With many apologies for lateness. Events conspired against me when it came to finding time to write this blog, though the puzzle itself was a relatively straightforward solve. I do hope you will excuse my having given priority, even at this pressured time of major househould refurbishment (it’ll look lovely when it’s finished), to attending all of what turned out to be a tremendously entertaining, if somewhat frustrating, test match at Lord’s.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | LIE IN WAIT | Get ready to pounce when Porky Wain rudely interrupts sex LIE = Porky (porky pie); *(Wain), with ‘rudely’ as the anagram indicator; in IT = sex |
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| 10 | CABLE | Minister you might describe as twisted, ropey Sort of double definition Vince Cable |
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| 11 | PISS OFF | Booze made unavailable to nark someone PISS = booze; OFF = made unavailable |
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| 12 | MITHRAS | Has it off with Mr Divinity *(Has it Mr) Mithras |
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| 13 | RED ALERT | Blair’s right wing broadcast altered: “Prepare for war?” R = Blair’s right wing (rightmost letter); *(altered) |
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| 16/18/19a | PRESS THE FLESH | Act like campaigning politician, producing part of media article on ’one’s family’? PRESS = part of media; THE = article: FLESH = ’one’s family’ |
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| 21 | SKETCH | Rough Sun needs craft S = Sun; KETCH = craft. Definition: ‘rough’, used as a noun |
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| 23/14 | LITERARY REVIEW | Rival writer pissed with Eye and our volume assessment *(Rival writer Eye). Literary Review is Private Eye’s book review feature |
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| 26 | STERNUM | Reckon on grabbing bird’s breast supporter SUM = Reckon on; ‘grabbing’ TERN = bird. The breastbone |
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| 27 | CABARET | Spartan appearing in pussy show BARE = Spartan; in CAT = pussy Cabaret, the musical |
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| 28/9d | EXTRA TIME | Topless shagging treat arranged — I’m in and game to carry on for another half hour! [s]EX = topless shagging; *(treat I’m) |
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| 29 | SOPORIFIC | Poor sci-fi freaked out druggy *(Poor sci-fi) |
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| Down | |||
| 1 | CLAPTRAP | VD net for balls CLAP = VD (venereal disease); TRAP = net |
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| 2 | REUSED | Put back to work, said “no — eff-off!” RE[f]USED |
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| 3 | ENNOBLES | Being seen hovering round bigwig on line gets one elevated to peerage *(seen); around NOB = bigwig; L = line. Definition: gets one elevated to peerage |
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| 4 | HALF TRUTH | “Not a real whopper” — Henry, having 12 inches, hurt badly HAL = Henry; FT = 12 inches; *(hurt). Not a complete lie. |
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| 5 | SCYTHE | Copper not full time shortly (they stupidly make cuts) SC = Special Constable; *(they). Definition: make cuts |
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| 6 | ABORTIVE | Unsuccessful vibrator scrapped (electronic but no ’Reverse’) Anagram of ‘vibrator‘ with E (electronic) but one less R (’Reverse’) |
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| 7 | SEESAW | Observes asshole Washington leaders’ rise and fall SEES = Observes; AW = first letters of ‘asshole Washington’ |
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| 15 | PERISCOPE | Pope cries out: “It helps one look over the masses” *(Pope cries) |
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| 17 | EYE TEETH | Double energy needed to hold still the screwing canines EE = Double energy; ‘holding’ YET = still; *(the), with ‘screwing’ as the anagram indicator. |
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| 19 | FREEBORN | Unmastered, father has ultimate in the throbbing boner FR = father; E = ultimate in ‘the’; *(boner) |
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| 20 | HAYSTACK | Fodder amassed by tabloid reporter concealing sources of yobbish senior tory antics HACK = tabloid reporter; ‘concealing’ first letters of ‘yobbish senior tory antics’. Definition: Fodder amassed |
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| 21 | SUSSEX | Rye once here gets short American (or ‘Amwerican’ in the printed mag) shagging, etc. S = short; US = American; SEX = shagging, etc. Looks like Rye is now in East Sussex. |
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| 22 | CONMAN | Political party worker who’s out to have you CON = political party; MAN = worker |
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| 24 | ADRIFT | Answer by Miliband at last: “Serious split — quite without purpose” A = Answer: D = Miliband at last; RIFT = serious split |
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| 25 | AMPS | They put out a lot at pop festivals, when squeezing member AS = when; ‘squeezing’ MP = member |
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No time for a joke this week. I promise at least two next time!
Thanks, as usual, Jetdoc – I really needed your help with 23/14 – Cyclops’ surface elegantly misled me. I had some crossing letters, and decided that “volume assessment” must be clueing LITRE VIEW. But that leaves ARRYE to be explained. Hmm… The solution has to be LITERARY REVIEW, but how on earth could even the Eye’s editor see the Lit Rev as a rival?
Brilliant, Cyclops!
I’ve never seen SC for Special Constable before, but was reassured to see in the Wikipedia Special Constabulary article that it is found in some UK insignia.
BTW, Jet, in your haste you’ve missed out the Line from your ENNOBLES commentary.
Lemmy
Thanks, Lemmy.
I got Special Constable when I first solved it, but took ages to work it out again by the time I wrote the blog.
Surely, 23/14 is simply an anagram of ‘rival writer’+’eye’
Yes, Brital. I thought that was what I’d indicated and JohnR had realised.
Sorry, Jetdoc. I wasn’t referring to your explanation but JohnR’s reply did not convey to me that he’d twigged it. (No offence intended, JohnR)
For 12a I had M?t?r?s and a,i& h to slot in so was faced with
Mathris,mithras, matirhs and mitarhs all of which seemed possible.
The Amwerican threw me -it’s only the better solvers who can immediately realise that it is simply a typo.
I thought 21 across was highly dubious. You wouldn’t say doing a ‘rough’. You would say, doing a ‘rough sketch’.
Sketch out = rough out ?