Jumbo 956 – This one didnt have an extended deadline as far as I can tell.

Author   fathippy2Posted on Categories Jumbo Cryptic
Not the greatest puzzle this, some strange non-cryptic defs and double defs, but a great clue in 28D for the mathematical style. I will put my hands up to not parsing 3D or 8D so all suggestions gratefully received.

Across
1 NOSFERATU – (outre fans)* for the film. The definition was perhaps a little too helpful and could have done with something more cryptic.
6 DOWAGER – WAGER=gamble on DO=ditto=same thing again for the old woman. At the time I queried “old” as I believed it to be purely someone who was endowed from widowing, so not age dependent (although likely), however Chambers suggests one meaning is “old”.
10 GRUFF – GUFF=trivial talk around R=republican.
13 TWISTED – T=time, W=wife, (diets)*. Interestingly you can get rid of “wife” in the clue without spoiling it, given T(ime) W(ith) for TW.
14 IN TRAIN – INT=international, RAIN= sounds like reign=rule
15 MEANDER – MEAN=intend, RED=sign to stop, reversed
16 IN THE TEETH OF THE WIND – (he feinted then hit two)*. Anagrind is brutally
17 RHO – hidden in aiRHOstess
18 NUGGET – GUN reversed, GET=kill, for the thing one might find in a mine or pit
20 WRITHE – HE after WRIT=legal authority. Definition is a bit odd, although perhaps necessary for the surface.
21 BOSSANOVA – BOSS=manager, A NOVA= bright star
23 PIPED MUSIC – double def, highland implying BAGPIPES
25 RE-ENACTMENT – (men at centre)*
29 LOTUS – LOT=destiny, US=me and my friends
30 CLEAR-CUT – (real)* and CU=copper,inside CT=court
31 ESPRESSO – ES = ends of negotiatE priceS, PRESS=printer, O=over, for the coffee.
34 NANOTUBE – (on butane)*. Def – “its hard to see such a cylinder”.
36 SUPERNAL – Flan beheaded and reversed = NAL after SUP(p)ER.
37 SLING – LING=heather after S=small
39 TRADE SECRET – Weak cryptic def. Reads like a straight def to me, however I assume that the word PUBLIC in respect to a company may mislead.
41 SMOOTH OVER – S(old), MOOT=subject to dispute, HOVER=hang around
43 GALLIPOLI – GALL=bitterness, I, LOP=cut, reversed, I=current, for the military campaign
45 REMOVE – double def, although I didnt know the second one. Apparently REMOVE can be an intermediary class in school.
47 WISDOM – hidden in hoWISDOMitian. Solomon was the legendary wise king.
49 TOW – 3/9 of the word TOWELLING. Could have been ELL or ING, but wasnt!
50 A BLESSING IN DISGUISE – reference to the fact that BENISON is a blessing, hence it is disguised as Ben is on.
52 PENSIVE – EXPENSIVE=dear, EX=former partner, having left.
53 ORIFICE – OFFICE=bureau, with first F(key) changing to RI=right one. Def=opening
54 IRONIST – RON=Reagan familiarly, IS, all inside IT. Didnt know that contrary may suggest irony but seems right.
55 TIE-IN – IE=that is, inside TIN=metal.
56 LIMOGES – LIMO=car, then GrEaSe=grease regularly.
57 TRIUMPHAL – UMPH= upper-class MP and husband, inside TRIAL=court case. Def=celebrating.

Down
1 NUTRIENT – NUT=fanatic, then ORIENT=eastern, nothing less=drop the O. Def=good food
2 SHIFT – SH=quietly IFT=one foot
3 EXTREMENESS – Double def I assume, though not quite sure of parts of speech. “Way out character” is ok, but “involved in…” doesnt quite work??
4 ANDREW – DR inside ANEW=again, for the chap.
5 UNINTERESTED – (united resent)*. Typing this up after MAN UTD 2-3 BLACKBURN, it is quite topical as most of them were distinctly indifferent!
6 DETROIT – (tried to)* Nice surface pairing of clues with United and City next to each other.
7 WEAR THE TROUSERS – Double def, a bit contrived. If a chair was rough it would wear away your trousers.
8 GINGER BEER – Def=drink, rest went in from checkers, GIN=spirit, R=start to ramble, but how GERBEE is “before working meeting” I dont know!!
9 REMAINS – REINS=power to control, keeping MA=mother. Def = body after death.
10 GRANDMASTER – Cryptic definition, referring to chess.
11 UNDERDONE – Oxford students learn “UNDER DON”, then E for english. Def = half baked.
12 FORMOSA – FOR=in favour of, MO=second, SA(y)=state, mostly.
19 GLISTEN – Very nice novel mathematical clue here. The trick is with G=2, L=5, then GL is ten.
22 AMICABLE – AM I? CABLE= question of identity, delivered by telegram!
24 CIRCUIT TRAINING – Cryptic def, they havent been great in this grid so far !!
26 ABSOLUTE – SOLUTE = what goes into water, after AB=sailor, def = dead.
27 TROUGH – TOUGH=hard, crossing R=river, for the channel.
28 PLANET – Lift and separate alert!! Def = “what might be Venus”. PLANT= flytrap, say, around (mar)E.
32 STIPEND – TIP = reward for service, held in SEND=ship, for the church pay.
33 INCONVENIENT – IEN = that is, new, inside IN=fashionable, CONVENT = nuns.
35 TREPIDATION – (inept adroit)*
37 SMOKING ROOM – (I’m nook smog r)*. R from right. semi &lit, although a little too much explanatory padding.
38 BRAINSTORM – B=british, RAINSTORM=wet weather.
40 ALLOWANCE – pretty much a straight definition here, given that to “make an allowance” you tolerate the substandard ??
42 EMMENTAL – rinds suggests the outer letters so, E(da)M M(ad)E N(on-fa)T A(wfu)L.
43 GO TO POT – GOT=experienced, OP=work, OT=old testament=books.
44 OIL WELL – (s)OIL = earth without spades, WELL = excellently, semi &lit again.
46 MUGGINS – MUG = big cup, GINS = several alcoholic drinks.
48 BIKINI – The atoll which gave its name to the garment I believe.
51 IRISH – (FA)IRISH= reasonably good with the first two dropped. Setters as in the dogs.

6 comments on “Jumbo 956 – This one didnt have an extended deadline as far as I can tell.”

  1. def ‘Drink’; Ginger (= spirit), bee (= working group), r{amble} so far as I can see.

    Can’t help with 3dn. It simply seems to me to be a rather feeble CD.

  2. I agree with the explanation of 8dn. So far as 3dn is concerned, I think character = ness as in sameNESS, greenNESS etc.. so extremeness = way out ness = way out character.. not a great clue, maybe!
    Happy New Year, all
  4. DNF: never got PIPED MUSIC, and couldn’t believe that EXTREMENESS was correct. I liked 47 and 50ac. I think there has been difficulty with ‘bee’ before; I gather it’s an Americanism? Although I’ve never seen it used without a qualifier (‘spelling’, ‘quilting’, and just about nothing else). Best wishes to everyone for a good 2012.
  5. That parsing is no doubt right but i would at first glance query spirit=ginger. chambers has ginger (verb) as “to make spirited”, but whilst there is indication of the connection, there is not the replacement word for word ginger=spirit. There is no noun entry for spirit at all. The answer must lie in the verb “to spirit”, but if that was the case I would have expected it as one of the definitions rather than the more cumbersome “to make spirited” ??

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