As mc_rapper67 noted in his Xmas Special post, I have agreed to take over his slot blogging alternate Private Eye Cyclops puzzles. I’m a relative novice at solving crosswords and even more so blogging them, so please have empathy and use polite forms of address.
I was on a fairly last minute trip to Rwanda until Tuesday so didn’t have as much time as I’d hoped to solve and blog this, but I managed to get it up in the end. The puzzle was enjoyable and definitely a challenge (not least as I’m used to the friendly Grauniad puzzles with the fallback of the check button) but I thought this was all fair and doable, albeit with some research required, for me at least.

| Across | ||
|---|---|---|
| 6 | AND HOW |
One who’d broadcast? You bet! (3,3) AN (one) + D HOW, anagram (broadcast) of WHO’D. |
| 8 | MERCHANT |
Trafficker‘s car hits hard worker (8) MERC (car) + H (hard) + ANT (worker). |
| 9 | BARRISTER |
Lawyer‘s deal to protect Republican lives (9) R (Republican) + IS (live) inside BARTER (deal). |
| 11 | LUPIN |
Nothing regressive about having an erection, flower! (5) LIN (nil, nothing) reversed (regressive) about UP (having an erection) for the arguably phallic flower variety. |
| 12 | TEMPI |
Times: “Europe’s top politician in sex U-turn” (5) E (Europe’s top) + MP (politician) inside (in) TI (it, i.e. sex) reversed (U-turn), for a slightly obscure plural of TEMPO which means time, at least in Latin/Italian. Close enough for crosswordland! |
| 13 | EMPATHY |
Fellow feeling English premier all over at Hungary’s borders (7) EMP – E (English) + PM (premier) reversed (all over) + AT (from surface) + HY (Hungary’s borders/outer letters). |
| 16 | ORGASMS |
People come to have them almost mow grass badly (7) Anagram (badly) of MO (almost mow) + GRASS. Sadly my yard has no grass to mow, badly or otherwise. |
| 18 | ASPIRIN |
It might stop clots working in Paris (7) Anagram (working) of IN PARIS for the common antithrombotic. Aspirin is probably the most widely used drug in the world, and an example of how a traditional/natural/herbal medicine, in this case derived from willow bark, can become a mainstream treatment once analysed and efficacy proven. |
| 20 | EFFENDI |
“F**k off Enid!” is a respectful form of address? (7) EFF (F**k) + ENDI, anagram (off) of ENID. New for me – the Internet tells me “Effendi or effendy is a title of nobility meaning sir, lord or master, especially in the Ottoman Empire and the Caucasus.” |
| 22 | OOMPH |
Sex appeal makes balls and member hot (5) OO (two rather diminutive balls, at least on my screen) + MP (member) + H (hot). |
| 25 | LILAC |
Colour of little shrunken Bill (5) LIL (little, shrunken) + AC (abbreviation of account, or bill). |
| 26 | AGGRESSOR |
Putin’s role: to arouse gross rage (9) Anagram (arouse) of GROSS RAGE. |
| 27 | CONSOMME |
Party battle for a starter? (8) CON (Party) + SOMME (battle). |
| 28 | STANCE |
Leaders of several countries easily got round Brown’s position (6) S CE (leaders of Several Countries Easily) round TAN (Brown). |
| Down | ||
| 2/26 | BEAR ARMS |
Be prepared to shoot said exposed members! (4,4) Sounds like (said) BARE ARMS (exposed members). |
| 3 | OCELOT |
Cat round church by chance (6) O (round) + CE (church) + LOT (chance). |
| 4 | TAXPAYER |
Multinational’s reluctant role brings stress on settler (8) TAX (stress) + PAYER (settler i.e. one who settles a bill). |
| 5 | STINK |
Lovers finally come together, rising up, and hum (5) S (Lovers finally, final letter) + TINK – knit (come together) reversed (rising up). |
| 6 | AMBITION |
America: scrap number one’s ascent – object! (8) AM (America) + BIT (scrap) + I ON (number one – NO I) reversed (ascent, in a down light). |
| 7 | DURUM |
Endless, crap, odd cereal produce (5) DU (dud i.e. crap, endless) + RUM (odd). |
| 10 | TREASON |
Liberal senator’s duplicity (7) Anagram (liberal) of SENATOR. |
| 14/1 | PLAYING POLITICS |
“Collapsing? Pity,” I snapped, being a devious minister? (7,8) Anagram (snapped) OF COLLAPSING PITY I. |
| 15 | IN CHARGE |
Elected at cost, being the leader (2,6) IN (elected) + CHARGE (cost). |
| 17 | GREMLINS |
Troublemakers‘ smirks about email “lacking modern technology” (8) GRINS (smirks) about EML – (email), with AI (modern technology) removed (lacking). |
| 19 | PROPERTY |
House possibly gets peer to restrain unruly toper (8) OPERT – anagram (unruly) of TOPER, inside (to restrain) PRY (peer). |
| 21 | FACTOR |
Agent works butt off (6) FACTOR[Y] (works, think steel works) without the Y (butt off). |
| 23 | MASON |
State’s working for builder (5) MA’S (State’s; Massachusetts’s) + ON (working). |
| 24 | SLICK |
Main film‘s glib? (5) Double definition, where ‘main film’ refers to e.g. an oil slick, a film of oil on the main, or sea. |
simonbyc – congratulations on your debut – nice work, and I’m glad you ‘got it up’ in the end…ooo-err missus – very Cyclopsean (;+>)
And what a title – I wonder if OCELOT ORGASMS are the result of ‘Ugandan discussions’, as the Eye might put it – just across the border from Rwanda…
Tempi are pretty common parlance in music. (Can’t get Cyclops on my phone, sadly, but enjoy the blogs).