In my last turn blogging the Private Eye crossword I was lamenting the omission of a certain Man Formerly Titled As Prince. While the news cycle is currently focussed elsewhere, Mr M-W did make an appearance this time which certainly gave me a chuckle.
I think this was a pretty typical Eye puzzle with plenty of topical references, to current events/despicable people and a few ‘naughty’ words in clues and solutions alike. Perhaps the expletives are a bit of a comment on the current state of the world by the setter? I found it a pretty smooth solve, with enough chewiness to make it satisfying without becoming frustrating.
I did spend a fair bit of time trying to force Frank SINATRA into 18 down, and had to ask a less sophisticated friend about the sexual and anatomical parts.
Thanks to Cyclops for the puzzle.
| Across | ||
|---|---|---|
| 6/27ac. | REGIME CHANGE | Trump’s Middle East gamble and each emerging cock-up (6,6)
*(EACH EMERGING) |
| 8 | RESEARCH | Look into Archer novel filled with half lies (8)
(ARCHER)* containing (filled with) ES – (half [of] lies) I’d probably recognise some but I couldn’t tell you the name of an Archer novel so was glad that wasn’t required. |
| 10 | UNION FLAG | Sex act, flop – exploited by UK far right? (5,4)
UNION (sex act) + FLAG (flop). The surface and juxtaposition with 11ac brought to mind a more explicit term for those who really, dearly love said flag. |
| 11 | LOVER | Boyfriend for example getting out of a shag? (5)
LEG OVER (shag) minus EG (for example). This took me a while to parse. While I know the term I never quite understood the limb positioning. |
| 12 | See 13ac. | |
| 13/12ac./24dn. | ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM | Dumbo occupying the chamber, an embarrassment to be ignored? (8,2,3,4)
Cryptic definition. |
| 15 | GET LOST | Let’s go reckless with Trump’s lead? Piss off! (3,4)
(LETS GO) + T[rump]. |
| 17 | DUCHESS | Wallis, for instance, chewed cud with high-ranking Nazi (7)
CUD* + HESS (high-ranking Nazi Rudolph), for the American lady who was involved in some constitutional commotion early in the last century. |
| 19 | ASSASSIN | More than one fool elected Trump (vis-à-vis Ayatollah Ali Khamenei) (8)
ASS + ASS (more than one fool) + IN (elected). This word has an interesting etymology relating to the alleged consumption of hashish by members of a murderous religious order. |
| 21 | WIDEN | Wife and ex-president not starting stretch (5)
W[ife] + B[IDEN]. |
| 23 | FLIER | File misrepresented by Reform’s main election handout? (5)
FILE* + R[eform]. |
| 25 | ADAPTABLE | A notebook backed by board that’s compliant (9)
A + DAP (pad, backed/reversed) + TABLE (board). |
| 26 | BOLLOCKS | Rubbish cast overcome by Hair (8)
BOL (lob i.e. cast, reversed/overcome) + LOCKS (hair). |
| 27 | See 6ac. | |
| Down | ||
| 1 | AGEIST | Taking part in frottage is terribly unkind to the elderly (6)
Hidden in frottAGE IS Terribly. |
| 2 | FERGIE | Awful grief at the end for Epstein emailer (6)
Anagram (awful) of GRIEF + E (thE end), for another former Royal who apparently was also pretty chummy with ‘that guy’. |
| 3 | DEAL | What Trump likes to do – lead badly! (4)
LEAD* |
| 4 | PROVINCE | Andrew no longer entertains love – very diminished sphere of activity (8)
PRINCE (the King’s little bro’s previous position) containing/entertaining O (love) and V[ery]. A very nice surface. |
| 5 | CHAR | Brown‘s unfinished plan (4)
CHAR[T] (plan). |
| 6 | ROUSING | Accommodation right for hot stimulating (7)
HOUSING (accommodation) with H[ot] swapped for R[ight]. |
| 7 | MINNESOTA | Mentions relocating a place of high profile ICE activity (9)
MENTIONS* + A. There’s nothing witty to be said about what’s been happening with that agency in this and other states so the above will have to suf F ICE. |
| 9 | CLIENT | One advised to take “a different line in court”? (6)
LINE* in[side] CT (court). |
| 14 | HACKWATCH | Our scrutiny of the press is cut – with a time check (9)
HACK (cut) + WATCH (time check) for the Private Eye column. |
| 16 | TESTICLE | Uncontrolled movement in rounded steel nut (8)
TIC (uncontrolled movement) in STEEL*. |
| 17 | DENIAL | An idle sort of refusal to accept the vote? (6)
(AN IDLE)*, with a definition by example (?) |
| 18 | SINCERE | Seeing that Republican extremist leader, Frank (7)
SINCE (seeing, e.g. seeing as we’re here we might as well have a drink) + R + E[extremist]. |
| 20 | SWANKY | Society extremely welcoming of “self-abuse” – fancy! (6)
SY (society extremely/outer letters) around (entertaining) WANK (self-abuse). |
| 22 | DEBUNK | Turf out of bed and expose (6)
DE-BUNK as to turk someone out of a bed/bunk. The bunks I’ve shared have only been big enough for one anyway, so fair enough really. |
| 23 | FIBS | FBI’s false stories (4)
FBIS* |
| 24 | See 13ac. | |
Cyclops on great form with this typically topical puzzle. Should it be ‘the elephant in the room’ or ‘the Dumbo in the White House’? The raving loony doesn’t even know why he started the war, or even if it is a war, or even what day it is 🙄. Thanks simonbyc.
A lot of interesting surfaces.
Loved REGIME CHANGE, LOVER, ASSASSIN and DEBUNK.
Thanks Cyclops and simonbyc (great blog).
RESEARCH
half of lies—>ES would work without reversal!
DENIAL
Agree with the blogger that it’s a def by example.
(Think ‘election denial’)
Thanks for the blog , great form indeed as said by TFC@1 . REGIME CHANGE is a great anagram , DUCHESS very neat and as a couple they were very fond of the Nazis .
I am not fond of fake capitals but accept their use , for SINCERE I think Frank could have been at the start .
Thanks KVa @2, indeed I’m not sure why I flipped the ES so I’ve corrected that in the post now.
Thanks simonbyc and Cyclops. Enjoyable Eye crossword!
I think it’s poor style however that Cyclops keeps drawing from the Trump well. Has he referenced him (specifically just his surname) four times in the same puzzle before? After a while it just feels hackneyed; there must be other topical figures beginning with T that you could use to make GET LOST for example, or USA could go into 1a instead of Trump.