Jumbo 1081 – March 8th

Posted on Categories Jumbo Cryptic
Standard solve, perhaps at the quick end, with no stand out tough clues. Any hard vocab, such as QUINSY, MASSE and TUMBRIL, was gettable from definition or checkers. Special mention to the wordplay in 4D.

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Across
1 ANTIBES – ANTI BES(t)
5 MOBY DICK – MO=second, BY, DICK(ens)
9 DANISH – A(djectives) & N(ouns) inside of DISH = course
13 CHRISTMAS PRESENT – (merchants persist)*
14 TUAREG – GET reversed around UAR. I had to guess that this represented the United Arab Republic, a former name for Egypt, which is a bit embarrassing as it was as recently as 1971!
16 MAYAN – A, Y(ear) inside MAN=people
17 EYEWASH – E, YEW, ASH. The trees are the go-to clueing fodder for this word, which seems to crop up more in xwds than it really ought to!!
18 ALIGNMENT – ALIMENT=food around (mornin)G, N(oon)
19 LEVITICUS – (vice, lust)* around I
21 BERGAMO – OM=order, then (z)AGREB, all reversed
22 SEIZE – sounds like SEES = spots
23 TON UP – PUN = joke, OT = books, reversed. Definition is “shifting” as in moving at pace.
25 ABSTINENT – (in nets, bat)*
27 EXPRESS – EX-PRESS = retired hack
29 RESTARTED – (trade)* after REST = holiday
31 CONCENTRATION – slightly dubious on this, but have C=100=many, ON CENT RATION = receiving most meagre allowance.
34 SONS AND LOVERS – N, SAND=writer, inside SOLO=single, VERS(e)
35 THE STICKS – (thickset)* then S
37 MOLOTOV – MO LoT = group of medical officers, O V = nothing against. The russian best associated with the “cocktail”.
39 NUMBER TEN – slightly odd semi-cryptic clue (unless, as is likely, I have missed the smart bit)!!
42 MANGO – MAN = staff, GO = depart
43 SIGHT – TH(e) GIS, reversed
45 NAIL SET – cryptic def
47 ABHORRENT – HO, R inside A BRENT=london borough
49 ILLUMINES – ILL, U(nderground) MINES=tunnels.
50 FORESAW – FORE, SAW !!
52 TOSCA – T(eenagers) O(ften) S(cathing), then CA=about.
54 LUSTRA – hidden in (il)LUSTRA(tions)
55 HAVE A HEART OF GOLD – a reverse clue type – (d)OR(a) and (m)AU(d) both have centres representing gold, OR and AU.
56 DODDLE – (i)D(l)E(r) around ODD=rum, L
57 READABLE – RE, ALE about DAB=expert
58 ROASTED – OAST = oven, inside RED = wine.

Down
1 ACCUMULATOR – triple def, the person, the bet, and the electrical instrument
2 TARRY – one of those xwd words “TARRY” = like a TAR=sailor. in the same bracket as FLOW-ER and WICK-ED
3 BASINET – (ANTIBES)*
4 SOME ENCHANTED EVENING – O=love, ME, (t)EN(der) CHANTED=sung, EVEN=flat, all inside SING. Great concise clueing to get all that content in such a short smooth surface.
5 MASSEUSES – MASSE = stroke (billiards), US, (th)E (finger)S
6 BURQA – A, Q, RUB, reversed
7 DISCHARGE – DISC, (c)H(arts), then R in AGE
8 CANTATA – the prisoner might say “TATA” to the CAN on leaving
10 AQUINAS – A QUINS(y) around A
11 ISRAELITE – LEAR = king, reversed in I SITE
12 HIGH TREASON – another reverse clue – senator might be clued as “HIGH TREASON”
15 DIP ONES TOE IN THE WATER – weak cryptic def
20 VENISON – SINE in NOV all reversed
21 BRIOCHE – OCH inside BRIE
24 PLAY ACT – LAY inside PACT
26 THEFT – THE FT is a daily paper
28 PHANTOM – H inside PANTO, then M(arley)
30 DROWN – WORD = promise, reversed, then (kitche)N, def is just “sink”
32 NO SWEAT – NOW = today, around S=son, EAT
33 INCENSE – IN, sounds like SENSE
34 SEMI SKILLED – SEMIS, KILLED
36 SHORT-HANDED – SHORTHAND, ED
38 LEGALISED – GAL IS, inside LEED(s)
40 MASEFIELD – ME = this writer, around AS=when, FIELD = the competition
41 TRANSLATE – TRA(i)N, SLATE
44 TUMBRIL – TUM=corporation, BRIL(l)
46 INSTATE – I,N,STATE
48 RATAFIA – (at a fair)*
51 REHAB – HE inside BAR, reversed
53 SNOUT – SN=tin, OUT=square

6 comments on “Jumbo 1081 – March 8th”

  1. I was waiting to find out what my one mistake was, and finally noticed that I had for some reason written ‘contata’ at 8d, and then compounded the error by typing that in when I submitted. Oh, well. Liked 50ac, 4d, 7d, DNK Brent.
  2. No where in the history of crosswords has C been used to mean many.

    This clue Is quite clearly Literal cryptic and definition.

    In other words it can be split into three distinct parts.

    MY Challenge to the setter is simply prove C= many

    1. It’s just a cryptic def. C on cent ration = 100 on cent ration = many on ditto …

      if C = 100, then 100 = many surely

      you will get more response perhaps if you give a name

      Edited at 2014-03-24 11:34 am (UTC)

  3. On cent ration ?

    Surely if you have to go that way ON(E) CENT RATION .

    Your explanation of this clue is WRONGai

    1. As with most bloggers we are more than happy to hear a different opinion on the parsing, but without any alternative, it is a little difficult to discuss the matter.

      I prefixed my suggestion with a hint of doubt, as I too do not recall too many uses of C as many, however it still makes logical sense.

      There is no indication of the removal of the E of ON(e), or its shortening, and the concept of being “on a ration” is reasonable. Furthermore, like penny or pound, I would venture that in the absence of any enumeration, we must assume that it is a single item. If the purpose was the suggestion of a ration denominated in US currency, it would likely use DOLLAR, however if not, it would probably be the plural CENTS.

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