Hello to you all, on my last Jumbo blog of 2020. Where has the year gone? (And if your automatic answer to that is swear-free, you’re a better human than me!) Anyway, I wish you all festivities as enjoyable as possible, and most importantly a humungously improved 2021.
This puzzle was a DNF for me, but it was clear with a handful of answers to go that I was going to need assistance for at least a couple, so the decision to use aids was an easy one. No staring at those last one or two gaps wondering if there’s some knowledge I just don’t have or whether I will be kicking myself silly if I give in.
Up until then (about 45 or 50 minutes) it was smooth-going, and even the long anagrams sorted themselves out with no bother, which is not something I can usually say. All very nice – thanks, setter!
Definitions are underlined in the clues below. In the explanations, quoted indicators are in italics, explicit [deletions] are in square brackets, and I’ve capitalised and emboldened letters which appear in the ANSWER.
| Across | |
| 1 | Rug with a motif originally in tent-like dwelling (6) |
| WIGWAM — WIG (rug) + W (with) + A + the first letter of (… originally) Motive | |
| 4 | “Green Mountain Record Company” spoken of in Asian city (10) |
| RAWALPINDI — RAW (green) + ALP (mountain) + INDI, which sounds like (… spoken of) INDIE (record company). The first two elements looked likely, but I still had to look this up | |
| 10 | Chinese dog drinking first of oolong tea (5) |
| PEKOE — PEKE (Chinese dog) containing (drinking) the first letter of Oolong | |
| 14 | Hit back, seeing extremely rude woman in gallery (9) |
| RETALIATE — Outer letters of (extremely) RudE + ALI (woman) in TATE (gallery) | |
| 15 | Inaccuracy of English bishop, one with old American cape (13) |
| ERRONEOUSNESS — A charade of E (English) + RR (bishop) + ONE + O (old) + US (American) + NESS (cape) | |
| 16 | A container that briefly reveals a prickly structure (7) |
| ACANTHA — A + CAN (container) + THAt without its last letter (briefly) | |
| 17 | Functions involving army once in Surrey town (7) |
| STAINES — SINES (functions) containing (involving) TA (army once: Territorial Army). The Surrey town is now officially Staines-upon-Thames, because lacking “upon-Thames” was the problem with that name! | |
| 18 | What one should not do to welcome public support! (7) |
| OUTSTAY — OUT (public) + STAY (support) | |
| 19 | He had to garden to get working for the elite (3,5,3,3,4) |
| THE GREAT AND THE GOOD — HE HAD TO GARDEN TO GET anagrammed (working) | |
| 21 | The last word in glam entertainment (4) |
| AMEN — The answer is in glAM ENtertainment | |
| 24 | Fast mover runs to left of maple tree (5) |
| RACER — R (runs) preceding (to left of) ACER (maple tree) | |
| 26 | A girl has ways to replace last of these old quibblers (8) |
| SOPHISTS — SOPHI[e] (a girl) has STS (ways) in place of the last letter of thesE | |
| 27 | Greeting woman reportedly in charge of sanitation (8) |
| HYGIENIC — Homophones of (… reportedly) HI (greeting) and JEAN (woman) + IC (in charge) | |
| 29 | Mousy girl with swept-back hair the writer’s pursuing? (11) |
| UNASSERTIVE — UNA (girl) with the reversal of (swept back) TRESS (hair) followed by I’VE (the writer’s) | |
| 30 | Slogan originally coined at church wears thin, we’re told (11) |
| CATCHPHRASE — The first letter of (originally) Coined + AT + CH + PHRASE, which sounds like (… we’re told) FRAYS (wears thin) | |
| 32 | Killer serving sentence — keeping busy? Not at first (11) |
| INSECTICIDE — INSIDE (serving sentence) containing (keeping) hECTIC (busy) without the first letter (not at first) | |
| 35 | Assertive supporter‘s revolutionary songs heard by Queen (11) |
| CHEERLEADER — CHE (revolutionary) + a homophone of (… heard) LIEDER (songs) + ER (queen) | |
| 37 | Old dignitary conceals slip, fifth of harvest being past its best (8) |
| OVERRIPE — O (old) + VIP (dignitary) goes around (conceals) ERR (slip), followed by the fifth letter of harvEst | |
| 39 | Small number arresting posh fool, one on the run (8) |
| FUGITIVE — FIVE (small number) around (arresting) U (posh) and GIT (fool) | |
| 40 | Traps detective swigging the hard stuff (5) |
| DRUMS — DS (detective: Detective Sergeant) taking in (swigging) RUM (the hard stuff) | |
| 43 | Winged creature identified by old woman without hesitation (4) |
| MOTH — MOTH[er] (old woman) without ER (hesitation) | |
| 44 | Avoid stirring up trouble — don’t disturb dozy setters! (3,8,4,3) |
| LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE — A definition plus an alternative literal interpretation of the phrase | |
| 47 | Roughly shows impatience on road, maybe, finding collusion (7) |
| CAHOOTS — CA (roughly) + HOOTS (shows impatience on road, maybe) | |
| 48 | Opposed to a way profit is secured (7) |
| AGAINST — A and ST (way); GAIN (profit) is inserted (secured) | |
| 50 | As loose shoes, perhaps, not spiked (7) |
| UNLACED — A double definition | |
| 51 | School in a rut, a terrible state (5,8) |
| SOUTH CAROLINA — SCHOOL IN A RUT A anagrammed (terrible) | |
| 52 | Grand heraldic device incorporating grey bird? (9) |
| GOLDCREST — G (grand) + CREST (heraldic device) around (incorporating) OLD (grey) | |
| 53 | Endlessly check one’s first sound system (5) |
| AUDIO — Without the last letter (endlessly), AUDIt (check) + One’s first letter | |
| 54 | Tropical tree governor included in unsophisticated paintings? (10) |
| GREENHEART — HE (governor) included in GREEN (unsophisticated) and ART (paintings?). A new tree for me, but I didn’t doubt its existence | |
| 55 | Travelling salesman, one who hunts with birds of prey (6) |
| HAWKER — Two definitions | |
| Down | |
| 1 | One guarantees intemperate speech by men supporting conflict (9) |
| WARRANTOR — RANT (intemperate speech) by OR (men) underneath (supporting) WAR (conflict) | |
| 2 | Great chap frantically securing ends of uncut thermoplastic (5-6) |
| GUTTA-PERCHA — An anagram of (… frantically) GREAT CHAP containing (securing) the last letters (ends) of uncUT. I’d never heard of this so I had to check I’d put the letters in the right places | |
| 3 | Table including fifty entertainers ultimately of celebrity status (3-4) |
| ALL-STAR — ALTAR (table) around (including) L (fifty) and the last letter of (… ultimately) entertainerS | |
| 5 | An archdeacon’s type of rosaceous plant (5) |
| AVENS — A VEN’S (an archdeacon’s). It sounded plant-like, so I planted it in the grid | |
| 6 | A law and ceremony identifying a variety of chrysoberyl (11) |
| ALEXANDRITE — A + LEX (law) + AND + RITE (ceremony) | |
| 7 | Pitiful, ringing about name in brackets (11) |
| PARENTHETIC — PATHETIC (pitiful) surrounding (ringing) RE (about) and N (name) | |
| 8 | Failure to employ wise man lacking in social graces (3-5) |
| NON-USAGE — The second part of the clue defines a NON-U SAGE | |
| 9 | I pore over old register, having yen for study of symbolism (9) |
| ICONOLOGY — I + CON (pore) above (over, in a down entry) O (old) + LOG (register) + Y (yen) | |
| 10 | Exercise group supported by a Spanish currency once (6) |
| PESETA — PE (exercise) + SET (group) on top of (supported by) A | |
| 11 | Sadly like a top man’s recurrent urge to steal (11) |
| KLEPTOMANIA — An anagram of (sadly) LIKE A TOP MAN | |
| 12 | Composition of French art, for example (5) |
| ESSAY — ES (French art: French for art as in thou art, so French for are) + SAY (for example) | |
| 13 | Area vicars prepared outside an Eastern inn (12) |
| CARAVANSERAI — AREA VICARS anagrammed (prepared) around (outside) AN. After shuffling letters around with all the checkers, I resorted to an electronic re-sorter for this one | |
| 20 | American character with endless penchant for frogs and things (8) |
| AMPHIBIA — AM (American) + PHI (character) + endless BIAs (penchant) | |
| 22 | Greek character given plain description of close family unit (7) |
| NUCLEAR — NU (Greek character) + CLEAR (plain) | |
| 23 | Kept back comic thought about husband (8) |
| WITHHELD — WIT (comic) + HELD (thought) around (about) H (husband) | |
| 25 | Deliverer turns tail, snatching time for restorative treatment (4-4) |
| REST-CURE — RESCUER (deliverer) has its last two letters swapped round (turns tail) with the insertion of (snatching) T (time) | |
| 28 | Greek article framed by an Edinburgh man, perhaps (8) |
| ATHENIAN — THE (article) inside (framed by) AN (an) + IAN (Edinburgh man perhaps) | |
| 29 | Outfit college introduces for head of maths (7) |
| UNIFORM — UNI (college) goes before (introduces) FOR + the first letter (head) of Maths | |
| 31 | Dreadfully dry hours Noel suffers (12) |
| HORRENDOUSLY — DRY HOURS NOEL is anagrammed (suffers) | |
| 33 | Investigator the UN should get replaced (11) |
| SLEUTHHOUND — The words THE UN SHOULD are anagrammed (get replaced) | |
| 34 | Counting of English mineworkers initially expecting allowance (11) |
| ENUMERATION — E (English) + NUM (mineworkers, National Union of Mineworkers) + the first letter of (initially) Expecting + RATION (allowance) | |
| 35 | Drink with knight in damaged chair, perhaps (11) |
| CHIPPENDALE — ALE (drink) follows N (knight) in CHIPPED (damaged) | |
| 36 | Repeatedly investigate lookalike, a native of Prague, do we hear? (6-5) |
| DOUBLE-CHECK — DOUBLE (lookalike) + CHECK, which sounds like (… do we hear?) CZECH (a native of Prague) | |
| 38 | Recruiting group journalists joke about naturally at first (5,4) |
| PRESS GANG — PRESS (journalists) + GAG (joke) around (about) Naturally at first | |
| 41 | Overcome by amphetamine, heartlessly drive fast car (9) |
| SPEEDSTER — Below (overcome by) SPEED (amphetamine), is STeER (drive) without the middle letter (heartlessly …) | |
| 42 | Slice of veal left over during flight (8) |
| ESCALOPE — L (left) and O (over) inside (during) ESCAPE (flight) | |
| 45 | Girl with note on central European province (7) |
| GALICIA — ALICIA (girl) underneath (with … on) G (note). I didn’t know the answer, so needed aids for this one, not helped by wanting the girl to be GAL | |
| 46 | Attention-seeking cry heard from solver and doctor? (3-3) |
| YOO-HOO — Sounds like (heard) YOU (solver) and WHO (doctor?) | |
| 47 | Conspirator‘s son taken in about accountant (5) |
| CASCA — S (son) put inside (taken in) CA (about) and CA (accountant: Chartered Accountant). A conspirator against Julius Caesar | |
| 49 | Row about introduction of great big cat (5) |
| TIGER — TIER (row) around (about) the first letter (introduction) of Great | |
There was a potential beartrap for biffers at 13dn as the Eastern inn can also be spelt CARAVANSARAI and the catch-letter was unchecked so it was necessary to pay close attention to the anagrist.
Edited at 2020-12-12 12:38 pm (UTC)
have a great Christmas Kitty, hope you get lots of treats..