Clues
Across
- 1, 2D Irish assembly defeated over one leader nearing exit poll? (5, 5)
- 4 Nurse unable to avoid regular routine (5)
- 7 Shot a screenplay? (5)
- 8 United at last, ruby with fine emerald casing (5)
Down
- 1 Red-faced and filthy, scratching head (5)
- 2 See 1A.
- 3 One misinterpreted Dali’s old poetry (5)
- 5 Title held by one arising? Indeed! (3)
- 6 In the morning, one’s direct (3)
Setter’s notes
This one has a bit of UK politics from mid-2024, which may flummox anyone outside Britain — apologies. 1 Across / 2 Down was Prime Minister at the time, and had just called a snap election.
5 Down also invites apology. It’s intended as an “&lit” clue, where the whole clue does double duty as both definition and wordplay, referring to the knightly dubbing “Arise, Sir So-and-so”. I suspect it doesn’t quite work.
Across
- 1 & 2 Down An anagram (“assembly”) of IRISH + “defeated” = SUNK, over “one” = A — RISHI SUNAK.
- 4 Skip alternate letters of “nUrSe UnAbLe” — USUAL, “routine”.
- 7 “Shot” = DRAM + A — DRAMA, a screenplay.
- 8 The last of “rubY” = Y + “fine” = OK + the casing of “EmeralD” = ED — YOKED, “united”.
Down
- 1 “Filthy” = CRUDDY, with its head scratched off — RUDDY, “red-faced”.
- 3 “One” = I + an anagram (“misinterpreted”) of DALI — ILIAD.
- 5 Hidden reversed (“arising”) in “aRISing” — SIR, the title.
- 6 “One” = I, inside “in the morning” = AM — AIM, “direct”.