Jumbo 767 (July 19th) – Times for The Times

Solving time 28:53

Anything under 30 minutes is good for me – in fact this is only about the third time I’ve managed that, so this must have been at the easier end of the scale.

Across
1	GLISSANDO – (sad losing)*
6	ASSEGAI – ASS + E.G. + A1. In the Bible, Balaam’s ass was given the power of speech, and berated him for mistreatment.
10	PRAWN – P(ub) + R.A. + W(ith) + N(ew)
13	ACTUARY – ACT + Y around U.A.R. (United Arab Republic), which is what Egypt was known as in the 60’s.
14	ENTHUSE – EN (printing unit) + THUS + E (key)
15	FREIGHT – R.E. inside FIGHT
16	DRESSED UP TO THE NINES – just a vague cryptic definition. I guess the setter knew most would guess it from the enumeration anyway.
17	NIL – alternate letters of “oN fIeLd”.
18	MOCK-UP – MOCK + UP
20	TWINGE – TWIN + E(xcruciatin)G rev.
21	ANATOMIST – NATO inside A MIST
23	MIDDLEBROW – (Wild Red mob)*. Don’t think I’ve come across this word before, but I don’t see how halfway between intellectual and non-intellectual equals culturally unadventurous!
25	INTEMPERATE – IN TEMPER + ATE, who was Greek goddess of mischief.
29	AWARD – WAR inside AD
30	LINEALLY – N.E. + AL inside LILY
31	CHEERFUL – CHE + E(a)RFUL, i.e. without the A from absentee.
34	BROUHAHA – BRO + U + HAHA
36	SHANTUNG – S(on) + HUNG around ANT
37	SPRIG – I think this is a double definition + cryptic wordplay (betting scam = S.P. RIG). An offer can be a knob on an antler, which is spriglike I guess.
39	THERMOMETER – cryptic definition, but I doubt whether it fooled anyone.
41	SEMINARIAN – NIMES rev + ARIAN
43	ANALGESIA – AN ASIA(n) around leg*
45	OVERDO – OVER + DO. I almost classed this as a double def, but I think the second half of the clue is just the wordplay.
47	INCOME – INCOME(r)
49	RIO – (t)RIO
50	NEITHER HERE NOR THERE – Nice clue, if you’re familiar with the verse: We seek him here, we seek him there, Those Frenchies seek him everywhere. Is he in heaven?—Is he in hell? That demmed, elusive Pimpernel.
52	PEACOCK – ref. Thomas Love Peacock, the author.
53	UNICORN – I in UNCO + RN.
54	CADAVER – DAVE in CAR.
55	STEPS – “steppes”
56	PLEDGEE – LEDGE in P.E. Uncle is a pawnbroker.
57	YORKSHIRE – which used to consist of three Ridings (East, North and West). I think the three regions still exist separately, but the word “Riding” has dropped out of use. Maybe someone from Yorkshire will tell us otherwise

Down
1	GRANDAME – RAND in GAME.
2	ISTLE – ST in ILE
3	STAR-STUDDED – The STAR is a daily paper, and STUDDED is supposed to sound like “studied”. Hmmm…
4	NOYADE – hidden in “anNOY A DEmonstrator”. Execution by drowning, as carried out by the French revolutionist Carrier at Nantes in 1793-4.
5	OVERPOWERING – OVERPOW(d)ERING
6	ALTHORN – H(usband) in ALTO + RN
7	SOUTH SEA ISLANDS – (A lost sunshade is)*. It might well be, so that’s a great surface reading.
8	GREEN PARTY – GREEN (callow) + PARTY (person)
9	INFANTA – FAN inside IN T.A.
10	PLEISTOCENE – (top licensee)*
11	ARGENTINA – N in ARIA around GENT
12	NOTELET – H removed from TELETHON rev.
19	CHICAGO – CHIC + AGO. A clue that must have it’s origins in the very dawn of cryptic crosswords!
22	SEALYHAM – A in ELY inside SHAM
24	WEATHERBOARDING – “whether boarding”, i.e. getting on a bus, for example.
26	MAHOGANY – A HOG inside MANY
27	EULOGY – E + U + LOG + Y
28	GAMBIT – GAMBIA with the last letter changed. I misread this clue at first and put in GAMBIA as the answer, which had me confused for a bit with 39A.
32	FARRAGO – FARGO around R.A. (Burlington House is the location of the Royal Academy).
33	CURMUDGEONLY – UR inside (dog my uncle)*
35	HOMOGENEOUS – HOMO (Latin for man) + “genius”
37	SPRING TIDES – cryptic def. playing on leap = spring.
38	STEAKHOUSE – TEAK in SH + OUSE
40	ELABORATE – LABOR inside E(gyptian) + ATE. There she is again!
42	TENEBRAE – TEN + E(rected) + BRAE. Office as in a religious ceremony.
43	APROPOS – double def.
44	STICK-UP – STICK (old fogey) + UP (before the beak).
46	EYESORE – EYE = “I” + SO + RE = notes.
48	CONCUR – ON CU inside CR
51	ENVOI – ENVOY with the last letter changed.

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