Times Cryptic Jumbo 1467 – 7th November

Author   JohninterredPosted on Categories Jumbo Cryptic

I thought this was about a middle of the road Jumbo – maybe slightly harder given my time was nearer an hour than my usual 45 minutes. Several clues went over my head at the time, but I was able to resolve all the parsings in the blog. A couple of unknowns as usual, but there was nothing too difficult, I think. I enjoyed the serendipitous reminder of my home town when a boy and reference to my elder daughter.  A MER at the chemical incorrectness at 52D, but grudgingly accepted, otherwise all good stuff. 1A gets the biggest tick on my copy. Sadly a typo on entering online transcribing from my paper copy left my with a pink square. I must check the grid more carefully when submitting in future (as I keep telling myself when it happens). How did everyone else get on?

Definitions underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc, deletions and [] other indicators.

Across
1 City rivals swallowing drink after drink in case (11)
PORTMANTEAU – MANU (Manchester United; (Manchester) City rivals) [swallowing] TEA (drink) [after] PORT (drink).
7 Beaten by elements in war, where not in formation (11)
WEATHERWORN – (war where not)* [in formation].
13 One checks pulse or pulses after bad actor recoiled (17)
ELECTROCARDIOGRAM – GRAM (pulses) [after] [bad] (actor recolled)*
14 Graceful female enters river from the east (5)
ELFIN – F (female) [enters] NILE (river) [from the east] -> ELIN
15 One Communist enforcer somewhere in Europe (6)
IBERIA – I (one) BERIA (communist enforcer). Lavrenti Pavlovich Beria, Soviet chief of secret police; killed by his associates shortly after Stalin’s death. I’m not sure how I knew that.
16 Theatre hands round account showing revenge (8)
REPRISAL – REP (theatre) R and L (right and left; hands) [around] ISA (individual Savings Account; account).
17 Unknown speed trap’s without siren, perhaps (7)
NYMPHET – Y (unknown) MPH (speed) NET (trap) outside [‘s without].
19 Real logic set out in the form of a parable, say (9)
ALLEGORIC – (real logic)* [set out].
21 Appeal about maintaining virtue in retirement (8)
EMERITUS – SUE (appeal) [about] -> EUS outside [maintaining] MERIT (virtue).
23 Cockney’s bum note, one in orchestra (4)
OBOE – (h)OBO (cockney’s bum) E (note).
25 Spades held back in grassy plant borders (5)
EDGES – SEDGE (grassy) with the S (spades) [held back] to the end -> EDGES.
27 Slate sample in store (6)
PANTRY – PAN (slate) TRY (sample).
28 Cow‘s close, suppressing instinctive urges (10)
INTIMIDATE – INTIMATE (close) outside [suppressing] ID (instinctive urges).
30 Not great jockeys in shape (8)
TETRAGON – (Not great)* [jockeys].
31 Supply fashion garments after working in northern town (8-2-4)
STOCKTON-ON-TEES – STOCK (supply) TON (fashion) TEES (T-shorts; garment) [after] ON (working). Where home was for me as  a boy for several years.
34 One disdainful about people arriving at top London location (8,6)
SPEAKERS CORNER – SCORNER (one disdainful) [about] PEAKERS (people arriving at top).
35 Less than a couple, moving with current (8)
UNDERTOW – UNDER (less than) (two)* TWO (a couple) [moving] the W -> TOW. Thanks, Kevin for the correction (see comments) – an indirect anagram isn’t allowed.
38 Mostly toxic substance, name for fuel (10)
ANTHRACITE – ANTHRAx (toxic substance) [mostly] CITE (name).
40 Mended coats tailor vacuously left here and there (6)
STREWN – SEWN (mended) outside [coats] TailoR [vacuously].
41 Officer no longer receiving a raise (5)
EXALT – EX (no longer) ALT (Altern; officer).
43 Pods round ship heading west (4)
OKRA – O (round letter) ARK (ship) [headed west] -> KRA.
44 Familiar with animal’s home around lawn, say (8)
MATERIAL – MATE (familiar) LAIR (animal’s home) [round] -> RIAL. I never knew LAWN is a material; read about it here.
45 Maybe saw manufacturer’s fixed motor with leak (9)
TOOLMAKER – [fixed] (motor leak)*.
48 Official stops work in plant (7)
TREFOIL – REF (official) inside [stops] TOIL (work). Literally 3-leaved – a plant like clover (unless you are very lucky and find one with 4 leaves).
49 Cheaply con one lady out of publicity (8)
STINGILY – STING (con) I (one) LadY without the AD [without publicity].
50 Wrong exam before lunch? (6)
AMORAL – A.M. (morning; before lunch) ORAL (exam).
53 Scrap of fruit and shell of hazelnut (5)
FIGHT – FIG (fruit)  and outside letters [shell] of HazlenuT
54 Love smooth winger’s passes in game (7,3,7)
NOUGHTS AND CROSSES – NOUGHT (love) SAND (smooth) CROSSES (winger’s passes).
55 Exactly how Generation Rent is obligated? (2,3,6)
TO THE LETTER – Double definition, the second a cryptic hint.
56 Prodigal son has power to stop the endless conflict (11)
SPENDTHRIFT – S (son) P (power) END (stop) THe [endless] RIFT (conflict).
Down
1 Divine, eating the last word in jam (11)
PREDICAMENT – PREDICT (divine) outside [eating] AMEN (the last word).
2 Bird’s old beak (5)
REEVE – Double definition. As for the bird, a REEVE is a female RUFF… which I learnt only recently from a crossword.
3 Issue about dry home’s rugs etc. (7)
MATTING – MAG (magazine; issue) [about] TT (teetotaller; dry) IN (home).
4 Revolutionary happening upon fine shelter (4)
NOOK – ON (happening; as in “the tea dance is happening on Wednesday”) [revolutionary] -> NO; OK (fine).
5 Passing vehicle in the middle of deep trail (10)
EVANESCENT – VAN (vehicle) [in] [the middle of] dEEp SCENT (trail).
6 Official resurrected any careers (14)
UNDERSECRETARY – (resurrected any)* [careers].
7 Duke has scrap behind court building (8)
WOODSHED – D (duke) SHED (get rid of; scrap) [behind] WOO (court).
8 Girl lowers cap touching the ears? (5)
AURAL – LAURA (girl) moving the first letter to the bottom [lowers cap] -> AURAL. My elder daughter is called Laura.
9 Little people in hospital developing inoculum (9)
HOMUNCULI – H (hospital) [developing] (inoculum)*. If you didn’t know… “A homunculus is a representation of a small human being. Popularized in sixteenth-century alchemy and nineteenth-century fiction, it has historically referred to the creation of a miniature, fully formed human. The concept has roots in preformationism as well as earlier folklore and alchemic traditions.” … so you do now.
10 Lots of leaves picked up in cathedral city (6)
RHEIMS – Sounds like REAMS (lots of leaves of paper) [picked up].
11 Syncopated, say, in French song in odd places (3,3,6,5)
OFF THE BEATEN TRACK – OFF THE BEAT (syncopated) EN (French for in) TRACK (song).
12 Not a single girl wearing cape still (11)
NONETHELESS – Easier to biff than to parse. It’s NO (not a single), ETHEL (girl) [wearing] NESS (cape).
18 Opening in building with raised cross-piece? (4-4)
TRAP-DOOR – ROOD (cross) PART (piece) [raised] -> TRAP-DOOR.
20 Combatant one quickly smashed, admitting confusion (5,12)
LIGHT WELTERWEIGHT – LIGHTWEIGHT (one who gets drunk easily; quickly smashed) outside [admitting] WELTER (confusion).
22 Burn coal, not its top (6)
IGNITE – lIGNITE (coal) without it’s first letter [without its top].
24 From capital city in France, runs away during struggle (8)
VIENNESE – rENNES (city in France) without the R [runs away] [during] VIE (struggle). I took a while to get this one.
26 Onlookers surrounding king revealing all (8)
STARKERS – STARERS (onlookers) [surrounding] K (king).
29 Believers in sect losing it, so silly! (14)
SCIENTOLOGISTS – (in sect losing it)* [so silly]. I couldn’t possibly comment. Oh Heck. It looks like I had a typo here. Grr.
32 Unacceptable news about priestess without working alliance (3-5)
NON-UNION – NON-U (unacceptable) N N (news; new twice) [about] IO (priestess).
33 Female nursing pet once hurt (6)
SCATHE – SHE (Femail) outside [nursing] CAT. An archaic word, hence the “once”.
34 See red drunk recover quickly (4,3,2,2)
SNAP OUT OF IT – SNAP (see red) OUT OF IT (drunk).
36 Smallest room in ruined castle tower (5,6)
WATER CLOSET – [ruined] (castle tower)*.
37 Splenetic European concocted serious complaint (10)
PESTILENCE – (Splenetic E)* (European) [concocted]. Does COVID-19 count as a pestilence?
39 Tax measure brought back, cutting a little money (9)
CHALLENGE – ELL (measure of length of cloth) [bought back] -> LLE, [cutting] CHANGE (a little money).
42 One crossing the line in interrupting Peter, say (8)
FINISHER – IN [interrupting] FISHER (Simon Peter the apostle was a fisherman)
46 A distance covered by insect is huge (7)
MAMMOTH – A MM (distance) [covered by] MOTH (insect).
47 Small men join in trip (6)
SORTIE – S (small) OR (Other Ranks; men) TIE (join).
49 Check development of attention-seeking exploit (5)
STUNT – Double definition.
51 Sage European bringing down leader (5)
RISHI – IRISH (European) moving the first letter to the last [bringing down leader] -> RISHI.
52 Bitter is an intoxicating substance (4)
ACID – Double definition. The second referring to LSD. I do dislike ACID being clued as “bitter”. It means sour or sharp to me, which is not the same thing. It’s not in Chambers, but it is in Collins, so I guess that’s OK. As in an “acid/bitter remark” perhaps.

8 comments on “Times Cryptic Jumbo 1467 – 7th November”

  1. A couple of DNKs, as always: CROSS, STOCKTON-ON-TEES, although I knew of Teesside, LIGHTWEIGHT. RHEIMS took some time because I’ve never pronounced it (or heard it pronounced) ‘reams’. I liked PANTRY. I note that the setter uses the same device of moving the initial letter to the end three times: 25ac, 8d, 51d. And something similar with UNDERTOW, moving the W to the end. (John, it’s not an anagram of (two)*; that would be illegal, since ‘two’ isn’t in the clue.)
    1. Thanks. Blog corrected. I did notice the initial letter moving more than once, but neglected to comment. As for Rheims, I guess I’m not the only one to pronounce it incorrectly… our setter (and editor?) must pronounce the way I do too. Maybe it’s an anglicanisation?

      Edited at 2020-11-21 07:26 am (UTC)

      1. I didn’t say anything about (in)correct pronunciation! ODE gives [ri:mz] as the English pronunciation, and I assume they’re right. But as I said, I’ve never pronounced it that way–I say ‘rancid’ without the ‘id’.
  2. Mostly straightforward stuff but a technical DNF as I needed aids for HOMUNCULI – yet another obscure word clued as an anagram!

    I didn’t understand the NO in NOOK although I got that it was ON reversed. Now I see that it’s ‘happening = ON’ as in ‘that’s not on / happening’.

    Didn’t know GRAM as pulses.

    1. Gram is chickpeas .. Sainsburys will sell you gram flour. 10g added to your loaf mix improves the crust 🙂
      1. I dare say, but it’s not an area of the shelves I ever have reason to explore. I expect I’ve met it before in crosswords but it didn’t stick.

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