This, the second of our two holiday weekend Jumbos, was, I think, even easier than Saturday’s. I got all but 6 of the down answers on my first pass through the clues and finished in a little over 24 minutes. Little to frighten the horses, although there is some tricky general knowledge and one word spelt oddly. An enjoyable solve. Thank-you setter.
Definitions underlined in bold italics , ( Abc )* indicating anagram of Abc, {deletions} and [] other indicators.
| Across | |
| 1 | Former press baron enthralled by light rustic composition (9) |
| PASTORALE – ASTOR (former press baron) in PALE (light). A reference to John Jacob Astor, 1st Baron on Hever and former proprietor of The Times and the first chairman of the General Council of the Press. | |
| 6 | English youth cutting borders in Florida marshes (10) |
| EVERGLADES – E (English), LAD (youth) in VERGES (borders). | |
| 12 | Part of plane where feathers once flew? (7) |
| COCKPIT – Double definition with a cryptic hint referring to cock-fighting. | |
| 13 | Retired worker involved in dealing with mail after delivery (9) |
| POSTNATAL – ANT (worker) [retired] -> TNA in POSTAL (dealing with mail). | |
| 14 | House built by Republican in Galician port (5) |
| VIRGO – R (Republican) in VIGO (Galician port). The “house” in the Zodiac. | |
| 16 | Questioner initially rather near riot got roughed up (12) |
| INTERROGATOR – [Initially] ( R {ather} near riot got )* [roughed up]. | |
| 17 | Incarceration of hospital doctor (name concealed by police) (10) |
| INTERNMENT – INTERN (hospital doctor), N (name) in MET (police). | |
| 19 | Reptile crook of sterner disposition reportedly stole first (3,11) |
| BOA CONSTRICTOR – BOA (stole) CON (crook) STRICTOR, sounds like STRICTER (of sterner disposition) [reportedly]. | |
| 22 | Athlete from south runs into English dramatist (8) |
| SPRINTER – S (South), R (runs) in PINTER (Harold Pinter, English dramatist). | |
| 24 | Introduce batting, however briefly (6) |
| INSTIL – IN (batting) STIL{l} (however) [briefly]. | |
| 25 | Water bear ’s slow step heard (10) |
| TARDIGRADE – Sounds like TARDY GRADE (slow step) [heard]. I’d seen this in another crossword recently. They are funny looking little things. See here. | |
| 26 | Operatic princess with house in northwestern state (5) |
| IDAHO – IDA (operatic princess) HO (house). Princess Ida is a comic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan. Not one of the ones I’ve performed. | |
| 29 | Inappropriate reaction of daughter finally involved in mother’s ruin! (4) |
| GRIN -{Daughte}R [finally] in GIN (mother’s ruin). | |
| 30 | Get on well round the rightful Duke of Milan (8) |
| PROSPERO – PROSPER (get on well) O (0; round). This Shakespearean character from The Tempest. | |
| 32 | Stunt paid for refurbishment, one argues (9) |
| DISPUTANT -( stunt paid )* [for refurbishment]. | |
| 34 | Kentish port ’s very steep headland (9) |
| SHEERNESS – SHEER (very steep) NESS (foreland). Sheerness is a port on the River Medway. | |
| 35 | Boards in French schools (8) |
| ENTRAINS – EN (‘in’ in French) TRAINS (schools). | |
| 36 | Smile broadly , supporting member, perhaps (4) |
| BEAM – Double definition. | |
| 39 | Obtained hotel accommodation at first in Thuringian town (5) |
| GOTHA – GOT (obtained) H{otel} A{ccommodation} [at first]. I’d never heard of Gotha, but it looks worth a visit. I had to look for a map of Thuringia to find it. | |
| 40 | Reader worried by European voters (10) |
| ELECTORATE – E (European) LECTOR (reader) ATE (worried). | |
| 42 | Superficial façade always associated with cleric (6) |
| VENEER – VEN (venerable; title of an archdeacon; cleric) E’ER (ever; always). When it last came up in a crossword I blogged I said that in crosswordland always is always E’ER (except when it is AY) | |
| 44 | Routine move to divide cost (8) |
| PRACTICE – ACT (move) in PRICE (cost). | |
| 46 | Ill-fated priest ’s unexpected ally is crowned outside area (8,6) |
| CARDINAL WOLSEY – ( ally is crowned )* [unexpected], outside A (area). | |
| 48 | Lacking formal tuition damaged the fat slug! (4-6) |
| SELF-TAUGHT – ( the fat slug )* [damaged]. | |
| 49 | Duke in West Indies standing by a big tree (12) |
| WELLINGTONIA – ELLINGTON (Duke Ellington; Jazz maestro) in WI (West Indies) A. I thought of Duke Wellington of the boots first. | |
| 53 | Powered brake mechanism installed in lesser Volvos (5) |
| SERVO – Hidden, [installed], in lesSER VOlvos. | |
| 54 | Male animal in box, possibly, by front of this siege engine (9) |
| TREBUCKET – BUCK (male) in TREE ( box, possibly), [front of] T{his}. I’ve never seen this spelt with a K rather than an H, which seems to be more common. | |
| 55 | Solitary person ’s responsibility, in East End principally (7) |
| EREMITE – REMIT (responsibility) in E{ast} E{nd} [principally]. | |
| 56 | Old office requisite — sort more suitable for auditors? (10) |
| TYPEWRITER – TYPE (sort), WRITER, sounds like RIGHTER (more suitable) [for auditors]. | |
| 57 | Provided with glosses — and at Eton, somehow (9) |
| ANNOTATED – ( and at Eton )* [somehow]. I didn’t know the secondary definition of ‘gloss’ – a translation or explanation of a word or phrase. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Mine includes firm loops in ornamental edging (5) |
| PICOT – PIT (mine) includes CO (firm). | |
| 2 | Note from police officer to man ultimately in charge (10) |
| SUPERTONIC – SUPER (superintendent; police officer) TO {ma}N [ultimately] IC (in charge). The note above the tonic, or RE in the Tonic Sol-fa scale. | |
| 3 | Shed you once observed engulfed by river (8) |
| OUTHOUSE – THOU (you once) in OUSE (river). | |
| 4 | Record held by a hospital, a mark of high achievement (5) |
| ALPHA – LP (record) in A H (hospital), A. | |
| 5 | Firmly settled aim to keep clubs in doughy cake (9) |
| ENSCONCED – END (aim) outside C (clubs) in SCONE (doughy cake). The surface describes a rather odd ambition, I think. | |
| 6 | Energy used by soldier, possibly, climbing mountain (4) |
| ETNA – E (energy) ANT (soldier, possibly) [climbing] -> TNA. | |
| 7 | Surviving former partner beat time (6) |
| EXTANT –EX (former partner) TAN (beat) T (time). | |
| 8 | Info about elderly rustic housing horse and bird (6,8) |
| GOLDEN PHEASANT – GEN (info) about OLD (elderly), PEASANT (rustic) [housing] H (horse). | |
| 9 | Appearing unexpectedly in church season, it promises to pay (12) |
| ADVENTITIOUS –ADVENT (church season) IT IOUS (promises to pay). | |
| 10 | Fellow accepting a down payment (7) |
| EARNEST – ERNEST (man’s name; fellow) [accepting] A. | |
| 11 | Son copying work outside back of school, writing carelessly (10) |
| SCRIBBLING – S (son) CRIBBING (copying) [outside] [back of] schooL. | |
| 15 | Tom’s route travelling farthest from the centre (9) |
| OUTERMOST – ( Tom’s route )* [travelling]. | |
| 18 | Pine club lying around old ship’s vessel (8) |
| LONGBOAT – LONG (pine) BAT (club) around O (old). | |
| 20 | Teetotal surgeon in a hospital department carrying can (9) |
| ABSTINENT – BS (surgeon) in A ENT (Ear, nose and throat; hospital department), [carrying] TIN (can). | |
| 21 | Again evaluated beasts of burden kept in deer’s ground (10) |
| REASSESSED – ASSES (beasts of burden) in ( deer’s )* [ground. | |
| 23 | Polish saint, one possibly sheltering on river bank (4,6) |
| SAND MARTIN – SAND (polish) MARTIN (saint). The birds often nest in river banks. As for the Saint, although his Saint’s day, 1th November is celebrated in Poland (it is also their Independence Day), he wasn’t Polish – “Saint Martin, also known as Martin of Tours, was once one of the most popular Catholic saints. He was the patron saint of many things including children, innkeepers, hat makers, blacksmiths and more. He was born in modern day Hungary in the 4th century and was raised in Italy where he was a member of the Roman army.“. | |
| 27 | Insight of a retired nurse once dividing goods for sale (9) |
| AWARENESS – A, SEN (State Enrolled Nurse, a role abolished in the 1980s; nurse once) [retired] -> NES, in WARES (goods for sale). | |
| 28 | Film made by barrister in Parisian bar (5,9) |
| BRIEF ENCOUNTER – BRIEF (barrister) EN (in, in French) COUNTER (bar). The famous 1945 film. Read about it here. | |
| 31 | Ultimate opening grabbed by English university man (8) |
| EVENTUAL – VENT (opening) in E (English) U (university) AL (man’s name; man). | |
| 33 | Swimming movement of animal crossing river with oarsman? (12) |
| BREASTSTROKE – R (river) in BEAST (animal), STROKE (oarsman). | |
| 34 | Indicators of wrongdoing restricting good jobs (9) |
| SIGNPOSTS –G (good) in SIN (wrongdoing), POSTS (jobs). | |
| 37 | Arrive at bar at last, supporting tipsy reveller (10) |
| MERRYMAKER – MERRY (tipsy), MAKE (arrive at an event) baR [at last]. | |
| 38 | Extradite soldiers at front of this carriage (10) |
| DEPORTMENT – DEPORT (extradite) MEN (soldiers) [front of] This. | |
| 41 | Plant from brook in Airedale primarily associated with tailless fish (9) |
| RUDBECKIA – RUD{s} [tailless] (fish), BECK (brook) I{n} A{iredale} [primarily]. | |
| 43 | Mournful brass hat visiting factory (8) |
| PLANGENT – GEN (general; brass hat) in PLANT (factory). | |
| 45 | The whole work unit overcomes variable hypersensitivity (7) |
| ALLERGY – ALL (the whole) ERG (work unit) Y (variable in an equation). | |
| 47 | Risk onset of hail disrupting outing, perhaps (6) |
| THREAT – [Onset of] Hail in TREAT (outing, perhaps). | |
| 50 | Tongue served in hotel at Inverness (5) |
| LATIN – Hidden in hoteL AT INverness. | |
| 51 | Start to need help capturing a water nymph (5) |
| NAIAD – [Start to] Need, AID (help), including A. | |
| 52 | Make contented noises , setting up rights at university (4) |
| PURR – R R (rights) UP (at university) written upwards. | |
DNF . I could make no sense of 25ac, and NHO TARDIGRADE. I also have never seen TREBUCKET, and couldn’t, of course, parse TREBUCHET. NHO RUDBECKIA, and didn’t have the K. 35ac ‘in French’=EN; 28d ‘in Parisian’=EN.
Easier than average, though several DNKs – 25a, 54a, 41d – I enjoyed it!
I failed on two clues and resorted to aids, both words unknown: TARDIGRADE and RUDBECKIA. Incidentally I think the tailless fish in the latter comes from RUD{d} – maybe just a typo as D and S are next-door keys?
Thanks. Yes a typo. I am sometimes blind to them. Blog updated.
2hrs 22mins with one wrong. Quite a battle. My POI was the unknown TARDIGRADE which emerged as my front runner while i was struggling to make something of tardy gait. Then SAND MARTIN, which I’d had for a while without being keen on it, went in with a shrug. But I had put ERNE (?) for 6dn having failed to see ETNA which I now quite like.
We had NAIAD in both Jumbos over that weekend
In 1917 the British Royal House was changed from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to Windsor due to anti-German sentiment during the war.(Over here in Canada the town of Berlin became Kitchener for the same reason).
Interesting. Thanks. I hadn’t heard the Gotha bit. If anyone wants to read more see here.
Straightforward apart from the funny words. The crossing TREBUCKET and RUDBECKIA are both odd-looking words so I had fingers crossed when I submitted, although the wordplay seemed unambiguous.
I knew about TARDIGRADES.