Not the trickiest of solves this time, and as usual full of topical references.
There were still a few that I struggled over such as WRAITH and PARALYSE so a nice one.
| Across | ||
|---|---|---|
| 6 | TEA TOWEL | Arafat’s apparent habit of spreading tale about sources of “the offensive Private Eye”? (3,5) TALE* AInd: spreading, around first letters of T[he] O[ffensive] and WE (Private Eye) |
| 8 | WRAITH | Sun worshipper’s object: to enter in the company of spirit (6) RA (Sun worshipper’s object) inside WITH (in the company of). I found this very tricky |
| 10 | ALBUM | Record of Democrat loser – crappy (5) AL (Gore – Democrat loser) BUM (crappy) |
| 11 | LAND A BLOW | Turn up with top grade cocaine to engage in debate UKIP-style? (4,1,4) LAND (Turn up) “A” (top grade) BLOW (cocaine) Reference to the forthright debating style of UKIP <link to last month’s story> |
| 12 | SUGARCOAT | Try to conceal the unpleasantness of a businessman on TV film (9) SUGAR (Ref. “Sralan” Sugar – a businessman on TV) COAT (film) |
| 14 | SICKO | Having retired, agreed Cameron primarily is degenerate (5) OK (agreed) C[ameron] IS, all reversed (Having retired) |
| 16 | POINT OF NO RETURN | On frontier, not up for reform when Article 50 triggered? (5,2,2,6) (ON FRONTIER NOT UP)* AInd: for reform |
| 18/23 | ROYAL MINT | They make millions, just like Brenda & co – sweet (5,4) ROYAL (just like Brenda & co) MINT (sweet) |
| 22 | LIMELIGHT | Might lie about pursuing the ultimate in ephemeral fame (9) (MIGHT LIE)* AInd: about, after [ephemera]L |
| 25 | HIT ON | As women close to Donald might be? “Darlin’, sex is in!” (3,2) HON’ (Short for Honey – “Darlin'” ) around IT (sex) |
| 26 | SENIOR | Major is one needled by Right (6) (IS ONE)* AInd: needled, then R[ight] |
| 27 | EMINENCE | Bed exhibitor wants money, not power (chiefly) and fame (8) EMIN (Tracy E – Bed exhibitor) [p]ENCE (money, not power (chiefly) ) |
| Down | ||
| 1 | TOMMY-ROT | Soldier, over the hill, raised cock (5-3) TOMMY (soldier) TOR< (the hill, raised) |
| 3 | BROADS | Sexist women‘s bastard ways (6) B[astard] ROADS (ways) |
| 5 | SHOWDOWN | Confrontation engineered by Democrat, initially, in “who’s won?” fiasco (8) D[emocrat] inside (WHO’S WON)* AInd: fiasco |
| 6/20 | THAT’S THE TICKET | “Situation just fine,” as Trump and Pence agreed? (5,3,6) Double Def. |
| 7 | AMBIGUITY | Double-entendre from May: “Bug I squashed having sex” (9) (MAY BUG I + IT (sex))* AInd: squashed |
| 9 | ONE-TO-ONE | Bad tone, nothing alike, Trump-Obama meeting? (3-2-3) TONE* AInd: bad, O (nothing) ONE (alike?) |
| 13 | OFFSTAGE | Sleazy, touching leg out of view of the audience (8) OFF (sleazy) STAGE (leg) |
| 15 | CHUCK IT IN | Concede: “Love sex (not outdoors)” (5,2,2) CHUCK (Love – as a term of endearment) IT (sex – again) IN (not outdoors) |
| 16 | PARALYSE | Dull state mass meeting to oust Left (Home Counties) (8) PA (state – Pennsylvania) RALLY – L (mass meeting to oust Left) SE (Home Counties) |
| 17 | EPIPHANY | Religious revelation from drippy hippy with an ‘E’ (8) (HIPPY AN E)* AInd: drippy |
| 19 | LOLLOP | Idle Hank takes two lengths (6) LOOP (hank) around LL (two Lengths) |
| 21 | TINGE | Get screwed outside in shade (5) GET* AInd: screwed, around IN |
| 24/4/2 | TIME WILL TELL | Wait and see? Well, little will change when one’s installed (4,4,4) (WELL LITTLE)* AInd: will change, around I’M (one’s) |
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Clues that I thought might have been better worded:
24/4/2, to avoid using the word the word ‘will’ in the clue.
16d, where ‘dull’ is a very weak approximation to ‘paralyse’.
Thanks beermagnet – along with John E I felt 16d was a bit of stretch.
Re 9d ONE = Alike. Couldn’t get that at first but looked it up in Chambers Crossword Dictionary and OED and seems to be where things belong to ONE standard. Is that the sense?
John E: I agree on both points.
Franko: I am still a bit confused about how “alike” can deliver “ONE” – I was justifying it via “A-like” = “1-like”, first in a list, that kind of thing, if you see what I mean. (Where’s the emoji for waving hands? …)
I looked upon it as when things look alike they look ‘as one’. (waving his hands!).
“One and the same”
Thank you Winsor. “As one” = alike. Got it.
I’ve only just subscribed and found the crossword impossible so thanks for explaining!