Jumbo 1378

Author   sghansonPosted on Categories Jumbo Cryptic
A lot of longer solutions in this one in a grid of 26 Across clues and 28 Down which I think is the lowest number of clues I have had to type up.

There were a number I liked, especially 48A and 2D, but also weaker ones where I think 12D is a bit loose and 7D does not quite work.

Across
1 ECONOMICAL WITH THE TRUTH – double definition, the first cryptic with ECONOMICAL = a good husband and TRUTH = verity
13 CUDGEL – CUD – something to chew on, GEL = setter
14 RAT-A-TAT – RAT = grass (rat on), around TATA = so long
15 NECKLINE – NECK = sink (as in drink), LINE = fill
16 THE SEYCHELLES – (CHEESE THEY SELL)* with one E = European removed
18 TINGLY – TIN = metal, (u)GLY = hideous
20 CADAVEROUS – CAD = rotter, AVERS = claims, around OU(rs)
21 AS TIME GOES BY – A, S = small, TIME = bird (as in jail time), GOES BY = relies on
24 INSIST – IN = home, S = point (south), IST = first
26 YIELDING – (IDLY EG IN)*
28 LUSTRE – sounds like LUSTER = one with strong desire
30 TWO-HORSE RACE – cryptic definition
31 ORIMULSION – (MINOR US OIL)*
33 STRYCHNINE – SCH = school, around TRY = sample, NINE = (a) square
34 WORKER-PRIEST – (K(eeping), PROSE WRITER)*
35 LAYS TO – hidden in isLAY STOrnoway
37 ACTRESSY – AC = account, TRES = very in French, S(p)Y
38 SASHAY – SASH = band, AY = always
40 SECOND FIDDLE – SECOND = back, FIDDLE = doctor
41 GALSWORTHY – GALS = maybe misses (girls), WORTHY = dignitary
43 ZSA ZSA – alternate letters in hAt SiZe, reversed and repeated. Zsa Zsa Gabor was a famous Hungarian, but I am not sure whether this was meant to refer to the name as typical of the country
45 HISTORY IS BUNK – H = henry, (BUYS INTO RISK)*. A quotation from Henry Ford
48 JAUNDICE – JUN = month, around A(ffecting), DICE = those with spotty faces
49 ATISHOO – sounds like A TISSUE = a hanky
51 DICTUM – DIC = CID = investigators, reversed, TUM = corporation
52 THOUSAND ISLAND DRESSING – double definition, the second cryptic with THOUSAND = k and ISLAND = key
 
Down
2 CRUX – CRU = vintage, X = times (multiplication)
3 NIGHTMARISHLY – (AILING RHYTHMS)*
4 MALTESE – MALE = chap, around TES = notes
5 CUR – CUR(t) = short. I think this is how it works as I can’t think of a word CUR? meaning tail
6 LATICES – LAT(e) = after hours, ICES = cold dishes
7 IN THE SADDLE – I = one, NT = collection of books, HES = fellow’s, ADDLE = muddled(or should it be muddle?)
8 HOTEL – if the N in Arnhem is November in the phonetic alphabet, then the next letter is H = HOTEL
9 HANDSOME – HAND = to give, SOME = a few
10 TACIT – hidden reversed in sophisTICATion
11 UPLANDERS – U = university, PL = place, ANDERS = swede
12 HANDLEBAR MOUSTACHE – cryptic definition assuming that someone in the saddle is on a bike or motorbike. I would normally expect that to refer to a horse rider
17 EPOXY RESIN – ERE = before, around POXY = pants, S = son, IN = wearing
19 BAD NEWS TRAVELS FAST – cryptic definition where NEWS = the latest and TRAVELS FAST = careers
22 TANDOORIS – TAN = function, DOOR = opening, IS = one’s
23 GALLUMPHS – (L(iberal), MP LAUGHS)*
25 TORCHWOOD – TWO = pair, around OR = gold and CH = chain, O = round, (ce)D(ar)
27 EVANESCED – EVAN = welshman, ESC = key, ED = journalist
29 LIFE CYCLES – (LYCEE FLICS)*
32 SCISSORS KICKS – SCISSORS used for cutting out and KICKS = excitement
34 WAR MEMORIAL – WARM = kind, EMO = ‘OME = cockney home, RIAL = money for Iranian
36 SFORZANDO – SF = Irish party, OR = men, Z = end letter, AND = with, O = word of appeal
39 EIGHTEEN – (TE-HEEING)*
41 GRYPHON – (cracklin)G, RY = line, PHON(e) = call
42 WOULD-BE – WOULD sound like WOOD = small forest, BE sounds like BEE = insect
44 AMISS – AMIS = friends in Nice in French, with the last letter repeated
46 SWAMI – SWAM = was crawling, I = one
47 QUIN – (s)QUIN(t) = strabismus
50 ODD – OD = gorge = overdose, D = delta

7 comments on “Jumbo 1378”

  1. Thanks for the excellent blog. I thought it was a cracking puzzle, very inventive, pretty hard too and providing great entertainment. I wondered too about ADDLE but dicts seems to support to some extent an adjectival use though more in combination with other words. Re HANDLEBAR MOUSTACHE the bikes of my distant youth that I spent many hours on had saddles and handlebars but, yes, you’d not generally say “in the saddle” about them.
  2. I think one takes ‘tail’ as a verb; cut the tail off ‘curt’. Or is that what you meant? In which case, do delete this!

    Edited at 2019-05-12 06:02 am (UTC)

  3. As always, a couple of DNKs: ORIMULSION, NECK, LATICES, but I figured that one on the basis of eg ‘index’. Never figured out HOTEL, but the checkers were enough, fortunately. I too have a ? at 7d, but as Anon says (e.g. addle-pated, for (the only) instance (I can think of)). Liked 33ac and 52ac.
  4. Yes, that’s how I saw it: TAIL as an (imperative) verb taking the last letter off curt
  5. Why do you think 7d doesn’t work as a matter of interest?
    ADDLE = muddled

    The cross reference to this is not meant to be read as the dictionary sense

    FGBP

    1. In my experience in isolation ADDLE = to muddle and ADDLED = muddled. If one takes ADDLE as part of ADDLE-HEADED or ADDLE-PATED then perhaps. Checking in Chambers the definition is correct, however, so it is just my opinion

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