (10) LACK (want) (RESULT)* AInd: unpredictable. |
| 28 | MYSTERY | Cyclops’s rest disturbed – end of Jimmy Riddle (7) MY (Cyclops’s) (REST)* AInd: disturbed, [jimm]Y |
| 29 | SCARCE | Start hoarding carbon (like gold dust) (6) SCARE (start) around (holding) C[arbon] |
| Down | ||
| 1 | MIDDLING | Mediocre, interfering head of education is replaced by one (8) MEDDLING (interfering) swap E for I |
| 2 | COLON | Almost the last conduit for our shit currency (5) Double Def. first crytic referencing the digestive system |
| 3 | OBSCURE | Sun rogue held in honour – cover up! (7) S[un] CUR (rogue) in OBE (honour) |
| 5/6 | HATCHET JOB | It’s bad for a person’s reputation, showing chopper at office (7,3) HATCHET (chopper) JOB (office) |
| 7 | ENBLOC | All together: “Incredible – noble Conservative!” (2,4) (NOBLE)* AInd: incredible, C[onservative] |
| 8/16/23 | NECK AND NECK | Have a snog, then do it again, side by side (4,3,4) NECK (have a snog) twice |
| 13 | BORIS | Disgraced leader‘s book: Alternative Lives (5) B'[ook] OR (alternative) IS (lives) |
| 15 | BIRCH | The old form of punishment: coming before terribly rich bastard (5) B[astard] (RICH)* AInd: terribly. |
| 17 | UNIVERSE | “Nurse, I’ve cocked up just about everything!” (8) (NURSE I’VE) AInd: cocked up. |
| 19 | BURGLAR | Criminal gang leader interrupting internet address in pub (7) G[ang] (gang leader) inside URL (internet address) all in BAR (pub) |
| 20 | ANGELIC | Very good name in Gaelic rum (7) (IN GAELIC)* AInd: rum. |
| 21 | PIMPLY | Spotted parking easily, being topless (6) P[arking] [s]IMPLY |
| 24 | TASER | Tears over stunner (5) (TEARS)* AInd: over. |
| 26 | TIT | Dope Cyclops introduced to race (3) I (Cyclops) inside TT (races) |
Just had the police knock on my door.
They said they were looking for a man with one eye.
I said they might do better using two eyes.