Hello, and Happy Caturday.
This was a DNF for me, thanks to CUT CAPERS, but I was very pleased to get the rest without aids. After a good start I ground to a crawl for a while before getting moving again. I enjoyed SIMPLE HARMONIC MOTION and loved the surface of TOTAL (happy memories of doing fun maths), while other entries were more “fun” to grind out (I’m looking at you TRIPHENYLMETHANE!). IMHOTEP seemed simultaneously to feel very unlikely and to ring a slight bell, if that’s possible, so in he went – but only once all the checkers were there. For MAHSEER, NUNCLE and AWETO I had to totally trust the wordplay. Then there were the ones which I knew but doubt I’d have managed to recall without the help of the wordplay, like the second word of TABLEAU VIVANT and TRAGUS. This is one of the things I really like about cryptics. Thank you setter!
At the end I even noticed the hidden feature. Did you?
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. For clarity, I omit most link words and some juxtaposition indicators.
Across | |
1 | Religious claim is thrown out (7) |
ISLAMIC — CLAIM IS anagrammed (thrown out) | |
5 | Where one may find hot spices — hot not cold — readily (2,1,5) |
IN A HURRY — IN A [c]URRY (where one may find hot spices) – with H instead of C (hot not cold) | |
9 | Weaken one politician with broadcast (6) |
IMPAIR — I (one) + MP (politician) + AIR (broadcast) | |
13 | What leads to colours in fall? Crown cover around New York has northeast eclipsing south (16) |
TRIPHENYLMETHANE — TRIP (fall) + HELMET (crown cover) around NY (New York) + HA[s] with NE instead of S (northeast eclipsing south) | |
14 | Hearing organ’s part in tango make sweet backing (6) |
TRAGUS — T (tango) + SUGAR (make sweet) reversed (backing) | |
16 | Rascal with Irish accent, not British (5) |
ROGUE — [b]ROGUE (Irish accent) without (not) B (British) | |
17 | Managed most of palace retinue’s resentment (7) |
RANCOUR — RAN (managed) + most of COURt (palace retinue) | |
18 | One only separating in Louisiana to annoy Louis XIV (3,6) |
ROI SOLEIL — SOLE (only) and I (one) inside (separating) ROIL (in Louisiana to annoy). Another where partial recall, a smidge of French, wordplay and checkers were all needed | |
19 | Bury Malian unclothed among other things (5,4) |
INTER ALIA — INTER (bury) + mALIAn without outer letters (unclothed) | |
21 | Current EU politician getting round popular old chancellor (7) |
IMHOTEP — I (current) and MEP (EU politician) around HOT (popular) | |
22 | Playwright capturing all the rage about mad cow disease (5) |
IBSEN — IN (all the rage) around (about) BSE (mad cow disease) | |
23 | After a change to the final ordering, goes out live (5) |
EXIST — With the last two letters swapped (after a change to the final ordering), EXITS (goes out) | |
25 | Typical EU out of control — they have branches in Australia (9) |
EUCALYPTI — TYPICAL EU anagrammed (out of control) | |
27 | Hertfordshire village a short way east of railway (7) |
ELSTREE — STREEt (a short way) to the right (east) of EL (railway) | |
29 | Dog — retired always going after right one (9) |
RETRIEVER — RET (retired), then EVER (always) going after R (right) and I (one) | |
31 | Check bank document’s replacement (13) |
REINSTATEMENT — REIN (check) + STATEMENT (bank document) | |
34 | Still show nave vault a bit damaged (7,6) |
TABLEAU VIVANT — NAVE VAULT A BIT anagrammed (damaged) | |
35 | Work on and off switch for siren (9) |
TEMPTRESS — TEMP (work on and off) + TRESS (switch) | |
37 | Note falsehoods going about like false names (7) |
ALIASES — A (note) + LIES (falsehoods) going around (about) AS (like) | |
39 | Civil engineer needs resistance in a soil to settle (9) |
ASCERTAIN — CE (civil engineer) and R (resistance) in A and STAIN (soil) | |
42 | Make amends towards an individual (5) |
ATONE — AT (towards) + ONE (an individual) | |
43 | Woollen footwear perhaps is striking (5) |
SOCKS — Two definitions | |
45 | Son Tommy upset about papa’s sign of disease (7) |
SYMPTOM — S (son) + TOMMY anagrammed (upset) around (about) P (papa) | |
47 | Thrilled about a ram for religious ritual (9) |
SACRAMENT — SENT (thrilled) around (about) A (a) and CRAM (ram) | |
49 | Point to a missile advanced across river bank (9) |
ARROWHEAD — AHEAD (advanced) goes around (across) R (river) and ROW (bank) | |
50 | A very dishonourable man in the centre of Wood Green (7) |
AVOCADO — A + V (very), then CAD (dishonourable man) in the middle letters (centre) of wOOd | |
52 | Old Mexican investigator chasing a final letter (5) |
AZTEC — TEC (investigator) following (chasing) A and Z (final letter) | |
54 | Inflammation is rife in tissue in spleen, primarily (6) |
IRITIS — The initial letters of (… primarily) Is Rife In Tissue In Spleen | |
55 | Plant type of breakfast perhaps coming from Asia to Europe (16) |
INTERCONTINENTAL — INTER (plant) + CONTINENTAL (type of breakfast) | |
56 | What fool called Lear‘s sister and called regularly (6) |
NUNCLE — NUN (sister) + regular letters of (… regularly) CaLlEd | |
57 | No saint — certainly Romeo, though this one might deny it (8) |
NAYSAYER — A charade of NAY (no), S (saint), AYE (certainly) and R (Romeo) | |
58 | Tubercular university lecturer returning with a lot of fat (7) |
NODULAR — U (university) and DON (lecturer) reversed (returning) + a lot of LARd (fat) |
Down | |
1 | Written avoiding rules? Trainee penning lie mostly needs attention (11) |
INTERLINEAR — INTERN (trainee) containing (penning) LIe mostly + EAR (attention) | |
2 | Remaining airlines’ business losing following (5) |
LYING — [f]LYING (airlines’ business) without (losing) F (following) | |
3 | Preserved meat given up by one who can tell the future is fish (7) |
MAHSEER — HAM (preserved meat) written in reverse (given up) + SEER (one who can tell the future) | |
4 | Principal uneasy over scheme, something governing body moves (7,7,6) |
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM — CENTRAL (principal) + NERVOUS (uneasy) + SYSTEM (scheme) | |
5 | Cardinal’s twiddling a sort of chain (6,3) |
ISLAND ARC — CARDINAL’S anagrammed (twiddling) | |
6 | Attacked caterpillar always will escape the onset initially (5) |
AWETO — Always Will Escape The Onset initially | |
7 | I shush rep being unruly in director’s office (9) |
USHERSHIP — I SHUSH REP anagrammed (being unruly) | |
8 | Potato disease resistance in being acquired protects tuber finally (4,3) |
RING ROT — R (resistance) + IN + GOT (acquired) encloses (protects) tubeR finally | |
10 | Inventor surrounded by old stuff set up (7) |
MARCONI — IN (surrounded by), O (old) and CRAM (stuff), all reversed (set up) | |
11 | Gross rage is out of order for assailant (9) |
AGGRESSOR — GROSS RAGE is anagrammed (out of order) | |
12 | Brilliant place to finish in here, avoiding pressure (11) |
RESPLENDENT — PL (place) and END (to finish) in [p]RESENT (here) without (avoiding) P (pressure) | |
15 | Clear damage on electronic component with direct oscillation (6,8,6) |
SIMPLE HARMONIC MOTION — SIMPLE (clear) + HARM (damage) + ON + IC (electronic component: integrated circuit) + MOTION (direct) | |
20 | Time to acquire? Save up for washing machine (4-3) |
TWIN-TUB — T (time) + WIN (to acquire) + BUT (save) reversed (up) | |
21 | Balkan region once badly run with imam regularly ignored (7) |
ILLYRIA — ILLY (badly) + R (run) + ImAm with alternate letters removed (regularly ignored) | |
24 | Falls around church? It can put one’s arm out (7) |
TRICEPS — TRIPS (falls) around CE (church) | |
26 | Included map showing home station (5) |
INSET — IN (home) + SET (station) | |
28 | Carpets woven in ranges of colour (7) |
SPECTRA — CARPETS anagrammed (woven) | |
30 | Indian dish of husked bran with fat (5) |
RAITA — With the outer letters removed (husked), bRAn wITh fAt | |
32 | Fit to grasp English acting (7) |
INTERIM — IN TRIM (fit) holding (to grasp) E (English) | |
33 | Perhaps blight turned some of the rose yellow (7) |
EYESORE — In reverse (turned), some of thE ROSE YEllow | |
34 | An exchange of words travelling on last train (11) |
TRANSLATION — An anagram of (travelling) ON LAST TRAIN | |
36 | Grand mushrooms rising broad and flat, billions must be about (11) |
SPECTACULAR — CEPS (mushrooms) reversed (rising) + TA[b]ULAR (broad and flat), with B (billions) changed to C (about) | |
38 | Raid home with dogs inside having eaten nought (9) |
INCURSION — IN (home) + CURS (dogs) + IN (inside) containing (having eaten) O (nought) | |
40 | Bound to harvest green buds (3,6) |
CUT CAPERS — CUT (harvest) CAPERS (green buds) | |
41 | Rain beats violently, but one’s staying dry (9) |
ABSTAINER — RAIN BEATS anagrammed (violently) | |
44 | Noticed millions doing evil in place of deal making? (7) |
SAWMILL — SAW (noticed) + M (millions) + ILL (evil) | |
46 | Fanatical about knight with a female to worship (7) |
MADONNA — MAD ON (fanatical about) + N (knight) + A | |
48 | Spider scuttled to end up under article (7) |
ARANEID — RAN (scuttled) + DIE (to end) reversed (up), all under A (article) | |
51 | Female novelist, note, unknown years after men (5) |
ORCZY — C (note), Z (unknown) and Y (years) after OR (men) | |
53 | Measure a line integral (5) |
TOTAL — TOT (measure) + A + L (line) |
I was interested to be reminded that CUT CAPERS appeared in this one, which might explain why it came so readily to mind when it turned up in a 15×15 earlier this week and CAPERS was in the QC on the same day.
I wish I’d spotted the NINA, an absolutely astonishing achievement of the setter’s sublime skill.
Not all that enjoyable though, if I’m honest, a bit too much of a grind.
I do not recall using aids at all. Some may have gone in without quite total understanding, but generally I found that where the vocab was pushing at the boundaries, or beyond, the wordplay was kind; eg TRAGUS NHO but T + SUGAR backwards is something I was happy to go with. Even TRIP… the”fun” clue at 13ac was eminently doable with diligence and plenty of crossers. The components were not difficult.
I’m well satisfied. It’s a shame about the dodgy curry. I really do think we should be allowed one mistake in a puzzle as big as a Jumbo.
Thank you kitty and setter
I had to cheat on ORCZY :C=note, I don’t like that device in an obscure word.”note” can be ABCDEF plus Do Re etc, which seem to have multiple spellings as well (me, mi, te, ti etc). Along with unknown (x,y,z) thats just too many things to try.
Other NHOs were gettable, which is part of a well-judged puzzle: TRAGUS, TABLEAU VIVANT, MAHER etc
Knew IMHOTEP from Year 7 History, our teacher said he was the first individual whose name is known because of a skill, ie not a king or ruler.
COD CARPETS/SPECTRA anagram.
Me neither