Jumbo 999

Author   helenoughamPosted on Categories Jumbo Cryptic
Slightly more challenging this time, I reckoned – took me a little over half an hour, though admittedly late at night. It featured two answers that I don’t believe I’ve come across before: NOCTURN (not to be confused with nocturne), and THROUGH-COMPOSED.

As ever, * indicates an anagram.

Across
1 POLICE STATE – POLE, containing I (symbol for electric current/amperage) + C, + STATE
7 FIREBOMBING – (From Big Ben I)*
13 SKYROCKET – ROCK in SKYE, + concerT
14 ESTONIA – ETON outside S, + AI (capital, i.e. excellent) reversed
15 CLASS – Cold + LASSi – lassi is a yogurt-based drink originating in India
16 APOGEE – gemstone eg opal, reversed
17 SUDANESE – SUE containing DANES
18 KRISHNA – (I shrank)*. The “From” in the clue seemed superfluous to me – I wonder if it would have worked better as “God, I shrank, trembling”?
20 IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE – slightly unusual clue, which I’ve broken down as Husband, “in the middle of” NOW and HERE
23 TANGIER – double definition
24 DRASTIC – Doctrine, + (racist)*
26 NECKTIE – NECK (slang term for audacity) + TIE (match in the sporting sense)
28 SASH – Son + ASH
29 PIPE RACK – (are p) reversed, in PICK. A churchwarden is an old style of pipe.
32 UNCLEARLY – CLass in UNEARLY (“un-early” could mean “late” – nice idea!)
35 TAIL LIGHT – L in AIL, in TIGHT
36 SPLENDID – SP + LEN + DID. “Wicked” here has the contemporary meaning of “very good”, hence SPLENDID
37 HUGE – (enough)*
39 BOER WAR – raw, + European in rob, all reversed
41 ASTAIRE – ASTI around Are, + RE
44 BROTHEL – BROTH + mEaLs. “Stews” is an old term for a brothel
45 CHARACTER RECOGNITION – CHARACTER (defined by “case”, as in “he’s a case!”) + RECOGNITION
49 HANGDOG – HANG + DO + G
50 FAIR PLAY – FAIR, + L in PAY
51 ELAPSE – pale (reversed), + S + E (South and East, two opponents in the game of bridge)
53 SHELL – HELL after S
54 AVARICE – A VICE around A Miser
55 INTRINSIC – IN + TRaIN + SIC
56 DILAPIDATED – (i pal I’d), reversed, + DATED
57 SPELLBINDER – SPELL, + ER (= Elizabeth Regina), around BIND

Down
1 PASCAL – P + A + Scale
2 LAY DOWN ONE’S LIFE – (Fellow done in say)*
3 CHOKE CHAIN – CHOKE, + A in CHIN. “Rover” refers to a dog, not the make of car
4 SIKH – sounds like seek
5 ASTOUNDED – AS + T + bOUNDED
6 EYEBALL – alternate letters of sexy deb, +BALL
7 FITTED OUT – FIT + TED + OUT
8 RANGE – stRANGE
9 BLACK SWAN – LACKS W in BAN
10 MACHINE SCREW – (came wrench is)*
11 IVANHOE – I’VE, around alternate letters of sainthood
12 GASBAG – AS B in GAG
19 SMARTING – RAM (random-access memory; reversed) in STING
21 NOCTURN – NOC (sounds like knock), + TURN. I hadn’t previously come across this term, which refers to on of the divisions of Matins
22 VERY WELL – VERY + WELL
23 TEST TUBE – TEST, + TUBE (UK slang for television)
25 ADAMS – SA (reversed) around DAM
27 THROUGH-COMPOSED – THROUGH, + COMPOSED (defined by “together”)
30 EXTRACT – EX + TRACT
31 KULFI – FLUKe, reversed, + I
33 CRIBBING – CRIB + BINGo
34 SLOW HANDCLAP – LOW HAND C in SLAP
38 TORTELLINI – (in little)*, around OR
40 REARGUARD – REAR (to raise; defined by “look after”), + drug (reversed) around A. I wasn’t happy with “conservative faction” as the definition of REARGUARD
42 TERRIFIED – (where vat)*. I + F, in (retired)*
43 EVOCATIVE – E + VOCATIVE
45 CONCEAL – CO (commanding officer), + (lance)*
46 EXPRESS – EX + PRESS (to iron clothing, defined by “smooth”)
47 CHASED – sounds like chaste
48 FENCER – FENCE + R
50 FEAST – hidden in caFE A STeak
52 ET AL – late (reversed)

3 comments on “Jumbo 999”

  1. I gave up timing myself, but it was a long time; surprisingly, in retrospect, in that I have no comments or ?’s in the margins. Happy to know that I’m not the only one who didn’t know NOCTURN or THROUGH-COMPOSED. I also didn’t know NECK in the given sense, and didn’t know that ‘necktie’ was an Americanism. COD to 25d.
  2. Why in 55 across does “tutor’s overlooked” give train without the “a”? Thanks

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