Cyclops 552: “Beautiful plumage!”

I rather enjoyed this Cyclops — I didn’t find it difficult, but some of the clues were nicely challenging. And it gave me the excuse to give you a link to a classic Monty Python sketch.

Writing the blog, I see I have typed ‘reversed’ rather a lot; it didn’t seem to be a problem, though.

Across
1	PLUMAGE	Natural wear for a bird (fruity thing, mature) PLUM = fruity thing; AGE = mature “Remarkable bird, the Norwegian Blue…”
5	ESPOUSE	Champion internet partner E = internet; SPOUSE = partner
9	CANVASSER	Maybe aspiring MP’s camp material House cut and rejected CANVAS = camp material; SER = RES (abbreviation for ‘residence’, i.e. ‘house’, in rather dated estate-agent-speak) reversed (‘rejected’). I took a while to get the last bit of the wordplay here.
11	FIFA	Rotten organisation provided, perversely, not a bloody thing, in short FI = IF, reversed = provided, perversely; FA = fuck-all = not a bloody thing, in short
13	PEDANTIC	Schoolmarmish frolicking and sex the wrong way breaks muscle *(and), with ‘frolicking’ as the anagram indicator; TI = IT (sex) reversed; in PEC = pectoral muscle
14/3	TALK MONEY	Ask how much Tony’s involved with leak about Sadam’s end M = Sadam’s end; in *(Tony leak)
16	RABELAIS	Down-to-earth writer demolishes Blair with ease: “pointless” (Blair eas), with ‘demolishes’ as the anagram indicator (one that would be unacceptable to some crossword purists). Strictly speaking, ‘eas’ is not* pointless — it still has an E and an S; it just has one fewer point than ‘ease’. François Rabelais
18	GET SMART	Public transport on time, say, given backing? Wise up! TRAM = public transport; T = time; EG = say (for example); all reversed
21/26/12	EASY COME EASY GO	Effortless orgasm, not rocket science — try to have laid-back attitude EASY COME = effortless orgasm; EASY = not rocket science; GO = try
23	PRICK OUT	Dick shown what to do with seedlings PRICK = dick; OUT = shown Pricking out
24	PLAITS	Hairy appendages sporting a split *(a split), with ‘sporting’ as the anagram indicator (another one maybe not for the purists)
27	BARKEEPER	Cocktail shaker (dog piss held back inside)? BARKER = dog; with PEE, reversed, inside
28	CHORIZO	Nothing in filthy rich Zara’s head — “love hot sausage!” O = nothing; in *(rich); Z = Zara’s head; O = love
29	URGENCY	Old city gent almost cleaned out City — “pressing situation” UR = old city; GEN =gent almost; CY = cleaned out City

Down
2	LOCK AWAY	Shut up, avert gaze — Osborne primarily replaced by leader of campaign LOOK AWAY = avert gaze; with O (Osborne primarily) replaced by C (leader of campaign)
4	GLAMOUR	At the start, goolies (large) added to lover’s allure GL = first letters of ‘goolies (large)’; AMOUR = lover
7	OFFENSIVE	Obnoxious Rotten is even dancing OFF = rotten; *(is even), with ‘dancing’ as the anagram indicator
8	SOFTIE	Very newspaper that is supplying weed SO = very; FT = newspaper (Financial Times; IE = that is
10	SEPP BLATTER	After short month, a multinational gets turned over by second-mentioned dodgy organization chief SEP = short month; BP, reversed = a multinational turned over; LATTER = second-mentioned Sepp Blatter
15	KEEP CLEAR	Glimpse mounting first sign of Clegg’s tragic character? Don’t go there! PEEK, reversed = glimpse mounting; C = first sign of Clegg; [King] LEAR = tragic character
17	ESOTERIC	Maybe Morecambe’s keeping alcoholic drug secret SOT = alcoholic; E = drug; in ERIC Morecambe
19	SHOW BIZ	Who’s come out, swinging both ways? Zimbabwe’s head of Entertainment *(who’s), with ‘come out’ as the anagram indicator; BI = swinging both ways; Z = Zimbabwe’s head
20	TOP GEAR	Sixties cool clothes for this punchy show? This is loosely 60s slang — ‘gear’ actually meant ‘great’ in Beatles-speak; but it also commonly means ‘clothes’. The TV programme, which I have never watched and never intend to watch, features a famously pugilistic presenter whose name I won’t bother to mention.
22	BROOCH	Bling item? Bring up, loudly! An item of jewellery (bling) which sounds like (‘loudly’ being the homophone indicator) ‘broach’ (to bring up, e.g. as a subject for discussion)
25/6	APPLE STRUDEL	Multinational’s rough, in the clutches of self-serving, twisted, lousy leaders — that’s sweet! APPLE = multinational; RUDE = rough; in [the clutches of] first letters of ‘self-serving, twisted, lousy’