Jumbo 1258

Author   sghansonPosted on Categories Jumbo Cryptic
I completed this correctly, but there are a couple of clues where I am unsure of the correct interpretation (6D and 12D) although I can make some sort of sense of them

There are also others (13A, 18A, 29A, 55A, 12D again) which I suspect would be trickier for overseas solvers, although wordplay is mostly clear. 38D was unfamiliar to me, although I may have come across it in a previous crossword (never in real life).

The first qualifier for the annual Times Crossword Championship was published this week, and having made a mistake last year I was prepared to complete and submit it, but when I checked the date it clashes with our daughter’s wedding so I will need to pass on this year.

Here is my understanding of how the Jumbo works – apologies for any typos:

Across
1 CORELLI – CORE = key, LLI = ILL = poorly, reversed
5 FACE PACK – FACE = deal with, PACK = jam
9 LUDWIG – LUD = so-called judge, WIG = berate
13 COCK-AND-BULL-STORY – cryptic definition
14 ASHTON – ASH = wooden, TON = style
16 OVENS – O.S. = sailor, around VEN = archdeacon
17 SASSOON – S(aturday), AS SOON = no later
18 IN-YER-FACE – FINERY*, ACE = champion
19 CONUNDRUM – CON = to do, UN = a, French, DRUM = beat
21 STAUNCH – hidden in sandaniSTA UNCHallenged
22 WRUNG – (wido)W, RUNG = spoke
23 OUSEL – OL(d), around USE = enjoy
25 ABSORBENT – ABS = muscles, O.R. = men, BENT = flexed
27 SEMIPRO – SEMI = house, PRO = for
29 KIRBY GRIP – KIR = alcoholic drink, BY = next to, G(rand), RIP = libertine
31 CROCODILE CLIP – CROCODILE = children walking, CLIP = speed
34 DIG FOR VICTORY – DIG = appreciate, F.O. = Foreign Office, RY = line, around VICTOR = chap
35 STONECROP – STONE = weight, CROP = trim
37 DECANAL – DE-CANAL = remove channel, maybe
39 TELEPHOTO – (TO THE POLE)*
42 TWEEN – final letters of each word in chaT shoW comperE camE iN
43 LEAFY – LEA = grassland, (grati)FY(ingly)
45 TOMBOLA – TOMB = grave, OLA(f) = Swede, possibly
47 FREESTYLE – (STEELY REF)*
49 SUPERBOWL – SUPERB = great, OWL = hooter
50 LAWSUIT – L.A. = city, W(ith), SUIT = hearts, maybe
52 UNHIP – UN = one, HIP = exclamation coming before cheer
54 UNDONE – (t)UNNE(l), around DO = note
55 PIGGY-IN-THE-MIDDLE – PIGGY = greedy, IN THE MIDDLE = mean (as in average)
56 TROMSO – (OR MOST)*
57 SNATCHER – (CHEST RAN)*
58 HARNESS – HAR(d)NESS = severity
 
Down
1 CUCKOO CLOCK – CUCKOO = bananas, CLOCK = hit
2 RUCHE – R.U.C. = force disbanded, HE = that man
3 LIAISON – LION = celebrity, around AIS = sloths
4 INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION – INDUS = river, TRIAL = pilot, REVOLUTION = wheel
5 FOURSOMES – (MORE OF US)*, S(ucceeded)
6 CELLO – really unsure on this one. I can see C.O. = Conscientious Objector = pacifist, but I am not sure how ELL = inch, nor where liberty-taking fits in
7 POTENTATE – PATE = heat, around OT = To, reversed and ENT = hospital wing
8 CARRION – CARRI sounds like CARRY = shoulder, ON = leg (cricket)
10 UNSCREW – UN’S = international body’s, CREW = team
11 WITH A BUMP – double definition
12 GINGER GROUP – I think this is a cryptic and double definition combined. GINGER = red headed, and GINGER GROUP = active (= firing?) faction
15 BY THE SKIN OF ONES TEETH – (ONE OF THE BEST IN THE SKY)*. A big anagram
20 NOSE RAG -(ANGER SO)*
21 SIROCCO – SIR = teacher, O.C. and C.O. are two different abbreviations for army commanders
24 LAY DOWN – LAY = song, DOWN = influenced by the blues
26 TOOTS – double definition, the second using ducks as a term of endearment or familiarity I think
28 MAE WEST – MAST = pole, around EWE = sheep
30 PICOT – PIT = stone, around CO = firm
32 OLYMPIA – hidden in melanchOLY MP I Advised
33 LARCENY – LEN = boy, around ARC = bow, (humilit)Y
34 DIDDLY-SQUAT – (D,D,D, QUALITYS)*
36 PONY EXPRESS – PONY = twenty five pounds, EX = old, PRESS = journalists
38 CLAPPY-DOO – (happy) CLAPPY = expressive evangelical Christian, DO = function, O(ld)
40 LOOP-LIGHT – LOO = ladies, PLIGHT = desperate situation
41 OFF-CUTTER – OF = belonging to, F.C. = football club, UTTER = say
44 Y-FRONTS – TONYS* around FR = father
46 MILLION – MILL = pound, I = one, ON
48 SAUCIER – double definition
51 WEIGH – WEIGH sounds like WAY = the road
53 HEDGE – H(aving), EDGE = advantage

15 comments on “Jumbo 1258”

  1. Give him an inch, and he’ll take an ell. (I see that I managed to submit this comment almost an hour before our blogger submitted his blog; the Tardis at work?)

    Edited at 2017-04-22 05:09 am (UTC)

    1. Thank you – that makes sense of the clue.

      I have never heard that expression – the nearest is “Give him an inch and he will take a mile”

  2. I was fairly confident that 12d was my one error, as I could make no sense of the clue, and biffed ‘gunner [‘firing’] group’. Having looked the term up, I still don’t see how to parse it. As for the other potentially difficult ones you mention, I don’t see why 13ac would be a problem, nor 18ac, other than that I’ve never seen ‘YER’ (but wouldn’t be surprised to); fortunately, Olivia mentioned KIRBY GRIPS in a recent posting here; with 55, the enumeration suggested IN-THE, which helped. I had problems with CLAPPY-DOO (glad to see I’m not alone), but finally remembered ‘happy-clappy’. SUPER BOWL finally forced itself upon me–I had ‘great’=SUPER, never thought of adding the B, and for me it’s one word–but it took a long time. COD to 8d.
  3. Sorry to intrude. Where can I find the blog for 26703, April 19. Many thanks.
    1. 26703 is a qualifying puzzle for the Championship that is still live – I think the deadline is next Wednesday so the blog will probably appear on Thursday.
  4. I was hoping for enlightenment on 12dn, but like Kevin I still don’t understand how it works. I put it in from what I took to be the wordplay (red = GINGER, faction = GROUP) but that leaves ‘firing heads’ as the definition. I can see ‘heads of red faction’ as a sort of cryptic definition (a faction of people with ‘heads of red’?) but that leaves ‘firing’. What is ‘firing’ even doing in the clue?
    I have never come across CLAPPY-DOO but I’m very glad to make its acquaintance. It didn’t look likely at all but the wordplay was pretty unambiguous.
  5. Found this one tough, taking over two hours and having to resort to aids in several places. Some enjoyable clues though. Quite a lot of slang expressions I thought. Thanks setter and sgh.
  6. I thought this one was a real beast, the toughest jumbo I’ve seen in quite a while. Took all afternoon to plough through it but still ended up in a DNF, failing to get 12dn, 3dn and 22ac. Nice PDMs at 13ac, 18ac and 7dn. Quite a few unknowns. Heard of Tromso because of the midnight sun marathon (not that I’ve ever run it). COD to 34dn for the combination of smooth surface and the 3D device which I really liked once I twigged and can’t remember seeing before.
  7. CLAPPY-DOO first appeared in Chambers in the 12th edition but then was left out of the 13th edition in the great “500 missing words” debacle.
    I notice that the “Please find a list of the missing words here” link at the Chambers 13th edition web page no longer works.
  8. Chambers gives head – an individual person as one of a group and to fire – to animate or rouse to passion.

    As a ‘Ginger group’ is a small group of people whose object is to stir the more passive majority into activity,
    I thought that ‘Firing heads’ might mean more or less the same thing.

    mike04

  9. This one was tough,completed it the next day,as a foreign solver,29a almost beat me only to find it in Oxford when going through words beginning in k.How is libertine=rip please?
    Ong’ara,
    Nairobi,Kenya.
    1. “rip” is a rather dated word for a libertine. ODE defines it as “(dated) an immoral or unpleasant person; …”

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