I normally make a headline for the Eye blog using a couple of the answers from the puzzle but I have redacted them this time.
Not because they are tremendously rude – it’s an Eye puzzle so anything may appear – but because some of you reading this might not have tackled the puzzle yet. You might not have realised the current issue very unusually is only for 1 week instead of the usual fortnight.
If so, go away and try this puzzle before coming back here. Link https://www.private-eye.co.uk/crossword
Of course, being a week instead of a fortnight has taken me by surprise too.
I was going to submit an entry for the competition thinking there might be fewer people doing so given these circumstances, but I remembered it wrong – the deadline was yesterday.
As the deadline is now in the past I feel it is OK to publish this blog even though it is a very odd day and time to do so.
What this means is that there will be a bumper Xmas Eye soon with a giant crossword to mull over till the new year.
Have a cheery one!
| Across | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1/4/21 | SINGLE PARENT FAMILIES | Alarming Epstein files involved arrangements of adults with children (6-6,8) (ALARMING EPSTEIN FILES)* AInd: involved. |
| 9 | BALM | Royal home – ousted royal, abject, low, starts missing comfort (4) BALMORAL -ORAL from O[usted] R[oyal] A[bject] L[ow] |
| 10 | REPERTOIRE | Range of skills of i.e. reporter rubbished (10) (I.E. REPORTER)* AInd: rubbished. |
| 11 | KITSCH | Keir’s heading off shit going round college – “Trash!” (6) K[ier] (SHIT)* AInd: off, around C[ollege] |
| 12 | ROCKETED | Took off dress and celebrated pulling females (8) by [f]ROCK (dress) and [f]ETED (celebrate) without their Fs (pulling females) |
| 13 | NAPPY RASH | Bum spots first signs of panicky president blocking vote – over-hasty (5,4) P[anicky] P[resident] inside NAY (vote) RASH (over-hasty) |
| 15 | LOCO | Start to crap in toilet (potty) (4) C[rap] in LOO (toilet) |
| 16 | THEM | Police coming back to arrest husband and other people (4) MET< around H[usband] |
| 17 | LADIES MEN | Send email that’s rehashed euphemism for predatory males? (6,3) (SEND EMAIL)* AInd: rehashed. |
| 22 | QUEASY | Sick question you texted: “Sexually available?” (6) Q[uestion) U (you,texted) EASY (Sexually available) |
| 24 | STREETWISE | Experienced “bastard” setter is in Private Eye (10) (SETTER)* AInd: bastard, IS in WE (Private Eye) |
| 25 | AMEX | Means to pay a married old lover (4) A M[arried] EX (old lover) |
| 26 | ROTATE | Spin (or backtracking?) by misogynist (6) OR< , TATE (misogynist, Ref Andrew T) |
| 27 | STOLEN | “Lost out!” – Ghislaine, when finally nicked (6) (LOST)* AInd: out, [ghislain]E [whe]N |
| Down | ||
| 1 | STAMINA | Resilience shown by American going after male in disgrace (7) A[merican] after M[ale] in STAIN (disgrace) |
| 2 | NAMES | Fingers celebs (5) Double Def. |
| 3 | LURCHER | Dog with lead on biting children, right? (7) LURE (lead on) around (biting) CH[ildren], R[ight] |
| 5 | ARRACK | Topless bar with US-style jugs for strong drink (6) [b]AR RACK (US-style jugs) |
| 6 | EROGENOUS | Sexy rogue one’s screwing (9) (ROGUE ONE’S)* AInd: screwing. First one in. |
| 7 | TORPEDO | Sink party after misguided trope (7) (TROPE)* AInd: misguided, then DO (party) |
| 8 | SPORTSMANSHIP | Prince in group with sex instigated by bloke with boat – fair play (13) P[rince] in SORT (group), S[ex], MAN (bloke) SHIP (boat) |
| 14 | PRESIDENT | Leader there around island with duke (9) PRESENT (there) around I[sland], D[uke] |
| 16 | TRAITOR | One you can’t trust with property and gold (7) TRAIT (property) OR (gold) |
| 18 | INQUEST | Frantically question having ball amputated for examination (7) (QUESTION – O) * AInd: frantically. |
| 19 | EPSTEIN | Predator primarily involved with teen is a predator no more (7) (P[redator] TEEN IS)* AInd: involved. |
| 20 | DIKTAT | Order cocaine from idiot – twat dismissive of women (6) DI[c]K (idiot, – C[ocaine]), T[w]AT (W[omen] dismissed) |
| 23 | Contact 19’s top guy on the phone (5) E[pstein](Ref. 19 answer) Homophone “male”. Last one in. |
|
I did notice the short turnaround but still managed to miss the deadline. I did enjoy the clues 13, 19 and 22. Thanks for the blog and thanks to Cyclops
Thanks Cyclops and beermagnet
This puzzle is based on an Epstein-themed one that Tramp wrote for the Guardian but decided was unsuitable, so he offered it to Cyclops. The first across clue is his, but I’m not sure how much of the rest has been rewritten or reclued.