Jumbo 825 (18th July)

Author   linxitPosted on Categories Jumbo Cryptic
No time noted, but I remember solving it one weekday on the train, probably about 40 minutes or so. Some tricky wordplay in places, but generally straightforward.

Across
1 TEMPLAR – MP in (later)*. Templar = lawyer, i.e. someone from the Inner Temple, one of the Inns of Court in London.
5 VIDELICET – VICE + T(hat) around DELI. Usually abbreviated to viz.
10 ISIS – Odd letters of It SaIlS. This is what the Thames is called at Oxford.
14 DISPASSIONATE – D(uke) IS PASSIONATE. The Passionate Pilgrim was an anthology of poems by Shakespeare.
15 ROUMANIA – IAN (chap) following ROMAN (upright type, as opposed to italic) around U. Old-fashioned spelling.
16 CENSORIOUS – (course is on)*
17 STEEPLEBUSH – BUS + H(ospital) next to STEEPLE. Common name for Spiraea tomentosa. Never heard of it myself, but easy to guess with a couple of checking letters.
18 BREAM – (anothe)R inside BEAM.
19 ECCLESIAST – ECCLES + 1 + AST(i).
21 HOTPOT – HOOT around T(his) P(hysics). Very well disguised clue.
23 MARMOREAL – (ax)E inside MAR + MORAL (gnome² in Chambers).
25 SALVO – SO around A L.V. (luncheon voucher).
26 ELEGIAC – E + LEG + I (current) + AC.
28 INCREDULOUSLY – (unsoldierly + u + c)*
31 EARTHSTAR – STAR next to EARTH (fox hole). A type of mushroom.
33 OPTOMETER – TOM inside O(ld) PETER.
35 CORRESPONDENT – R inside CO-RESPONDENT.
37 SCHERZO – (Berlio)Z inside (chores)*
38 AMEND – AMEN + D(aughter).
40 LANDLOPER – LAND (light, i.e. touch down), + OP inside LE R(esistance).
42 COCCYX – “cock six”
44 SPIDER CRAB – “spied a cab” around R. Hmmm.
46 ILIAD – DAILIES reversed minus ES (French art – tu es = thou art).
48 PREVARICATE – (trace a viper)*
50 IDEOLOGIST – ID EST around O + LOG + I (“I put on record” means they can go in either order, as on just means next to).
52 AUTOCROSS – A CROSS around U + TO.
53 JIGGERY-POKERY – Y next to both JIGGER (glass of whisky) and POKER.
54 TARN – TAN (birch, i.e. beat with a stick) around R(emote).
55 SALLY PORT – SALLY + PORT. A door from which the soldiers sally forth, presumably.
56 DYNASTY – D(emocrat) NASTY around Y (variable).

Down
1 TIDY – double definition.
2 MUSKETEER – KE(nt) inside MUST E’ER.
3 LEAD SOMEONE A MERRY DANCE – LEAD SOMEONE (act as escort) + A MERRY DANCE (a tipsy social).
4 RESERVE – PRESERVE minus the P.
5 VIOLONCELLO – L in (in love cool)*
6 DRAGSTERS – hidden in “depraveD RAGS TERSely”.
7 LEEDS – “leads”.
8 CORNERSTONE – CORNER (fix, i.e. tight spot) + STONE
9 TRUMPS – cryptic definition, or would have been without the word instruments in the middle, which makes it more of a double definition too.
11 SKI-JUMP – cryptic definition
12 SYNTHETIC – N(ew) + THE inside CITY reversed.
13 TAKE SOMETHING LYING DOWN – double definition.
18 BAMBINO – BAMBI + ON reversed.
20 INLAYER – IN + LAYER
22 TERRAPIN – P(ower) in TERRAIN
24 EDUCTION – A(rt) removed from EDUCATION.
27 ISTLE – TH(e) removed from THISTLE.
29 CATCH – double definition, the second of which I had to look up: “a round for three or more voices, often deriving comic effect from the interweaving of the words”.
30 SUCCEED – double definition.
32 RETIRED – R.E. + TIRED
34 REAPPRAISAL – (liar appears)*
36 ENLARGEMENT – cryptic definition.
37 SYCOPHANT – SHAN’T (refusal) around (affra)Y + COP
39 DERRING-DO – ODD reversed around ERRING.
41 PRIESTESS – Hero (Leander’s lover in Greek mythology) was a priestess of Aphrodite. [ Edit: PRIES (intrudes) + TESS (of the D’Urbervilles, eponymous heroine) – thanks to Adrian Cobb. ]
43 CHESTER – MANCHESTER with MAN leaving.
45 BELAYED – “be laid”. Easy one for me, as a former Ladbrokes manager.
47 MINORS – IN (modern) + O.R. (other ranks = soldiers), inside MS (manuscript = writing).
49 ENJOY – E(nglish) + JO inside N.Y.
51 LYLY – (a)LLY around (Mountjo)Y. John Lyly, 16th century writer.

4 comments on “Jumbo 825 (18th July)”

  1. Thanks for the thorough breakdown, so I don’t have to confess which ones I needed!
  2. The poor souls who do the Jumbo report rarely get much comment, but I find it really helpful: the Jumbo is the one xword of the week I get any time to look at, so to have this resource to help me understand the clues is a godsend.

    IanD

  3. I would agree with the comments that such a thorough analysis is very welcome.
    Thanks to linxit.

    Just to brag re 41 d: “intrudes” = PRIES and the eponymous heroine is TESS.
    Yes, I know – what a show off! But, for the amatuer, when the experts don’t see one clue……..(when we don’t see dozens!!)
    Adrian Cobb

    1. Thanks Adrian, I’ve corrected it now. Really should have seen that myself…

      Thanks also to IanD and jon88 for the encouragement.

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