|
Hello again. This Jumbo I thought was medium difficulty, easy to start but (as is becoming usual for me) much harder to finish off. I still can’t fully parse 1dn, comments welcome, and despite a scientific upbringing, I thought 16ac thoroughly unfair. What did you think?
We jumbo bloggers, sequestered in our quiet TfTT backwater, are usually deprived of much of the interaction and badinage that all bloggers inwardly crave, but in compensation I do normally have a leisurely fortnight to solve the crossword, write the blog, and muse over any tricky bits so that on publication day you get a pristine, erudite and all correct blog. Except not this time, because I am away walking for two weeks, from the day after this crossword came out, returning on the day this blog is published. So this is a hasty first edition and might be a little bit rough around the edges. Because the Jumbo is a big beast of a crossword, some of my comments below may be a bit terse but please, do feel free to ask questions or comment as required. We are all friends here.. I use the standard TfTT conventions like underlining the definition, CD for cryptic definition, DD for a double one, *(anragam) and so forth. Nho = “not heard of,” and don’t forget the TfTT glossary |
Across
| 1 | Plan to travel round delta area with piano (4,3) |
| ROAD MAP – D(elta) in ROAM (travel) + A(rea) + P(iano). Plan = map is OK I guess, but plan does not equal “road map.” I can’t see my wife responding well to “Did you remember to bring the plan, dearest?” | |
| 5 | Cabinet material perhaps found in wine club (8) |
| ROSEWOOD – ROSE (wine) + WOOD (club, namely a golf one). | |
| 9 | Waste material in high percentage (6) |
| OFFCUT – OFF (high, as in an old pheasant you forgot about) CUT (percentage) | |
| 13 | Where business locates in English country on River Test (10,6) |
| INDUSTRIAL ESTATE – INDUS (river) + TRIAL (test) + E(nglish) + STATE (country). A neat clue. | |
| 14 | Put on guard to protect soldiers in densely populated area (6) |
| WARREN – RE (soldiers, the Royal Engineers) in WARN (put on guard). | |
| 16 | Lotion is dissolving chemical compound (8) |
| INOSITOL – *(LOTION IS). According to Collins: “a cyclic alcohol, one isomer of which (i-inositol) is present in yeast and is a growth factor for some organisms; cyclohexanehexol. Formula: C6H12O6″ .. so I think we can be forgiven for not having that on the tip of our tongue. If you have all the checkers, you have I_O_I_O_, and if you can find out how to settle on inositol, instead of isonitol or isotinol or similar, you are better at this game than I am. Just unfair, imo. | |
| 17 | Printed material endlessly creates muddle (4) |
| BLUR – BLUR(b). The definition just about works | |
| 18 | Italian boarding house run for senior citizen (9) |
| PENSIONER – PENSIONE (An Italian boarding house, presumably) + R(un) | |
| 20 | Dandy in a vehicle on entering motorway (8) |
| MACARONI – A CAR ON, inside M1. A write-in, for the Georgette Heyer brigade | |
| 21 | This many jails are finished, boasted incarcerating Democrat (11) |
| OVERCROWDED – OVER (finished) + D(emocrat) in CROWED (boasted) | |
| 24 | Chosen person is most important after God (9) |
| ISRAELITE – IS + RA (god) + ELITE (most important, if only in their opinion) | |
| 25 | Scorning of French on horseback (8) |
| DERIDING – DE (of French) + RIDING | |
| 26 | Up north: the pub that provides lift? (1-3) |
| T-BAR – T (Up North the, as in “On Ilkley Moor bar t’ hat”) + BAR (pub). A T-bar apparently is that ski-lift thing that you lean or sit on and it drags you upwards. My best ski-ing is all of the apré variety. Though I am a fan of biathlon. Watching it, that is .. | |
| 29 | Point put by cleric renouncing one current Parliament (11) |
| WESTMINSTER – WEST (point) + MIN(i)STER. Current being i, as any electrician kno. | |
| 31 | Morse having news boss tried (11) |
| ENDEAVOURED – ENDEAVOUR (Chief Inspector Morse’s christian name) + ED(itor) | |
| 33 | Deal with hidden wrinkle? (5,6) |
| TRADE SECRET – TRADE (deal with) + SECRET (hidden). I think the “hidden” is doing double duty here. And why not? Just another cruciverbal shibboleth. And if you follow that interesting link, you will see the word was originally used to identify outsiders with a view to killing them. Hopefully, we have moved on since then. | |
| 36 | Divine as environment for ace crew testing position (11) |
| PREDICAMENT – A(ce) MEN in PREDICT (divine) | |
| 38 | English composer has no tips for singer (4) |
| ALTO – (w)ALTO(n). A reference to William Walton | |
| 39 | Songs at speed in controlled atmosphere? (8) |
| AIRSPACE – AIRS (songs) + PACE (speed) | |
| 41 | West Country professor? One had to be given push! (4,5) |
| BATH CHAIR – A DD. A type of wheelchair, first used in Bath apparently | |
| 44 | Fragrant one does for our arrangement (11) |
| ODORIFEROUS – *(I DOES FOR OUR) | |
| 45 | Most conservative opening to speech as with others (8) |
| SQUAREST – S(peech) + QUA (as with) REST (others) | |
| 48 | Lay one’s opinion to rest in this formal discussion? (9) |
| INTERVIEW – INTER (lay to rest) VIEW (opinion) | |
| 49 | Language teacher has again impressed, primarily (4) |
| THAI – T(eacher) H(as) A(gain) I(mpressed). The language, I am guessing, of Thailand | |
| 50 | What attracts smokers — several outside one small building (8) |
| NICOTINE – I COT (one small building) in NINE (several). “Several” is defined as “More than two but less than many.” I leave you to decide if nine is several or many. Depends on context maybe. | |
| 52 | TV presenter to make secure (6) |
| ANCHOR – DD | |
| 53 | Scrutinised from here, assembled gangsters really — that’s about right (9,7) |
| STRANGERS GALLERY – R(ight) in *(GANGSTERS REALLY). Ximenes would be saying “Where is the definition, again?” An unkind person would say it was an &lit. I am too polite to underline the whole clue. The Strangers Gallery is a viewing gallery for visitors, originally to the House of Commons but now to a number of parliaments around the world. | |
| 54 | Demand something from vain sister (6) |
| INSIST – hidden, in vaIN SISTer | |
| 55 | Outline Irish unionists developed (6,2) |
| SHAPED UP – SHAPE (outline) + DUP (Irish political party) | |
| 56 | Begin with body cavity (7) |
| ENTERON – ENTER ON (begin). The digestive tract. I hadn’t heard the word but I did know the adjective enteric, so it was not a huge stretch. |
| Down | |
| 1 | Fruit associated with cereal almost growing (6) |
| RAISIN – Well it is a fruit, and it is RAISIN(g), ie almost growing, but why the association with cereal is not clear to me.. apparently raisin bran is a thing, but only if you are North American | |
| 2 | Certainly an exotic craft (3,3) |
| AND HOW – AN + DHOW, yer exotic craft. Unless you are Arabic, of course | |
| 3 | Spouse quaffs wine, about to deal with mouthful (9) |
| MASTICATE – ASTI (wine) + C (about), in MATE (spouse). Hands up who has actually drunk any Asti.. | |
| 4 | Holes in closing remarks involving Findhorn’s leader (11) |
| PERFORATION – F(indhorn) in PERORATION. Collins: “the last part of a speech, especially the part where the speaker sums up his or her argument.” | |
| 5 | Maybe a bay tree lacking width (4) |
| ROAN – ROWAN, with the W(idth) removed. Roan and bay being horsey descriptors | |
| 6 | Gifted orator having to read out letters in file? (11) |
| SPELLBINDER – to SPELL BINDER | |
| 7 | Swore a truce after swimming channel (11) |
| WATERCOURSE – *(SWORE A TRUCE) | |
| 8 | Reveals quiet study that’s fully extended (9) |
| OUTSPREAD – OUTS (reveals) + P + READ (study) | |
| 10 | With which one pressed beginner to fill pastry (8) |
| FLATIRON – TIRO (beginner) in FLAN (pastry). NHO that alternative spelling of tyro before. | |
| 11 | Playwright published in Greece by Draco unusually (6,2,8) |
| CYRANO DE BERGERAC – RAN (published) inside *(GREECE BY DRACO). A clever clue for a remarkable person, if only for inspiring at least ten different films and a play despite very little being known about his short life, only 36 when he died. I’m not sure I even knew there was a real Cyrano, when I hear the name I always think of Gerard Depardieu.. | |
| 12 | Win over university leftist with employment for life? (7) |
| TENURED – NET (win) reversed, + U(niversity) + RED (leftie) | |
| 15 | It’s said girl skinned a large reptile (8) |
| ANACONDA – sounds like “Anna conned a.” The world’s heaviest snake, and one of the longest. | |
| 19 | English penned by one novelist or another (8) |
| FORESTER – E(nglish) in (EM) FORSTER, to give one of my favourite authors, CS Forester, writer of the Hornblower books, the best historical naval novel series ever. | |
| 22 | First Nation’s leader, reportedly more senior, with a crumpled hat (8) |
| HIAWATHA – HIA (sounds like higher, ie more senior) + W(ith) + A + *(HAT). “a precolonial Native American leader and co-founder of the Iroquois Confederacy” (Wiki) best known from the Longfellow poem. | |
| 23 | Incensed marker for very simple grave? (5,2,3,6) |
| CROSS AS TWO STICKS – DD. Not a phrase I knew. | |
| 27 | Singer’s blushing debut (8) |
| REDSTART – RED (blushing) START (debut). Not the hardest clue | |
| 28 | Travel always upset canvasser (4) |
| GOYA – GO (travel) + AY (always, poetically speaking) rev. And a whimsical definition, referring to Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes, Spanish painter | |
| 30 | Timid male reaction to mouse? (4) |
| MEEK -M(ale) + EEK, traditionally the reaction to spotting a mouse. In our house the cats ensure that mice are not uncommon and Mrs Jerry is adept at rescuing them. | |
| 32 | 90s computer that made many checks? (4,4) |
| DEEP BLUE – A DD and an &lit, Deep Blue being an IBM supercomputer, famous for beating Gary Kasparov, then world chess champion. | |
| 34 | Half involved in Great Plague (8) |
| EPIDEMIC – DEMI (half) in EPIC (great). I spent far too long wondering why IDEM meant half involved.. | |
| 35 | Crossing affected refugees housed here? (7,4) |
| TRANSIT CAMP – TRANSIT (crossing) + CAMP (affected). An oxymoron unfortunately, all too often. | |
| 36 | Compelled to work in Fleet Street? (5-6) |
| PRESS-GANGED – a whimsical CD I think. | |
| 37 | During semester one won’t begin to mix (11) |
| INTERMINGLE – IN TERM (during semester) + (s)INGLE (one, not beginning) | |
| 40 | Sample includes most excellent instrument (9) |
| STOPWATCH – TOP (most excellent) in SWATCH (sample, usually of cloth). So not a musical instrument, as I first thought | |
| 42 | Accountant with stock containing spirit for stew (9) |
| CASSOULET – CA (chartered accountant) + SOUL (spirit) in SET (stock) .. but does set = stock? Not sure about that one. | |
| 43 | Glassy expression’s first seen in very upset suitor (8) |
| VITREOUS – V(ery) + E(xpression) in *(SUITOR) | |
| 44 | Oriental art fiddle old Parisian buddy conceals (7) |
| ORIGAMI – RIG (fiddle) inside O(ld) + AMI (Parisian buddy) | |
| 46 | Like some ancient scripts amusing writer keeps at home (6) |
| LINEAR – IN (at home) inside (Edward) LEAR. We have had Linear A a couple of times lately. | |
| 47 | Critical about Pole meeting an African (6) |
| KENYAN – N(orth pole) in KEY (critical) + AN | |
| 51 | Paras’ descent finding ditch (4) |
| DROP – DD. Parachutes drop, to ditch something is to drop it | |
I totally agree regarding INOSITOL, which I cheated to solve. Otherwise it was quite an easy Jumbo.
I think RAISIN was my last in and I just bunged it in with a shrug as I didn’t really understand it either. I agree that 16a is a very poor clue.
I am firmly against double duty other than in &Lits but I think the definition in 33ac is just ‘wrinkle’. ‘A clever or useful trick, hint, or dodge’ (Collins) ‘a clever innovation, or useful piece of information or advice’ (Lexico).
Interesting about Cyrano de Bergerac: I thought initially this was a clanger, and I still find it a little odd. The Cyrano of popular knowledge is the Rostand character, and he is not a playwright. I doubt any of the other literary Cyranos would exist if Rostand hadn’t got there first, rather as Verdi and Shostakovich wouldn’t have written their respective operas without Shakespeare.
Edited at 2021-06-26 07:58 am (UTC)
Didn’t know Cyrano was a playwright: wiki lists his occupations as “novelist, playwright and duelist”, the last of which seems particularly precarious.
With the swapped S and N, a standard 44.41 solve.
Edited at 2021-06-26 10:47 am (UTC)