Like many Eye crosswords of late I found this one no walk-over.
At the start I couldn’t see anything till I decided to concentrate on the obvious anagram fodder at 15A, which gave me a decent start.
The bottom left corner was the first completed, ending with 13D.
As usual some of the first clues read turned out to be the last solved in particular 3D which only fell when I was considering “circular things”.
Hugely enjoyable of course.
| Across | ||
|---|---|---|
| 7 | PRICK | Member – objectionable type (5) Double Def. Initially ignored as “too obvious”, I still wondered when it could be nothing else. |
| 8 | KIDNAPPED | Slept around and, sadly, taken by force (9) KIPPED (slept) around (AND)* AInd: sadly. This was one of the last because for “taken” I assumed it would be some sexual crime. |
| 9/11 | ECONOMIC GLOOM | What we get from Rachel Reeves is logic? Come on, stupid – zero optimism ultimately! (8,5) (LOGIC COME ON)* AInd: stupid, O (zero) [optimism]M. The build up to this budget is becoming maddening for everybody. |
| 12 | PENCIL | Sketch of Republican outcast almost imitating liberal sources (6) [Mike] PENC[e] (Republican outcast, almost) I[mitating] L[iberal]. |
| 14 | PATRIOTS | How right-wing flag hoisters view themselves? Weapons of war (8) Double Def. Second def. air defence missiles |
| 15 | SPONSORSHIP | Posh prisons– dodgy finance (11) (POSH PRISONS)* AInd: dodgy. First one in. I hear prisons need their own air defence system against incoming drones |
| 19 | LAW LORDS | Wads? Roll out the legal team! (3,5) (WADS ROLL)* AInd: out. Apparently Master of the Rolls refers to rolls of £50 notes |
| 21 | CANDID | Jail worked for Frank (6) CAN (jail) DID (worked). This clue resisted till near the end, now it looks simple. |
| 22 | VITAL | Critical of Trump initially (showing little bottle on the outside) (5) VIAL (little bottle) around T[rump]. This one was quite simple. |
| 23 | PASTICHE | Artwork? It’s cheap crap! (8) (ITS CHEAP)* AInd: crap. As for the definition: That explains it. |
| 25 | ARROGANCE | Dicky or Reagan, harbouring Conservative contempt (9) (OR REAGAN)* AInd: dicky, around C[onservative]. In my experience, most conservatives are contemptuous. |
| 26 | SCORE | Manage to shag Mark (5) Double Def. I never did have a bed post on my bed. Just as well. |
| Down | ||
| 1 | CRACKER | Cocaine turned up on cheese with this? (7) CRACK (cocaine) RE< (on, turned up). Don’t know about cocaine, but for something addictive I can tell you that after 50 years vegan I still dream of the taste of cheese. |
| 2 | SCAN | Sex at first has the power to examine (4) S[ex] CAN (has the power). It has the power to do a damn site more too! |
| 3 | DISC | Insult Conservative circle (4) DIS (Insult) C[onservative]. Last one in. Took far too long too think of this modern usage for “insult” |
| 4 | KNIGHT | Fancy getting a rise – about $1000, sir? (6) THINK< (Fancy, rising) around G ($1000). Top clue. I had never noticed ‘knight’ = think, backwards around G |
| 5 | OPPOSITION | At present the Tories‘ reduced work situation (10) OP (work) POSITION (situation). Sussed purely from crossing letters. I was reading too much into “at present” |
| 6 | TERMITE | Presidential period, say, that is restricting Trump’s no.1 tree destroyer! (7) TERM (Presidential period, say) IE (that is) around T[rump]. Termites don’t annihilate too many trees do they? |
| 10 | MELON | A Spice Girl performing ‘Tit‘? (5) MEL (A Spice Girl, choose Mel B or Mel C) ON (performing). Apparently in the 1970s greengrocers only ever sold melons in pairs. |
| 13 | COPULATION | How’s your father‘s platonic love arrangement around university? (10) (PLATONIC O[Love])* AInd: arrangement, around U[niversity]. Anther fine clue though it took a while. (Insert your own joke here.) |
| 14 | PIOUS | Hypocritical Trump’s ultimate debts (5) [trum]P IOUS (debts). You don’t have to be hypocritical to be pious do you? (Looks at selection of ‘pious’ people), Maybe you do. |
| 16 | SOCKS | Clobbers clobber (5) Double Def. “It does what it says” |
| 17 | HARVARD | University unyielding about endless change (7) HARD (unyielding) around VAR[y] (change, endless). Harvard is OK, because Tom Lehrer |
| 18 | DIEHARD | Decline having an erection, being reactionary (7) DIE (decline) HARD (having an erection). Where’s Bruce Willis when you need him? |
| 20 | RELOAD | Put new lead in your pencil? Terrible ordeal! (6) (ORDEAL)* AInd: terrible. Getting the “lead in your pencil” reloaded is pretty terrible. So don’t use it all at once. |
| 23 | PACT | Convention sounds crowded (4) Homophone “Packed”. Plenty of room in Warsaw |
| 24 | ITCH | Shit! China’s hoarding yen! (4) Hidden in shIT CHina, HInd: hoarding. Where you hear your change go “I Ching!” |
My friend has two lovers.
One makes fantastic pancakes. The other writes beautiful poetry.
Should she choose for batter or for verse?
Thanks beermagnet (and Cyclops). I thought it was just me that thought the last few PE puzzles had turned the difficulty up a notch so I’m glad I’m not alone. My first ever cryptic crossword was when a friend introduced me to Cyclops 724 way back in March 2022. Not long now until my 100 milestone.
My last one in was also 3D DISC. But surprisingly I got 21A CANDID as my 2nd one in. Funny how a word just jumps out at you sometimes.
My notes record that I couldn’t see how “Sketch” is a synonym for “pencil” (12A), nor how “Decline” is a synonym for “Die” (18D).
I agree with almost all of the blog and comments so far.
I think that PENCIL is a verb here as in “to pencil in” or “to sketch in”
Cheers all.
Thank you beermagnet for an entertaining blog. I agree with you about 7A: I started out feeling sure my immediate thought was far too obvious and only relented when I had both crossers.
ITCH must have been well hidden, for it took me a surprisingly long time to spot it – and KNIGHT was classy.
Many thanks, Cyclops
Missed a few this time but had fun – thanks Cyclops for the puzzle and beermagnet for the helpful explainers.
Fav clues were COMPILATION and PASTICHE, and also greatly enjoyed THINK unexpectedly hiding in KNIGHT.
Michael John #2 as in “die out” I think
It’s funny how different people have different experiences, I found this one a little easier than the last couple and finished in one sitting which is unusual for me. 13 down was my favourite clue
What does alnd mean in the answer explanations above?
AInd = Anagram Indicator
elsewhere sometimes shortened to Anagrind
There is also sometimes
HInd = Homophone indicator, or Hidden indicator
Fun as ever, scurrilous as ever. Re Melon – I rewatched “Young Frankenstein” last night… “What knockers!” “Oh, Zank you, doctor…”.
KNIGHT was a nice one.
Thanks beermagnet and Cyclops. No polite way of stating this, but I like COPULATION. Erm 13d.
Thanks for resolving the parsing of 14a PATRIOTS. I completely missed the air defence missile meaning. I had concluded that maybe Cyclops was making some philosophical point–weapons of war = patriots
I had SACKS for 16d, given that SACK means to plunder or pillage. I wasn’t happy, but it’s the best I had. I was most miffed when a Spanish colleague told me it was SOCKS!
Also found recent few puzzles a bit more challenging, so was starting to panic with nothing until 13D – so First One In (quiet at the back!). I also offer the sentiment that that longer is often better (at least so I am told).
I had suits for clobbers clobber – definitions of clobber for clothes and the clobbers of the FBI / Mafia.