Cyclops 811 – Wellness Mantra

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We all need a bit of wellness in our lives, and where better to start than with a Cyclops puzzle…they should be available on the NHS…

…a few inner chuckles to raise the serotonin levels – the SEA DOG who’s had a ‘dose’ at 28A, a shameless Johnny Dep(p) getting his end away and partying DEPRAVEDly at 21A; a few eyebrow raises to count as a bit of exercise for the day – the politicians’ IRONY METER at 10A/25A; the leather-clad messenger at 20D HERMES; a bit of smuttery to raise the heartbeat – ‘naughty bits’ being cleaned by a 2D BIDET, an oVERSExed composition at 22D ; and a nice sense of smugness when (if?) one finishes it…

To counter that, a little tug at the heartburn with a mention of Ronald T Dump at 9D – he doesn’t seem to care much for LAW AND ORDER when it is used against him, but he will use it as a distraction technique from a certain ‘list’ that we may or may not ever see until it has been Tippexed to death…

Anyway, it all fell into place rather neatly…

 

…but unfortunately not until after the submission date, as it sat on my desk all week under some other things and only surfaced on Friday morning. So no chance of winning this fortnight, which is a similar outcome to those that I have submitted for about the last 10 years or so since my last win (;+<)…

Thanks, as usual to Cyclops, and I hope all is clear below…

 

Across
Clue No Solution Clue (definition underlined)

Logic/parsing
1A BABBLE Rabbit on book lover’s top smeared with honey (6)

BAB_E (term of endearment, honey) around (smearing) B (book) + L (top letter of Lover)
4A ICE PACK Illicit drug bundle – shipping hazard (3,4)

ICE (illicit drug, slang for an illicit drug, a highly synthesized form of methamphetamine) + PACK (bundle)
8A CRUDE OIL It’s unrefined and offensive to puncture contraceptive (5,3)

C_OIL (contraceptive) around (punctured by) RUDE (offensive)
10A IRONY (METER) & 25 It’s often broken by politicians’ lacking self-awareness – or my entire works (5,5)

anag, i.e. works, of OR MY ENTIRE
11A MANTRA Catchphrase of TV presenter with member flipped over (6)

M_RA (arm, bodily member, flipped) around (over) ANT (TV presenter, usually appearing with Dec)
12A WELLNESS Healthy state of my north-eastern paramilitary force (8)

WELL (interjection, my!) + NE (north eastern) + SS (German WW2 paramilitary force)
13A COLD (SNAP) & 19 Bitter period: Conservative, past it, needs break (4,4)

C (Conservative) + OLD (past it) + SNAP (break)
15A INNARDS Guts shown by boozers holding a doctor back (7)

INN_S (pubs, boozers) around (holding) A + RD (Dr, doctor, back)
18A CHEROOT Smoke issuing from the woman grabbed by a numpty (7)

C_OOT (numpty, foolish or silly person) around (grabbing) HER (the woman)
19A SNAP See 13ac. (4)

see 13A
21A DEPRAVED Johnny, getting end away, partied – shameless! (8)

DEP(P) (Johnny Depp, losing end letter) + RAVED (partied)
23A LEGACY It’s left of stage with a gutless celebrity (6)

LEG (stage, of a race) + A + CY (CelebritY, with the ‘guts’, or middle letter, removed)
25A METER See 10ac. (5)

see 10A
26A REAR-ENDS Goes into the back of goal – Foster’s all round! (4-4)

REAR_S (fosters, cares for, usually a child) around END (goal, aim)
27A USURPER One who seizes role of loan shark (without power) (7)

USUR_ER (role of loan shark) around (without, or outwith) P (power)
28A SEA DOG Sailor who’s experienced a dose: “Awfully good!” (3,3)

SEA DO (anag, i.e. awfully, of A DOSE) + G (good)
Down
Clue No Solution Clue (definition underlined)

Logic/parsing
1D BARBADOS Spike troubles island country (8)

BARB (spike) + ADOS (ado, trouble, plural)
2D BIDET Naughty bits cleaned here – wait at end of street (5)

BIDE (wait) + T (end of streeT)
3D LOOKALIKE Double lavatory fitted on car – enjoy! (9)

LOO (lavatory) + KA (model of car, made by Ford) + LIKE (enjoy)
5D CHILL Hint of frigidity about Pike? (5)

C (circa, about) + PIKE (sharp, pointed hill)
6D PROGNOSIS Go back inside prison, maybe, start of some expectation (9)

PR_NOSI (anag, i.e. maybe, of PRISON) around OG (go, back), plus S (start of Some)
7D COYISH So icy, when screwing, hard – and rather evasive (6)

COYIS (anag, i.e. screwing, of SO ICY) + H (hard, hardness of lead pencils)
9D LAW AND ORDER Wrongful war – er, Donald Trump’s not much bothered about it (3,3,5)

anag, i.e. wrongful, of WAR ER DONALD
14D DECORATOR Last month with speaker who papers over the cracks? (9)

DEC (last month of the calendar year) + ORATOR (speaker)
16D RETALIATE Leer at a tit (no time, sadly, to reciprocate)(9)

subtractive anagram, i.e. sadly, of LEER AT A TI(T), minus one T – no time
17D WATCHDOG Mind Harry’s protector (8)

WATCH (mind) + DOG (worry, harry)
20D HERMES Messenger, in leather, mesmerises (6)

hidden word in ‘leatHER MESmerises’
22D VERSE Somewhat oversexed composition (5)

hidden word in, i.e. somewhat, ‘oVERSExed’
24D GREED Good ‘rush’ from this vice? (5)

G (good) + REED (rush, grass)

9 comments on “Cyclops 811 – Wellness Mantra”

  1. Thanks mc_rapper67 and Cyclops.
    4a Ice pack; wasn’t aware of ice=drug (meth.)
    10a Irony Meter, NHO, but I now know about it. Useful term; I shall use it.
    Clue-of-the-fortnight 3d LooKaLike.

  2. I enjoyed LOOKALIKE as well, and REAR-ENDS had an equally enjoyable surface.
    I’m not sure a MANTRA is really a catchphrase, but it’s close enough for crosswordland.
    Having the G at the end and the A, my first thought for Harry’s protector was HAGRID and, like a real numpty, had started writing it in before I noticed it was too short.
    All in all, though, rattling good fun – but over far too quickly.
    Thank you Cyclops & mc_r

  3. Thanks for the blog mc_rapper67, and Cyclops for another fun puzzle. I’d a very busy weekend and almost forgot to check in. 8a raised a smile as it reminded of the ancient joke ‘what’s black and comes out of the ground swearing?’. Many, many years since that was considered current.

  4. Thanks MC & Cyclops. SE corner eluded me – I should’ve paid more attention to my instinct that GUARDDOG is not a single word for 17D (and more that gAUrddog certainly isn’t).
    That plus penciling in SPEED at 24D left LEGACY out of reach. But a fun puzzle nonetheless.

  5. Great stuff, I thought as ever.

    That said, isn’t the sea hazard pack ice, with ICE PACK being what athletes minders put on their injured muscles?

    Cheers all.

  6. Thanks for the comments and feedback so far – much appreciated, as usual…

    Nothing too controversial, and hopefully everybody’s wellness is, well, well…

    Wellbeck at #2 – a fair point on MANTRA/catchphrase – Chambers has them both as ‘oft repeated words’, but I guess the difference is that a catchphrase is uttered out loud…’STOP THE BOATS! FAKE NOOS!’, whereas a mantra is usually chanted or repeated internally during meditation for one’s individual betterment…or wellness(!) – ‘I must stop the boats; I must smash the gangs‘

    Etu at #5 – Chambers has ICEPACK’ as ‘drifting ice packed together, pack ice’, as well as the usage you refer to, so you and Cyclops are both right…(;+>)

  7. I suppose a MANTRA differs from a tribal chant in that its meaning and content should be the subject of deep consideration and reflection.

    Things such as “Stop the boats”, “Build the wall”, and so on do not need to be feasible propositions, or even to make sense at all, but simply to be the same as the rest are chanting, in order to supply the safety-in-numbers sensation of being part of a mob.

    This is why attempts at reasoned debate with those making such utterances are likely to be unsuccessful perhaps.

  8. Thanks again mc_rapper67 ^_^

    Got the answer to 27A, but that’s the second time without/outwith has had me scratching my head trying to fully parse the clue. I seem to recall hearing “outwith” a lot more when I lived in Scotland briefly.

  9. Collins o/l has an example which usefully captures the latest usage, I think: “Listening to customers is now part of the mantra of new management in public services.”

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