An enjoyable puzzle from Cyclops this time. The clue surfaces were at their story-telling best, in the usual Private Eye style.
The puzzle started with 1d’s hilarious surface reading, and was solved faster than I expected. The anagram part was clearly signalled. But I am tempted to award it my top clue badge for the surface reading – and I will!
Then I slapped in 8a – wrong. I do have trouble pronouncing and thus spelling “NM” words.
Among other clues worthy of note I will pick out 12/13. Even though WREAK is not an adjective, this reminds me of a wordgame I have stumbled upon recently:
Nounsense: https://daily.gametje.com/nounsense/ You are presented with an adjective and have to supply the most apt noun. Maybe it’s just me but I like to get a really low non-zero score.
Thus the last clue solved was 2d – it did not help at all having a crossing N instead of M and it took a while to figure out what was going on.
| Across | ||
|---|---|---|
| 8 | ENMITY | Malice spreads anytime leader is kicked out (6) ([a]NYTIME)* AInd: spreads. One of those NM words I have trouble spelling and pronouncing correctly, and don’t ask me to say ANENOME |
| 9 | MAGNOLIA | Bush gets Trump backers to import northern crude oil (8) (N[orthern] OIL)* AInd: crude, inside (imported by) MAGA (Trump backers) Magnolias are lovely but their flowers seem to be over so quickly |
| 11 | GREEN BELT | Maybe Polanski goes on strike to secure undeveloped land (5,4) GREEN (Polanski, maybe), BELT (strike) Nice to see Zack as Green Party leader getting his place as an example in a cryptic clue. |
| 12/13 | WREAK HAVOC | Vow a hacker made about what Trump’s actions do (5,5) (VOW A HACKER)* AInd: made about. Not many things get “Wreaked” none of them good. Havoc, Destruction, Revenge, Vengeance, any more? |
| 15 | PARAMEDIC | Pence joins Democrats in America – oddly a potential life-saver (9) (P[ence] D[emocrats] AMERICA)* AInd: oddly. Ref. surface of the clue: Stranger things have happened? |
| 17 | COPPER | “Old boiler“: can that be PC? (6) Double Def. I remember pushing clothes around in the copper when I was small, before mum got a twin-tub |
| 18 | CINEMA | Pictures of Chirac in email content (6) Hidden in ChiraC IN EMAil, Hidden Ind: content Also from the 60s, I never knew the Cinema as anything than “The Pictures” or “The Flicks” |
| 21 | LOSE TOUCH | Cryptic clue’s too hard – fail to keep up (4,5) (CLUE’S TOO H[ard])* AInd: cryptic. And the list of films not yet watched and books not yet read gets longer. Maybe when I retire. |
| 23 | SOCKS | Beats members’ wear (5) Double Def. Do not make the mistake of putting condoms on your feet. They’re too tight. |
| 24 | NIGEL | Party leader finally beaten by international set (5) [beate]N I[nternational] GEL (set) Fartage’s true colours coming out recently |
| 26 | TERMINATE | Wind up getting temperature one time, on wearing fur (9) T[emperature] A T (one time) inside (on wearing) ERMINE (fur) Terminate the Ermine! (Abolish the House of Lords) |
| 28 | EMISSARY | State agent is into working? My arse! (8) IS (is) inside (into) (MY ARSE)* AInd: working. Turns out our ex-US Emissary was an utter arse after all |
| 29 | SPOILT | Over-indulged Post Office is covered in mud (6) PO (Post Office) inside (is covered in) SILT (mud) The Post Office’s name is still mud after the Horizon scandal. I wonder how many decades it will take to regain its reputation. Sir Rowland Hill will be spinning in his grave. |
| Down | ||
| 1 | LENGTHY | Long and hard, gently stimulated all round (7) (GENTLY)* AInd: stimulated, around H[ard] Surface reading in classic Eye clue style. |
| 2 | IMPERVIOUS | Unmoved, just like Trump crushing Republicans? (10) Double Def. Hard as nails and twice as thick |
| 3 | STUN | Balls dropped? Just the opposite, causing shock (4) NUTS< (Balls) reversed (opposite of dropped) The reverse might be a shock. |
| 4 | BANTER | Ridicule ten getting pissed in pub (6) (TEN)* AInd: getting pissed, inside BAR (pub) Only ten? I suppose the goalie was the designated driver. |
| 5 | IN TWO MINDS | Cares halved at first? Doubtful (2,3,5) MINDS (Cares) IN TWO (halved) at first It might be useful having to minds. I could catch up my reading whilst watching a film. |
| 6 | CLUE | Tip: Labour leader needed inside prompt (4) L[abour] inside CUE (prompt) I put the def. as “tip” but it could almost be taken as “prompt” and tip used to provide CUE |
| 7 | PACK ICE | Crew with US enforcement, very dangerous in the main (4,3) PACK (crew) ICE (US enforcement) I have been on a cruise ship and concur, it is dangerous to pack too much ice in your scotch on the rocks |
| 14 | CAPITALIST | Restrict sex with celebrated tycoon? (10) CAP (Restrict) IT (sex) A-LIST (celebrated) Is that why Musk is such an arsehole? |
| 16 | DEMOCRATIC | “Un-Republican” march – Commander-in-Chief covers arse (10) DEMO (march) CIC (Commander-in-Chief) around (covers) RAT (arse) … as is always the way |
| 18 | COHORT | Military unit in Pacific – oh, or Tehran (6) Hidden in PacifiC – OH, OR Tehran Roman military unit of about 480 soldiers. Don’t annoy them. |
| 19 | SLANDER | Smear last of oil inside tool (7) [oi]L inside SANDER (tool) You get bad mouthed if you don’t ensure your sander is well oiled |
| 20 | ASSENTS | A number of thumbs up Trump’s behind – tens perhaps? (7) ASS (behind, US style) (TENS)* AInd: perhaps. There’s more than a few thumbs up there |
| 22 | UPTURN | Holding power, what Thatcher wouldn’t do for a boost (6) P[ower] inside (held by) U-TURN (what Thatcher wouldn’t do) Some would say Thatcher held power too long |
| 25/10 | GRIM REAPER | You’ll be dead unlucky when he comes at you with his long tool (4,6) Cryptic clue Steer clear of anyone waving a scythe about |
| 27 | IMPS | Trouble-makers backing politician’s intrusion into lives (4) MP (politician) inside (intrusion in) IS (lives) Do politicians intrude into our lives too much, or too little? |
I tried to read a book on the history of Sellotape, but I couldn’t find the beginning.