Hi all. This was the Boxing Day bank holiday (substitute day) puzzle, Boxing Day itself having been a Saturday, with its very own regular Jumbo. It was a good season at least for Jumbo lovers (and I don’t mean sweethearts who had indulged in too much seasonal nosh). I found this last one of 2020 enjoyable and not too heavy. I liked the “cracking war hero” in 39d but needed a knight in shining armour to crack the wordplay in 54a. Thanks setter!
Definitions are underlined in the clues below. In the explanations, quoted indicators are in italics, explicit [deletions] are in square brackets, and I’ve capitalised and emboldened letters which appear in the ANSWER.
Across | |
1 | Barrel old US actress tipped over, its contents yellow (4,3) |
YOLK SAC — CASK (barrel) + LOY (old US Actress, Myrna Loy) reversed (tipped over) | |
5 | Framing judge, one is corrupt — that’s shameful (9) |
BAREFACED — Around (framing) REF (judge) & ACE (one) is BAD (corrupt) | |
10 | Bay tree’s part (4) |
BARK — Double definition | |
14 | Hollywood production that’s moving? (6,7) |
MOTION PICTURE — Cryptic definition with a pun on two meanings of moving | |
15 | Vandalising oil rig, mob makes mess (9) |
IMBROGLIO — Making an anagram of (vandalising) OIL RIG MOB gives the answer | |
16 | Resigned, he had to box with southpaw (4-6) |
LEFT-HANDED — LEFT (resigned) + HE’D (he had) around (to box) AND (with) | |
17 | Reviewing the situation, rustling cattle? (6,5) |
TAKING STOCK — Double definition | |
18 | Lecture screen behind head in classroom (5) |
CHIDE — HIDE (screen) after (behind) the first letter of (head in) Classroom | |
19 | Puff of smoke dashing motorsport (4,6) |
DRAG RACING — DRAG (puff of smoke) + RACING (dashing) | |
21 | Workshop so terribly untidy, disorder is offensive initially (6) |
STUDIO — So Terribly Untidy, Disorder Is Offensive, first letters (initially) | |
23 | Getting on on a grand scale? That’s manipulation (9) |
MASSAGING — MASS AGING might be getting on on a grand scale | |
25 | Coppers open certain bottles (5) |
PENCE — oPEN CErtain contains (bottles) the answer | |
26 | Entering club, champagne primarily on order for Greek character (7) |
OMICRON — Inside (entering) IRON (club) is the first letter of (… primarily) Champagne, this goes next to (on) OM (order, Order of Merit) | |
28 | Sporting club needing tutelage if hammered, fighting repercussions? (6,7) |
BATTLE FATIGUE — BAT (club) + an anagram of (… hammered) TUTELAGE IF | |
31 | Inside tackling the enemy? (5,4) |
DOING TIME — DOING (tackling) + TIME (the enemy) | |
33 | Forced training on a red dog (9) |
DRAGOONED — An anagram of (training) ON A RED DOG | |
35 | Current panic frequently requiring courage (5-2-3-3) |
STATE-OF-THE-ART — STATE (panic) + OFT (frequently) + HEART (courage) | |
37 | Brush back (7) |
SWEEPER — Double definition | |
38 | Two females securing a bundle (5) |
SHEAF — SHE & F (two females) containing (securing) A | |
40 | Tornado perhaps, spinning hole in a way (9) |
AEROPLANE — Reversal of (spinning) PORE (hole) inside (in) A & LANE (way) | |
42 | Become more sympathetic, maybe, or arrogant (6) |
UPPITY — To UP PITY could mean to become more sympathetic | |
44 | It’s very hairy stirring arsenic into some butter (7,3) |
PERSIAN CAT — An anagram of (stirring) ARSENIC goes into PAT (some butter) | |
46 | Unnatural lake beyond measure, ultimately (5) |
EERIE — ERIE (lake) after (beyond) the last letter of (… ultimately) measurE | |
48 | A fruit into which bloke injected poison (5,6) |
AGENT ORANGE — A & ORANGE (fruit) containing (into which … injected) GENT (bloke) | |
50 | Possible description of broken record too good for batsman? (10) |
UNPLAYABLE — Double definition | |
52 | Establish controversial doctrine about university (9) |
INTRODUCE — An anagram of (controversial) DOCTRINE around (about) U (university) | |
53 | How to get thousand, perhaps, for a number in the sixties (5,3,5) |
TWIST AND SHOUT — Cryptically, a way to get THOUSAND is to make an anagram of (TWIST) “AND SHOUT” | |
54 | Polish base for white castle? (4) |
HONE — h1 – H ONE – is the white rook’s initial position, or base, on a chessboard | |
55 | Garden set to go to seed in residence elsewhere? (9) |
ESTRANGED — GARDEN SET anagrammed (to go to seed) | |
56 | Having steered past it, reversal of plague made possible (7) |
ENABLED — The reversal of BANE (plague), followed by (having … past it) LED (steered) |
Down | |
1 | All ultimately easy, so warm up for difficult trek (4) |
YOMP — All last letters of (ultimately) easY, sO warM uP | |
2 | Take a chance on those stories about Tarka, say? (9) |
LOTTERIES — LIES (stories) around (about) OTTER (Tarka, say) | |
3 | Soccer game — penalty shoot-out? (4,3,4,11) |
SPOT THE BALL COMPETITION — Two definitions: the answer is a football-based game, or could be a description of a penalty shoot-out (spotting the ball referring to placing the ball accurately) | |
4 | Idea entertained by bogus composer (7) |
COPLAND — PLAN (idea) inside (entertained by) COD (bogus) | |
5 | Withdrawal of current support by man on board (11) |
BACKDRAUGHT — BACK (support) + DRAUGHT (man on board) | |
6 | Stumble after a few drinks: ultimately it gets us nowhere! (5,4) |
ROUND TRIP — TRIP (stumble) after ROUND (a few drinks) | |
7 | Flying boats (5) |
FLEET — Double definition | |
8 | Very little change in Orpington fare? (7,4) |
CHICKEN FEED — CHICKEN FEED might literally be fare for Orpingtons | |
9 | First-timer with sole fillet (6) |
DEBONE — DEB (first-timer) + ONE (sole) | |
11 | Each considered narration finished then? (3,4) |
ALL TOLD — If the narration is finished, you could say it is ALL TOLD | |
12 | Affordable place in Mayo, Irish county (9) |
KNOCKDOWN — KNOCK (place in Mayo) + DOWN (Irish country) | |
13 | Don’t worry, the army’s safer than the navy? (5,6,6,2,3) |
WORSE THINGS HAPPEN AT SEA — Definition plus an alternative interpretation of the answer | |
18 | Scout’s need affected plot (4,3) |
CAMP BED — CAMP (affected) + BED (plot) | |
20 | Measure of brightness is able to melt lead (7) |
CANDELA — CAN (is able to) + anagram (melt) LEAD | |
22 | Wonderful — as is martyr’s cause? (2,3,3) |
TO DIE FOR — Two definitions | |
24 | Fighters batting, cool test (8) |
INFANTRY — IN (batting) + FAN (cool) + TRY (test) | |
27 | Eaten up by Gujarati, a rice dish from India (5) |
RAITA — Hidden reversed in (eaten up by) GujarATI, A Rice | |
29 | Suggestion people should be under arrest, finally (5) |
TRACE — RACE (people) following (under) the last letter of (… finally) arresT | |
30 | Leader of girl guides, well, well, well? (7) |
GUSHERS — The first letter (leader) of Girl + USHERS (guides) | |
32 | Very high mass in timber, might you say? (7) |
EXTREME — M (mass) in EX TREE (timber, might you say?) | |
34 | Perception in recent minds, flawed (11) |
DISCERNMENT — RECENT MINDS anagrammed (flawed) | |
36 | Free image coming up, spread around (11) |
EMANCIPATED — PIC (image) reversed (coming up), surrounded by (with … around) EMANATED (spread) | |
37 | Native American shelters beginning to evaporate, slightly nauseous (9) |
SQUEAMISH — SQUAMISH (Native American) contains (shelters) the first letter of (beginning to) Evaporate | |
39 | With no love for foe, a cracking war hero? (9) |
FEATURING — F[o]E without O (with no love for …) + A & TURING (cracking war hero?) | |
41 | Someone had dessert in spring? (5,4) |
APRIL FOOL — A spring dessert might be an APRIL FOOL | |
43 | Fast descending on N Lancs town (7) |
PRESTON — PRESTO (fast) + N | |
45 | Retain wayward English student (7) |
TRAINEE — RETAIN anagrammed (wayward) + E (English) | |
47 | Carp or meat? (6) |
GROUSE — Two definitions | |
49 | Yesterday’s odds dropped before bagging ten more (5) |
EXTRA — yEsTeRdAy without the odd letters (odds dropped) containing (bagging) X (ten) | |
51 | Last to leave office: boss (4) |
STUD — STUDy (office) without the last letter (last to leave …) |
I don’t remember much now. I finished all green, but with 3:26:45 on the clock. I know I liked TWIST AND SHOUT and the very neat HONE. Thanks for the blog.
I jumped around just grinding my way through it, although the SW corner was the most difficult with SQUEAMISH, PRESTON, UPPITY, AGENT ORANGE and HONE. I still don’t think I know SQUAMISH, but just by putting a Q before the U the answer just popped out.
Thanks to the setter. The hard work doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. And thanks again Kitty_404 for the blog. I don’t think I’ve seen your name before? So, hi. kap
I haven’t been a regular commenter for some time, and never here as I mainly do Independent and barred cryptics. Work and other hobbies (I mean hobbies other than crosswords, not that work is a hobby) have all encroached on the time I used to devote to puzzling. I’ve been one of the five Jumbo bloggers since mid-2019 and also blog Independent and EV puzzles on another site.
It’s a shame for the setters when they don’t get much feedback, but understandable that by the time posts on prize puzzles appear people have moved on. These days I can barely remember yesterday.
Edited at 2021-01-10 04:47 pm (UTC)
My compliments to the setter for this thoroughly enjoyable exercise.