An appropriate theme for the April 1st Jumbo, with plenty of fools among the answers (SIMPLETON, AIRHEAD, BERK, CLOT, CHUMP, BUFFOON, DUNCE, CLOWN and DUMMY), and ALL FOOLS’ DAY appearing at 57ac. I didn’t encounter any especially obscure answers, and solved this in 19 minutes.
As usual, * indicates an anagram.
Across | |
1 |
BACK-STABBER – BACKS, + ABBE in |
7 | CORRUPTIBLE – (or be culprit)* |
13 | SIMPLETON – I + MP + LET, in SON |
14 | AIRHEAD – AIR + HEAD |
15 |
RIFLE – (el + fir |
16 | APHIDS – spa, reversed, around HID |
17 | IMITABLE – I’M ABLE around IT |
18 | RANSOME – RAN + SOME |
20 | UMBRELLA ORGANISATION – (mourns a global inertia)* |
23 |
RETRACT – |
24 |
SADDEST – ADDE |
26 |
SKIMMER – hidden in |
28 |
BERK – |
29 |
MNEMONIC – MEMO around N, + NIC |
32 | MISHANDLE – MILE, around SAND around H |
35 | SPORTS CAR – SPORT SCAR |
36 |
EGOISTIC – E + GO + I + STIC |
37 |
CLOT – CLOT |
39 | LATERAN – (NE altar)* |
41 | MARINER – MINER around A R |
44 | PRIMARY – PRIORY, with MA replacing O |
45 | PUT TWO AND TWO TOGETHER – double definition |
49 |
AGELONG – A GEL ON G |
50 | DAEMONIC – (once maid)*. I much prefer this spelling of the word |
51 |
HELPER – |
53 | CHUMP – CHUM + P |
54 |
OSMOSIS – |
55 | VALUELESS – (AS levels)* around U |
56 | CHLOROPHYLL – (porch l holly)* |
57 | ALL FOOLS’ DAY – ALL FOOLS + DAY |
Down | |
1 | BISCAY – AY (certainly) after B IS C |
2 | COME HOME TO ROOST – double definition (“tweeters” here indicates birds) |
3 | SALAD CREAM – SCREAM around A LAD |
4 | ALTO – middle letters of Walton, the composer |
5 | BY NO MEANS – (money)* in BANS |
6 | REACTOR – REAR around C TO |
7 | CEREBRATE – CELEBRATE, with R replacing the L |
8 | REEVE – RE + EVE |
9 | UNDERPASS – I wasn’t 100% certain about this, but I think that UNDER-PASS would be a politically-correct (PC) way of saying “fail” |
10 | TYRANNICIDAL – (Cinna tardily)* |
11 | BUFFOON – BUFF + O ON |
12 | EYELET – sounds like “islet”, defined by “inch” |
19 | PLATONIC – alp (reversed), + TONIC |
21 | ISTHMUS – IS THUS around M |
22 |
URGENTLY – |
23 | ROBUSTLY – ROB US, + alternate letters of TELLY |
25 |
DUNCE – DUN over C |
27 | MIDDLE-AGE SPREAD – MIDDLE AGES + P + READ |
30 |
MARIMBA – M |
31 |
CLOWN – C + LOW + |
33 | SLIPPAGE – SLIP + PAGE |
34 | STORM TROOPER – (sort promoter)* |
38 | LITTLE NELL – sounds like “little knell” |
40 | NEWSGROUP – (grown-ups)* around E |
42 | REDRESSAL – RED + RE, + lass (reversed) |
43 |
RETRIEVAL – (irreleva |
45 | PREQUEL – QU in P REEL |
46 | WOODSIA – initial letters of ‘wilt on our dry savannah in Africa’ |
47 |
CALCIC – AL in CC, + |
48 |
BRASSY – BRA + S |
50 |
DUMMY – mud (reversed), over MY |
52 |
ALSO – hidden in |
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