Hello everyone – this is my first-ever crossword blog, so I’d really appreciate (constructive) feedback. I’ve used the convention of indicating anagrams by *, but otherwise haven’t gone for abbreviations at this stage in my blogging career.
I thought this was an average-difficulty Jumbo, which took me roughly 25 minutes to solve; I can’t be more exact because I was interrupted by two parcel deliveries and a cold call. There were two or three rather obscure answers (SATORI, EPIGONE, maybe STENOSIS) and although there were a few slightly iffy clues there were also some very nice ones.
Back in four weeks – meanwhile season’s greetings to all solvers, setters and bloggers.
| Across | |
| 1 | SALESPERSON – (v)ESPERS=service in SALON |
| 7 | HOMO SAPIENS – Latin (systematic) name for human species, which means wise man |
| 13 | ARYAN – hidden in scary ancestors |
| 14 | OARSMEN – A + R + S(care) in OMEN |
| 15 | PARSONAGE – ARSON=crime in PAGE=servant |
| 16 | TETHERING – T(heatr)E + THE RING |
| 17 | DAYDREAMER – slightly cryptic definition. I’m not convinced by “sleeper” in the clue here. |
| 20 | CONDEMN – CON=trick + DEM(o)N |
| 22 | LOOK OUT – double definition |
| 24 | EPIGONE – EP=(obsolete) type of record + I=one + GONE. EPIGONE is a second-rate successor or follower of someone/something |
| 25 | SHIRTIER – SHIR(k)=neglect + TIER |
| 26 | SPORTING CHANCE – (catching person)* |
| 28 | OTHER – (b)OTHER |
| 29 | SATORI – SAT + O + RI. In Japanese Buddhism, SATORI is a state of understanding or enlightenment |
| 30 | MORE OR LESS – double definition (sort of) |
| 33 | ENTICEMENT – ET (French for and) round NICE MEN round (= over) T |
| 35 | BODEGA – AGED + OB reversed |
| 37 | PERIL – PERI=beautiful supernatural being + L |
| 39 | CROSSING SWORDS – SING=carol in CROSSWORDS (nice clue, I thought) |
| 41 | SPOON-FED – SPOON=old golf club + FED |
| 44 | SWEETIE – S + WEE + TIE |
| 45 | SOPHIST – SO + PHIST, which sounds like FIST=duke (slang) |
| 46 | OUTCROP – OUT + CROP |
| 47 | HORSE LAUGH – (hears ghoul)* |
| 49 | CORPORATE – CO + RP (received pronunciation)=way of speaking + ORATE |
| 53 | POISONOUS – PO + IS + ONUS containing O=oxygen |
| 54 | DIORAMA – DRAMA around IO |
| 55 | ANITA – A + NIT + A |
| 56 | TOFFEE-NOSED – TOFFEE=sweetie (44 ac) + NOD around SE=Home Counties |
| 57 | LOOSE CHANGE – LOO=bathroom(really??) + SEA CHANGE minus A |
| Down | |
| 1 | SPARTACUS – SPARTA + C + US |
| 2 | LAY IT ON WITH A TROWEL – double meaning (one metaphorical, one literal) |
| 3 | SINCE – SIN + C + E |
| 4 | EMOTIONLESS – E=(middle) character in bed + MOTIONLESS |
| 5 | STRUGGLE – ST + RUGGE(r) around L = fifty |
| 6 | NAME-DROPPERS – (man prospered)* |
| 7 | HENRY MOORE – HEN + MOOR with RYE=grass around |
| 8 | MOPER – MOP + ER |
| 9 | SPREAD EAGLE – (leaders gape)* |
| 10 | POOTERISH – reference to Charles Pooter, self-important “hero” of Diary of a Nobody by George and Weedon Grossmith |
| 11 | ETAS – sounds like EATERS (to some people, at least…) |
| 12 | SLEW – double meaning. Lovely concise clue. |
| 18 | COUNTER-REFORMATION – (a rector unfit no more)* |
| 19 | REVERSAL – REVERSAL of the word boy turns it into yob |
| 21 | ENTERIC – ENTER=record + I + C |
| 23 | TAILORED – TAIL + O + RED |
| 27 | STENOSIS – STENOS (abbreviation of stenographers, an old word for typists) + IS. STENOSIS is abnormal narrowing of a tubular organ |
| 28 | OVERCAST – double meaning |
| 31 | RAPPORT – PORT after RAP |
| 32 | GOLDFISH BOWL – double definition (presumably Peeping Tom indicates a cat) |
| 34 | MENDELSSOHN – cryptic indication of composer of the “Wedding March” which often features at the start of a “match” |
| 36 | APPROPRIATE – double meaning (nick=steal=appropriate) |
| 38 | COMPOUNDED – COMP (short for comprehensive) + (h)OUNDED |
| 40 | SOTTO VOCE – SOT + TO + V + O + CE |
| 42 | DEPRECATE – DEPREC(i)ATE |
| 43 | STACCATO – CATS reversed + CAT + O=round |
| 48 | LISTS – double meaning |
| 50 | OMAGH – MAG=publication in OH=my (interjection) |
| 51 | SPOT – SPO(r)T |
| 52 | TIFF – (s)TIFF |
I admire all those who contribute to this site, but the Jumbo bloggers more than most, since they get twice as much work to do as the rest of us..
SATORI and EIPGONE were familiar in that I knew they were both words. Whether I could have defined them out of context is another matter.
Of course, if they did make them as convoluted as a top-class daily cryptic, no one would ever get around to finishing.
20:35 for me – so I must have found it on the easy side.
EPIGONE and STENOSIS are both pretty familiar (the latter probably mainly from crosswords), but SATORI rather less so (I agonised briefly over whether the answer might be SATORE (using “religious education”), but it didn’t look familiar whereas SATORI did).
Looking back, I see that “Gold offered in religious sacrifice to bring enlightenment (6)” came up in Times Crossword No. 23,668 (1 August 2007), and I’ve a feeling the word has come up occasionally in the T2 puzzle.
I think “bathroom” = LOO in 57ac, reflects the N. American usage. (In Italy I once had to explain to a perplexed waiter that the American woman who said she wanted to use the bathroom needed un gabinetto rather than una stanza da bagno.)
Incidentally, if you find yourself struggling with the HTML formatting at all, I have an Excel spreadsheet that I use which does it all for me. You’re welcome to a copy if you think you’d find it useful.