I normally reckon I’ve done well to solve the Jumbo in anything under 30-35 minutes, so at 27:39 this was clearly well within the straightforward range. Certainly a pleasant solve, even though quite a lot went in at a cursory glance, and I don’t think there were many obscurities (anything I didn’t know came pretty clearly from the wordplay), but let’s see if anything crops up as I write the blog.
With Jumbos, which attract a far smaller audience than daily puzzles, I generally confine myself to discussion of answers which I think are a) less straightforward for inexperienced or non-UK based solvers, or b) especially elegant / questionable. In other words, unless it’s an exceptionally interesting puzzle, the coverage is unlikely to be 100%; however, as always, if a particular clue is not discussed, please feel free to raise it in comments for explanation or discussion.
Across | |
---|---|
1 |
FEATHER STITCH – E |
8 |
PROVENCAL – PROVEN, C |
13 | ICTUS – CACTUS (the prickly American native) with the account (A/C) removed and an I(current) at the front. |
16 |
ANNE OF CLEVES – CLEVE |
17 | MANAGERIAL – (ALINERAMAG)*, with a well-disguised definition in “on board”. |
26 | PRONOMINALLY – PRO(expert), NOMINALLY(in theory); “you” and “I” being pronouns. |
30 | INSTANCE – 1,CONSTANCE minus the CO. |
31 |
ALLUVIAL – L |
34 | LEAVINGS – NG inside the late LEAVIS. |
35 |
IMITATED – I ATE with D |
40 | MISSIONERS – the Scots beauty queen being MISS IONA minus the A, plus E.R.’S (a monarch’s). Very nice. |
45 |
STOOGE – replace the CR |
49 | OCCIDENTAL – O, ACCIDENTAL(as in the musical note) minus the A. |
53 |
HEMLINE – HE(a chap), L |
54 |
OVERSIGHT – one might demonstrate exaggerated distress by “OVER SIGHing”, plus |
56 | RACONTEUR – (TORUNRACE)*. |
57 | LONG TIME NO SEE – a very amusing play on the possible meanings of “see”. |
Down | |
1 |
FRICASSEE – FRI |
2 |
ANTONYM – (Mark) ANTONY, M |
4 | REDACT – where a Soviet play might be considered to have RED ACT 1, RED ACT 2 and RED ACT 3. |
9 | ORDEAL – OR(men, as in Other Ranks), DEAL(the wood, as in “something we saw”). |
10 |
ENTREPRENEUR – N |
11 | COATI – COAT(fur) + 1; not entirely sure that being a carnivore really distinguishes the coati from other animals, but there you go. |
12 | LITTLE BOY BLUE – (BUILTTOBELEYS)*. A handy mention of Lely for anyone who hadn’t yet worked out which Continental portraitist might be needed for 19ac. |
23 |
IMPINGES – IMP(urchin), INGRES minus the R |
27 | MELODIST – (OLDTIMES)*; a melodist is a creator of “airs”, certainly, but “graces”? I guess we have to accept it as mostly being there to make a nice surface. |
28 | HAYMAKER – double def. the flailing punch and the agricultural worker who proverbially comes out in good weather. |
29 | TELL ME ANOTHER – TELL(as in William, the archer), and (HOT)* in MEANER. |
32 | LIVERPUDLIAN – the two-course meal being LIVER for a main, followed by PUD, all topped off by (NAIL)rev. |
37 |
TROUBADOUR =”TRUE”, B |
41 |
SHELDRAKE – |
42 |
UNREASON – R |
47 | SNEEZE – as in “Bless you!”. |
48 | DICTUM – (CID)rev. + TUM (corporation as in an unwanted stomach). |
52 |
VEAL – |
Re MELODIST, Chambers has “an ornament (eg trill, turn, acciaccatura) consisting of notes additional to the melody or harmony” as one definition for grace.