A very hurried blog, started on Friday afternoon, on the train on the way up to Sheffield for Part 1 of the John Henderson Big Birthday Bash, and being finished in what will be tomorrow’s (i.e. Saturday 26th’s) party venue. So do excuse any sloppiness; I will correct it next week; .
Top clue is 4d/23d, for its wonderful economy, and for the fact that when I read it out to the birthday-celebrating spouse on the train, he cracked up laughing.
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 6/22 | LOST LAMB | Tom’s playing with balls — poor stray little thing *(Tom balls) |
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| 7 | OUT OF SHAPE | Not fit to prod hoe up fatso *(hoe up fatso), with ‘prod’ as the anagram indicator |
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| 10 | SPITFIRE | Defender of Britain needs gob with passion SPIT = gob; FIRE = passion Supermarine Spitfire, a British single-seat fighter aircraft, used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War |
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| 11 | OUTCRY | Sexual preference revealed: keen for stink OUT = sexual preference revealed; CRY = keen |
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| 12 | TRASHY | Crap pointless trophy played for in Test [The] Ashes = trophy played for; minus ES, both compass points; in TRY = Test. Definition: crap |
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| 13 | DEMOCRAT | Politician’s endless U-turning farce — louse COMED[y], reversed; RAT = louse |
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| 19 | PRESS BOX | Crush protection for genitals for game reporters? PRESS = crush; BOX = protection for genitals |
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| 20 | SPEECH | After second leak, chain tongue S = second; PEE = leak; CH = chain |
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| 21 | GULLET | Hump over Grant’s throat LUG = hump, reversed; LET = grant |
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| 23 | HALF DONE | Getting hard with a kinky fondle, there’s still as much to accomplish H = hard; *(fondle). Nice clue. |
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| 24 | PALMERSTON | Those who snap up bribes? Tip from Blair, ex-PM PALMERS = those who snap up bribes; TON[y] Blair Lord Palmerston, the most recent British Prime Minister to die in office |
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| Down | |||
| 1 | COMPERE | Orgasm pressing for each host PER = for each; in COME = orgasm |
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| 2 | STATISTICS | What’s shocking about incompetent senior Treasury leaders with shit opening figures? STATIC = what’s shocking; around first letters of ‘incompetent senior Treasury’; S = shit opening. Definition: figures |
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| 3/15 | POLICY DIFFERENCES | What Cameron and Clegg have: iffy credo — seen clip? Bloody awful! *(iffy credo — seen clip), with ‘Bloody awful’ as the anagram indicator |
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| 4/23 | SHIT HOT | Pretty good evidence of recent bowel movement Magnificent double definition! |
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| 5 | SPORRAN | Scotsman’s ready to go in this over his groin? Cryptic definition — a Scotsman might well keep his money in his sporran. |
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| 8/25 | THE CLAP | Lech freely, knock around and get this! *(lech); in TAP = knock |
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| 9 | FOOTMAN | Toe-nibbler at Brenda’s service? Somewhat cryptic double definition. A footman might be a servant to royalty; or someone who’ turned on by feet |
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| 13 | DUREX | Johnny, rude bastard, wants vote *(rude), with ‘bastard’ as the anagram indicator; X = what is put on a ballot form to indicate a vote Condoms were (and may still be) referred to as ‘rubber johnnies’; the links I get when googling are all to a film. |
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| 14 | CLEVER DICK | A wise guy would have carbon lifting device on penis C = carbon; LEVER = lifting device; DICK = penis |
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| 16 | FIBSTER | Porky type’s briefs removed — takes time *(briefs), with ‘removed’ as the anagram indicator; + T = time. Someone who might tell porkie[pies]s |
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| 17 | AROUSAL | Waking up in the process of getting a stiffy? Double definition |
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| 18 | SCANDAL | Public embarrassment of Cameron at first appearance in beach-wear C = Cameron at first; in SANDAL = beachwear |
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| 20 | SO LONG | One’s going off an exaggerated description of one’s penis? What one might say on departure; well, chaps, speak for yourselves! |
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I leave you with this lovely cartoon:
