Hello all. Penfold has already posted the blog for Easter Monday’s 1491, so I must fill in the gap left by the previous Saturday’s Jumbo. Apologies for jumbling the jumbo sequence.
This one kept me amused a tad longer than usual, just over the hour, with a hunt needed at the end for the first letter of MULETEER which just didn’t occur to me. So I ended appropriately enough with a “μ”!
Two or three clues prompt me to take the opportunity to ask you good solvers of the Times about something, namely definitions along the lines of “that does x” to define “that which does x”. Or perhaps it’s “that does x” in the sense of “this does x” which might be a better reading. The example here is the definition of 19a: “that ruins crops”. See also 36a’s “that are helpful” and perhaps “could be a bad sign” in 29a.
I should make clear that this kind of thing clearly is ok – indeed, one of the most respected setters around, and one of my own favourites, frequently does it. It’s just it does niggle very slightly with me still, and I wanted to see what others think – but I’m asking a question rather than having a moan. Hopefully you will explain to me why definitions like these are absolutely fine and banish that niggle evermore.
I’ve long since lost the habit of marking favourites (formed back when I used to be chatty and (R)AMBLE on below the line), and in a Jumbo there are just so many clues to choose from. There is an obvious option for a feline in 3d: JEOPARDY, and several of the surrounding down clues also appeal, particularly 6d, COCK. I’m a sucker (not 45d) for a reverse clue so I might also pick 31d, BACKDOOR, though that was a sneaky one indeed. All good fun indeed. 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. Link words are generally omitted for clarity.
| Across | |
| 1 | Indecent girl’s legwear (4,5) |
| BLUE JEANS — BLUE (indecent) + JEAN’S (girl’s) | |
| 6 | Racing once condemned harmful substance (10) |
| CARCINOGEN — RACING ONCE anagrammed (condemned) | |
| 12 | Everyone, say, runs over briskly (7) |
| ALLEGRO — ALL (everyone) + EG (say) + R (runs) + O (over) | |
| 13 | Lively old punk tours Virginia (9) |
| VIVACIOUS — VICIOUS (old punk, Sid Vicious) goes around (tours) VA (Virginia) | |
| 14 | Officer in charge evincing problem with wind (5) |
| COLIC — COL (officer) + IC (in charge) | |
| 16 | Midshipman Easy’s job? (5,7) |
| PLAIN SAILING — A whimsical definition, the surface referring to Mr Midshipman Easy | |
| 17 | Court order one in residence to be moved (6,4) |
| DECREE NISI — I (one) in an anagram of (… to be moved) RESIDENCE | |
| 19 | State vehicle that ruins crops (8,6) |
| COLORADO BEETLE — COLORADO (state) + BEETLE (vehicle, the VW Beetle) | |
| 22 | New troops joining the navy in higher latitudes (8) |
| NORTHERN — N (new) + OR (troops) + THE + RN (navy). I wasted some time trying to make this start with an anagram of TROOPS – oops! | |
| 24 | Metal, iodine and copper blocking miners (6) |
| INDIUM — I (iodine) and DI (copper) inside (blocking) NUM (miners) | |
| 25 | Starts with each child’s unrestricted period for game (4,6) |
| OPEN SEASON — OPENS (starts) + EA (each) + SON (child) | |
| 26 | Walk — with or without runs? (5) |
| AMBLE — The answer means “walk” – with or without prepending with R (runs) | |
| 29 | Ladies missing whiskey could be a bad sign (4) |
| OMEN — [w]OMEN (ladies) without (missing) W (whiskey). I thought the “could be” might be a link between wordplay and definition, but of course omens could be good, so I have underlined it | |
| 30 | Fortunate having sanction limiting old bomb (8) |
| ENVIABLE — ENABLE (sanction) around (limiting) VI (V1, old bomb) | |
| 32 | Ruler quit, ignoring British excise (9) |
| ERADICATE — ER (ruler) + A[b]DICATE without (ignoring) B (British) | |
| 34 | Dopey old men disheartened in IoW waters (9) |
| SOMNOLENT — O (old) and MeN without the middle letter (disheartened) in SOLENT (IoW waters) | |
| 35 | Regularly call on pretty woman to restrain quiet fool (8) |
| CLODPOLL — Alternate letters of (regularly) CaLl On, then DOLL (pretty woman) around (to restrain) P (quiet) | |
| 36 | Like hoarding papers that are helpful (4) |
| AIDS — AS (like) containing (hoarding) ID (papers) | |
| 39 | US cheat returns iron and silver engraved with name (5) |
| GANEF — The answer is reversed in (returns) FE (iron) and AG (silver) containing (engraved with) N (name). I’d never heard of this, so had to trust to checkers and wordplay | |
| 40 | Free love in Little Rock (10) |
| PERIDOTITE — RID (free) and O (love) in PETITE (little) | |
| 42 | Dance when tiddly, leaving tango to the end (6) |
| MINUET — MINUTE (tiddly) with T (tango) moved to the end | |
| 44 | Make ugly girl initially hug primate (8) |
| MISSHAPE — MISS (girl) + the first letter of (initially) Hug + APE (primate) | |
| 46 | Fiddling finance firm pocketing a grand (6,8) |
| MONKEY BUSINESS — MONEY (finance) + BUSINESS (firm) containing (pocketing) K (a grand) | |
| 48 | Boulders and tree reduced seafood (4,6) |
| ROCK SALMON — ROCKS (boulders) and ALMONd (tree) without the last letter (reduced) | |
| 49 | Letters, awfully cagey and tense about reserves (6,6) |
| ESTATE AGENCY — An anagram of (awfully) CAGEY and TENSE around (about) TA (reserves) | |
| 53 | Ruin ground packed with phosphorous (5) |
| SPOIL — SOIL (ground) containing (packed with) P (phosphorous) | |
| 54 | Trombonist’s eatery in the Open (3,6) |
| TEA GARDEN — Without the space we have an American jazz trombonist. I had to rely on the outdoor eatery to fill the gaps, but am happy to have filled one of the many gaps in my GK | |
| 55 | Berliner’s one to consume ultimate protein (7) |
| ELASTIN — EIN (Berliner’s one) around (to consume) LAST (ultimate) | |
| 56 | Angry force stripped of uniform put on “different” clothes? (5-5) |
| CROSS-DRESS — CROSS (angry) + D[u]RESS (force) without U (stripped of uniform) | |
| 57 | Sell coal off Republican imported, using this instead? (5,4) |
| SOLAR CELL — An anagram of (… off) SELL COAL with R (Republican) inserted (imported) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Light timber a hunk hauled up (5) |
| BALSA — A and SLAB (hunk) reversed (hauled up) | |
| 2 | Injured unsung heroes, wings clipped, giving little away (10) |
| UNGENEROUS — An anagram of (injured) UNSUNG with hEROEs minus its outer letters (wings clipped) | |
| 3 | Risk heading off big cat in jungly banks (8) |
| JEOPARDY — Without the first letter (heading off), [l]EOPARD (big cat) in the outer letters (banks) of JunglY | |
| 4 | Number 5 in trouble? Smith beats it (5) |
| ANVIL — N (number) and V (five) in AIL (trouble) | |
| 5 | A number observed fencing incident (9) |
| SEVENTEEN — SEEN (observed) around (fencing) EVENT (incident) | |
| 6 | Get ready to fire farmyard boss? (4) |
| COCK — Two definitions | |
| 7 | Make a fresh start, dealing with old writer (6) |
| REOPEN — RE (dealing with, concerning) + O (old) + PEN (writer) | |
| 8 | Mare perhaps that can be covered outside? Impossible (14) |
| INSURMOUNTABLE — MOUNT (mare perhaps), with INSURABLE (that can be covered) surrounding it (outside) | |
| 9 | Part of theatre box found in odd Scottish mine (9,3) |
| ORCHESTRA PIT — CHEST (box) found in ORRA (odd, Scottish) + PIT (mine) | |
| 10 | Fancy avoiding start that’s slippery (3-4) |
| EEL-LIKE — fEEL LIKE (fancy) without the first letter (avoiding start) | |
| 11 | Mafia boss welcomes composer briefly for a drink (10) |
| CAPPUCCINO — CAPO (Mafia boss) contains (welcomes) PUCCINi without the last letter (briefly) | |
| 15 | Tell niece about regular customers (9) |
| CLIENTELE — TELL NIECE anagrammed (about) | |
| 18 | Hyde for one has to change, say, before first of outings (5,3) |
| ALTER EGO — ALTER (to change) and EG (say) before the first letter of Outings | |
| 20 | Romeo expires visiting city worker (6,3) |
| LADIES MAN — DIES (expires) inside (visiting) LA (city) and MAN (worker) | |
| 21 | Section of Church Times about a mad priest, close to arrest (10) |
| BAPTISTERY — BY (times) around (about) A, an anagram of (mad) PRIEST and the last letter of (close to) arresT. I was a bit surprised by the second E, but that’s the primary spelling given by the dictionaries. Lovely surface, anyway! | |
| 23 | Note old way into very big Yankee’s joint exercises? (10) |
| OSTEOPATHY — TE (note), O (old) and PATH (way) are inserted into OS (very big) plus Y (Yankee) | |
| 27 | Ecstasy? Consume it in Cornish resort (9) |
| BEATITUDE — EAT (consume) and IT in BUDE (Cornish resort) | |
| 28 | With few folk around, waved to welcome HM with dad (14) |
| UNDERPOPULATED — UNDULATED (waved) containing (to welcome) ER (HM) and POP (dad) | |
| 31 | Sneaky cryptic clue for cross? (8) |
| BACKDOOR — The instruction to BACK ROOD could be a cryptic clue for CROSS | |
| 33 | Run up with less crude appreciative noises (4-8) |
| WOLF-WHISTLES — FLOW (run) reversed (up) + an anagram of (… crude) WITH LESS | |
| 34 | Epic tales about additional US chiefs (9) |
| SAGAMORES — SAGAS (epic tales) around (about) MORE (additional) | |
| 37 | Rewarding school test is quick (there’s no Latin at first) (10) |
| SATISFYING — SAT (school test) + IS + F[l]YING (quick) without L (there’s no Latin at first) | |
| 38 | Fifty-four at home pledge to protect with adequate pay (6,4) |
| LIVING WAGE — L (fifty) + IV (four) + IN (at home) + GAGE (pledge) around (to protect) W (with). Never heard of gage as a pledge, but it’s archaic so I don’t feel too bad! | |
| 41 | Study teams — and support one of them? (4,5) |
| TAKE SIDES — TAKE (study) + SIDES (teams) | |
| 43 | Train driver, old character, given licence at any time (8) |
| MULETEER — MU (old character) LET (licence) + E’ER (at any time). Is mu an old character? It’s old in the sense of having been around a long time, I suppose, but the “old” threw me off the scent well and truly. Or perhaps the definition is “train driver, old”? | |
| 45 | Help one who’s easily taken in by the sound of it (7) |
| SUCCOUR — SUCKER (one who’s easily taken in), homophone (by the sound of it) | |
| 47 | Very old yacht’s first mature trip (6) |
| VOYAGE — V (very) +O (old) + Yacht’s first letter + AGE (mature) | |
| 50 | Cancel plant overlooking area (5) |
| ANNUL — ANNU[a]L (plant) without (overlooking) A (area) | |
| 51 | Old province where charlatan, wanting tea, turns up (5) |
| NATAL — [char]LATAN without (wanting) CHAR (tea) is reversed (turns up) | |
| 52 | Main resident‘s instrument (4) |
| BASS — We finish with a double definition | |
In the end, I just entered TEA GARDEN and hoped it somehow meant trombonist: I am educated.
The word GANEF is useful: there are loads of ways of spelling it, none of them, as far as I can see, in Chambers.
It seems there is more than one way to spell BAPTISTRY too, which held me up a while.
Edited at 2021-04-17 09:16 am (UTC)
(Sorry my name appears in Hebrew! I have been trying to change it)
I couldn’t see study = take, nor after reading the excellent blog, but it has just occurred to me that one ‘takes’ subjects at school.
On the question of ‘that’, I find it’s less of trial if one reads it as ‘that which’.
Edited at 2021-04-17 09:17 am (UTC)
Re 19ac Kitty, the way I look at it is that if you replace “vehicle” with “beetle,” as we are meant to do, then the wording makes perfect sense. Anyway I always like to give setters as much leeway as possible. Not easy, thinking up new clues all day