We are well into ‘post-Covid’ setting now, with ‘lockdown’ and ‘coronavirus’ both getting a mention in the clues.
Lockdown frustration still seems to be getting the better of Cyclops, with lots of sexual references – some innuendo-us, some in plain sight! Sex, coitus, groins, jiggling nuts, whips and chains, ‘HOW’S YOUR FATHER’ and an ADULTEROUS FRISSON! But at least he is being sensible, with a ‘withdrawal’, and two mentions of contraceptives as well!
There is a RENEGADE BOFFIN (which I guess meant any scientist who didn’t say what the government want them to say at the daily briefings – remember them?!)
Mentions for Boris (x3), Rees-Mogg and Trump, but none for Keir – has anyone come up with a decent anagram or clue for (Sir) Keir Starmer yet?…
All in all, a fairly ‘standard’ Cyclops puzzle in terms of subject matter and clue readings…and an enjoyable solve to boot.
| Across | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clue No | Solution | Clue | Definition (with occasional embellishments) / Logic/parsing |
|
| 7A | PATRIARCH | Grand old man? A rich prat’s fancy (9) | grand old man / anag, i.e. fancy, of A RICH PRAT |
|
| 9A | LICIT | Parasites’ endless sex is warranted (5) | warranted / LIC( |
|
| 11A | LIVER | Being put at risk by too much booze (5) | double defn.? / a being, or something that lives, could be described as a LIVER?; and the LIVER is something that can be put at risk by too much booze (especially during lockdown!) |
|
| 12A | SALTWATER | Marine’s piss-poor latest war (9) | marine / anag, i.e. piss-poor, of LATEST WAR |
|
| 13A | HOWS YOUR FATHER | Question about the old man’s sex? (4,4,6) | sex / ‘HOW’S YOUR FATHER’ is another euphemism for, well, you know, nudge, nudge, wink wink, a bit of the other, knee-trembler, slap and tickle… |
|
| 16A | BOFFIN | Dicky stuck in box, his advice likely to be ignored by Trump? (6) | his advice likely to be ignored by Trump (and Boris!) / B_IN (box) around OFF (dicky) |
|
| 17A | QUARTZ | Rock as a result of a couple of pints with a character at the end (6) | rock / QUART (a couple of pints) + Z (a character at the end – of the alphabet!) |
|
| 21A | CABINET MEETING | A big enticement to break up gathering of ‘Team Boris’? (7,7) | gathering of ‘Team Boris’ / anag, i.e. to break up, of A BIG ENTICEMENT |
|
| 24A | ROADWORKS | Ways to restrict Labour’s surface improvements? (9) | surface improvements / ROAD_S (ways) around (restricting) WORK (labour) |
|
| 26A | RIGHT | & 25D Part of pitch of Rees-Mogg and his party cronies? (5,4) | double defn.? / the RIGHT WING is part of a football (or other sporting) pitch; and RIGHT-WING (hyphenated) could be used to describe (Jacob) Rees-Mogg and his party cronies |
|
| 27A | TENON | Saw start of Boris’s address? Touching! (5) | saw / TEN (start of Boris’ address, 10 Downing St) + ON (touching) |
|
| 28A | PERSUADER | Sweet-talker rounding up readers (9) | sweet-talker / anag, i.e. rounding, of UP READERS |
|
| Down | ||||
| Clue No | Solution | Clue | Definition (with occasional embellishments) / Logic/parsing |
|
| 1D | SPILL | Small contraceptive leak (5) | leak / S (small) + PILL (contraceptive) |
|
| 2D | STAVE OFF | Bar not available – keep back (5,3) | keep back / STAVE (bar) + OFF (not available) |
|
| 3D | DIGRESSION | Groin side’s mangled – so, going off topic (10) | going off topic / anag, i.e. mangled so, of GROIN SIDE’S |
|
| 4D | FRISSON | Shudder when Boris – no leader – battles with NSF (7) | shudder / anag, i.e. battles, of (B |
|
| 5D | SLOW | & 23D Last and worst arrangement made by UK and US governments in response to coronavirus threat? (4,5) | made by UK and US governments in response to coronavirus threat? / anag, i.e. arrangement, of LAST and WORST |
|
| 6D | STIR-CRAZY | Jiggle nuts, like a lockdown sufferer? (4-5) | like a lock-down sufferer / STIR (jiggle) + CRAZY (nuts) |
|
| 8D | HILARY | Swank, maybe, exhibited by Clinton after large withdrawal? (6) | (actress Hilary) Swank, maybe / HIL( |
|
| 10D | CATCH | Get a dose of the whip and chain (5) | get a dose of / CAT (the whip) + CH (chain) |
|
| 14D | ADULTEROUS | Grown men covering up Euro fiasco, playing away? (10) | playing away / ADULT_S (grown men) around (covering up) EROU (anag, i.e. fiasco, of EURO) |
|
| 15D | OBSCURITY | Anathema to a celeb, being shattered by coitus, without resistance (9) | anathema to a celeb / OBSCU_ITY (anag, i.e. shattered, of BY COITUS) around (without) R (resistance) |
|
| 18D | RENEGADE | Turncoat Frenchman? Bloody hell – English! (8) | turncoat / RENE (stereotypical French male name) + GAD (interjection/mild oath, so similar to bloody hell?) + E (English) |
|
| 19D | STIR UP | Get aroused by heartless bit of tack (4,2) | get aroused / STI( |
|
| 20D | PESSARY | Myra’s septuagenarian turned up holding a contraceptive (7) | contraceptive / reversed, hidden word, i.e. turned up holding, in ‘mYRAS SEPtugenarian |
|
| 22D | BRAWN | Wife nestling into husky thing’s muscle (5) | muscle / BRA_N (husky thing) around (being nestled into by) W (wife) |
|
| 23D | START | See 5D (5) | see 5D / see 5D |
|
| 25D | WING | See 26A (4) | see 26A / see 26A |
|
Probably some wordplay with vat (definition of keir) and VAT…and if Cyclops adds MP onto the Starmer, the anagram would probably involve ” rat sperm + m”, or “smart perm”.
“MP – Smarter, riskier?” … something along these lines..
Keir Starmer made his debut as the solution to a clue in Cyclops 676.
Thanks mc_rapper and cyclops. Re 11a I hade made a note on my copy of PE that being = liver, so came to the same conclusion as you. Enjoyed 19d and 22d. I had noted a query on 14d – “why men?” Got to work on KS anagrams now. All the best.
An anagram: STRIKE ME SIR …. ARR
Or better: ME STRIKE?? ARR
Thanks for the various suggestions on Keir-agrams – and apologies to Cyclops and beermagnet…as John E points out, this was done just 3 Cyclopses ago – although that does seem like a lifetime ago – much beer has flowed under the bridge of my nose in the past 6 lockdown weeks…
(Note to self – stop asking rhetorical questions in blogs without doing at least a modicum of research first!)
Hmmm in Oz at #5 & #6 – I like the idea of Sir Keir in a pirate costume arrr-sking whether he should go on strike!
Franko at #4 – good point re. 14D – women can be adults – and adulterous! – as well. I guess the clue wouldn’t have worked with, say, ‘grown-ups’, so Cyclops had to choose one option…
I completely missed the ‘liver’ connotation and very much enjoyed ‘How’s your Father’ and ‘Roadworks’!!! Last one in was ‘pessary’ and I had it long before I had the parsing sorted!!!! I presume some of you lot have prostate problems given the time of posting!!!!!
Maybe Keir can be fitted into a clue involving someone who lives on a quay? A carrier of keys? Aha…..a person that keys cars is a keyer? A sort of homophone?
Winsor @ 8 – I see what you mean about time of posting, I was so late it was early (so to speak). I’m actually a 23 year old woman so no prostate problems.
Just kidding of course, I’m of that gender and age where prostates become an issue (if that’s the right way of putting it). Also agree that 13a was another good’un.
Winsor @ 8 — have a look at Guardian Cryptic 28,173.
14d reminds of the superb clue for ADULTERER once offered by Paul in the Graun (I think it was):
Man United playing away from home
John E, I looked at the blog for Guardian 28,173 but I didn’t find any mention of Keir Starmer. Was there something in particular that wanted looking at or is every word to be studied closely and compared with Winsor’s comment @8 for relevance?
@Tpony….the relevant clue was ‘prostate’!!!!
Ah, cheers, Winsor. Unfortunately, comment numbers don’t show in the mobile implementation — and I’m too lazy to count! Times don’t show either so not sure about your joke, but I’m guessing there were posts made in the middle of the night? Good clue from Crucible, btw.