Times Cryptic Jumbo 1502 – 5th June

Author   JohninterredPosted on Categories Jumbo Cryptic

I thought this at the gentler end of difficulty for a Jumbo, taking just over 35 minutes. It did take me a while to get properly going, though, solving only 6 across clues on the first pass. For once, I didn’t encounter any real stumbling blocks – there is usually at least a couple of words that are new to me and I get stuck on, although I had to check that 19A was a real word to convince myself I’d got it right. A generous smattering of really good clues kept me entertained to the end of solving… and writing the blog. In particular I enjoyed 44A, my second from last one in (22D was my last) and the  two 2-word &lits : 56A and the triple definition 6d – my clue of the day. Nice one! Thank-you setter for the fun. How did everyone else like it?

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

Across
1 In the end, indignant man right to return ticket (7)
RECEIPT – “in the end” indignanT, PIECE (chess man) R (right) all reversed, “to return” -> RECEIPT.
5 Official dealing with grievances shoots male in Arabian country (9)
OMBUDSMAN – BUDS (shoots) M (male) “in” OMAN (Arabian country).
10 Cry from Daffy, perhaps, being knocked about (4)
BLUB – BULB (Daffy; daffodil) “knocked about” -> BLUB.
14 Objective lacking curiosity?
DISINTERESTED – Double definition. The second…. really? Has disinterested = uninterested become acceptable now?
15 Plain sailing at last in peaceful movement, finally at one (9)
SERENGETI – sailinG “at last”, “in” SERENE (peaceful), movemenT (finally), I (one).
16 Mercury‘s blasted music? (5,5)
HEAVY METAL – Double definition, the second a cryptic hint. This, of course, made me think of Freddy and reminded me of this brilliant version of Bohemian Rhapsody.
17 Something meaty, employment register alongside it (7,4)
SAUSAGE ROLL – USAGE (employment) ROLL (register) after, “alongside” SA (Sex Appeal, it).
18 Artist drops in to see old man (5)
PATER – PAinTER (artist) without the, “drops”, IN.
19 Screenwriters in tears at the finale, actress in a mess (10)
SCENARISTS – tearS “at the finale”, (actress in)* “a mess”.
21 Capital where queen and the last William retired (6)
VIENNA – Last William was William IV. Take the queen ANNE, add the IV, and reverse, “retired-> VIENNA.
23 Maestro to check out in India (9)
TOSCANINI – TO, SCAN (check out) IN, I (India in the NATO phonetic alphabet).
25 Slight error losing franchise, I’m nonplussed initially (5)
ELFIN – Error Losing Franchise I‘m Nonplussed “initially”.
26 Articles written with skill, fundamentally (2,5)
AT HEART – A, THE (articles) ART (skill).
28 Triumph, quick pass directed at us (6,7)
FLYING COLOURS – FLYING (quick) COL (pass) OURS (directed at us).
31 Big ask, delivery of giraffe perhaps? (4,5)
TALL ORDER – Double definition, second a cryptic hint.
33 Old pilot playing blinder starts to go higher (9)
LINDBERGH – “playing” (blinder)* “starts to” Go Higher. Charles Lindbergh, the aviator, is famous for making the first solo transatlantic flight from, New York to Paris, in his plane Spirit of St. Louis in 1927.
35 Spindly thing who can reach mummy’s top shelves? (5-8)
DADDY-LONGLEGS – Whimsical cryptic definition. A.k.a. the crane fly, I can see one on the wall of my study as I type this, higher up the wall than any of the shelves.
37 Bagpipe quiet, ready to be squeezed (7)
MUSETTE – MUTE (quiet) outside, “to be squeezed”, SET (ready) .
38 Fortune teller seeing nothing in short (5)
TAROT – O (round letter; nothing) “in” TART (short).
40 Instantly, love equally exciting (4,1,4)
LIKE A SHOT – LIKE (love) AS HOT (equally exciting).
42 Nod head, worried (6)
NUTATE – NUT (head) ATE (worried). I’m not sure how I know that word but I do. Probably from a cossword.
44 Brief task framing “50”, old model number (10)
CHLOROFORM – “brief” CHORe (task) “framing” L (fifty), O (old) FORM (model). Sneakily hidden definition requires you to split “model number”.
46 Mile taken in a remarkable battle (5)
SOMME – M (mile) “in” SOME (remarkable, as in “That was some tennis match”).
48 Company expanded central reserves? (11)
CORPORATION – Double definition, second a cryptic hint.
50 Details — of a day’s play at cricket? (3,3,4)
INS AND OUTS – Double definition, second a cryptic hint.
52 Patriot originally inspiring a very old singer (9)
PAVAROTTI – (Patriot)* “originally”, “insipring” A V (very) and O (old). Lucianno Pavarotti was a fabulous singer in his prime. My favourite recording of him is this movement from Rossini’s Stabat Mater. Great sustained top D flat in the cadenza at the end (at about 4:54 in the recording).
53 Not the right idea taking snipe, comic not funny? (13)
MISCONCEPTION – (snipe comic not)* “funny”.
54 Tippler flourishing (4)
LUSH – Double definition.
55 Very important person has enough to prime many mousetraps? (3,6)
BIG CHEESE – Double definition, second a cryptic hint.
56 Extraordinarily angered? (7)
ENRAGED – Lovely &lit, although maybe a chestnut : “Extrarodinarily” (angered)*.
Down
1 Heard of journey in IOW town (4)
RYDE – Sounds like, “heard of” RIDE (journey).
2 Tapes different test cases (9)
CASSETTES – “different” (test cases)*. The audio tech of yesteryear. I had loads of them in the late 1970s, many created by recording LPs borrowed from the library. I think I’ve still got them somewhere, but no longer have the means of playing them.
3 Impossibility of endless drought, seemingly one black cloud after another? (2,5,5,3,2,5)
IT NEVER RAINS BUT IT POURS – I pondered over how to parse this, but decided it was just a cryptic definition
4 Flask in French tea service thus turned over (7)
THERMOS – THE (french for tea) RM (Royal Marines; service) SO (thus) “turned over” -> OS.
5 Finally descending past it (4,3,4)
OVER THE HILL – Double edfinition, first a cryptic hint.
6 Dragon slayer (6-3)
BATTLE-AXE – Another two word  &lit… this time a multiple definition… BATTLE-AXE (dragon; termagent) BATTLE-AXE (slayer; soldier’s weapon). And the whole clue is a third definition – it could be used to slay a dragon. Very neat! A triple definition &lit? I don’t think I’ve seen anything like that before.
7 Guys, those failing to preserve energy (5)
DUDES – DUDS (those failing) “to preserve” E (energy).
8 Southern capital captured by artist, very fine thing (8,3)
MOSQUITO NET – A bit of a cheeky definition! S (southern) QUITO (capital of Ecuador) “captured by” MONET (artist).
9 Country — I don’t believe it contains river (6)
NORWAY – This made me laugh. NO WAY (I don’t believe it) “contains” R (river).
11 Story sad, drop to the floor (3,4)
LIE DOWN – Another quirky definition… LIE (story) DOWN (sad).
12 Extremely intelligent — as is a star? (9)
BRILLIANT – Double definition, second a cryptic hint.
13 Very little hope, geographer thinks, as lost (4,4,2,1,11)
KNEE HIGH TO A GRASSHOPPER – Nice misdirection on the definition. And a great 22 letter anagram! (hope geographer thinks as)* “lost”.
18 Pathetic is mine: poem starts to unravel, literarily (7)
PITIFUL – PIT (mine) IF (poem by Rudyard Kipling) “starts to” Unravel Literarily.
20 Female in fancy undies, soaked (7)
INFUSED – F (female) “in” “fancy” (undies)*. Cheeky surface… Oo er missus!
22 Something perhaps caught, lift mechanism in tank (8)
BALLCOCK – BALL (something perhaps caught) COCK (lift; raise inorder to make ready for firing). Wordplay from Mephistoland.
24 Popular scoundrel, Bolshevik suffered (8)
INCURRED – IN (popular) CUR (scoundrel) RED (bolshevik).
27 First in row to leave, go off (5)
ADDLE – pADDLE (row) “first… to leave”.
29 A thousand years ultimately after that — a long time (5)
YONKS – K (a thousand) yearS “ultimately”, “after” YON (that).
30 In accordance with green light, pass through (7)
UNDERGO – UNDER (in accordance with; as in “under the rules”) GO (green light).
32 Prize wine dry and earthy at first (7)
ROSETTE – ROSE (pink wine) TT (teetotaller; dry) Earthy “at first”,
34 Problem increasing, seeking a lift (11)
HITCHHIKING – HITCH (problem) HIKING (increasing).
36 River Tees only low after diversion (11)
YELLOWSTONE – (Tees only low)* “after diversion”. Nice misdirection with “River Tees” needing to be split.
37 One comrade going after European city contracts in local government (9)
MUNICIPAL – I (one) PAL (comrade) “going after” MUNICh (European city) without the last letter, “contracts”.
39 Ridiculously given smack, leaders of Uganda and Eritrea were opposed (4,5)
TOOK ISSUE – TOO (ridiculously) KISS (smack) “leaders of” Uganda and Eritrea.
41 Cord bringing meat over some horses (9)
HAMSTRING – HAM (meat) STRING (some horses).
43 Time after time, US composer prospers (7)
THRIVES – HR (hour; time) “after” T (time), IVES (Charles Ives, US composer)
45 Study mounts through spy lens (7)
MONOCLE – CON (study) “mounts” -> NOC inside, “through”, MOLE (spy).
47 Cambridge, where taxi carries worker (6)
CANTAB – CAB (taxi) “carries” ANT (worker).
49 US state plan to oust a hot maiden (5)
NYMPH – NY (New York; US state), MaP (plan) without the A, “to oust a”,  H (hot).
51 Girl to take course after turning up (4)
ENID – DINE (to take course) “turning up” -> ENID.

6 comments on “Times Cryptic Jumbo 1502 – 5th June”

  1. I was helped by biffing the two long downs, 3d from N, V and 13d from O, G. Unusually for a Jumbo, I only had one DNK, NUTATE. John, at SOMME, it’s M for ‘mile’ not for ‘Mike’.
  2. Another who didn’t know NUTATE, although I may have met it and forgotten. As someone with expanding central reserves I was amused by 48ac!
  3. A complete catastrophe on this one. I had BLAB and LINDBURGH, two cases of basic failure to read the bloody clue, and GRASSHOPPRR. I completed it in under 20 minutes, so perhaps I was rushing to register a fast time.
    Disinterested meaning uninterested has been in constant use for nearly 500 years. The thing that’s new is the idea that there’s something wrong with it.

    Edited at 2021-06-19 08:30 am (UTC)

  4. Rare for me to work a Jumbo, but we had a holiday over here too that Monday and I was enticed by the long down answers in this to plunge in. Got thru it all right, though not in one go, and have no questions, so nothing much to say… I saved my copy but I didn’t even mark my LOI.

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