Hi all. This was the Boxing Day bank holiday (substitute day) puzzle, Boxing Day itself having been a Saturday, with its very own regular Jumbo. It was a good season at least for Jumbo lovers (and I don’t mean sweethearts who had indulged in too much seasonal nosh). I found this last one of 2020 enjoyable and not too heavy. I liked the “cracking war hero” in 39d but needed a knight in shining armour to crack the wordplay in 54a. 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 | Barrel old US actress tipped over, its contents yellow (4,3) |
| YOLK SAC — CASK (barrel) + LOY (old US Actress, Myrna Loy) reversed (tipped over) | |
| 5 | Framing judge, one is corrupt — that’s shameful (9) |
| BAREFACED — Around (framing) REF (judge) & ACE (one) is BAD (corrupt) | |
| 10 | Bay tree’s part (4) |
| BARK — Double definition | |
| 14 | Hollywood production that’s moving? (6,7) |
| MOTION PICTURE — Cryptic definition with a pun on two meanings of moving | |
| 15 | Vandalising oil rig, mob makes mess (9) |
| IMBROGLIO — Making an anagram of (vandalising) OIL RIG MOB gives the answer | |
| 16 | Resigned, he had to box with southpaw (4-6) |
| LEFT-HANDED — LEFT (resigned) + HE’D (he had) around (to box) AND (with) | |
| 17 | Reviewing the situation, rustling cattle? (6,5) |
| TAKING STOCK — Double definition | |
| 18 | Lecture screen behind head in classroom (5) |
| CHIDE — HIDE (screen) after (behind) the first letter of (head in) Classroom | |
| 19 | Puff of smoke dashing motorsport (4,6) |
| DRAG RACING — DRAG (puff of smoke) + RACING (dashing) | |
| 21 | Workshop so terribly untidy, disorder is offensive initially (6) |
| STUDIO — So Terribly Untidy, Disorder Is Offensive, first letters (initially) | |
| 23 | Getting on on a grand scale? That’s manipulation (9) |
| MASSAGING — MASS AGING might be getting on on a grand scale | |
| 25 | Coppers open certain bottles (5) |
| PENCE — oPEN CErtain contains (bottles) the answer | |
| 26 | Entering club, champagne primarily on order for Greek character (7) |
| OMICRON — Inside (entering) IRON (club) is the first letter of (… primarily) Champagne, this goes next to (on) OM (order, Order of Merit) | |
| 28 | Sporting club needing tutelage if hammered, fighting repercussions? (6,7) |
| BATTLE FATIGUE — BAT (club) + an anagram of (… hammered) TUTELAGE IF | |
| 31 | Inside tackling the enemy? (5,4) |
| DOING TIME — DOING (tackling) + TIME (the enemy) | |
| 33 | Forced training on a red dog (9) |
| DRAGOONED — An anagram of (training) ON A RED DOG | |
| 35 | Current panic frequently requiring courage (5-2-3-3) |
| STATE-OF-THE-ART — STATE (panic) + OFT (frequently) + HEART (courage) | |
| 37 | Brush back (7) |
| SWEEPER — Double definition | |
| 38 | Two females securing a bundle (5) |
| SHEAF — SHE & F (two females) containing (securing) A | |
| 40 | Tornado perhaps, spinning hole in a way (9) |
| AEROPLANE — Reversal of (spinning) PORE (hole) inside (in) A & LANE (way) | |
| 42 | Become more sympathetic, maybe, or arrogant (6) |
| UPPITY — To UP PITY could mean to become more sympathetic | |
| 44 | It’s very hairy stirring arsenic into some butter (7,3) |
| PERSIAN CAT — An anagram of (stirring) ARSENIC goes into PAT (some butter) | |
| 46 | Unnatural lake beyond measure, ultimately (5) |
| EERIE — ERIE (lake) after (beyond) the last letter of (… ultimately) measurE | |
| 48 | A fruit into which bloke injected poison (5,6) |
| AGENT ORANGE — A & ORANGE (fruit) containing (into which … injected) GENT (bloke) | |
| 50 | Possible description of broken record too good for batsman? (10) |
| UNPLAYABLE — Double definition | |
| 52 | Establish controversial doctrine about university (9) |
| INTRODUCE — An anagram of (controversial) DOCTRINE around (about) U (university) | |
| 53 | How to get thousand, perhaps, for a number in the sixties (5,3,5) |
| TWIST AND SHOUT — Cryptically, a way to get THOUSAND is to make an anagram of (TWIST) “AND SHOUT” | |
| 54 | Polish base for white castle? (4) |
| HONE — h1 – H ONE – is the white rook’s initial position, or base, on a chessboard | |
| 55 | Garden set to go to seed in residence elsewhere? (9) |
| ESTRANGED — GARDEN SET anagrammed (to go to seed) | |
| 56 | Having steered past it, reversal of plague made possible (7) |
| ENABLED — The reversal of BANE (plague), followed by (having … past it) LED (steered) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | All ultimately easy, so warm up for difficult trek (4) |
| YOMP — All last letters of (ultimately) easY, sO warM uP | |
| 2 | Take a chance on those stories about Tarka, say? (9) |
| LOTTERIES — LIES (stories) around (about) OTTER (Tarka, say) | |
| 3 | Soccer game — penalty shoot-out? (4,3,4,11) |
| SPOT THE BALL COMPETITION — Two definitions: the answer is a football-based game, or could be a description of a penalty shoot-out (spotting the ball referring to placing the ball accurately) | |
| 4 | Idea entertained by bogus composer (7) |
| COPLAND — PLAN (idea) inside (entertained by) COD (bogus) | |
| 5 | Withdrawal of current support by man on board (11) |
| BACKDRAUGHT — BACK (support) + DRAUGHT (man on board) | |
| 6 | Stumble after a few drinks: ultimately it gets us nowhere! (5,4) |
| ROUND TRIP — TRIP (stumble) after ROUND (a few drinks) | |
| 7 | Flying boats (5) |
| FLEET — Double definition | |
| 8 | Very little change in Orpington fare? (7,4) |
| CHICKEN FEED — CHICKEN FEED might literally be fare for Orpingtons | |
| 9 | First-timer with sole fillet (6) |
| DEBONE — DEB (first-timer) + ONE (sole) | |
| 11 | Each considered narration finished then? (3,4) |
| ALL TOLD — If the narration is finished, you could say it is ALL TOLD | |
| 12 | Affordable place in Mayo, Irish county (9) |
| KNOCKDOWN — KNOCK (place in Mayo) + DOWN (Irish country) | |
| 13 | Don’t worry, the army’s safer than the navy? (5,6,6,2,3) |
| WORSE THINGS HAPPEN AT SEA — Definition plus an alternative interpretation of the answer | |
| 18 | Scout’s need affected plot (4,3) |
| CAMP BED — CAMP (affected) + BED (plot) | |
| 20 | Measure of brightness is able to melt lead (7) |
| CANDELA — CAN (is able to) + anagram (melt) LEAD | |
| 22 | Wonderful — as is martyr’s cause? (2,3,3) |
| TO DIE FOR — Two definitions | |
| 24 | Fighters batting, cool test (8) |
| INFANTRY — IN (batting) + FAN (cool) + TRY (test) | |
| 27 | Eaten up by Gujarati, a rice dish from India (5) |
| RAITA — Hidden reversed in (eaten up by) GujarATI, A Rice | |
| 29 | Suggestion people should be under arrest, finally (5) |
| TRACE — RACE (people) following (under) the last letter of (… finally) arresT | |
| 30 | Leader of girl guides, well, well, well? (7) |
| GUSHERS — The first letter (leader) of Girl + USHERS (guides) | |
| 32 | Very high mass in timber, might you say? (7) |
| EXTREME — M (mass) in EX TREE (timber, might you say?) | |
| 34 | Perception in recent minds, flawed (11) |
| DISCERNMENT — RECENT MINDS anagrammed (flawed) | |
| 36 | Free image coming up, spread around (11) |
| EMANCIPATED — PIC (image) reversed (coming up), surrounded by (with … around) EMANATED (spread) | |
| 37 | Native American shelters beginning to evaporate, slightly nauseous (9) |
| SQUEAMISH — SQUAMISH (Native American) contains (shelters) the first letter of (beginning to) Evaporate | |
| 39 | With no love for foe, a cracking war hero? (9) |
| FEATURING — F[o]E without O (with no love for …) + A & TURING (cracking war hero?) | |
| 41 | Someone had dessert in spring? (5,4) |
| APRIL FOOL — A spring dessert might be an APRIL FOOL | |
| 43 | Fast descending on N Lancs town (7) |
| PRESTON — PRESTO (fast) + N | |
| 45 | Retain wayward English student (7) |
| TRAINEE — RETAIN anagrammed (wayward) + E (English) | |
| 47 | Carp or meat? (6) |
| GROUSE — Two definitions | |
| 49 | Yesterday’s odds dropped before bagging ten more (5) |
| EXTRA — yEsTeRdAy without the odd letters (odds dropped) containing (bagging) X (ten) | |
| 51 | Last to leave office: boss (4) |
| STUD — STUDy (office) without the last letter (last to leave …) | |
I don’t remember much now. I finished all green, but with 3:26:45 on the clock. I know I liked TWIST AND SHOUT and the very neat HONE. Thanks for the blog.
I jumped around just grinding my way through it, although the SW corner was the most difficult with SQUEAMISH, PRESTON, UPPITY, AGENT ORANGE and HONE. I still don’t think I know SQUAMISH, but just by putting a Q before the U the answer just popped out.
Thanks to the setter. The hard work doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. And thanks again Kitty_404 for the blog. I don’t think I’ve seen your name before? So, hi. kap
I haven’t been a regular commenter for some time, and never here as I mainly do Independent and barred cryptics. Work and other hobbies (I mean hobbies other than crosswords, not that work is a hobby) have all encroached on the time I used to devote to puzzling. I’ve been one of the five Jumbo bloggers since mid-2019 and also blog Independent and EV puzzles on another site.
It’s a shame for the setters when they don’t get much feedback, but understandable that by the time posts on prize puzzles appear people have moved on. These days I can barely remember yesterday.
Edited at 2021-01-10 04:47 pm (UTC)
My compliments to the setter for this thoroughly enjoyable exercise.