I couldn’t have told you what my PB was for a Jumbo, but I can now. I’m sure my time of 25:06 is much faster than any of my previous efforts. I’m also sure that this says more about the puzzle than it does about my solving, but you take ’em when you can get ’em.
Here’s how I think it worked…..
| Across | |
| 1 | Spirit our society introduced to almost all of Caribbean country, we hear (6,3,2) |
| RUMOUR HAS IT – RUM (spirit) + OUR + S (society) “introduced to” HAIT [almost all of HAITI (Caribbean country)] | |
| 7 | Recent manoeuvres on raid a focus of controversy (5,6) |
| STORM CENTRE – STORM (raid) + (RECENT)* | |
| 13 | An hors d’oeuvre can get spirits up (6,2,9) |
|
ANGELS ON HORSEBACK – ANGELS (spirits) + ON HORSEBACK (up) Oysters wrapped in bacon. |
|
| 14 | Picture watched in the auditorium (5) |
| SCENE – Homophone (in the auditorium) for SEEN (watched) | |
| 15 | Arrives to entertain revolutionary old jockey (6) |
|
ARCHER – ARR (arrives) “to entertain” CHE (revolutionary) The jockey in question presumably being Fred. |
|
| 16 | Enormous male in a small yard (8) |
| ALMIGHTY – M (male) in A + LIGHT (small) + Y (yard) | |
| 17 | Composer from Wales met an arranger (7) |
| SMETANA – Hidden in waleS MET AN Arranger | |
| 19 | Looks after key volunteers in south (9) |
| MAINTAINS – MAIN (key) + TA (volunteers) + IN + S (south) | |
| 21 | With leader of ramble in bad weather, finds something to hold on to (8) |
| HANDRAIL – AND (with) + R (leader of ramble) in HAIL (bad weather) | |
| 23 | Toboggan went first following start of snowstorm (4) |
| SLED – LED (went first) following S (start of Snowstorm) | |
| 25 | Travels free — express empty (5) |
| RIDES – RID (free) + ES (ExpresS, empty) | |
| 27 | Textbook of the highest quality by foremost of rabbis (6) |
| PRIMER – PRIME (of the highest quality) + R (foremost of Rabbits) | |
| 28 | Following a visit to the theatre one may be laughing uncontrollably (2,8) |
| IN STITCHES – Double definition | |
| 30 | Rescue vessel, if able to, at sea (8) |
| LIFEBOAT – (IF ABLE TO)* | |
| 31 | Drink beside what sounds like promising book (5,4,5) |
| CIDER WITH ROSIE – CIDER (drink) + WITH (beside) + ROSIE [homophone for (what sounds like) ROSY (promising)] | |
| 34 | Where one may order round after round (10,4) |
| NINETEENTH HOLE – Cryptic definition | |
| 35 | Closely allied, two divisions circling home (3,2,3) |
| ARM IN ARM – ARM (division) + ARM (division) “circling” IN (home) | |
| 38 | Cover oneself in glory at first with fantastic deeds and rest (3,7) |
| GET DRESSED – G (Glory at first) + (DEEDS REST)* | |
| 40 | Herb used in the making of sauces or relishes (6) |
| SORREL – Hidden (used in the making of) sauceS OR REL ish | |
| 41 | Sing version with new opening (5) |
| YODEL – MODEL (version) with new first letter (opening) | |
| 43 | Vagrant dropping penny in streetcar (4) |
| TRAM – TRAMP (vagrant) dropping P (penny) | |
| 44 | Count on support for driver on the wagon (8) |
| TEETOTAL – TOTAL (count) on TEE (support for driver) | |
| 45 | A year after church brought in to expedite a celebration at a school (6,3) |
| SPEECH DAY – A + Y (year) after CH (church) brought in to SPEED (expedite) | |
| 48 | Goal associated with job in maze (7) |
| NETWORK – NET (goal) + WORK (job) | |
| 49 | Cut short, and cut open, in a manner of speaking (8) |
| PARLANCE – PAR [PARE (cut), short] + LANCE (cut open) | |
| 50 | River in Italy engulfing remainder very fast (6) |
| PRESTO – PO (river in Italy) “engulfing” REST (remainder) | |
| 53 | A cold crowd, mass leaving capital (5) |
| ACCRA – A + C (cold) + CRA [M (mass) “leaving” CRAM (crowd)] | |
| 54 | Play in concert with the American after first of EPs released (10,7) |
| PROMETHEUS UNBOUND – PROM (concert) + THE + US (American) after E (first of Eps) + UNBOUND (released) | |
| 55 | One always remembering to press hard on rifle (8,3) |
| ELEPHANT GUN – ELEPHANT (one always remembering) + GUN (press hard on) | |
| 56 | Artist ate out, possibly consuming bad casserole (11) |
| RATATOUILLE – RA (artist) + (ATE OUT)* “consuming” ILL (bad) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Naval officer coming from stern, mostly to appreciate a lake (4,7) |
| REAR ADMIRAL – REAR (stern) + ADMIR [mostly ADMIRE (to appreciate)] + A + L (lake) | |
| 2 | Wonderful glossy I start to contemplate (5) |
| MAGIC – MAG (glossy) + I + C (start to Contemplate) | |
| 3 | Most horrible looking fruit is French (7) |
| UGLIEST – UGLI (fruit) + EST (“is” in French) | |
| 4 | None impressed by dance band (4) |
| HOOP – O (none) “impressed by” HOP (dance) | |
| 5 | Learned saint gripped by colic has collapsed (10) |
| SCHOLASTIC – ST (saint) “gripped by” (COLIC HAS)* | |
| 6 | Thus the kid made up with girl offering sweet (7,7) |
| TURKISH DELIGHT – (THUS THE KID GIRL)* | |
| 7 | Understand obsession is coming to the boil? (8) |
| SEETHING – SEE (understand) + THING (obsession) | |
| 8 | Initially observe change in gland (5) |
| OVARY – O (initially Observe) + VARY (change) | |
| 9 | Produce loose dress as a temporary expedient (9) |
| MAKESHIFT – MAKE (produce) + SHIFT (loose dress) | |
| 10 | European flower festival (6) |
| EASTER – E (European) + ASTER (flower) | |
| 11 | Tennyson poem gets put down as a novel (3,5,3,6) |
| THE EAGLE HAS LANDED – THE EAGLE (Tennyson poem) + HAS (gets) + LANDED (put down) | |
| 12 | Precious stone is left by head of embassy in Ireland (7,4) |
| EMERALD ISLE – EMERALD (precious stone) + IS + L (left) + E (head of Embassy) | |
| 18 | Film character on top of tree (8) |
| AIRPLANE – AIR (character) “on top of” PLANE (tree) | |
| 20 | A vague piece of journalism (10,7) |
| INDEFINITE ARTICLE – INDEFINITE (vague) + ARTICLE (piece of journalism) | |
| 22 | Reputation our sailors crossing middle of ocean possess (6) |
| RENOWN – RN (Royal Navy, “our” sailors) crossing E (middle of ocEan) + OWN (possess) | |
| 24 | Aquatic bird — it nested in banks of estuary for donkey’s years (8) |
| ETERNITY – TERN (aquatic bird) + IT “nested in” EY (banks of EstuarY) | |
| 26 | Sorry tale of former pupil on board, Conservative (3,5) |
| SOB STORY – OB (Old Boy, former pupil) in SS (on board) + TORY (conservative) | |
| 29 | Anguish over boundary, reportedly hit very hard and at great speed (4,3,7) |
|
HELL FOR LEATHER – HELL (anguish) + FOR [homophone (reportedly) for FOUR (over boundary)] + LEATHER (hit very hard) Twelfth letter of the cockney alphabet. |
|
| 32 | That woman heartlessly choked by ploughman in suspenseful book? (8) |
| THRILLER – HR [HER (that woman), heartlessly] “choked by” TILLER (ploughman) | |
| 33 | Bishop during a trial taking the most optimistic view (2,4) |
| AT BEST – B (bishop) “during” A + TEST (trial) | |
| 34 | Flier in strong wind after dark (11) |
| NIGHTINGALE – IN + GALE (strong wind) after NIGHT (dark) | |
| 36 | Pamper woman, not even fifty, in church (11) |
| MOLLYCODDLE – MOLLY (woman) + ODD (not even) + L (fifty) in CE (church) | |
| 37 | Fog, perhaps, over block of flats, a feature of Wimbledon? (5,5) |
|
GRASS COURT – GRASS (fog, perhaps) + COURT (block of flats) Fog, or “Yorkshire fog” is a common name for holcus lanatus. Times bloggers know this sort of thing. Provided they have access to Wikipedia. |
|
| 39 | Approach unnoticed in grass at college, over by end of green (5,2,2) |
| SNEAK UP ON – SNEAK (grass) + UP (at college) + O (over) + N (end of greeN) | |
| 42 | Caviar supplier, one who operates across heart of Vietnam (8) |
| STURGEON – SURGEON (one who operates) across T (heart of vieTnam) | |
| 46 | Ruminant, a kid, devoured by cougar? Not half! (7) |
| CARIBOU – A + RIB (kid) “devoured by” COU (COUgar, not half) | |
| 47 | Fertiliser in container for plants, timber (6) |
| POTASH – POT (container for plants) + ASH (timber) | |
| 49 | Point in river offensive smell envelops (5) |
| PRONG – R (river) in PONG (offensive smell) | |
| 51 | Son to get rid of racing shell (5) |
| SCULL – S (son) + CULL (get rid of) | |
| 52 | Only fair? Quite (4) |
| JUST – Triple definition | |
Ong’ara,
Nairobi.