Solving time: Three sessions, totalling about 2 hours, left me with seven, which were filled in over the course of the following week.
In complete contrast to the last Jumbo I blogged, I found this one full of imaginative wordplay, and a highly entertaining solve.
It was unfortunate that the words that were new (or at least unfamiliar) to me crossed in a couple of places, and this accounted for four of the seven mentioned above – MISOGAMY/SCUTTLEBUTT & OMDURMAN/ENOSIS. I originally scribbled MONOGAMY at 1a, being a dislike of ‘unions’ in the plural, before I realized the significance of ‘Notes’.
I struggled to pick clues to omit, so I’ve just included all of them.
cd = cryptic def., dd = double def., rev = reversal, homophones are written in quotes, anagrams as (–)*, and removals like this
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | MI/SO + GAMY |
| 5 | SPOOFS = SF + OOPS rev |
| 9 | BO(HEM + I)A |
| 14 | CO(UN + SELL + OR)S |
| 15 | FELIX THE CAT = HE in (LIFT EXACT)* |
| 16 | O(TT)ER – Poet’s done = O’ER |
| 17 | PLAYPEN = limited room for amusement, PEN PLAY = create drama |
| 18 | DEAD + MARCH |
| 19 |
|
| 20 | BIRD + SO + FA + FEAT + HER – A very neat clue to have so many elements but keep a good surface |
| 22 | STUMBLE + BUM |
| 23 | GREEKS – My last one in. It took a long time to spot that Demos could be a greek word and not just the plural of demo, and even longer to catch on to the present = gift allusion |
| 25 |
|
| 28 | HOT-WATER + BOTTLE |
| 30 | O(MD)UR MAN – ‘Chap we claim’ = OUR MAN. Omdurman being the scene of a famous battle in the War of the Sudan |
| 32 | MA( |
| 34 | HAVE IT BOTH WAYS – as in |
| 37 | DEW + I – I liked ‘Dawn drops’ = DEW |
| 38 | D |
| 39 | ANGEL FALLS = ANGELS (sponsors) about |
| 43 | FRONT-ROW + FORWARD – Wasn’t sure about FRONT-ROW = HEADLINE, but I suppose there is a question mark after it |
| 45 | BY A NOSE = (OBEYS AN)* – another neat clue |
| 47 | PADLOCKED = OLD rev in PACKED |
| 49 | DISTURB = RUTS in BID all rev |
| 51 | SHEER = “SHEAR” |
| 52 | SOUTH + DA(KO)TA – ‘point’ implies compass bearing, so tennis has four – E, N, N & S – the last one being SOUTH |
| 53 | BUNDLE OFF + U |
| 54 | EX + HUM + ED – If two people are an ‘item’ when they’re together, then half an old item would be an EX |
| 55 | SUN + KEN |
| 56 | AS WELL AS – dd, one for ‘as well as’ and one for ‘as well as can be expected’ |
| Down | |
| 1 | MIC(ROB)E |
| 2 | SCUTTLE + BUTT |
| 3 | GASTROPUB = U + PORTS + A all rev in G + B – lots of elements to this. Are = a is a sneaky one that crops up quite often. For those unfamiliar with it, an are is a unit of surface area equal to 100 m², generally abbreviated to a |
| 4 | MY LIPS ARE SEALED = (EMERALDS + PAISLEY)* |
| 6 | PASS + PORT – For once, sailor isn’t any of the obvious abbreviations (AB,TAR,HAND,OS,etc.), but it’s ‘sailor’s left’ = PORT |
| 7 | OFF + ONE + STROLL + |
| 8 | SOLIDIFIED = (OF LIES I DID)* – Neatly disguised definition |
| 9 | BOX + CALF – Not a term I’d seen before, but the checking letters made it obvious |
| 10 | HO-HUM = HOCUM (bunk) with the middle letter changed to H |
| 11 | MCC + (ARMY’S HIT)* – Lovely wordplay, but witch hunts and McCarthy are so synonymous that it’s a little wasted |
| 12 | ANTI-HER + O – Misogynistic = Anti-her made me smile |
| 13 | ROMA – I didn’t know the nomadic tribe from northern India, but it was clearly ROAM with the M moving forward one place |
| 20 | BRUM B |
| 21 |
|
| 22 |
|
| 24 | SUMMONED + BY + BELL’S = Currer Bell was the pseudonym used by Charlotte Brontë when writing Jane Eyre. Summoned by Bells is the autobiography of John Betjeman |
| 26 | AT DAGGERS DRAWN = (GANG WARS TRADED)* |
| 27 | ENOSIS = |
| 29 | AM + OR + I + S |
| 31 | AT ONE + D |
| 33 | THE GOLD RUSH – dd. A classic Chaplin movie |
| 35 | ALL(P)OWER + FUL |
| 36 | PERFIDIOUS = P + (SIDE FOUR I)* – Perfidious Albion is a phrase that has been used to refer to Britain’s treacherous nature, originally by the French (naturally!) |
| 40 | FLAGS + TO NE |
| 41 | OFF-PISTE = OFF + (EP IT’S)* |
| 42 | PASSABLE – |
| 44 | O(A)K + LAND |
| 46 | ER + RANDS – Ready is a colloquial term for money, so money from Cape = RANDS, the South African currency |
| 48 | OG + HAM – Ogham is a form of ancient Irish writing |
| 50 |
|
This was definitely one of the more challenging Jumbos – let’s see what this Saturday brings, when it is my turn to blog. At least we have the Bank Holiday on Monday if extra time is needed.