Jumbo 1148

Author   sghansonPosted on Categories Jumbo Cryptic
Nothing too tricky here. A couple of unfamiliar words (15A, 17A) and a few nice clues (37A in particular)

No solving time noted

Across
1 TEPID – TEP = PET = favourite, reversed, I.D. = papers
4 BRIEFED – BRIE FED = on a diet of French food
8 GASTROPUB – GAB = talk, around SPROUT*
13 IRONSTONE – IRON’S = club’s, TONE = vocal sound
14 UNPUTDOWNABLE – UNABLE = powerless, around PUT DOWN = insult
15 GEORGIC – the sixth letter in beethOven, in GRIEG*, C = approximately. One I needed to look up to confirm
16 ESTELLA – hidden reversed in wALLETS Evidently
17 REIFIED – IF = poem, I, all surrounded by REED = plant
18 MECHANICAL ENGINEER – (CHINAMAN, NICE, LEG)*, E’ER = always
21 WHOA – WHO = question, A
23 BUTTERNUT – BUT = except, around UTTER = pure, N(ew)
25 THESIS – THE SIS(ter) = the relative
26 DIK-DIK – KID, KID = children, reversed
28 BLOOD-AND-GUTS – DAN = desperate man (see The Dandy comic), in (GOLD BUT SO)*
30 CHICKEN OUT – CHICKEN = meat, OUT = off
33 WASHINGTON – WING = branch, around ASH = tree, TON = heavy weight
34 UNPRODUCTIVE – (C(onservative) UP DRIVEN OUT)*
37 NUMBER – stunTWOman and wEIGHTlifter both contain hidden numbers. A clever clue
39 MEDINA – MED = sea, IN A = enclosed by a
40 INAMORATO – O.T. = old testament, A ROMAN = a latin, I(nscription), all reversed
42 THUG – TUG = boat, around H(orn)
43 NUDGE NUDGE WINK WINK, NUDE = without clothes, around G(ood), twice, then WINK, WINK = flashes
46 SATSUMA – SAT = school test, SUM = problem, A(nswer)
47 DEPOSIT – OP = work, ED(itor), all reversed, SIT = rest
48 ETHANOL – hidden reversed in ceyLON AH TEa
50 INCONVENIENCE – IN, CONVENIENCE = ladies or gentlemen
51 COUP D’ETAT – TATE = art gallery, DUO = pair, C(aught), all reversed around P(ower)
52 GREEN BELT – GREEN = simple, BELT = hit
53 ASTILBE – (ITS ABLE)*
54 WIDEN – W.I. = women’s group, DEN = office
 
Down
1 THINGUMABOB – THIN = stick-like, BOB = man, around GUMA = A MUG = a face, reversed
2 PHOTO – PO = river, around HOT = on fire
3 DESIGNATED DRIVER – (SEDATED, GIN)*, DRIVER = club
4 BRONCHI – BRO = ORB = eye, reversed, INCH*
5 INELEGANT – GELATINE* around (fla)N
6 FOURTH ESTATE – FURTHEST = most distant, ATE = goddess, around O = zero
7 DAPPLE GREY – DREY = squirrel’s nest, around APPLE = fruit, and (ba)G
8 GOTTA – OTT = too much, in GA = Georgia
9 SCOURGED – CO = carbon monoxide = exhaust gas, in SURGED = rushed
10 RENOIR – RE(d) = crimson, NOIR = black
11 PUBLISHED – PUSHED = forced, around B(ook) and LI(e) = story
12 BREADBASKET – BREAD = lolly, BET = chance, around ASK = appeal
19 CITROUS – (CROUT(on), IS)*
20 NEITHER – NETHER = infernal, around I = one
22 FIVE O’CLOCK SHADOW – cryptic definition
24 NONAGE – E.G. = here’s an example, ANON = soon, all reversed
27 ACADIA – AC = account, A, DIA = AID = charity, reversed
29 GOOD EGG – double definition
31 ORIGAMI – OI = attention seeker, around RIGA = capital, M(aking)
32 INCANDESCENT – INCAN DESCENT = blood of old people. There was a similar clue in another crossword recently
33 WINE-TASTING – WIN = gather, ET = French “and”, ASTI = Italian white, N.G. = no good
35 EXOSKELETON – EX = old, (KNEES TOO)*
36 GIANT PANDA – GIP = PIG = boar, around ANT = insect, AND = also, A
38 MOUSTACHE – H(orse), TAC = CAT = feline, all reversed in MOUSE = rodent
40 IDENTICAL – I = current, DENT = hole, I, CAL. = state
41 GUYANESE – GUY = man, AN, followed by initial letters of E(xtremely) S(uccessful) E(cuadorian)
44 ICE CUBE – I.E. = that is, around C = a hundred, CUBE = eight, perhaps
45 TURN IN – TURIN = European city, around (pensio)N
47 DRIFT – double definition
49 NOTED – double definition

10 comments on “Jumbo 1148”

  1. No idea how long this took me, but a good while.LOI 53ac, which I’d never heard of; given the checkers, I decided that ASTILBE seemed a bit more plausible than ‘abtilse’. DNK DREY, but that wasn’t much of a problem. I liked 33d, 52ac, and especially 4ac, inter alia, but my COD goes to NUMBER, although I wasn’t able to parse it on my own–I had to wait for Magoo to provide the necessary hint on the Club forum.
    Have we skipped the bank holiday Jumbo?

    Edited at 2015-05-23 05:36 am (UTC)

    1. I’m not sure on the Bank Holiday one – I remember checking the number to see whether it was one of mine. Hopefully we have another one this Monday
    2. I still don’t understand how this works. OK, if you take out the hidden number TWO from STUNTWOMAN, maybe STUNMAN could mean ‘one who numbs’. But when you take out EIGHT, what does WLIFTER mean?
      1. STUNTWOMAN and WEIGHTLIFTER are two examples of words where a NUMBER is hidden in the letters, and NUMBER can also mean something that stuns (a STUNNER from the clue)
  2. 33:12. If I could ban one type of clue it would be the 53 across type. We should be able to solve these things by logical interpretation of the setters instructions. Trying to guess which unlikely combination of letters is least unlikely to be wrong doesn’t really fall into this category in my view, even if I managed to guess right.
    1. Or maybe they expect people to know the names of common garden flowers. There are several of them in my garden anyway, so it was a write-in for me.

      Edited at 2015-05-23 08:56 am (UTC)

      2. Well of course, if you know it, it’s easy! On the basis that Kevin and mohn hadn’t heard of it either I’d suggest this one might not be that commonly known among non-gardeners.

        Edited at 2015-05-23 10:23 am (UTC)

  3. A couple of unknowns in this for me, and I was lucky to guess correctly at ASTILBE. I didn’t know the meaning of GEORGIC, but the word itself was familiar as I have recently been rummaging through some of my Dad’s memorabilia from his time in the RAF, and found a postcard featuring the MV Georgic on which he apparently returned to the UK from Singapore some time in the 1950s. I’m guessing the ship might have been named as a derivative of King George rather than the meaning shown in this puzzle, though.
  4. Re ASTILBE,I had to google to get it from the obvious anagram fodder,finished after several hours,as I am not a speedster like most of you,but the satisfaction is immense.Thanks SG for blogging.(ONG’ARA,NRB,KENYA)

Comments are closed.