Jumbo 813 (Bank Holiday Monday, 4 May)

Solving time: 25:40, 1 mistake (24D)

An easyish Jumbo, but with plenty of interesting words and wordplay. One careless mistake from me, so I’m wearing that cap again..

Across
1 EX,CEL(l) – an easy enough clue, but well-made – a good start.
15 W(ICKET-KEEP=(kite pecke(d)*)ING
17 TIT FOR TAT – Cockney rhyming slang for “hat”, also seen as “titfer”.
19 RE,M=Marks,BRA(NDTES=dentsd*)QUE – Georges Braque developed cubism in collaboration with Picasso
22 OPENING – (Nine P) in GO, all reversed
27 S(ABRE=bear*,T)OOTHED
35 GRA(PEI=pie*)VY – grape ivy is a climbing vine, apparently
41 IN(DE)CISION
45 B(ARC)ODES,CANNER – arc=discharge, bodes=foreshadows
49 MARRY INTO = (manor I try)*
53 BOU(t),GAIN,VILL(E)A
56 G(RAYS)EL,e.g.,Y
 
Down
2 CATCH=tune=strain,MEN,TAR,EA.
4 CORD,OVA – more accurate English spelling of Cordoba – one of the cities in Europe I most want to visit some day.
5 VALET,U,(or)DINARY – very clever weaving together of the necessary bits and pieces to make a convincing surface reading.
6 ROWNTREE = (were torn) – the Rowntree foundation, started by the sweety people, is still going after they were, er, swallowed up by Nestlé.
7 NACHO – rev. of (OH=”now I see”,CAN=preserve)
8 S(W)EETHE,ART
12 ELGIN = rev. of NI(G)LE
20 BRASSIERE = “brassier” I think – stand by for homophone gripes unless I’ve missed other wordplay – see below
24 CO,SMOG,ON,IC(e) – realised when writing this up that my hasty guess at COSMOGENIC doesn’t fit the wordplay, though it is a word.
26 IMP(OVER)ISH MEN,T
33 A(LLTI=till*),MERE,CORD
34 GLYNDEBOURNE = (on ugly bender)* – lovely image of posh patrons of the arts having had a bit too much bubbly with those famous picnics.
38 BO(M.B.)ARD,i.e.,R
42 POUND,AGE – that’s Ezra Pound.
46 CLA(RIF=fir rev.)Y
50 YOLKY – “even” letters in “mY bOwL oKaY”

2 comments on “Jumbo 813 (Bank Holiday Monday, 4 May)”

    1. OK – I guess I was resisting the sax/brass connection on the basis of “It’s a woodwind instrument!”.

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