I had this blog all set up…and then the Bank Holiday weekend just crept up on me…
Hopefully it is all covered below…the usual mix of Cyclops-ean establishment targets and skoolboy-ish smuttery…
Keep up the good work, Cyclops…
| Across | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clue No | Solution | Clue | Definition (with occasional embellishments) / Logic/parsing |
|
| 6A | REPORT | & 21 Give excuse not to go to work: “Prick rot’s bad – without energy” (6,4) | give excuse not to go to work / R_PORT SICK (anag, i.e. bad, of PRICK ROTS) around (without, or out-with!?) E (energy) |
|
| 8A | THROWN | Cast out: what Charles is after, by the sound of it? (6) | cast out / homophone, i.e. by the sound of it – Prince Charles might be ‘after’ the THRONE |
|
| 10A | INTO | See 22ac. (4) | see 22A / see 22A |
|
| 11A | STRENGTHEN | Tip of todger trapped in Gents somehow? In that case, support (10) | support / ST_ENG (anag, i.e. somehow, of GENTS) around R (tip, or end letter of todgeR), plus THEN (in that case) |
|
| 12A | DEBRIS | Sheeran’s backing prominent “nothing’s out” Brexiteer? Rubbish (6) | rubbish / DE (Ed, Sheeran, backing) + B( |
|
| 13A | PROFOUND | Weighty Trump’s ultimate gold-backed money supply contains zilch (8) | weighty / P (ultimate letter of trumP) + RO (or, heraldic – gold, backing) + F_UND (money supply) containing O (zero, zilch) |
|
| 15A | COMMONS DEFEAT | Undistinguished Miliband’s back, undertaking to present a big blow to May (7,6) | a big blow to (Theresa) May / COMMON (undistinguished) + S DE (Ed’s, Milliband’s, back) + FEAT (undertaking) |
|
| 17A | HONEYPOT | Many would find it attractive to phone about securing May’s end (8) | many would find it attractive / HONE_POT (anag, i.e. about, of TO HONE) around (securing) Y (end letter of maY) |
|
| 18A | MIRAGE | Get on after skirt pulled back – that’s not what it seems (6) | (something) that’s not what it seems / MIR (rim, or skirt, pulled back) + AGE (get on) |
|
| 20A | GRASS-ROOTS | Rank and file party supporters betray radicals (5-5) | rank and file party supporters / GRASS (betray) + ROOTS (radicals) |
|
| 22A | LOOK | & 10 Probe peer having it on rocks (4,4) | probe / LOOK (peer at) + INTO (anag, i.e. rocks, of IT ON) |
|
| 23A | OCCULT | Hidden sources of Conservative unrest welcomed by stupid clot (6) | hidden / OC_LT (anag, i.e. stupid, of CLOT) around (welcoming) CU (first letters, or sources, of Conservative Unrest) |
|
| 24A | DRYDEN | Date with limp, nerdy versifier (6) | versifier (poet!) / D (date) + RYDEN (anag, i.e. limp, of NERDY) |
|
| Down | ||||
| Clue No | Solution | Clue | Definition (with occasional embellishments) / Logic/parsing |
|
| 1D | CRINGE | Toady: “Credit to eccentric Nige!” (6) | toady / CR (credit) + INGE (anag, i.e. eccentric, of NIGE) |
|
| 2D | CRISIS | Grayling, hard to be got rid of, is a disaster (6) | a disaster / C( |
|
| 3D | SHINBONE | Element of gash in boner – you wouldn’t want to be kicked there (8) | you wouoldn’t want to be kicked there / hidden word in, i.e. element of, ‘gaSH IN BONEr’ |
|
| 4D | LOST | & 19 Suffered defeat: perplexed, crushed (4,6) | suffered defeat / LOST (perplexed) + GROUND (crushed) |
|
| 5D | INTERNET | Popular with surfers, Bury – clear? (8) | (something) popular with (web) surfers / INTER (bury) + NET (clear) |
|
| 7D | PROGRAMME | MP Roger’s off with morning hidden agenda (9) | agenda / PROGR_ME (anag, i.e. off, of MP ROGER) around (hiding) AM (morning) |
|
| 9D | PROPOSITION | President’s no.1 alternative rejected – spot and pressure woman for sex? (11) | pressure woman for sex / P (first letter, or no. 1, of President) + RO (or, alternative, rejected) + POSITION (spot, location) |
|
| 14D | OVERRULED | Acted like a non-compliant judge, or a too eager Brenda? (9) | acted like a non-compliant judge / if Brenda (Queen Elizabeth II, was over-zealous, she might ‘OVER’ RULE |
|
| 15D | CHOIRBOY | Singer – rich yob going bananas about nothing (8) | singer / CHOIRB_Y (anag, i.e. going bananas, of RICH BOY) around O (zero, nothing) |
|
| 16D | ON PAROLE | One enters working member of labouring class as “free but with strings attached” (2,6) | free, but with strings attached / ON (working) + P_ROLE (member of labouring class) around (entered by) A (one) |
|
| 18D | MISERY | Woe is me, mistakenly on right – butt of party (6) | woe / MISE (anag, i.e. mistakenly, of IS ME) + R (right) + Y (last letter, or butt, of partY) |
|
| 19D | GROUND | See 4dn. (6) | see 4D / see 4D |
|
| 21D | SICK | See 6ac. (4) | see 6A / see 6A |
|
The rare Cyclops where I didn’t have a single ? written in the margin. So just stopping by here to say hello, and thanks for all the times you’ve helped me when I needed it.
Same with me Jon, the first time for ages I’ve had no questions about the parsings. Maybe Cyclops needs to make the puzzles more difficult. But please mc_rapper67 don’t stop posting the solutions, we need you.
Hi Jon D and Mike M – thanks for the comments/feedback…is Cyclops getting easier, or are you getting more adept at solving?!…
Happy to hear you had no issues with this one, and glad we have been of assistance in the past (and hopefully will be in the future…)
Thanks mc_rapper67. Unlike Mike and Jon, I had a couple that I couldn’t parse 20a Radicals = Roots and OR =gold. Thanks for the explanations. I am sure I’ve come across OR = Gold before but it escaped me at the time.
Roots and radicals
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_R5yqDf6-M
Pretty much standard Cyclops fare, still a great puzzle! I did notice his use of two different Eds in two different clues, and his unusual way of illustrating “PRO” without having to say “for” or “expert”. P had to stand for its own thing, as did RO(basically “or” backwards). And then of course, there’s PROGRAMME, which didn’t isolate the PRO part at all. I just hope I never have to suffer from “prick rot” in my lifetime. Or getting the tip of my todger trapped in a Gents, for that matter. That’s gotta hurt! Ow!