The topical and the historical, in our pick of the most interesting cryptic clues
As we wonder whether the prime minister’s party (or indeed her Commons) will announce wilted confidence in her ability to fill some constitutionally vital post (or another), as we wonder what might happen next, and as we wonder whether the Queen’s Christmas message will involve more news about election dates than it usually does, Boatman imagines a timely editorial:
28dMirrorleaders excoriating Commons: ‘Useless chamber’ (4)
[ wordplay: first letters (‘leaders’) of EXCORIATING COMMONS, then a word for ‘chamber’ without the letters USE (‘useless’) ]
[ EC, then HOUSE without USE ]
[ definition: mirror ]
15dTailor cries over Trump becomingmore untidy (9)
[ wordplay: anagram of (‘tailor’ as a verb) CRIES, surrounding synonym in card games for ‘trump’ ]
[ SCIER surrounding RUFF ]
[ definition: more untidy ]
33dTrump’s excessive sensitivity? After publicity stunt he’s appearing in wild satire (13)
[ wordplay: term for ‘publicity stunt’, then HES (‘he’s’) contained by anagram of (‘wild’) SATIRE ]
[ HYPE, then HES inside RESTIA ]
[ definition: Trump’s excessive sensitivity? ]
27d Fanny Adams finds Puck in Log Cabin extremely elevated (3)
[ wordplay: single-letter pronoun for the setter (‘Puck’), inside (‘in’) first and last letters (‘extremely’) of LOGCABIN, backwards (‘elevated’ in a down clue) ]
[ I inside LN, backwards ]
[ definition: Fanny Adams ]
9ac/19dTight chaperone making needless overtures? (9,2,3,9)
[ wordplay: reverse clue indicating TIGHTCHAPERONE ]
[ phrase that might indicate an anagram of PREACHINGTOTHE ]
[ definition: (making) needless overtures ]