Jumbo 1423

Well that was fun! My turn to blog coincided with the publication of a Superjumbo crossword with 90 clues (normally 60 ish – do I get time and a half?) to celebrate the 90 years of the Times Crossword. There are lots of clues and solutions with references to this event, and to the subject of crosswords, throughout the puzzle, too many of them to mark individually. The marking of this anniversary made me look back to see how long I have been posting – just over 10 years is the answer, with Jumbo 838 being my first. Time flies!

Although the puzzle was certainly well constructed around the theme, in my opinion none of the clues were particularly difficult, controversial, or worthy of special mention, although I would give 43A as my favourite, followed by 13D for its cryptic definition.

I have updated the format of my blog entry to match others’ efforts, so I now have included the full clue and definitions as I see them are underlined. I hope this helps readers. Apologies for any typos I have missed. Spellcheckers are not the most helpful when one is dealing in partial words and I this was a long document.

The expanded grid seems to have caused problems for the Crossowrd Club and the puzzle cannot be solved through that route. A pdf is available here , and a solvable grid here (thanks to David Parfitt the Puzzles Editor posting these links in the Crossword Club Forum).

ACROSS
1   The number for today’s 45? (5,8,2,3)
      HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU – appropriate for a celebratory event for the puzzle
10 Ninety-ton load originally transported with great diligence (8)
      INTENTLY – (NINETY, T(on), L(oad))*
16 Miss, perhaps, loch, with fog to the west (5)
      HAZEL – HAZE = fog, L = loch
17 Came out with partner once requested? (9)
      EXCLAIMED – EX = partner once, CLAIMED = requested
18 Drag couple, pushing wife back (3)
      TOW – TWO = couple, with W = wife moved to the end of the word
19 Carbon copy perfectly covers a composition (7)
      TOCCATA – TO A T = perfectly, around C.C. = carbon copy, A
20 Times cryptic has bagged large one (9)
      MILESTONE – TIMES* around L = large, ONE
21 Piano master given one month by notorious landlord (11)
      RACHMANINOV – RACHMAN = notorious landlord, I = one, NOV = month
23 See, in singular working method, way to extend playtime (3-2)
      SLO-MO – S = singular, LO = see, M.O. = working method
24 Flash detective with Latin touch (7)
      MODICUM – MO = flash, D.I. = detective, CUM = with, in Latin
25 In short, why you can’t ring chemist (5)
      NOBEL – NO BEL(l) = why you can’t ring
26 Forward social security packs for one (5)
      SASSY – SAY = for one, around S.S. = social security
28 Advance payments: one way to get by (7)
      SUBSIST – SUBS = advance payments, I = one, ST = way
29 “Meet in Colorado” — I like this clue! (4,6)
      COME ACROSS – CO = Colorado, ME = I, ACROSS = like this clue
31 Running to ground, maybe, voracious predator turning on swallow (8)
      DOWNFLOW – DOWN = swallow, FLOW = WOLF (= voracious predator), reversed
33 Grand performance’s finale for circus clown (7)
      AUGUSTE – AUGUST = grand, (performance)E
35 Cricket team after hotel (5)
      INDIA – double definition, the second referring to the NATO phonetic alphabet
37 Hard test occurring at regular intervals (5)
      HORAL – H = hard, ORAL = test
38 Children’s doctor lacking energy to work out (4)
      SUSS – S(e)USS = children’s doctor
39 Touching, moving letters from dog trainer (2,6,2)
      IN REGARD TO – (DOG TRAINER)*
41 Hot, wearing kit attached to mat — it’s 90 degrees! (5-5)
      RIGHT ANGLE – RIG = kit, around H = hot, TANGLE = mat
43 Extravagant Times clue for Einstein? (7,8)
      NAUGHTY NINETIES – double definition
46 Some of our best, and biggest, friends win dosh and flourish, unexpectedly (5,10)
      IRISH WOLFHOUNDS – (WIN, DOSH, FLOURISH)*
49 Singles that are old: at least 90 (5-5)
      FORTY-FIVES – double definition, the second slightly cryptic as the plural means at least two 45s so at least 90
53 Country girl left a party held by Queen Victoria (2,8)
      EL SALVADOR – ELSA = girl, L = left, V.R. = Queen Victoria, around A DO = a party
54  What solvers are keen to fill? Not quite keen, on reflection (4)
      GRID – DIRG(e) = keen, reversed
56 Live outside Rugby by backward out-of-town area (5)
      EXURB – BE = live, around R.U. = rugby, and X = by, all reversed
58 Film for setter? (5)
      LAYER – double definition
60 For a song in Italian, what a carry on! (7)
      CHEAPLY – CHE = in Italian = what, A, PLY = carry on
62 Sanction attendant to find a place for 45, most days (4,4)
      BACK PAGE – BACK = sanction, PAGE = attendant
63 Explains and edits a clue after revision (10)
      ELUCIDATES – (EDITS A CLUE)*
66 Charged to company blessed person’s expenses! (7)
      ONCOSTS – ON = charged to, CO = company, ST’S = blessed person’s
68 Sudden attack, somewhat uncivil, ungentlemanly (5)
      LUNGE – hidden in unciviL UNGEntlemanly
70 Place mostly full of parasites to get caught in (5)
      LOCUS – LOUS(y) = full of parasites, around C = caught
71 Roughly holds sibling’s body (7)
      CHASSIS – C = roughly, HAS = holds, SIS = sibling
73 Mostly when jumbo appears easy, oddly is gratifying (5)
      SATES – SAT(urday) = mostly when Jumbo appears, odd letters in EaSy
74 It’s change you must accept from extremely lovable female carer! (5,6)
      LEGAL TENDER – L(ovabl)E, GAL = female, TENDER = carer
76 Plant from study picked up at front of shop (4,5)
      REED GRASS – REED sounds like READ = study, GRASS = shop
78 Like 9 and 0, for instance — neither one thing nor another to Shakespeare (3-4)
      ODD-EVEN – double definition
79 House-sitter concealing a plot (3)
      MAP – M.P. = house-sitter, around A
80 (Ad)dressing down? (7-2)
      TALKING TO – double definition, the first including the parenthesised prefix
82 One appearing in drag — one in Pirandello? (5)
      LUIGI – LUG = drag, around I = one, then I = one again
83 Senior women, old, long in post, going back (8)
      DOYENNES – SEND = post, reversed around O = old and YEN = long
84 What’s seen end of Romanov — our one irrefutably cryptic! (8,10)
      FEBRUARY REVOLUTION – (V, OUR ONE IRREFUTABLY)* where the V in the anagram is the end of Romanov

DOWN
1    Gases with unpleasant smell in flat (2-3)
      HO-HUM – H,O = gases, HUM = unpleasant smell
2    Revolutionary poser with unknown values being tried for Brain-teasers’ World (9)
      PUZZLEDOM – MODEL = poser, Z,Z = unknown values, UP = being tried, all reversed
3    Bag for yellow sock lay abandoned (4,3)
      YOLK SAC – (SOCK LAY)*
4    Fateful day when leader’s abandoned pair flanking demo? (4,2,5)
      IDES OF MARCH – (s)IDES OF = pair flanking, MARCH = demo
5    What could be long under end of snout (5)
      TACHE – (snou)T, ACHE = long
6    Tirade sent up charity race (8)
      DIATRIBE – DIA = AID = charity, reversed, TRIBE = race
7    Regularly sampled syrup: my, that’s tasty! (3)
      YUM – alternate letters in sYrUp My
8    What solver may refer to when looking up identical medical conditions (7)
      OEDEMAS – O.E.D. = what solver might refer to, EMAS = SAME = identical, reversed
9    Many Times newspaper plugs unsettled one (5)
      OFTEN – ONE* around F.T. = newspaper
11 Locals show up in nanoseconds! (7)
      NATIVES – NS = nanoseconds, around ATIVE = EVITA = show, reversed
12 A case perhaps for charging, out of old tax, interest on deposit (6,7)
      EXCESS BAGGAGE, EX = out of, CESS = old tax, BAG = interest, GAGE = deposit
13 Is to cease manufacturing warm coats for mothers-to-be? (3,6)
      TEA COSIES – (IS TO CEASE)*. The definition is a reference to the question “Shall I be mother?” before pouring tea.
14 1930 for Chinese show in Birmingham with parts exchanged … (4,2,3,5)
      YEAR OF THE HORSE – HORSE OF THE YEAR = show in Birmingham, treated as the clue says
15  … This year keen for some cricket? (6-6)
      TWENTY-TWENTY – triple definition
22 Insensitive request for a ring — receiving different sort (7)
      CALLOUS – CALL US = request for a ring, around O = different sort (of ring)
24 Host nabbing posh family to help out (4,2)
      MUCK IN – M.C. = host, around U = posh, KIN = family
25 Overheard refusals to touch kid’s hankie (4,3)
      NOSE RAG – NOSE sounds like NOES = refusals, RAG = kid
27 Only be doing this having put away volume (4)
      SOLE – SOLVE = be doing this, with V = volume removed
30 Crawling out, mostly quiet (5)
      AWASH – AWA(y) = out, SH = quiet
32 Feeds small numbers at college, in High School (4-3)
      NOSH-UPS – NOS = numbers, H.S. = High School, around UP = at college
33 The last word? Just what one needs? Yes, primarily (7)
      AMENITY – AMEN = the last word, IT = just what one needs, Y(es)
34 A game for the 45’s birthday party? (6)
      CLUEDO – perhaps a CLUE DO would be an appropriate party?
36 There are stories from Welshman appearing in The Times etc (7)
      DAILIES – DAI = Welshman, LIES = stories
40 Derby game involves four sort of shooting (5-2)
      DRIVE-BY – DERBY* around IV = four
42 In turning up sibyl, a monastery’s deviant (7)
      ANOMALY – hidden reversed in sibYL A MONAstery
43 Less likely to spot one putting on one’s coat? (7)
      NONDRIP – cryptic definition around the idea of a coat of paint
44 Removed from board, sulked (6)
      HUFFED – double definition, the first connected with draughts
45 This enigmatic item‘s put out along with news (5,9)
      TIMES CROSSWORD – ITEMS*, CROSS = put out, WORD = news. The definition could also be just the first word of the clue
47 1930, where fifty percent of history is still (4,4,5)
      HALF PAST SEVEN – HALF = fifty percent, PAST’S = history is, EVEN = still
48 Base bachelor quite keen for 90-minute affair (8,4)
      FOOTBALL GAME – FOOT = base, B = bachelor, ALL = quite, GAME = keen
50 Disturbances after polling bringing change in Russia (7)
      ROUBLES – (t)ROUBLES = disturbances
51 Ticked over five hundred large — that is five hundred— boxes! (5)
      IDLED – I.E. = that is, around D = five hundred and L = large, then D = five hundred again
52 Emergency or upset thus besetting teacher (6)
      CRISIS – SIC = thus, around SIR = teacher, all reversed
55 Might the setters pull a fast one? (7)
      DOGSLED – cryptic definition where setters are canine
57 Stick with this game — a version you’re still saddled with? (7,4)
      BICYCLE POLO – double definition, both mildly cryptic. Perhaps elephant polo would be more appropriate for a Jumbo puzzle
59 Examine origins of special crossword at ninety (4)
      SCAN – initial letters of Special Crossword At Ninety
61 Fervently, finally celebrated elite puzzling across 90 years (9)
      EXCITEDLY – ((celebrate)D, ELITE)*, around XC = 90, Y = years
64 Conductor’s inaction’s outrageous (9)
      TOSCANINI – INACTIONS*
65 Want to leave mark on financial institutions (8)
      SCARCITY – SCAR = mark, CITY = financial insitutions
67 Offend Anglicans, passing round half of lewd gag (7)
      SILENCE – SIN = offend, around LE(wd), C.E. = Anglicans
69 Old German prince’s shocking treatment, in part after rising (7)
      ELECTOR – ELOR = ROLE = part, reversed around E.C.T. = shocking treatment
72 Writer in The Guardian, or in Le Monde (7)
      ANGELOU – ANGEL = guardian, OU = or (in French – as Le Monde is a French newspaper)
75 Drinks picked up with ear drop (5)
      LAPSE – sounds like LAPS = drinks
76 Like a difficult jumbo, not like the others? (5)
      ROGUE – double definition
77 Twig, at last, Times Cryptic Number One’s being recalled (5)
      SCION – final letters in timeS cryptic, ION = NO I = number one, reversed
81 Field of grass bound to need cutting (3)
      LEA – LEA(p) = bound