Solving time: 23:03 – just edging into difficulty, as the top and left were relatively tricky. It also took me a while to dig out the two Shakespeare quotes – my school Shakespeare included neither of these plays. You’ll maybe need to forgive some blogger fatigue here, as the combination of the various schedules left me with four puzzles to blog from the same weekend – this is the last report to be written.
| Across |
| 1 |
IT’S A FAIR COP – 2 def’s I guess, though I’m not sure that “has made good detection” is quite right |
| 7 |
DEMOS,THEN,ES=(bridge) opponents |
| 16 |
(h)ACK,(h)ACK – ack-ack = AA (from WWI signalling alphabet) = anti-aircraft fire – which has a curious resemblance to flak = FLugAbwehrKanone. Beginners: watch out for toc, pip and emma in phrases derived from the same signalling alphabet. |
| 17 |
A,CR(I’M)ONY |
| 20 |
OUR REVELS NOW ARE ENDED – Tempest, Act 4 Scene 1, line 148 – translation and identification of quote – there’s only one Prospero in Shakespeare |
| 24 |
S(OLD=wise)OUT(h) |
| 26 |
T.A.,MARIN(e) – the tamarin is a S American monkey |
| 29 |
AIR(PORT)S – simple structure but very nicely done surface |
| 32 |
HOME TRUTH – R=right, in (the mouth)*, “punch … in” being an insertion indicator |
| 35 |
FRA=far*,(e)TERNAL |
| 41 |
SCH.,LOSS – schloss is German for castle – e.g. mad King Ludwig’s Neuschwanstein
|
| 45 |
TO,THIN=lose weight,EOWNSELF=(now feels)*,BET,RUE – Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 3, line 78 – I had a vague idea that there was a Polonius somewhere else in Shakespeare, but there’s none in Merchant of Venice, which was my expected place |
| 49 |
RAT(T)ING – terriers were first bred to hunt burrowing animals underground, and later used to kill rats |
| 50 |
C(ASTIR)ON |
| 51 |
LAND,A,U=superior – landau is another of those carriages that keep coming up in puzzles, though this time for checking letters rather than meaning something else as well (the Hindu holy man ‘saddhu’ is the only other match for these checkers) |
| 55 |
B(ILL,I)ARDS – certainly in parts of France you can play billiards in a bar without it having to be bar billiards |
| 56 |
ROCKE(d),FELLER=bloke – I was misled for a while by trying to find VP’s starting with RATTLE |
| 57 |
PARTY LEADER = (rarely adept)* – only while writing this did I see the pair of next-in-line leaders |
| |
| Down |
| 2 |
STRIKE UP THE BAND – musical by Gershwin, I think. The nicely daft Spoonerism is “Bike up the Strand” |
| 3 |
FULL CIRCLE – 2 def’s, with the “seats upstairs” NOT being ones on a bus |
| 6 |
PASSION 2 def’s, one referring to at least two works by J S Bach – the St Matthew and St John Passions (I think there are rumours of a lost St Luke one) |
| 7 |
DOCTOR,W.H.O.=World Health Organisation |
| 8 |
MOLLY – Molly Bloom in Ulysses, and an invented word for like a (gangster’s) moll |
| 9 |
ST.(RANGE),ST. |
| 11 |
N=new,ANNIE,D=daughter |
| 12 |
S(WAN=pale)KY – I guess the sky matches “vault of heaven” |
| 19 |
AVER=maintain,SI = rev. of I’S = one’s,ON=above |
| 22 |
(studi)O,N’TH,EA(I)R |
| 23 |
BACK=having returned,FIRE (vb.) = dismiss – didn’t realise ‘backfire’ was a noun as well as a verb |
| 27 |
ROUND=delivery,SHOULDERED=undertaken |
| 30 |
PELISSE = (see slip)* |
| 31 |
SHA=has*,KO=knock out=floor |
| 33 |
MANI(TO(m)B)A |
| 34 |
RED=left-wing,I=one,TRIBUTE=tax |
| 38 |
LANTHANIDE = (heat inland)* |
| 40 |
GO IN GRATE – nicely cheesy pun |
| 45 |
TIT=bird,A=an,NIC(e) |
| 46 |
SEIZE=”sees”,UP=louder |
| 47 |
ARC=bow,HER |
| 48 |
CURSOR = “curser” |
| 50 |
C,REEL – a creel is a rack for bobbins as well as a fish basket |
This was one of the hardest Jumbos that I have tried, even though I got the two long Shakespearean references fairly quickly. I got virtually nothing at the first attempt. The second time round I got most of it. At my third attempt I had to use a dictionary to get most of the SW. I was glad that I resorted to a dictionary as there were few kick-yourself moments. There are not many famous vice-presidents so, although I am d’un certain age, Rockefeller did not come to mind. Hawksmoor was new to me but gettable from the wordplay. I would not have got Shako from the wordplay in 100 years.
I thought “It dissolves” a bit unfair as a definition of acetone. “It removes nail polish” might have been more reasonable.
Well done to a fatigued Peter for finishing this in 23 minutes
I assess Jumbo difficulty by a “3 x 15×15” rule of thumb – 23×23 = 529, 15×15=225, and 529/225 = 2.35, then you have answers 16+ letters long which aren’t as familiar, and greater difficulty finding answers in the grid or clues to match an answer whose checkers look helpful. And there is often at least one unusual word lurking somewhere in the grid.
I think the def for ACETONE is OK in context – among the many possible solvents, there aren’t many I’ve heard of with 7 letters – mentioning “nail polish” would restrict the surface possibilities and be a give-away def.
Both Shakespeare quotes were easy wins, as was HAWKSMOOR (who designed my old college’s library).