Hi everybody. Although I had to verify a couple of things for the blog (the football team and the big fish), I found this pretty straightforward. It occupied me for just over 50 minutes which would normally indicate a gentle-to-moderate jumbo. However, that time is probably a bit longer than it would have been because I was doing it on my phone in bed and dozing off by the end. (That should not be taken as commentary on the puzzle: I often solve myself to sleep in this way!)
My highlights are the pirates’ domain in 17a, the 19a pot user, 29a and 21d (for their surfaces) and the large bear upset in 47d. Thanks setter.
Definitions are underlined in the clues below. In the explanations, most quoted indicators are in italics, specified [deletions] are in square brackets, and I’ve capitalised and emboldened letters which appear in the ANSWER. For clarity, I omit most link words and some juxtaposition indicators.
| Across | |
| 1a | Underwear line made smaller for French establishment (9) |
| BRASSERIE — BRAS (underwear) + SERIEs (line) truncated (made smaller) | |
| 6a | Thief to make decision in pool? (10) |
| PICKPOCKET — To PICK (a) POCKET could be to make a decision in pool, the game | |
| 12a | Went back with Frenchman, eg to return diamonds (7) |
| RENEGED — RENÉ (Frenchman) + EG reversing (to return) + D (diamonds) | |
| 13a | Like some architecture in British university town’s entrance — top-tier (9) |
| BRUTALIST — BR (British) + U (university) + town’s first letter (entrance) + A–LIST (top-tier) | |
| 14a | Get to give a sermon without introduction (5) |
| REACH — pREACH (give a sermon) minus the first letter (without introduction) | |
| 16a | Crème de la crème of joints to the east of Brentford FC (3,4,5) |
| THE BEE’S KNEES — KNEES (joints) following (to the east of, in an across entry) THE BEES (Brentford FC – nickname of) | |
| 17a | Busy period in pirates’ domain, with no going back (4,6) |
| HIGH SEASON — HIGH SEAS (pirates’ domain) with NO reversed (going back) | |
| 19a | Policeman, one stopping pot user — an artist (5,9) |
| CHIEF CONSTABLE — I (one) inside (stopping) CHEF (pot user) + CONSTABLE (an artist) | |
| 22a | Wow — fib about extremely dashing old leader (8) |
| COOLIDGE — COO (wow) + LIE (fib) around (about) the outer letters of (extremely) DashinG | |
| 24a | Certify central portion of data examination (6) |
| ATTEST — The central portion of dATa + TEST (examination) | |
| 25a | Footballer with a bit of money getting on with support (6,4) |
| CENTRE BACK — CENT (a bit of money) + RE (on) + BACK (support) | |
| 26a | Improperly, mainly invest in island (5) |
| NEVIS — An anagram of (improperly) most of (mainly) INVESt | |
| 29a | With no time at the end, competition is deadlocked (4) |
| EVEN — Without the final T (with no time at the end), EVEN[t] (competition) | |
| 30a | Plane tilts back — let go! (8) |
| SPITFIRE — TIPS (tilts) back + FIRE (let go) | |
| 32a | Return to ground and score, getting 6 points (5,4) |
| TOUCH DOWN — Two definitions | |
| 34a | Heard work by instrument that’s shared between friends (5,4) |
| PEACE PIPE — PEACE, which sounds like (heard) PIECE (work), by PIPE (instrument) | |
| 35a | Parrot, maybe, swallows tablet periodically, showing sign of overindulgence (8) |
| POTBELLY — POLLY (parrot, maybe) takes in (swallows) TaBlEt periodically | |
| 36a | Soft rock featuring in metal concert (4) |
| TALC — The answer is featuring in meTAL Concert | |
| 39a | Light brown garments on at first for dance (5) |
| TANGO — TAN (light brown) + initial letters of (… at first) Garments On | |
| 40a | Endlessly feast on French writer’s cheese (10) |
| GORGONZOLA — Without the last letter (endlessly) GORGe (feast) on ZOLA (French writer) | |
| 42a | Saint breaking rule to stand down (6) |
| RESIGN — S (saint) going into (breaking) REIGN (rule) | |
| 44a | Those who don’t believe in ex-Cuban leader and head of state (8) |
| INFIDELS — IN + FIDEL (ex-Cuban leader) + the head of State | |
| 46a | Fool infiltrates cultural movement for survey (14) |
| RECONNAISSANCE — CON (fool) enters (infiltrates) RENAISSANCE (cultural movement) | |
| 48a | Robot from a film has period in a hill (10) |
| TERMINATOR — TERM (period) + IN + A + TOR (hill) | |
| 49a | Leicester cop ordered to create shadowy law enforcement group (6,6) |
| SECRET POLICE — LEICESTER COP anagrammed (ordered) | |
| 53a | Relax briefly with daughter’s kid (5) |
| CHILD — CHILl (relax) briefly with D (daughter) | |
| 54a | I am quick to get uniform that’s not prepared (9) |
| IMPROMPTU — I’M (I am) + PROMPT (quick) + U (uniform) | |
| 55a | Second chance to hear new trailer? (7) |
| RETRIAL — An anagram of (new) TRAILER | |
| 56a | Reportedly was familiar with Boston’s location? It’s here! (3,7) |
| NEW ENGLAND — NEW – reportedly KNEW (was familiar with) + ENGLAND (Boston’s location – the one in Lincolnshire) | |
| 57a | I dared her to dance like Rita Hayworth (3-6) |
| RED-HAIRED — An anagram of (… to dance) I DARED HER | |
| Down | |
| 1d | Overdo it grabbing empty bottles (5) |
| BINGE — GrabBING Empty contains or bottles the answer | |
| 2d | RAF agitated with English submarine type? (10) |
| ANGLERFISH — Anagrammed (agitated), RAF with ENGLISH | |
| 3d | Circus attraction features teams in what way? (8) |
| SIDESHOW — SIDES (teams) + HOW? (in what way?) | |
| 4d | Flier showcasing reduced clothing (5) |
| ROBIN — Without the last letter (reduced) ROBINg (clothing) | |
| 5d | Former taxi company worker, for one, is high-spirited (9) |
| EXUBERANT — EX– (former) + UBER (taxi company) + ANT (worker, for one) | |
| 6d | Flavour for some scotch eggs originally found in bit of butter (4) |
| PEAT — The initial letter of (… originally) Eggs found in PAT (bit of butter) | |
| 7d | Majority of gel pens in medical centre (6) |
| CLINIC — The majority of CLICk (gel) contains (pens) IN | |
| 8d | Plot to succeed — leave carrying large bed cover (9,5) |
| PATCHWORK QUILT — PATCH (plot) + WORK (to succeed) + QUIT (leave) holding (carrying) L (large) | |
| 9d | Freedom to transport English character in A Streetcar Named Desire (5,7) |
| CARTE BLANCHE — CART (to transport) + E (English) + BLANCHE (character in A Streetcar Named Desire) | |
| 10d | Proceeded with punishment from coach, entering river backwards (7) |
| ELAPSED — LAPS (punishment from coach) entering DEE (river) backwards | |
| 11d | Character running to catch one creature in the north (6,4) |
| ARCTIC HARE — CHARACTER anagrammed (running) holding (to catch) I (one) | |
| 15d | Hotel gets irritated about entourage (7-2) |
| HANGERS-ON — H (hotel) + ANGERS (gets irritated) + ON (about) | |
| 18d | Small vegetable established to be the most shiny (8) |
| SLEEKEST — S (small) + LEEK (vegetable) + EST (established) | |
| 20d | Generally, popular home occupied by those people first of all? (2,3,4) |
| IN THE MAIN — IN (popular) and IN (home) containing (occupied by) THEM (those people) and the first of All | |
| 21d | You and I must be seen in fancy theatres, darling (10) |
| SWEETHEART — WE (you and I) seen in an anagram of (fancy) THEATRES | |
| 23d | Violently liberates northern walled city once (4,6) |
| EAST BERLIN — An anagram of (violently) LIBERATES + N (northern) | |
| 27d | Breach metal around front of opening underneath instrument (9) |
| VIOLATION — TIN (metal) around the first letter of (front of) Opening underneath VIOLA (instrument) | |
| 28d | May chores bring about release of ultimately problematic tendency? (6-8) |
| SPRING-CLEANING — SPRING (bring about release of) + ultimately problematiC + LEANING (tendency) | |
| 31d | Devilish sort moved around a lot and got better (8) |
| IMPROVED — IMP (devilish sort) + ROVED (moved around a lot) | |
| 33d | Support fraud in subordinate role (6,6) |
| SECOND FIDDLE — SECOND (support) + FIDDLE (fraud) | |
| 34d | Nationalist at violent disturbance caught in photo (9) |
| PATRIOTIC — AT and RIOT (violent disturbance) caught in PIC (photo) | |
| 37d | Heroine recalled in novel (10) |
| CINDERELLA — RECALLED IN anagrammed (novel) | |
| 38d | Blowgun damaged ape’s nose (3,7) |
| PEA SHOOTER — An anagram of (damaged) APE’S + HOOTER (nose) | |
| 41d | Animal worker in rush to get rid of last big fish (9) |
| ZOOKEEPER — ZOOm (rush) removing the end (to get rid of last) + KEEPER (big fish – a fish large enough to be kept when caught) | |
| 43d | Waiter is moving plant (8) |
| WISTERIA — WAITER IS anagrammed (moving) | |
| 45d | Pardon four caught inside blacksmith’s workshop (7) |
| FORGIVE — IV (four) caught inside FORGE (blacksmith’s workshop) | |
| 47d | Upset a large bear, creating fuss (6) |
| HOOPLA — A, L (large) and POOH (bear), all reversed (upset …) | |
| 50d | Some drinks, like 100? (5) |
| ROUND — Double definition; 100 is a ROUND number | |
| 51d | Epic work, one penned by rising artist (5) |
| ILIAD — I (one) penned by the reversal of (rising) DALÍ (artist) | |
| 52d | By the sound of it, was on highway (4) |
| ROAD — By the sound of it, RODE (was on) | |
A fairly ho-hum Jumbo. No DNKs except Brentford FC. I liked PEA SHOOTER.
Mostly straightforward but I failed on 10dn and resorted to aids. Having looked it up I didn’t understand the wordplay (NHO laps as punishment) and I still don’t get the definition ‘proceeded / ELAPSED’ which is not in my two thesauruses either way, not directly anyway, but maybe there’s scope fore a three-point turn.
I missed the wordplay in ZOOKEEPER too as I didn’t know the fishing term.
It’s no surprise the Brentford FC nickname was unknown but it didn’t give me any problems.
I thought of the PE teacher making one do laps around the yard as a punishment, or just because he could.
I have a vague recollection of such a punishment but don’t associate it with the word ‘laps’. It makes sense though. Thanks.
A straight through 37 minute solve, a bare 10 minutes more than Middle Brother. As always, I struggled to spell RECONNAISSANCE, and since I struggle to spell it without the CON the clue wasn’t much help. But a pleasant way to pass a damp Saturday morning.
Could I just ask a general question? – is the Jumbo considered to be on a par with the main daily cryptic, or does it lean more towards the quick cryptic in difficulty?
It varies in difficulty and there are some clues at QC level but I don’t think you could ever equate the whole puzzle with a Jumbo QC. The Jumbo was around for a long time before the QC was invented and the general level of difficulty has not changed.
Many thanks – have just started trying it and that’s about how I saw it, quite difficult (at my rather basic level!)