times_xwd_times was to have to scroll through a solid wall of 
verlaine posts for at least five minutes, and in that spirit I have agreed to blog the Jumbo once in a while, for old times’ sake.
In the interests of a bit of variety I thought I’d approach this puzzle from the opposite direction to normal, and enumerate all the things that would be required of a solver to successfully negotiate its ~60 clues.
Every solve requires a good command of abbreviations and other wordplay-molecules. For this puzzle you will need to abbreviate 3 different things to C (conservative, caught x 2, about), 2 to CA (about again, and an accountant of the chartered variety), 2 to D (daughter and duke), 3 to E (drug, energy, east) and 3 to H (husband, horse, hospital), 2 to L (large and Loch, not lake for a chance), 2 to O (old twice, and love), 2 to T (temperature twice, and time) and 2 to U (university, posh). You will also need the help of ABE (Lincoln), a DJ (club employee) at a DO (party), an ED (top journalist) IC [in charge] of providing GEN (info). Knowledge of ranks and titles is essential as we meet a CO (commander), CORP (NCO) and INSP (police officer), alongside a LIB (politician) and a REV (priest). I gets pressed into service twice in a numerical sense, clued once as “one” and once more unusually as “a single”. Some other very common crossword particles make an appearance: EG (say), IN (fashionable), IT (wine, as in “gin and it”), PE (exercises), PR (image promotion) and UP (at college), and we round out our tour with one each of N, S, V and W (new, second, very, west). Whew!
You will need to jumble up no fewer than 7 collections of letters to make anagrams, but this common device is pipped to pole position by the 9 times you are asked to keep only a first letter of a word. (Or only the last letter, but this happens a mere five times.) Once, each, you must take a word and keep everything BUT its first letter or last letter; once you must drop a letter from the middle of a word, and twice you will have to insert something into the middle of another word. I found only one requirement to reverse something and one homophone in this puzzle, which seemed surprisingly low. There is one cryptic def, but impressively no less than FIVE double definitions where one of the definitions is straightforward and the other is whimsical, and if anything in the puzzle was going to provide a clue as to the identity of the setter, I would suspect it would be the predilection for these.
Enough of mere devices. In terms of the *knowledge* required to negotiate this Jumbo, you will want a good grasp of geography, of bits of London (Ascot), fairly obscure European places (Sion, Reims) and historical Africa (Barbary). No ultra-hardline-Brexiteer you, you will need a good smattering of basic French (un, vin, aller) and even a little Spanish (el) and one letter of the Greek alphabet and one piece of Scots dialect. Somewhat to my relief the only sporting knowledge required was a passing familiarity with the nags – knowing the SP at ASCOT. However you will need to know a full four personages of a literary bent, if I can place a doodler of Low in the august company of Hood, Wilder and Sterne, which surely I can. You will have been paying attention to your natural history (otter shrew, toad and wolfhound) and botany (corncockles) but especially to marine biology (sea urchin, tench and halibut). One mythological personage rears his noble head and that is the young hunter Actaeon, who surprised a bathing Diana, was transformed into a deer and torn apart by this own hounds.
Words of the day, as I’m sure horryd will endorse should he read this, include HALF-BINDING, PROROGUE, YARDAGE, SADDLECLOTH, CARABINIERI, THUNDER-STONE, WOOL-SKIN, the rather ubiquitous these days ISINGLASS, and my favourite ANSERINE, just because it beats the more usual ASININE into a goosed hat. But all of these vocabscurities were very fairly clued I thought, so thanks to the setter! I enjoyed my inventory of your crossword and I hope at least some readers will too.
Times Cryptic Jumbo No 1284
ACROSS
1 Latest information at college engagement? (6)
UPDATE – UP DATE [at college | engagement]
4 Amphibian — the sort we originally read about (5,5)
OTTER SHREW – (THE SORT WE R{ead}*) [“about”]
10 Accountant inviting old commander in for a drink (5)
COCOA – CA [accountant] inviting O CO [old | commander] in
14 University endlessly hunting around for marine echinoderm (3,6)
SEA URCHIN – U [university], SEARCHIN{g} [“endlessly” hunting] “around”
15 Sort of power chosen by hotel manager ultimately in charge (13)
HYDROELECTRIC – ELECT [chosen], by HYDRO [hotel], + {manage}R [“ultimately”] I/C [in charge]
16 Hunter taking a powerful drug in part of West London? (7)
ACTAEON – A E [a | powerful drug] in ACTON [part of West London]
17 Young thug poet found by chimney in Scotland (7)
HOODLUM – (Thomas) HOOD [poet] found by LUM [chimney in Scotland]
18 Simple shelter occupied by a politician? Something fishy here (7)
HALIBUT – HUT [simple shelter] occupied by A LIB [a | politician]
19 Be hard pressed, like one whose articles are worth keeping? (4,4,4,3,3)
HAVE ONES WORK CUT OUT – one whose newspaper articles are “worth keeping” will have their work cut out in a different sense…
21 Defeat a Continental party (4)
UNDO – UN DO [a “Continental” | party]
24 Abandon daughter before long? (5)
DITCH – D [daughter] before ITCH [long]
26 Sign produced by NCO in Swiss town (8)
SCORPION – CORP. [NCO] in SION [Swiss town]
27 Lying near a club employee with very little money (8)
ADJACENT – A DJ [a | club employee] with A CENT [very little money]
29 Brutally mistreated soul in old African region (11)
BARBAROUSLY – (SOUL*) [“mistreated”] in BARBARY [old African region]
30 Novel cover that’s only semi-obligatory? (4-7)
HALF-BINDING – that which is half binding would be “only semi-obligatory”
32 Person holding American writer to be enigmatic (11)
BEWILDERING – BEING [person] holding (Thornton) WILDER [American writer]
35 Dejected Conservative and others having sunk in reputation (11)
CRESTFALLEN – C [Conservative] and REST FALLEN [others | having sunk in reputation]
37 Excellent odds a fellow achieved (8)
SPLENDID – SP LEN DID [odds | a fellow | achieved]
39 Suspend old rascal associated with image promotion (8)
PROROGUE – O ROGUE [old | rascal] associated with PR [image promotion]
40 Record temperature logged at first in Lincoln? (5)
TABLE – T [temperature] + L{ogged} in ABE [Lincoln]
43 Little overwhelming love for this warty creature! (4)
TOAD – TAD [little] “overwhelming” O [love]
44 People of importance in the field of mathematics? (11,7)
SIGNIFICANT FIGURES – a mathematical term that also suggests “people of importance”
47 Priest finally chasing after French wine, increasing engine speed (7)
REVVING – REV [priest] + {chasin}G after VIN [French wine]
48 Top journalist a fellow’s taken in and betrayed (7)
EVINCED – ED [top journalist], VINCE [a fellow] is taken in
50 Detectives rejected, say, a charge for using court (7)
YARDAGE – YARD [detectives] + reverse all of EG A [“rejected” say | a]
51 Highly impressive police officer, one of sound mind (13)
INSPIRATIONAL – INSP. I RATIONAL [police officer | one | of sound mind]
52 Flattery a law lord turned to in a broadcast (9)
ADULATION – A + LUD reversed [law lord “turned”] + (TO IN A*) [“broadcast”]
53 Blue movie finally blocked by a single woman (5)
SADIE – SAD [blue] + {movi}E “blocked by” I [a single]
54 Second examiner welcomes Greek character, a family member (10)
STEPSISTER – S TESTER [second | examiner] “welcomes” PSI [Greek character]
55 One with an inclination to be less corpulent? (6)
LEANER – one who leans, or the opposite of fatter
DOWN
1 Moggy in posh new outhouse, safe and sound (9)
UNSCATHED – CAT [moggy] in U N SHED [posh | new | outhouse]
2 Bomb disposal expert maybe working at Croat dive (11)
DEACTIVATOR – (AT CROAT DIVE*) [“working”]
3 Wreck exercises in Peak District only just starting? (7)
TORPEDO – P.E. [exercises] in TOR [peak] + D{istrict} O{nly} [“just starting”]
5 Fish husband caught with suitable device from the south (5)
TENCH – H C NET [husband | caught | suitable device (for catching fish)], all reversed [“from the south”]
6 Frantically phone Ayr, initially getting head trainer’s description of races (11)
ETHNOGRAPHY – (PHONE AYR G{etting} H{ead} T{rainer}*) [“frantically”]
7 Land foolish person with horse’s protective cover (11)
SADDLECLOTH – SADDLE CLOT H [land | foolish person (with) horse]
8 Fellow lodger, Aussie native, beginning to make milky beverage (4-4)
ROOM-MATE – ROO [Aussie native] + M{ake} + MATE [milky beverage]
9 Dog cartoonist raised, discovered outside hospital (9)
WOLFHOUND – (David) LOW reversed [cartoonist “raised”] + FOUND [discovered] outside H [hospital]
10 Laugh raucously about Eurasian deer caught climbing (6)
CACKLE – CA [about] + ELK C all reversed [Eurasian deer | caught “climbing”]
11 They may arrest Eric in a Bari bust (11)
CARABINIERI – (ERIC IN A BARI*) [“bust”]
12 A drunkard, about to enter racecourse (5)
ASCOT – A SOT [a | drunkard], C [about] “to enter”
13 Eg fossil, ultimately not worth less than fourteen pounds (7-5)
THUNDER-STONE – {no}T {wort}H + UNDER STONE [less than fourteen pounds]
20 Seeks favour of family, carrying large fleece on fell (4-4)
WOOL-SKIN – WOOS KIN [seeks favour of | family], carrying L [large]
22 Figure of cherub originally with label attached (7)
OCTAGON – O{f} C{herub} + TAG ON [label | attached]
23 Sail supporter fashionable in mother’s time (8)
MAINMAST – IN [fashionable] in MAMA’S T [mother’s | time]
25 Chief joiner crossing Loch Ness (8)
HEADLAND – HEAD AND [chief | joiner] “crossing” L [Loch]
28 It produces a damaging response: go to Paris to get info (8)
ALLERGEN – ALLER [go “to Paris”] “to get” GEN [info]
29 Act as minder for a small charge? (7)
BABYSIT – cryptic def
31 Obsessive entomologist’s device for tightening things (9-3)
BUTTERFLY-NUT – suggesting someone who is nutty about butterflies
33 Sagacious duke engages the Spanish stableman: very shrewd! (4-7)
WELL-ADVISED – WISE D [sagacious | duke] “engages” EL LAD V [the “Spanish” | stableman | very]
34 Rider’s fling involved dates (11)
GIRLFRIENDS – (RIDERS FLING*) [“involved”]
35 Weak humour connected with molluscs and pink-flowered plant (11)
CORNCOCKLES – CORN [weak humour] connected with COCKLES [molluscs]
36 Free-thinking bookkeeper consuming both energy and time (11)
LIBERTARIAN – LIBRARIAN [bookkeeper] “consuming” E T [energy (and) time]
38 Getting up, runs off with girl’s adhesive (9)
ISINGLASS – {r}ISING [getting up, “runs (R) off”] + LASS [girl]
41 Asian listener digesting Irish novelist (9)
EASTERNER – EAR [listener] “digesting” (Laurence) Sterne [Irish novelist]
42 Foolish response in East, not West (8)
ANSERINE – ANS{w}ER IN E [response | in | East, “not West (W)”]
45 Rubbish bishop kept where car was accommodated (7)
GARBAGE – B [bishop] kept “in GARAGE” [where car was accommodated]
46 Limited penalty for pinching wine (6)
FINITE – FINE [penalty] for “pinching” IT [wine]
47 French city in lots of papers, reportedly (5)
REIMS – homophone of REAMS [lots of papers, “reportedly”]
Nice blog, v!
Ong’ara,
Nairobi.
But having lived in France, I look at French place names and hear them the French way.
Now, can we solve the mystery of why Marseille and Lyon are plural in English but not in French (Marseilles, Lyons).
horryd Shanghai