Cyclops has a swipe at all corners of the political spectrum this fortnight, and also finds time for a little self-reflection…
Do spectra have corners?…. Anyway, clue and solution material includes, from ‘Right’ to ‘Left’: Ronald T Dump and Rudy Giuliani; Reform’s Lee Anderson; Young Conservatives in general and the Conservative ‘Old Guard’; the Lib Dems’ Tim Farron; and the Labour donor LORD ALLI.
The French, Scottish and CAMBODIA all get mentions and, maybe serendipitously, given that this was in budget week, TAXABILITY is spot on time!
And Cyclops, ‘one who sets’ makes an appearance at 1D:
A smattering of smuttery – penetrates, pissed, a ‘happy ending’, ‘soft porn’ and a SPACE PROBE – caused a few ‘oo-err missus’ raises of the eyebrow, but nothing too extreme.
As usual, thanks to Cyclops for the challenge, and I trust all is clear below…
| Across | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clue No | Solution | Clue (definition underlined)
Logic/parsing |
||
| 7A | YARN | Rex penetrates any sort in Strand (4)
YA_N (anag, i.e. sort, of ANY) around (penetrated by) R (rex, king) |
||
| 8A | LOLLIPOP | One’s into lounge music? Sweet! (8)
LOLL (lounge, laze about) + I (one) + POP (music) |
||
| 10A | OLD GUARD | Conservative element getting on shelter (3,5)
OLD (getting on) + GUARD (shelter) |
||
| 11A | SOCIAL (MEDIA) | & 14dn. Party aimed to break up certain Internet sites (6,5)
SOCIAL (party) + MEDIA (anag, i.e. to break up, of MEDIA) |
||
| 12A | APATHY | Unconcern – one way to get ‘happy ending’ (6)
A (one) + PATH (way) + Y (end letter of happY) |
||
| 14A | METAPHOR | Pissed to hear PM’s conceit (8)
anag, i.e. pissed, of TO HEAR PM |
||
| 15A | EXTRADITION | ‘The kicking out of old lover’ convention (11)
EX (old lover) + TRADITION (convention) |
||
| 19A | CAMBODIA | A day in which ugly mob is protected by agents for the nation (8)
C_IA (agents, spies) around (protecting) A_D (A Day), itself around MBO (anag, i.e. ugly, of MOB) |
||
| 21A | MUESLI | Reflect aloud on having MP Anderson, reportedly, for breakfast? (6)
homophones, i.e. aloud and reportedly – to MUSE (reflect) on LEE (Anderson, Reform MP) could sound like MUESLI |
||
| 22A | FROLIC | Large immodest opening in short dress – what fun! (6)
FRO_C( |
||
| 23A | AGNOSTIC | Sceptic acting so crappily (8)
anag, i.e. crappily, of ACTING SO |
||
| 25A | UNTANGLE | Straighten out misshapen nut that’s on view (8)
UNT (anag, i.e. misshapen, of NUT) + ANGLE (view) |
||
| 26A | BENT (LAWYER) | & 9dn. Bowed and brief? Not Trump’s apparent view of Giuliani (4,6)
BENT (bowed) + LAWYER (brief) |
||
| Down | ||||
| Clue No | Solution | Clue (definition underlined)
Logic/parsing |
||
| 1D | CYCLOPS | One who sets police to nab young Conservative leaders at large (7)
C_OPS (police) around (nabbing) YC (Young Conservatives) + L (large) |
||
| 2D | PRIG | Wanker‘s “power tackle” (4)
P (power) + RIG (tackle, equipment) |
||
| 3D | LORD (ALLI) | & 23dn. Labour donor‘s roll laid out (4,4)
anag, i.e. out, of ROLL LAID |
||
| 4D | CLOSET | Cabinet fail in court (6)
C_T (court) around LOSE (fail) |
||
| 5D | SPACE PROBE | Crafty means of monitoring ‘unearthly’ activities (5,5)
punning CD – sending a SPACE PROBE craft up might help to monitor un-earthly activities |
||
| 6D | SPRAY-ON | Soft porn, say, is like a false tan? (5-2)
anag, i.e. soft, of PORN SAY |
||
| 9D | LAWYER | See 26ac. (6)
see 26A |
||
| 13D | TAXABILITY | Obligation to help fund the Exchequer causes stress, savvy? (10)
TAX (stress) + ABILITY (savvy, knowhow) |
||
| 14D | MEDIA | See 11ac. (5)
see 11A |
||
| 16D | TIMING | What’s the making of a good joke? LibDem leader, once in gaudy top (6)
TIM (Tim Farron, former Lib Deb leader, so ‘once’) + IN + G (top letter of Gaudy) |
||
| 17D | HAIRCUT | Bob, hot air hack? (7)
H (hot) + AIR + CUT (hack) |
||
| 18D | SLAINTE | Stalin’s wretched enemy’s head is toast! (7)
SLAINT (anag, i.e. wretched, of STALIN) + E (head, or first letter, or ENEMY) |
||
| 20D | DECENT | Befitting of French money (6)
DE (of, French) + CENT (money) |
||
| 23D | ALLI | See 3dn. (4)
see 3D |
||
| 24D | SPEW | Sick of Scottish head gaining seat (4)
S (head, or first letter, of Scottish) + PEW (seat) |
||