Cyclops is on a run of quite tough Eye crosswords lately. This is another that took me a fair while to solve.
I had more than half the grid filled on the first pass, mainly from getting the 4 answers spanning more than one light, but the last half dozen or so took some effort: The crossing pairs 7A and 2D, 6A and 8D, and 22A and 13D, also the definition at 16D
There are several clues here that have a final question mark. I understand that this is to indicate ‘definition by example’ but in many cases I fail to see he need for it.
There are a few here where I haven’t fully parsed the wordplay to my satisfaction so please help.
| Across | ||
|---|---|---|
| 7 | ETONIAN | Just as Cameron was, Mark’s upset by Eye leader (7) E[ye], ANTONI* AInd: upset. ANTONI coming from Mark Antony with his name spelt in the Roman fashion(!?) making this a particularly tricky clue. |
| 8 | MOBUTO | Posturing dictator the common people forced out (6) MOB (common people) OUT* AInd Forced. I didn’t question it when I solved it, but when I got a link to Wiki for him I found his name spelt ending in U. The answer requires O from the wordplay and the crossing answer (Downturn). Looks like an error. Wiki for Mobutu Sese Seko |
| 10 | NEUROTIC | Like Woody‘s elaborate precautions – “sap’s gone” (8) (PRECAUTIONS – SAP)* AInd: elaborate. The definition references that famous neurotic Woody Allen. First answered clue. Really chuffed I spotted that wordplay immediately. |
| 11 | LIKING | Endlessly pissed leader’s inclination (6) LI[t] endlessly pissed KING (leader). Took me ages to see LIT for Pissed. |
| 15 | ASHLEY MADISON | Agency encouraging disloyalty, since getting shamed – “I only screwed around” (6,7) AS (since) (SHAMED I ONLY)* AInd: screwed around. The Ashley Madison story has it all: Infidelity, deceit, blackmail, whistleblowing, and most serious of all, insecure data management. |
| 19 | LENIN | Far Left figure breaking Neil Kinnock’s heart (5) (NEIL [kin]N[ock])* AInd: breaking |
| 20/5 | TALK TURKEY | Twitter flop? Engage in meaningful discussion! (4,6) TALK (twitter) TURKEY (flop). and the Indian replied “Talk turkey to me.” |
| 22 | BRONCO | Appearing cautious initially, entering street-wise mate – a rough ride? (6) ON (appearing) C[autious] inside BRO (streetwise mate). Not sure why the clue deserves a question mark – a bronco is certainly a rough ride |
| 23 | ENSHEATH | Measures PM once to fit a condom? (8) ENS (measures) HEATH (PM once). Another clue where I fail to understand the need for a “?” |
| 25 | SIENNA | Brown jaundiced: “Widdecombe’s back, full of energy!” (6) ANN’S < around E[nergy] but where does the I come from? So wordplay help needed here Also, the definition might be “Brown jaundiced”, Sienna is a yellow-brown |
| 26 | EVOLVED | Miliband, at heart very taken with transforming love is … transformed (7) V[ery] LOVE* AInd: transforming all inside ED (Miliband) |
| Down | ||
| 1 | STREAK | Dash across sports field with end of spear in rump? (6) [spea]R in SEAK (rump). If you’re expecting a link to a picture of the most famous streaker – who am I to disappoint: Erica Roe, Twickenham 1982, but before you click the link be warned, she is doing something that would never be allowed in a stadium these days: Smoking! |
| 2 | ENTRENCH | Not much fun, Europeans ditching leader? Get stuck in! (8) ENT (not much fun, Abbreviation from Entertainment) [f]RENCH (Europeans ditching leader) Last answer. I cannot think why this evaded me for so long. |
| 3/13A | LAST STRAW | No successor for ex-Labour minister (one burden too many)? (4,5) LAST (no successor) STRAW (ex-Labour minister) |
| 4 | FOLLOWED ON | Maverick lone wolf overwhelming party – immediately succeeded (8,2) (LONE WOLF)* AInd: Maverick, around DO (party) |
| 6 | DOWNTURN | Admit being involved in “awful turd” Corbyn’s ultimate decline (8) OWN (admit) inside TURD* AInd awful , then [corby]N |
| 9 | SCAREMONGER | “Germany almost, almost scored – horrendous!” – usual alarmist Daily Mail? (11) (GERMAN[y] SCORE[d])* AInd: Horrendous |
| 13 | SPELLBOUND | Period certain – attention held completely (10) SPELL (period) BOUND (certain) |
| 15 | AIRBRUSH | Look right into Republican candidate and artfully remove him from the picture? (8) AIR (look, appearance) R[ight] inside BUSH (Jeb in this case) |
| 16 | SET MEALS | Old tax on wayward males that are put away regularly (3,5) SET (old tax, what is it S… E… Tax?) MALES* AInd: wayward. I do not know and cannot find what kind of “old tax” was called S.E.T. |
| 18 | YANKEE | New Englander: jerk on drugs (6) YANK (jerk) EE (drugs) |
| 21/17 | LITTER TRAY | Sexual partner suppressing rude titter about right place for ‘pussy business’? (6,4) LAY (sexual partner) around (suppressing) TITTER* AInd: rude, around (about) R[ight] That wordplay took a bit of unravelling |
| 24/14/12 | SAVE YOUR SKIN | US navy is embroiled with Korea – one’s going to look after number one (4,4,4) (US NAVY IS KORE[a])* AInd: embroiled |
New invention: Anti-gloating cream.
All you have to do is rub it in.
16d. Old tax. I remember it well. Around 1972, the Labour government decided to tax setvice industries. So, our restaurant had to pay Selective Employment Tax. Very selective, rather unfair…..
Thank you Hugh
I could vaguely remember something like that but couldn’t recall its name, and Googling for SET leads as you may expect to an enormous number of hits.
Details here [Wiki link]
Re 7ac. Mark upset by Eye leader is NOTE (mark) ‘upset’ next to IAN (hislop) 🙂
Re 25 ac the I comes from the apostrophe in “Widdecombe’s”
5ac, Mobuto instead of Mobutu was a bad mistake on my part. I’ve asked the mag. to print an apology.
Tony is right about 25ac (E in ANN IS rev.)- and ‘jaundiced’ is part of the def.
Tony, you beat me to both the above; I concur.
Also, instead of “SET meals”, for ages I had “HOT [Hotel Owners’ Tax] meals”, which made solving 15 trickier than it should have been.
Thank you Tony for putting me out of my Etonian misery.
I knew it couldn’t be correct but once I “saw” that E[ye], ANTONI* possibility I could see anything else.
On the other hand I really should have seen the IS for ‘S in 25A.
And of course hello to Cyclops – I’m sure many people solved 5A ending in U without questioning it. My aural memory has him pronounced like that.
Thank you for the explanations Beermagnet and Tony. If it’s any consolation I also convinced myself it was Marc Antoni for 7 acc. I was blissfully unaware of the misspelt Mobutu as it was the last one in and was thankful for completing after the previous week’s failure.
I can help you with 1A – mark (note) upset = eton, then eye leader = ian (Hyslop). Great little blog by the way.
Is the Eye crossword getting moe difficult each fortnight or am I just getting older?