Private Eye/Cyclops 587 Offstage epiphany

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Not the trickiest of solves this time, and as usual full of topical references.

There were still a few that I struggled over such as WRAITH and PARALYSE so a nice one.

eye587

Across
6 TEA TOWEL Arafat’s apparent habit of spreading tale about sources of “the offensive Private Eye”? (3,5)
TALE* AInd: spreading, around first letters of T[he] O[ffensive] and WE (Private Eye)
8 WRAITH Sun worshipper’s object: to enter in the company of spirit (6)
RA (Sun worshipper’s object) inside WITH (in the company of). I found this very tricky
10 ALBUM Record of Democrat loser – crappy (5)
AL (Gore – Democrat loser) BUM (crappy)
11 LAND A BLOW Turn up with top grade cocaine to engage in debate UKIP-style? (4,1,4)
LAND (Turn up) “A” (top grade) BLOW (cocaine) Reference to the forthright debating style of UKIP <link to last month’s story>
12 SUGARCOAT Try to conceal the unpleasantness of a businessman on TV film (9)
SUGAR (Ref. “Sralan” Sugar – a businessman on TV) COAT (film)
14 SICKO Having retired, agreed Cameron primarily is degenerate (5)
OK (agreed) C[ameron] IS, all reversed (Having retired)
16 POINT OF NO RETURN On frontier, not up for reform when Article 50 triggered? (5,2,2,6)
(ON FRONTIER NOT UP)* AInd: for reform
18/23 ROYAL MINT They make millions, just like Brenda & co – sweet (5,4)
ROYAL (just like Brenda & co) MINT (sweet)
22 LIMELIGHT Might lie about pursuing the ultimate in ephemeral fame (9)
(MIGHT LIE)* AInd: about, after [ephemera]L
25 HIT ON As women close to Donald might be? “Darlin’, sex is in!” (3,2)
HON’ (Short for Honey – “Darlin'” ) around IT (sex)
26 SENIOR Major is one needled by Right (6)
(IS ONE)* AInd: needled, then R[ight]
27 EMINENCE Bed exhibitor wants money, not power (chiefly) and fame (8)
EMIN (Tracy E – Bed exhibitor) [p]ENCE (money, not power (chiefly) )
Down
1 TOMMY-ROT Soldier, over the hill, raised cock (5-3)
TOMMY (soldier) TOR< (the hill, raised)
3 BROADS Sexist women‘s bastard ways (6)
B[astard] ROADS (ways)
5 SHOWDOWN Confrontation engineered by Democrat, initially, in “who’s won?” fiasco (8)
D[emocrat] inside (WHO’S WON)* AInd: fiasco
6/20 THAT’S THE TICKET “Situation just fine,” as Trump and Pence agreed? (5,3,6)
Double Def.
7 AMBIGUITY Double-entendre from May: “Bug I squashed having sex” (9)
(MAY BUG I + IT (sex))* AInd: squashed
9 ONE-TO-ONE Bad tone, nothing alike, Trump-Obama meeting? (3-2-3)
TONE* AInd: bad, O (nothing) ONE (alike?)
13 OFFSTAGE Sleazy, touching leg out of view of the audience (8)
OFF (sleazy) STAGE (leg)
15 CHUCK IT IN Concede: “Love sex (not outdoors)” (5,2,2)
CHUCK (Love – as a term of endearment) IT (sex – again) IN (not outdoors)
16 PARALYSE Dull state mass meeting to oust Left (Home Counties) (8)
PA (state – Pennsylvania) RALLY – L (mass meeting to oust Left) SE (Home Counties)
17 EPIPHANY Religious revelation from drippy hippy with an ‘E’ (8)
(HIPPY AN E)* AInd: drippy
19 LOLLOP Idle Hank takes two lengths (6)
LOOP (hank) around LL (two Lengths)
21 TINGE Get screwed outside in shade (5)
GET* AInd: screwed, around IN
24/4/2 TIME WILL TELL Wait and see? Well, little will change when one’s installed (4,4,4)
(WELL LITTLE)* AInd: will change, around I’M (one’s)

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7 comments on “Private Eye/Cyclops 587 Offstage epiphany”

  1. Clues that I thought might have been better worded:

    24/4/2, to avoid using the word the word ‘will’ in the clue.

    16d, where ‘dull’ is a very weak approximation to ‘paralyse’.

  2. Thanks beermagnet – along with John E I felt 16d was a bit of stretch.

    Re 9d ONE = Alike. Couldn’t get that at first but looked it up in Chambers Crossword Dictionary and OED and seems to be where things belong to ONE standard. Is that the sense?

  3. John E: I agree on both points.

    Franko: I am still a bit confused about how “alike” can deliver “ONE” – I was justifying it via “A-like” = “1-like”, first in a list, that kind of thing, if you see what I mean. (Where’s the emoji for waving hands? …)

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