Probably should have blogged this one at the time of solving two weeks ago, because to tell the truth I don’t remember very much about it. Seems so long ago now, back when it was nil-nil in the rugby, and there were 28 countries in the EU. Ah, those were the days.
I do recall that it took me about an hour and I had LAMPRAY instead of LAMPREY.
Once again I note the small number of anagrams. That seems to be a feature of the Jumbo, and as anagrams are my long suit (relatively speaking) it might explain why I never finish these things in much of a hurry. That’ll do for an excuse anyway.
So here we go, thank you setter. Clues are in blue, with definitions underlined. Anagrinds are bolded and italicised..
| Across | |
| 1 | Scripture, dull, getting cut (7) |
| MATTHEW – MATT (dull) + HEW (cut) | |
| 5 | Revealing dancer’s murderer is on the way (8) |
| STRIPPER – RIPPER (murderer) on ST (the way) | |
| 9 | To be allowed to be executed would be terrible (6) |
| LAWFUL – without the first letter (executed) it would be AWFUL (terrible) | |
| 13 | Feature of ancient sewer visible on the Embankment? (10,6) |
|
CLEOPATRA’S NEEDLE – Double def. The second definition refers to a London landmark, which most of you probably know. I didn’t, but I do now. |
|
| 14 | You got me almost a little mad (6) |
| TOUCHE – almost TOUCHED (a little mad) | |
| 16 | Magazine military man uncovered (5) |
| OLDIE – SOLDIER (military man) with the ends removed (uncovered) | |
| 17 | Play set in brothel, loveless (7) |
| OTHELLO – hidden in brOTHEL LOveless | |
| 18 | Part of joke made through swazzle? (9) |
|
PUNCHLINE – Double def. The second one is a reference to the device used to produce the rasping voice of Punch in a Punch and Judy show. Better than my explanation at the time, which was a stick that could perhaps make a line in a glass of punch. Pretty lame, especally when that’s a swizzle. |
|
| 19 | Strongly built cathedral city, European, placed to face west (4,3-2) |
| WELL SET-UP – WELLS (cathedral city) + E (European) + TUP [PUT (placed) going the other way (west)] | |
| 21 | Double quantities of drink universal in country house (7) |
| CHATEAU – CHA + TEA (double quantities of drink) + U (universal) | |
| 22 | Extent of Dutch house with no frontage (5) |
| RANGE – ORANGE (Dutch house) without the first letter (with no frontage) | |
| 23 | Evidence of failure, to doctors? (5) |
| TOMBS – TO + MBS (doctors) | |
| 25 | In the wrong battle, nothing I have succeeded (3,6) |
| HEY PRESTO – YPRES (battle) in HET (the)* + O (nothing) | |
| 27 | Flyer left out on grassland (7) |
| LEAFLET – FLET (left)* on LEA (grassland) | |
| 29 | Possibly description of our crossword book (4,5) |
| HARD TIMES – Is this one a hard Times? You be the judge. | |
| 31 | Aloft, aircrews breaking military regulations (8,2,3) |
| ARTICLES OF WAR – (Aloft aircrews)* | |
| 34 | Outside own county, temperature dropping, such as one wouldn’t know (6,4,3) |
| BEYOND ONE’S KEN – BEYOND ONE’S KENT (outside own county), dropping T (temperature) | |
| 35 | Lying about contents of hold being fashionable (9) |
| RECLINING – RE (about) + IN (fashionable) in CLING (hold) | |
| 37 | American general gathers large group together (7) |
| CLUSTER – CUSTER (American general) gathers L (large) | |
| 39 | Roll one part back, which marshal captures (5,4) |
|
PETIT PAIN – I (one) + TP [PT (part), back] captured by PETAIN (marshal) Marshal Petain was a French general, Marshal of France and later Chief of State of Vichy France |
|
| 42 | List includes grand philosopher (5) |
| HEGEL – HEEL (list) includes G (grand) | |
| 43 | Cheap booze knocked back, not good for instructor (5) |
| TUTOR – ROTGUT (cheap booze) reversed (knocked back), without the G (not good) | |
| 45 | A tax return is messy at first, reverting to type (7) |
| ATAVISM – A + TAV [VAT (tax) return] + IS + M (messy at first) | |
| 47 | Piece of clothing I misplaced in this eating place (9) |
| BRASSERIE – BRASSIERE (piece of clothing) with the I misplaced | |
| 49 | One walked all over loses energy and character (9) |
| FLAGSTONE – FLAGS (loses energy) + TONE (character) | |
| 50 | Piece of work judge overlooked — do pay attention (7) |
| OBSERVE – OB [JOB (piece of work) with J (judge) “overlooked”] + SERVE (do) | |
| 52 | Fantastic grout repairs walls (5) |
| OUTRE – hidden in grOUT REpairs | |
| 54 | Remarkable circle often disrupted (2,4) |
| OF NOTE – O (circle) + FNOTE (often)* | |
| 55 | Be so expensive: suggesting a maximum of two purchases each? (4,2,3,3,1,3) |
| COST AN ARM AND A LEG – Double def, the second one cryptically whimsical. | |
| 56 | Manacled, I had to be arrested and put away (6) |
| TIDIED – ID (I had) “arrested” by TIED (manacled) | |
| 57 | Star man has not completed study (8) |
| HESPERUS – HES (man has) + PERUS [PERUSE (study) not completed] | |
| 58 | Raise team, two short: worried? (7) |
| ELEVATE – ELEV [ELEVEN (team), two short] + ATE (worried) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | I’m turning crabby almost with irritation — it takes very little to make me flip (11) |
| MICROSWITCH – MI [I’m reversed (switching)] + CROS [CROSS (crabby) almost] + W (with) + ITCH (irritation) | |
| 2 | Border flower, sweetly pretty, died (5) |
|
TWEED – TWEE (sweetly pretty) + D (died) The Tweed River forms part of the border between New South Wales and Queensland. Although I suppose it’s possible the setter was thinking of the one that separates England from Scotland. Is it possible that one day it may separate England from Europe? |
|
| 3 | Unfortunate fellow, beheaded, gets smaller (7) |
| HAPLESS – HAP [CHAP (fellow) beheaded] + LESS (smaller) | |
| 4 | Like illogical prose? There’s no explanation for that (7,5,2,6) |
| WITHOUT RHYME OR REASON – Sort of a double def, the first one slightly cryptic. | |
| 5 | Boisterously free with the greasepaint? (4-5) |
| SLAP-HAPPY – Slap is the term in the “industry” for theatrical make-up, or greasepaint. | |
| 6 | Referring to organ being right way up (5) |
| RENAL – R (right) + ENAL [LANE (way), up] | |
| 7 | Those doing grind of publicity, upcoming opera getting run through (9) |
| PREMOLARS – PR (publicity) + R (run) inside (through) EMOLAS [SALOME (opera), “upcoming”] | |
| 8 | One that may curl in otherwise regular shape (7) |
| ELLIPSE – LIP (one that may curl) in ELSE (otherwise) | |
| 10 | Different answer given by him, presumably (7) |
|
ANOTHER – A (answer) + NOT HER (him, presumably) Had the same device in my first Jumbo blog and failed to parse it. That was months ago, I’m much older and wiser now. |
|
| 11 | Last to keep fighting endlessly? Not true (9) |
| FICTIONAL – FINAL (last) “keeping” CTIO [ACTION (fighting) endlessly) | |
| 12 | Unreliable editor-elect tested on this? (3,8) |
| LIE DETECTOR – (editor-elect)* | |
| 15 | Book commission — criticise cost of loan (6,10,4) |
| ANNUAL PERCENTAGE RATE – ANNUAL (book) + PERCENTAGE (commission) + RATE (criticise) | |
| 20 | Soldiers hungry at the end after light seafood (7) |
| LAMPREY – RE (soldiers) + Y (hungry at the end) after LAMP (light) | |
| 21 | Complain over boat being in place with many bays (3,4) |
|
CAR PARK – CARP (complain) + ARK (boat) Could have been a stable, could have been Rottnest Island, but no, we’re talking about parking bays. |
|
| 24 | Demonstrated extremely elegant material (7) |
| SATINET – SAT IN (demonstrated) + ET (extremely EleganT) | |
| 26 | Award over evidence of injury (5) |
| OSCAR – O (over) + SCAR (evidence of injury) | |
| 28 | Drop one throw, knocked up into tree (7) |
| ABOLISH – BOLI [I (one) + LOB (throw), “knocked up”] in ASH (tree) | |
| 30 | Skin of fruit’s twisted to drop off (5) |
| SLEEP – PEEL’S (skin of fruit’s) reversed (twisted) | |
| 32 | Carol’s little boy having hand up to hold in yours for a start (4,3) |
|
TINY TIM – TTIM [MITT (hand), “up”] holding IN + Y (yours for a start) Had no idea this was a Dickens character until I looked it up for the blog. Good old Charlie. |
|
| 33 | Footballer goes round hospital — he has irritating complaint (7) |
| WHINGER – WINGER (footballer) round H (hospital) | |
| 34 | Given wrong order to rejoin colleagues in the trenches? (4,2,5) |
| BACK TO FRONT – Double def, the second one cryptic. | |
| 36 | Magnificent creature on ledge with gale blowing about (6,5) |
|
GOLDEN EAGLE – (on ledge + gale)* I’m more familiar with the wedge-tailed eagle. If these guys are closely related (and it appears they are), then “magnificent creature” is possibly an understatement. |
|
| 38 | Thrown out of carriage, perhaps, as not qualified? (9) |
| UNTRAINED – Double def, the first one slightly cryptic. | |
| 40 | Almost imagine winning: not so hairy now (4,2,3) |
| THIN ON TOP – THIN [THINK (imagine), almost] + ON TOP (winning) | |
| 41 | Grim sabre hacked part of whale (9) |
|
AMBERGRIS – (grim sabre)* Only produced by sperm whales apparently. Not the young humpbacks I saw frolicking just metres off the Sydney coast last weekend. |
|
| 44 | Old dog lifts tail right up, the sign of a champion? (7) |
| ROSETTE – [O (old) + SETTER (dog)] with R (tail of setter) moved to the top (lifted right up) | |
| 46 | Bloomer made by a submariner on new dive finally (7) |
| ANEMONE – A + NEMO (submariner) + N (new) + E (dive, finally) | |
| 48 | Across pool, notice foot (7) |
| SPONDEE – SEE (notice) “across” POND (pool) | |
| 51 | OAP losing one address on the Costa del Sol (5) |
| SENOR – SENIOR (OAP), losing I (one) | |
| 53 | A slovenly type raised in US city (5) |
|
TULSA – [A + SLUT (slovenly type)] raised Usage tip: There are probably better terms available if you want to accuse someone of being slovenly. |
|
J 1214 has been uploaded with the non-cryptic clues; would someone pass it on to the Times?
Many thanks.
Unfortunately I have no idea of how to alert the relevant authorities.
Edited at 2016-06-25 05:58 am (UTC)