A mostly middle-of-the-road Jumbo but with some clever clues, inventive wordplay and a sting in the tail. I had all but 7 answers after 36 minutes, but then after another 12 minutes resorted to aids to find my last two – 6A and 35A. My favourite was the very groanworthy homophone at 55A, but 16A was fun too. A good test and good entertainment. Just how a Jumbo should be. Thank-you setter!
You can find the crossword online here (Times subscription required).
Definitions underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc, {deletions} and [] other indicators.
| Across | |
| 1 | Chat, drinking sharpener in front of university eatery (9) |
| GASTROPUB – GAB (chat) including, [drinking],STROP (sharperner) + U (University). | |
| 6 | Book, complex in morals, bringing in something to help plot flourish? It could be this (13) |
| BILDUNGSROMAN – B (book) + DUNG (something to help plot flourish) in (in morals)* [complex]. Nice one. I loved the “something to help plot flourish”. A new word on me, though, and I needed a wordfinder to find it. Read about it here. | |
| 13 | Penalty over Republican’s offensive poster (5) |
| TROLL – TOLL (penalty) outside, [over], R (Republican). | |
| 14 | Stops needing keys when playing in this gallery (5,4) |
| ORGAN LOFT – Cryptic Definition. Obvious when you see it, as I did quickly, but some might find it mysterious. | |
| 15 | Deride boring fans whose seats — and more — are exposed (7) |
| NUDISTS – DIS (deride) inside, [boring], NUTS (fans). A bit of an odd definition but it makes an enetertaining surface reading. | |
| 16 | Emerges better off when setter stops silly golf clues and spoonerisms (5,2,8,2,5) |
| COMES UP SMELLING OF ROSES – Do I really have to parse this? The answer was obvious to me from the definition and checkers. But I suppose I must. It’s ME (setter) inside, [stops], [silly] (golf clues spoonerisms)*. What a brilliant surface! | |
| 18 | Atypical blue berets, green on one side (8) |
| UNCOMMON – UN (blue berets) + COMMON (village green). “On one side” is a juxtaposition indicator here. | |
| 20 | Anything at all occupying the German girl? (8) |
| DAUGHTER – AUGHT (anything at all) in DER (the in German). If I were being picky I might point out that “the” in German for a girl would be “DIE” rather than “DER”, but that would be unkind. | |
| 21 | Herb, once your covering for marinade (5) |
| THYME – THY (your, once) + outside letters, [covering for], M{arinad}E. Nice, but I still prefer my own clue from one of my Weekend Quick Cryptics (this one) – “Leaves your old mate gutted (5)”. | |
| 23 | Poor lad leaving United, whatshisname … (6) |
| THINGY – THIN (poor) + G{u}Y (lad) without the U [leaving united]. | |
| 24 | Please clap along with a group’s finale (6) |
| APPEAL – A + Last letter [finale] of grouP + PEAL (clap of thunder). | |
| 25 | Unpleasant imp’s trap cutting ferret and flipping duck (9) |
| HOBGOBLIN – GOB (mouth; trap) in HOB (male ferret) + NIL (0; duck) reversed, [flipping], -> LIN. | |
| 28 | Old husband in motor, arrested by roadside for swindle (10) |
| OVERCHARGE – A double inclusion. O (old) + H (husband) in CAR (motor) all in, [arrested by], VERGE (roadside). | |
| 29 | Playing Scrabble so timidly at first, I need a word quickly (4) |
| PSST – Initially [at first] Playing Scrabble So Timidly. | |
| 30 | Broadcast led Ayer astray (7) |
| RELAYED – (led Ayer)* [astray]. | |
| 32 | Admission of guilt a little spiv accepts after being rejected (7) |
| PECCAVI – Reverse hidden [a little… after being rejected] in spIV ACCEPts. | |
| 34 | Light-hearted Brownie, possibly less loud (4) |
| AIRY – {f}AIRY (Brownie, possiby) without the F (forte; loud). | |
| 35 | Among bargains, “Reduced” sign for glasses (10) |
| BAROMETERS – OME{n} (sign) [reduced], in, [ampng], BARTERS (bargains, the verb). My LOI. Not knowing barometers could be referred to as glasses, I needed aids to get it. | |
| 38 | Bread from ill-tempered cook — it’s disgusting! (9) |
| SOURDOUGH – SOUR (ill-tempered) + DO (cook) + UGH (it’s disgusting). | |
| 39 | Macabre agent close to Philby (6) |
| SPOOKY – SPOOK ((secret) agent) + last letter of PhilbY. | |
| 40 | Darned treasurer’s tucked into spread messily (6) |
| STREWN – TR (treasurer) [tucked into] SEWN (darned). | |
| 43 | Before church, contemptible person renouncing Saint Mark (5) |
| NOTCH – {s}NOT (contemptible person) [renouncing] the S (Saint) + CH (church). | |
| 45 | Hated cue cards when performing (8) |
| ACCURSED – (cue cards)* [when performing]. | |
| 47 | Periodically selected bits from Troggs number in concert (8) |
| TOGETHER – Alternate letters, [periodically selected], from TrOgGs + ETHER (anaesthetic; number). | |
| 49 | Smart technology detectable initially in emails? (10,12) |
| ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE – …the initials of which are ‘detectable’, i.e. hidden, in emAIls. Clever wordplay. | |
| 52 | Preacher’s mild, perhaps embodying Job (7) |
| APOSTLE – POST (job) in ALE (mild, perhaps). | |
| 53 | Hair swept back as the French have it, she departs in glossy coat (9) |
| ENAMELLED – MANE (hair) [swept back] -> ENAM + ELLE (she, as the French have it) + D (departs in a railway or bus timetable). | |
| 54 | Best kind of tablet in drink, originally effervescent (5) |
| ELITE – E (ecstasy; kind of table) + LIT (drunk; in drink) + first letter of Effervescent. | |
| 55 | Call noble lady with lots of land (reportedly) for tourists (13) |
| HOLIDAYMAKERS – HOLI + DAYM + AKERS sounds like [reportedly] HOLLER (call) DAME (noble lady) ACRES (lots of land). Very groanworthy, as the best homophone clues are. | |
| 56 | Flour in what could be ham roll for Spooner (9) |
| WHEATMEAL – MEAT ( ham) + WHEEL (roll) Spoonerised -> WHEAT + MEAL. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Followed round by Yard, begin legal proceedings (2,2,5) |
| GO TO COURT – GOT (understood; followed) + O (round letter) + COURT (yard). | |
| 2 | One son ignoring lost cash (mine!) playing gaming device (4,7) |
| SLOT MACHINE – (lo{s}t cash mine)* [playing], losing the first S (son) from the anagrist. A confusing looking clue but if you stick to the principle of “find the definition and then the wordplay indicator” it becomes less arcane. | |
| 3 | Is superior game with Leeds shown regularly? (5) |
| RULES – RU (Rugby Union; game) + alternate letters of LeEdS [shown regularly]. | |
| 4 | Scoff at pub includes two doughnuts before band turns up (4-4) |
| POOH POOH – O + O (two doughnuts; 0s) in PH (public house; pub) + HOOP (band) [turns up]-> POOH. Doughnut for 0 comes from tennis slang referring to a set lost 6-0. | |
| 5 | Times checking one school crime (6) |
| BIGAMY – I (one) + GAM (school of whales) in BY (times). | |
| 6 | Eg “Rich British knight protecting a duke”, newspaper article (10) |
| BANDLEADER – “Buddy” Rich. A in B (British) + N (knight in chess notation) + D (duke) + LEADER (newspaper article). | |
| 7 | Fantastic long kiss with gal over, I’m reflective (7,5) |
| LOOKING GLASS – [Fantastic] (long kiss gal o)* , with O for “over”, | |
| 8 | On horseback, legwear mostly prickly (7) |
| UPTIGHT – UP (on horseback) + TIGHT{s} (legwear) [mostly]. | |
| 9 | Missing what Liz Taylor was said to have done on Cleopatra’s set? (4,3,1,6) |
| GONE FOR A BURTON – Double definition, the second referring to the romance between Liz Taylor and Richard Burton. I had WENT FOR A BURTON at first, which made 6A impossible. | |
| 10 | Camp entertainer embarrassed over film (7) |
| REDCOAT – A Butlins entertainer. RED (embarrased) + COAT (film of e.g. paint). | |
| 11 | Closed book on piano before song, religious work (7,4) |
| MYSTERY PLAY – MYSTERY (closed book) + P (piano) + LAY (song). | |
| 12 | Snoopy elevated boy and Lucy at the end (4) |
| NOSY – SON (boy) [elevated] -> NOS, + Last letter of LucY. That will be Lucy Van Pelt referred to in the clue. Nice one. | |
| 17 | Napoleon I dashed to detain King (8) |
| LEONIDAS – Hidden in [to detain] NapolLEON I DAShed. The king is the Spartan one Leonidas I. But I ninja-turtled this from the later king Leonidas II, which is the name of one of the horses in Totopoly, a favourite family boardgame. | |
| 19 | Staff rapped for incomprehensible spelling? (5,4) |
| MAGIC WAND – Cryptic definition, referring to tapping the wand to invoke a spell. Not my favourite clue, but to each his/her own. | |
| 22 | Engineer happier with grand inscription (8) |
| EPIGRAPH – [Engineer] (happier + g)*, with G for “grand”. | |
| 25 | First couple of Hammond’s lines, they are provided for Top Gear (8) |
| HATRACKS – First two letters of HA{mmond} + TRACKS ((railway) lines). The surface, naturally, refers to the series Top Gear and its presenter Richard Hammond. | |
| 26 | Fuel needs to be added to Volkswagen, one crawling along (3,6) |
| OIL BEETLE – OIL (fuel) + BEETLE (Volkswagen car model). | |
| 27 | For animation, paint lily mauve with artfulness (14) |
| MANIPULATIVELY – (paint lily mauve)* [for animation]. | |
| 28 | Rival showing off after work (8) |
| OPPOSING – OP (opus; work) + POSING (showing off). | |
| 31 | Acquittal holding up force’s media statement (5,7) |
| PRESS RELEASE – PRESS (force) being held up by, i.e. on top of RELEASE (acquittal). | |
| 33 | Slip in 28 Down? Check (11) |
| COUNTERFOIL – COUNTER (opposing; 28 down answer) + FOIL (check). | |
| 36 | Lumbering trumpeter off-key for Pachelbel’s Canon? (11) |
| ELEPHANTINE – ELEPHANT (trumpeter) + IN E (off-key for Pachelbel’s Canon which is In D). Rather an inventive bit of wordplay! | |
| 37 | Men struggling with lessons in Gravity (10) |
| SOLEMNNESS – (men + lessons)* [struggling]. | |
| 41 | Conductor in person from brass group (5,4) |
| NERVE CELL – NERVE (brass; impudence) + CELL (group). | |
| 42 | Ex-president in papers with vacuous gaffe (8) |
| COOLIDGE – COOL (in) + ID (papers) + outside letters of GaffE [vacuous]. | |
| 44 | Was emcee, introducing Orbison in the middle, uplifted? (7) |
| HOISTED – Middle letter of OrbIson in HOSTED (was emcee). | |
| 46 | Her claim about shedding pounds is fantasy (7) |
| CHIMERA – (her c{l}aim)* [about] without the L (pounds; from pounds shillings and pence = LSD). | |
| 48 | Yankee chap chopping fine chicken (6) |
| YELLOW – Y (Yankee in the phonetic alphabet) + {f}ELLOW (chap) chopping the F (fine). | |
| 50 | Weep at Edinburgh Tattoo’s salute (5) |
| GREET – Double definition, the first referring to the Scottish meaning of GREET. | |
| 51 | Cat in top of linden tree (4) |
| LASH – First letter of Linden + ASH (tree). | |