Took me about six times as long as the last Jumbo I blogged, and I think I might have even snuck a peek at some aids before submitting. So I hope you all agree this was a toughie.
Here’s how I parsed it….
Clues are reproduced in blue, with the definition underlined. Anagram indicators are bolded and italicised. Then there’s the answer IN BOLD, followed by the parsing of the wordplay. (ABC)* means ‘anagram of ABC’.
| Across | |
| 1 | Perverse conflict of different colours I ignored (6) |
| WARPED – WAR (conflict) + PIED (of different colours) with the I removed | |
| 5 | White chess pieces placed on picture book briefly (7) |
| ALBUMEN – MEN (chess pieces) on ALBUm (picture book, briefly) | |
| 9 | The writer secures food with a fine food-store (4-4) |
| MEAT-SAFE – ME (the writer) “secures” EATS (food) + A + F (fine) | |
| 13 | Secret a medical student could keep? (8,2,3,8) |
|
SKELETON IN THE CUPBOARD – Double definition The first is the meaning of the well known phrase. The second, well, every medical student needs an anatomical model don’t they? |
|
| 14 | Snub idea that’s outrageous without taking sides (8) |
| UNBIASED – (SNUB IDEA)* | |
| 15 | Tests extremes of tide in port (7) |
| TRIESTE – TRIES (tests) + TE (extremes of TidE) | |
| 16 | Change making him hire? (6) |
| REFORM – RE for M would make hiM become hiRE | |
| 17 | What’s bound to follow accelerated preparation? (6,4) |
|
FLYING LEAP – Cryptic definition Referring to the run-up required to take a flying leap (or bound). |
|
| 20 | Absolutely dreadful academic interrupting allegory about international co-operation? (12) |
| UNPARDONABLE – DON (academic) “interrupting” UN PARABLE (allegory about international co-operation?) | |
| 23 | Spain came to suppress them (4) |
| INCA – &LIT. Hidden in spaIN CAme | |
| 24 | Ordered to bring in secure clampdown (8) |
| BLOCKADE – BADE (ordered) to “secure” LOCK (secure) | |
| 26 | One mountain, turned over, getting millions in precious metal (8) |
| PLATINUM – PLATINU [UNIT (one) + ALP (mountain) “turned over”] + M (millions) | |
| 29 | Using other parts of one’s anatomy as a tongue? (4,8) |
| BODY LANGUAGE – Cryptic definiton | |
| 30 | Wrongly toying with miss? Unlikely if so (10) |
|
MISOGYNIST – (TOYING MISS)* Slightly troubled by this. Wouldn’t a misogynist be more likely to be “wrongly toying” with a miss, whatever that might involve? |
|
| 32 | I note King and Queen failing to appear in newspaper: that’s rare (10) |
| INFREQUENT – I + N (note) + R (king) + (QUEEN)* “appearing” in FT (newspaper) | |
| 34 | Suppress entitlements — got involved to block that? Absolutely (4,2,6) |
| BANG TO RIGHTS – BAN (suppress) + RIGHTS (entitlements) “blocked” by (GOT)* | |
| 36 | Record-player of high quality seized by soldier next (8) |
| ADJACENT – DJ (record-player) + ACE (of high quality) “seized by” ANT (soldier) | |
| 38 | Bar, to men getting drunk, is a mass of people (4-1-3) |
| RENT-A-MOB – (BAR TO MEN)* | |
| 39 | Horrible convict not seen in Hamlet (4) |
|
VILE – LAG (convict) “not seen” in VILLAGE (hamlet) Ignore the capital H. They’re just trying to trick you, you know. |
|
| 41 | Supplier of current tailoring and fashions (8,4) |
|
NATIONAL GRID – (TAILORING AND)* Very clever clue now that I take the time to look at it. |
|
| 43 | Old character right to invest in African money in work for commission? (3,7) |
| RUN ERRANDS – RUNE (old character) + R (right) to “invest” in RANDS (African money) | |
| 44 | Hope not to see son when taking in an errant schoolchild (6) |
| TRUANT – TRUT [TRUST (hope) “not to see” S (son)] “taking in” AN | |
| 46 | Insights from orchestra — percussion section (7) |
| APERCUS – Hidden in orchestrA PERCUSsion | |
| 48 | 400m? Record seeing one take first place in commemorative style (8) |
| LAPIDARY – LAP (400m?) + IDARY [DIARY (record) seeing I (one) go to the front (take first place)] | |
| 50 | Nitwit worships hothead undone — by himself? (5,4,3,3,6) |
|
HOIST WITH HIS OWN PETARD – (NITWIT WORSHIPS HOTHEAD)* Could argue that “undone” is doing double duty here, as the anagrind and part of the definition. Doesn’t detract from the clue, IMHO. |
|
| 51 | Start attack where heat is on? (4,4) |
| OPEN FIRE – Double definition | |
| 52 | Something chewable, in terms of ham? (7) |
|
SCENERY – Cryptic definition To “chew the scenery” is to over-act, as a ham actor would do. Didn’t know the expression myself. I do now. |
|
| 53 | Love bagging runs, avoiding exciting stuff (6) |
| DREARY – DEARY (love) “bagging” R (runs) | |
| Down | |
| 2 | Minister’s heading off crime (5) |
| ARSON – PARSON (minister) without the first letter (heading off) | |
| 3 | First runner coming up to occupy point on a track (11) |
| PRELIMINARY – RELIM [MILER (runner) reversed (coming up)] “to occupy” PIN (point) + A + RY (track) | |
| 4 | Mounted training in fashion history? (8) |
| DRESSAGE – Double definition | |
| 5 | Duck — keen to eat duck (5) |
| AVOID – AVID (keen) to “eat” O (duck) | |
| 6 | Like urban area praised (5-2) |
| BUILT-UP – Double definition | |
| 7 | Enter college, though displaying dubious actual merit (11) |
| MATRICULATE – (ACTUAL MERIT)* | |
| 8 | Observed to turn up clutching daughter’s shopping-list, say (5) |
| NEEDS – NEES [SEEN (observed) “to turn up”] “clutching” D (daughter) | |
| 9 | Way to work and deploy some revolutionary vermin control (5-4) |
| MOUSE-TRAP – MO (modus operandi, way to work) + USE (deploy) + TRAP [PART (some) “revolutionary”] | |
| 10 | Stone room church abandoned (5) |
| AMBER – CHAMBER (room) “abandoned” by CH (church) | |
| 11 | All-male apartment — home with zero coming in — bad economic situation (11) |
| STAGFLATION – STAG (all-male) + FLAT (apartment) + IN (home) with O (zero) “coming in” | |
| 12 | Wild about newsman describing Stateside governance (7) |
| FEDERAL – FERAL (wild) “about” ED (newsman) | |
| 18 | Biblical destination for those in retirement? (4,2,3) |
| LAND OF NOD – Cryptic definition | |
| 19 | Pastoral verse, English, with hint about woodland feature (7) |
| ECLOGUE – E (English) + CUE (hint) “about” LOG (woodland feature) | |
| 21 | Unfinished pie on a menu sadly leading to complaint (9) |
| PNEUMONIA – [PI (unfinished PIE) ON A MENU]* | |
| 22 | Warden hiding in old Yankee’s tree house (8) |
| ORANGERY – RANGER (warden) “hiding in” O (old) + Y (Yankee) | |
| 25 | Gossip: mad figure in church heading for Rector (9) |
| CHATTERER – HATTER (mad figure) in CE (church) + R (heading for Rector) | |
| 27 | Still to confirm a forecast of “showery”? (9) |
| UNSETTLED – Double definition | |
| 28 | Is not certain to promote festival girl (3,5) |
| MAY QUEEN – MAY (is not certain to) + QUEEN (promote) | |
| 31 | Is turning up with Irish politician to have sort of meal? (3-4) |
| SIT-DOWN – SI (IS “turning up”) + TD (Teachta Dala, member of Dail Eireann, the lower house of the Orichteas) + OWN (have) | |
| 33 | Understanding allowance covers each border? Not quite (11) |
|
REALISATION – RATION (allowance) “covers” EA (each) + LIS [LIST (border) not quite] Ok, I’m saying border = list, because that’s the only way I can make it work. Apparently it’s an obsolete definition, specifically relating to a strip of cloth, a stripe of colour, or a boundary. Lists were also the palisades used to mark the boundary of arenas for tournaments back in mediaeval days. You can tell I’m not totally convinced by this, so any suggestions would be very welcome. I started by assuming that it was border = lip, with an unaccounted-for S thrown in, but that’s not very convincing either. Help me, Obi-Wan. |
|
| 34 | Religious rule in African country ending in disrepute (11) |
|
BENEDICTINE – EDICT (rule) in BENIN (African country) + E (ending in disreputE) Religious being used as a noun here. |
|
| 35 | Award with appropriate concessions (4-3-4) |
|
GIVE-AND-TAKE – GIVE (award) + AND (with) + TAKE (appropriate) Could be seen as a semi-&LIT as well. |
|
| 37 | Like a TV broadcast in pursuit of acknowledgment? That’s saying a lot (9) |
| TALKATIVE – (LIKE A TV)* “in pusuit of” TA (thanks, acknowledgment) | |
| 40 | Continually supply daughters, after putting in opening payment (4-4) |
| DRIP-FEED – Putting RIP (opening) + FEE (payment) in D D (daughters) | |
| 42 | Flying machine: get superior attitude with it (7) |
| AIRSHIP – AIRS (superior attitude) + HIP (with it) | |
| 43 | Come up with cut fish for fried dish (7) |
| RISSOLE – RIS [RISE (come up) with cut] + SOLE (fish) | |
| 45 | Orchestral passage: expression of annoyance with it going the wrong way (5) |
| TUTTI – TUT (expression of annoyance) + TI (IT “going the wrong way”) | |
| 47 | Spirit of yonder people promoting Ecstasy (5) |
| ETHOS – THOSE (yonder people) “promoting” E (ecstasy) | |
| 48 | Channel island where woman gets article translated into French? (5) |
| LUNDY – LADY (woman) with A (article) “translated” to UN (French for “A”) | |
| 49 | Speculator in stocks overlooking a further clause (5) |
| RIDER – RAIDER (speculator in stocks) “overlooking” A | |
Ong’ara,
Nairobi.