Jumbo 839 – October 17th 2009 – Apples and Smelter

Author   7dpenguinPosted on Categories Jumbo Cryptic
If you subscribe to the Crossword Club (or still have the paper version lying about), haven’t solved this Jumbo and have a bit of time on your hands, I strongly recommend you have a look at this one, especially if you like things on the relatively tricky side. This crossword was a cracker. It took just under an hour altogether which is about double my average for a Jumbo. The difficulty lies in the deviousness of the clues rather than any obscurity. A really pleasurable solve – thanks setter.

Noticed during blogging – there are three Cockney rhyming slang clues in the first 12 across clues. I think the setter made an error at 2 down.

This was so good I’ve included the clues for your delectation

Across
1 Space flight creates excitement around area, certainly (9)
ST(A)IR,WELL – the definition is “space (that) flight creates”. I told you this was going to be a cracker.
6 Live as Henry and girl sharing bed? (7)
CO(H,ABI)T
10 Fellow giving salad ingredient a couple of shakes (5)
COS,MO
13 One seeking bargain goods stocked by fitter (7)
HA(GG)LER
14 Dry brown bread in London with roast (7)
DEAD,PAN – “brown bread” being Cockney rhyming slang for “dead”
15 Jog about, then forward (7)
RE,FRESH
16 I sit by the fire for a mo, resolving to work (1,5,7,2,4)
A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME – (I SIT BY THE FIRE FOR A MO)*
17 Measure dropped, following cut (3)
[-f]ELL – where would we be without printer’s measures?
18 Reliable copper is on time (6)
T,RUSTY – copper for once not being Cu, P or D
20 Dutch and American exiles might (6)
MISS US – more rhyming slang here – Duchess of Fife  = wife, giving us “me old Dutch”
21 Chap to set on battleground before your very eyes (3,6)
HE,Y PRES,TO
23 China cups with egg in freshly ground mint preparation (7,3)
CHEWING GUM – CHUM around (W,EGG,IN)* yet more rhyming slang – China plate = mate = chum
25 Where you see it all finally shared on journey in ship (5,6)
S(TRIP,JOINT)S 
29 Part of spring quietly threaded through a short needle (5)
A,P,RIL[-e]
30 Continental collection I preserve that I’d removed from alarmed boxes (8)
AFRICANA – I CAN in AFRA[-id]
31 It’s fishy, shaky and wobbly (5,3)
HISSY FIT – (ITS FISHY)*
34 Perhaps the right stage for evasive action (4-4)
SIDE,STEP
36 American lock-keeper’s home shown by Constable painting initially (5-3)
BOBBY P,IN – Bobby is an old-fashioned term for a police constable and the locks in question are the hair variety
37 Like workshop to return wood (5)
BALSA – As Lab rev
39 Spanish squire in timeless verse grabbing an axe (6,5)
SANCHO PANZA – CHOP in S[-t]ANZA
41 Speak harshly about old hooligan getting bad deal (10)
YARB,O,ROUGH – YARB being BRAY rev.  A yarborough is a bridge hand containing no cards above a 9, thus a “bad deal”. Only happens once every 1828 hands
43 Blunder by Auntie disposing of black insect (9)
BUMBLE BEE[-b] – The BBC is known as “Auntie Beeb”, not by me though
45 Material thrown out by policeman stopping us at resort (6)
UPCAST – PC in (US AT)* – I can’t find anything to define upcast as “material thrown out” – I’m sure there must be something somewhere
47 Secretary seemingly very good takes years in writing stuff (6)
PA,P(YR)I – is YR ok for yearS ?
49 Energy for one turn that’s quite a surprise (3)
GEE – E,EG rev
50 Exploit person’s nature? Head shows compassion (4,2,5,8)
MILK,OF HUMANKIND,NESS
52 Dope found on colonist, one that’s given immunity (7)
ANT,I,GEN – dope here being information. Is GEN one of these “only seen in crosswords” words
53 English grave excavated at far end of Notre Dame (7)
EVERAGE – E + (GRAVE)* + [notr]E – hello possums! A pleasantly surprising definition for a pleasantly surprising inclusion. I suppose the “no living people” rule hasn’t been broken as Dame Edna doesn’t really exist – honest, it’s just a man in makeup
54 Regret about one’s being in empty bar? Tough! (7)
BRUISER – RUE around 1s all in B[a]R
55 Special constable getting on nag (5)
S,C,OLD
56 Russian river’s long: current certainly eddies (7)
YEN,I,SEY – SEY being YES rev. The only word I haven’t heard of before. It’s a Russian river, but you knew that because the clue told you so.
57 Violent film and books by Aussie failing to take off in store (5-2-2)
SHO(OT,EM U)P – “Aussie failing to take off” = EMU! You can only stand in awe.

 
Down
1 Sentiment sailor’s expressed about Church Mass (8)
SCHMALTZ – SALTZ = “Salt’s” around CH,M
2 Signal when Leo arrives the game’s up (5)
AUGUR – AUG+ RU rev. I think the setter has erred here. Although Leo takes up most of August, it actually starts on July 23rd. Russel Grant would be turning in his grave if he was dead and if there was room.
3 Hack rewrote three lines, penning nothing fitting for ladies or gents (6,5)
ROLLER TOWEL – (REWROTE LLL)* around O
4 Crude old solver’s getting to the bottom of the Listener (6)
EAR,THY
5 Horserider in Banbury saw these ringed plants (5,7)
LADY’S FINGERS – referencing the nursery rhyme.

Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross
To see a fine lady upon a white horse
With rings on her fingers and bells on her toes
She shall have music wherever she goes

6 Hide one in bone, under cold meat (7)
C,HAM,O(I)S – I’ve never seen bone=os before but words like ossify make it a reasonable assumption
7 Bashful colleague with twin likes also non-adult content (5,2,1,7)
HAPPY,AS,AS,AND,BOY – twin likes = As,As – brilliant! Bashful Colleague = Happy  refers to the Seven Dwarves
8 Old county’s corrupt sheriff under arrest turned over (10)
BANFFSHIRE – NAB rev then (SHERIFF)* – probably a tricky one for overseas solver (and not a few Brit ones). Banffshire is in the north east corner of Scotland not too far from Aberdeen. It looks exactly like the sort of place I’d like to visit, so I think I will,
9 Slowly getting so well organised one’s gone for a run (7)
TARDILY – TIDILY with A,R replacing an I
10 Box containing key and rings mistress emptied out in cafes (6,5)
COFFE(E) R,O,O,MS – M[istres]S
11 Writer’s central characters in question have all the same name (9)
STEVENSON – [que]ST[ion] then EVENSO + N
12 Play that’s old the over fifties love (7)
O,THE,LL,O
19 Second-hand clothes girl’s shown (7)
US(HER)ED
22 World organisation angry with Brussels power: that’s natural (6-2)
UN,MAD,E U,P
24 Chapter in some Fu Manchu novel’s pretty similar (4,2,1,8)
MUCH OF A MUCHNESS – (SOME FU MNACHU NOVEL’S)* with CH in
26 Manoeuvring into gap — infantryman’s last resort (8)
PAIGNTON – (INTO GAP)*[infantryma]N
27 Took seat on vehicle up to find driver’s guide (6)
SATNAV – SAT + VAN rev
28 Drink about three quarters, all the same one gets drunk (6)
CA,SS(I)S – SSS = “three quarters, all the same”. Wonderful
32 Patsy to come down and stay (4,3)
FALL,GUY
33 Met professionals, perhaps, wiping local casualty units after surgery (5,7)
OP,ERA SING,ERS – ERS are Emergenys Rooms
35 I could swear this SOS is incomplete: another needed to follow up (2,4,2,3)
SO[-s], HELP ME GOD
37 With head and shoulders underneath bar, see-saw with economy (4,3,4)
BOOM AND BUST
38 Queen’s only been unexpectedly captured by a knight (4,6)
ANNE BOLEYN – (ONLY BEEN)* in A,N . King Henry VIII’s second Dutch. Beginner’s Guide: N is chess notation for the knight. The King pulled rank and claimed the K
40 Union man without deputy (6,3)
NUM,BER T,WO – NUM, the Nation Union Mineworkers
42 Land here looks jolly! (8)
AIRS,TRIP – A jolly is mainly Brit slang for a good time
43 Sticks holding one head of garden gnome (3,4)
B(I,G)EARS – the use of stick as in “I can’t stick him!”. Big Ears is a gnome and Noddy’s best China.
44 Cobblers fitting sole in alcove (7)
BA(LONE)Y
46 Policeman not particular about spymaster’s associates (7)
CO(M)P,ANY
48 Left graduate to go into account of life in European city (6)
BI(L,BA)O
51 Record physician’s ups and downs here (5)
EP,SOM – SOM being M.O.S rev. “Downs here” referring to the Epsom Downs

5 comments on “Jumbo 839 – October 17th 2009 – Apples and Smelter”

  1. My shorter OED gives ‘(a mass of) soil or other material thrown up in digging, ploughing, etc.’ as one definition. This was one of a half-dozen I couldn’t get; and I think I set a personal best for number of words I got right without having a clue as to why they were right.
  2. I agree – this was a cracking puzzle and very hard, 122 mins.

    Clues I marked as particularly good (in grid order) MISSUS, HEY PRESTO, HISSY FIT, BOBBY-PIN, SHOOT-EM-UP, EARTHY, TARDILY, STEVENSON, OTHELLO, EPSOM.

  4. Don’t worry – it wasn’t a mistake. The arrival referred to in the clue is that of someone born Leo – perhaps a “perhaps” would have been preferable as of course a Leo could also arrive in July as you say …
  5. Tough (it took me 35:39), but immensely enjoyable – an absolutely first-rate puzzle full of delightful clues.

    Thanks for your explanation of 1ac, which I hadn’t managed to parse correctly. (And thanks to the setter for his (or her?) explanation of 2dn.)

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