Jumbo 1028

Posted on Categories Jumbo Cryptic

Sorry for the slight delay on this one – the day job continues to expand out of its allotted time.

Nothing to object about in the crossword. A couple of clues with tricky wordplay (28A, 36D) but the checking letters made the solutions quite clear, giving me time to parse the solution after completion.


Across
1 HARUM-SCARUM – HUM = don’t sing, around A RUM SCAR = a strange blemish
7 GO BALLISTIC – GO = energy, BALLISTIC = in flight
13 SHORT BACK AND SIDES – AND = also, in BACKSIDE = behind, all in SHORTS = trousers
14 PERDU – hidden reversed in cloUD REPortedly
15 deliberately omitted – please ask if unsure
16 USHER OUT – US HERO = Paul Revere, (n)UT
17 WHATSIT – HATS = things going over one’s head, in WIT = intelligence
19 deliberately omitted – please ask if unsure
21 BAR CHART – BARC = CRAB = crustacean, reversed, HART = deer
23 AFAR – A, FAR = RAF = service, reversed
25 OWNER – (d)OWNER = drag
27 ASSIST – (b)ASSIST = member of rock band
28 CONSCIENCE – (C(ollapse), C(ollapse), IN ONE SEC(ond))*
30 EVERYMAN – VERY = so, in EMAN = NAME = celebrity, reversed
31 INDIRECT OBJECT – IN, DIRE = awful, C(ontrac)T, OBJECT = complain
34 DOUBLE ACROSTIC – DO = solve, (ABOUT CIRCLES)*
35 SUMATRAN – SUM = problem, A TRA(i)N = a vehicle
38 WHAT’S UP DOC – Bugs (Bunny) request
40 SEQUIN – SE(ven), QUIN = one of five
41 NEEPS – NEE = used to be called, P(arsnip)S
43 HARP – (s)HARP = out of tune
44 CLUELESS – double definition
45 TWO-SEATER – (AT WORST E(xpendabl)E)*
48 ADVERSE – AD = commercial, VERSE = lines
49 CAPERING – CAPE = head, RING = band
50 METHOD – MET = came across, HOD = builder’s mate
53 TENCH – TEN = all fingers, C(old), H(ot)
54 TRANSCENDENTALISM – (MIND SETS CANT LEARN)*
55 DEERSTALKER – DEE = flower, RS = Royal Society, TALKER = speaker
56 TONSILLITIS – TONS ILL = evidence of an epidemic, IT IS

Down
1 HMS PINAFORE – (A SHIP FOR MEN)*
2 ROOST – ROOT = bottom, around S(quatters)
3 MUTANTS – MUTTS = mor than one dog, around (s)TAN = man
4 CHAV – CHA = drink, V(odka)
5 RAKISHNESS – (HAS KISSER)*, around N(ame)
6 MONKEY BUSINESS – double definition, where drill (or mandrill) = monkey
7 GAS BOARD – GARD = DRAG, reversed, around ASBO = order among delinquents
8 BIDET – BIDE = stay, T(rue)
9 LAST WORDS – cryptic definition
10 deliberately omitted – please ask if unsure
11 TERMS OF ENDEARMENT – cryptic definition
12 COUNTERFEIT – COUNTER = tiddlywink, FE = iron, IT
18 HIMALAYA – HIM = male, A LAY = a song, A
20 MONTEZUMA’S REVENGE – (MEN OVEREATEN SMUG)* around Z = unknown
22 HOOKER – HOER = gardener, around OK = fine
24 MIDBRAIN – BRA = supporter, in MIDI = south of France, N(orth)
26 ROYALIST – ROY = boy, A(ttitude), LIST = record
29 CITIZEN’S ARREST – cryptic definition
32 TRUNNION – (TURN IN)*, ON
33 GROOVE – O(ranges), in GROVE = orchard
34 DOWN-HEARTED – DARTED = flashed, around OWN HE = private man
36 NOSTRADAMUS – NO STRAD = plain old fiddle, A MUS(t) = a necessity
37 HUNTINGDON – HUNTING = on the prowl, DON = academic
39 PALAESTRA – (SPARTA, ALE)*. Sometimes it helps to have a daughter reading Ancient History at university
42 deliberately omitted – please ask if unsure
46 EYEBALL – final letters of (hors)E, (donke)Y, (har)E, (lam)B
47 BRAHMS – BRAHMS (and Liszt) = under the table
49 CRACK – double definition
51 HOIST – HOST = a lot, around I = one
52 ANTI – hidden in (tasmani)AN TI(ger)

3 comments on “Jumbo 1028”

  1. Thanks for the blog Simon, a true labour of love. I see I had failed to parse 28ac, so it was useful for that.
    Nice to see a mention of my beloved Huntingdon, effectively destroyed by Ted Heath who treated it as a London slum clearance dumping ground and also put an end to 1000 years of history by getting rid of Huntingdonshire. Why people are so critical of Maggie, when they could be having a go at him instead with far more reason, is a mystery to me.. funny old world
  2. I missed one, putting in ‘hoofer’ for HOOKER. I know nothing from rugby, but even I should have got this one.I was waiting for this blog, as there were a number of solutions I couldn’t parse, e.g. GAS BOARD; I’d forgotten about ASBOs. Can I assume that ‘Brahms & Liszt’ is CRS? If so, it’s one I didn’t know, and in any case BRAHMS was my LOI.
  3. BRAHMS was also my last one in – the checking letters are not particularly helpful, and yes, Brahms and Liszt is indeed Cockney Rhyming Slang

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