Jumbo 855

Author   petebiddlecombePosted on Categories Jumbo Cryptic
Solving time: 43 minutes in a slightly dozy state – probably worth 38 when alert.

Across
6 O,PENS,E,SAME=unchanged – “spelling words” are those casting a spell = magical command, of which this is an example
12 S(AIL,OR)S – the servicemen are OR=other ranks, and “on board” is the old “inside SS=steamship” trip. Another time, “servicemen on board” could be RN or similar
16 AN,TIP=extreme,ARTICLE=piece of writing. Here’s antiparticle information.
17 CEP=mushroom,HALO=ring,POD=mangetout – corrected
24 ELIXIR – rev. of RILE=”to anger”, containing XI=football team – whether you regard the team as reversed doesn’t matter.
25 AS=when,PERS(I)ONS
26 WA(TE)R – TE = “deserT statE finally”
32 TURB(OF)ANS
34 EXP(L)OS(IV)E – (L, IV) being “numbers of Romans”
35 PEEPS=”Pepys”,HOW = who*
40 CHEVROTAIN = “mouse deer” – (over,T=time)* in CHAIN = the Pennines, perhaps
42 K.O.,C,HE,L – the cataloguer of Mozart’s music commemorated by K numbers.
46 STORM,ON,T(CAST)LE – cast = character (one ODE example mentions “the olive cast of his skin”), TLE = “TaLkEr regularly”. CAST can also be “characters” of course.
48 DISCO=club,B=black,OLUS=soul* – here’s the sportsman
49 NORTHERNMOST = (mesh torn, torn)* – “by a pole more than anything else” being the def.
 
Down
2 EXOSPHERIC = (expose rich)* – the exosphere is what the clue suggests. It looks as if my expectation that “of” would be treated as a “one-way” link-word like “from” is wrong – this is {wordplay of def} rather than {def of wordplay}
4 T=”trumpet’s” first,(UT,TI) = “two notes” – ut being the original version of “doh”, and the name still used in France. Some will dislike the vagueness of “two notes”, but “with all the instruments playing” is a very clear def.
9 SHETLAND WOOL = “those lowland” – “folds” does a good two-role job here
11 E,S(CARP,MEN)T.
15 ORDER = “agree to take”, A,RMS = “Russian missile system”. For the “stand showing weapons”, see section 43 of the Infantry Drill Regulations
20 PRINCIPLE = “principal”
21 RESU = user rev.,RV from “rare videos”,EYED=viewed
23 FORTISSIMO = ff = the centre of Stafford
28 P.(L)A.,INCHO(COL.)ATE
31 IMPURITY – R for N letter-swap in “impunity”
34 E(X,CITED)LY – X films being the old equivalent of 18s
38 ROMAN NOSES – the “high Tiber” being an imaginary predecessor of London’s Great Stink
45 DESPAIR – (paradise – a)*
51 OMBRE – (more,B=British)* – “more British are playing” means that “more, British” is being counted as a list of two items – which someone at the rec.puzzles.crosswords newsgroup really dislikes. For what it’s worth, it didn’t trouble me, and this clue was not on my original list of ones to write about. Ombre was the first widely-played card game to include bidding.

3 comments on “Jumbo 855”

  1. Typo above maybe? This is CEPHALOPOD, where CEP (not CAP) is the mushroom: “an edible mushroom, Boletus edulis, that grows wild under pine or other evergreen trees: prized for its flavor” says Dictionary.com.

    I’d not previously heard of turbofans or (in English) diablerie, but this puzzle was otherwise straightforward. I do appreciate the Jumbo blogs, as I only take the Times (US edition) on Saturdays when I’m over here, and I usually have a quibble or two with the answers. Obviously the blogs (not to mention the puzzles) are considerably more work than for the dialies. Thank you!

    John in USA

    1. Absolutely. Don’t know how I managed that mistake. Feel free to ask if we don’t cover the tricky ones.
  2. c1hr 10mins. Good solid Jumbo this one, I thought, lots of good ideas and no quibbles at all, somewhat unusual for a jumbo. I had not previously heard of diablerie, or chevrotain as a word for mouse deer.

    I notice that the “submit” button on this crossword online is still working, though presumably it would do no good. On the Club Monthly, the January solution is up now but not this month’s puzzle, though it was due today..

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