‘Jambazi’ is ‘Tramp’s Indy pseudonym, but on closer inspection of this puzzle, could he also be ‘Cyclops’ in disguise?…
On my initial solve, this seemed a fairly straightforward puzzle – suitably difficult for a Saturday prize crossword, with a few nice touches and smile-inducing moments – but no obvious theme or nina…
However, on revisiting it to write the blog, a darker, smuttier undercurrent soon became apparent…
References to ‘Mayfair’ and ‘Penthouse’; Lad mags and ‘modesty bags’; TOP SHELF = FLESHPOT in 16D; a pawn/porn homophone; ‘topless obsession’ in 3D; ‘hot models’ stripping in 25A to become UNCLOTHEd; a ‘bird’ folded across ‘centre sheets’ in 21D…and a reference to Cosmo in 1A as a bit of balance for the ladies?!
Maybe I am seeing too much here – and revealing more about myself and my adolescent past than I should be? – but I suspect Jambazi is enjoying a cruciverbal riffle through the top shelf of his local newsagent – although I’m not sure if this is completely suitable material as a precursor to Valentine’s Day?…I’m off for a cold shower and a lie-down…
| Across | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Clue No | Solution | Clue | Definition (with occasional embellishments) / Logic/parsing |
| 1A | COSMOS | Short magazine’s creation (6) | Creation / COSMO(politan) – short magazine – plus possessive ‘S’ |
| 5A | LUMP SUMS | Paper follows members in unions after large payments (4,4) | large payments / L (large) + U___ U (unions) around MPS (members), plus MS (manuscript, paper) |
| 9A/7D | MOUNTAIN (SHEEP) | One man upset with Penthouse being at a height? (8,5) | height / anag (i.e. upset) of I (one) + MAN + PENTHOUSE |
| 10A | DREADS | Fears daughter has to look at front of shelf (6) | Fears / D (daughter) + READ (look at) + S (first letter – front – of ‘shelf’) |
| 11A | MICROSCOPIST | One looks through slides of trips, comic so funny (12) | One (who) looks through slides / anag (i.e. funny) of TRIPS COMIC SO |
| 13A | PAWN | Picked up erotic man (4) | man (chess piece) / homophone – PAWN sounds like PORN(ography) – colloquial shortened adjective/noun for erotic/a |
| 14A | SCREW EYE | Ring for wood? Small men watch (5,3) | Ring for wood? (knot-hole in wood?) / S (small) + CREW (men) + EYE (watch). (Query definition – technically speaking a screw formed in a loop for rope/wire?) |
| 17A | SCRAWLER | Bad writer to go slowly during series (8) | Bad writer / S__ER (series) around CRAWL (go slowly) |
| 18A | GOAD | Arouse one by Mayfair promotion (4) | Arouse / GO (the square next to Mayfair in the original Monopoly game) + |
| 20A | ENDORSEMENTS | Subscriptions finish or lads stop series (12) | Subscriptions / END (finish) + OR + SE__TS (series, again!) around MEN (lads) |
| 23A | PASS UP | Have nothing to do with dad’s drink (4,2) | Have nothing to do with / PAS (pa’s, dad’s) + SUP (drink) |
| 24A | AFFLATUS | Article with very strong Latin American inspiration (8) | (divine?) inspiration / A (indefinite article) + FF (fortissimo, music, very strong) + LAT (Latin) + US (American) |
| 25A | UNCLOTHE | Strip hot models, man of 13 covers (8) | Strip / UNCL__E (owner of pawn shop – man of 13) covering OTH – hot, modelling |
| 26A | DRESSY | Smart doctor’s written piece [not American] (6) | Smart / DR (doctor) + ESS(A)Y – written piece, withput A – American |
| Down | |||
| Clue No | Solution | Clue | Definition (with occasional embellishments) / Logic/parsing |
| 2D | OBOE | Occasionally one admits smell is bit of wind (4) | a bit of (the) wind section of an orchestra) / O__E (occasional letters of OnE), around (admitting) BO (body odour, smell) |
| 3D | MONOMANIA | Male running nation’s topless obsession (9) | obsession / M (male) + ON (running, working) + (R)OMANIA – ‘topless’ nation |
| 4D | SNATCH | Partners at clubs? Hard to pull (6) | pull / SN (South and North, partners in bridge, card game) + AT + C (clubs, again in cards) + H (hard) |
| 5D | LINE OF SCRIMMAGE | Position in American football film — cinema-goers excited (4,2,9) | Position in American football / anag (i.e. excited) of FILM CINEMA GOERS |
| 6D | MEDICARE | Health programme reporters detailed concern (8) | Health programme (in the US, and Australia?) / MEDI(A) – reporters, de-tailed – plus CARE (concern) |
| 7D | SHEEP | See 9 Across (5) | see 9A / see 9A |
| 8D | MODESTY BAG | Kinky body set to fill magazine’s cover; … (7,3) | (magazine’s) cover (to hide lurid contents) / M__AG (magazine) filled by anag (i.e. kinky) of BODY SET |
| 12D/22D | MAY CONTAIN (NUTS) | … it might feature this warning? (3,7,4) | warning / …the ‘modesty bag’ containing a certain ‘Lad mag’ might say ‘May contain ‘Nuts”; and without the capital letter on ‘nuts’ it is a general warning on many food bags. (With different capitals – an ‘IT’ department may contain nuts as well?!) |
| 15D | WAGE SLAVE | With seasons left on average money, one needs it (4,5) | money, one (of these) needs it / W (with) + AGES (seasons) + L (left) + AVE (average) |
| 16D | FLESH POT | Top-shelf set out: pervert’s place? (5,3) | pervert’s place / anag (i.e. set out) of TOP SHELF |
| 19D | KNIFED | Cut material to write up, following journalist (6) | cut / KNI (ink, material to write with, up) + F (following) + ED (editor, journalist) |
| 21D | OUSEL | Bird to go through fold in the centre sheets (5) | Bird / O__L (fOLd, in the centre) covering (sheeting) USE (go through, use up) |
| 22D | NUTS | See 12 (4) | see 12D / see 12D |
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