Times Cryptic Jumbo 1541 – Was he only a drunken f**t on his birthday, and can he do the fandango?

Author   PenfoldPosted on Categories Jumbo Cryptic
One for wordplay fans this with only one CD and nary a DD, unless I’ve miscounted.  There’s some neat stuff too.  Not too easy, not too hard.

First in was SAFFRON WALDEN and last was BESS.

If any of my explanations don’t make sense then feel free to ask for further elucidation.

The technical stuff:

Clues are in blue with the definition undelined.  Anagram indicators are in bold italics.

Notation:

DD: Double definition

CD: Cryptic definition

DDCDH: DD/CD hybrid where a straight definition is combined with a cryptic hint.

&Lit: “all in one” where the entire clue is both definition and wordplay.

(fodder)* denotes an anagram of the letters in the brackets.

Rounded brackets are also used to add further clarity

Squiggly brackets {} indicate parts of a word not used

Deletions are struck out

Square brackets [] expand an abbreviation or shortening like R[uns]


Across

1
One has Bond smashing luge into pieces (9)

SUPERGLUE – SUPER (“smashing” as in Jim Bowen “super, smashing, great, welcome to Bullseye“) then (luge)*

6
Appeal forces landowner to regenerate location in Essex (7,6)

SAFFRON WALDEN – S[ex] A[ppeal], F[orce] F[orce], (landowner)*.  A tricky one for non-Brits I imagine.

13
Dramatist in one book Sterne regularly shunned (5)

IBSEN – I, B[ook], S{t}E{r}N{e}

14
Turn up with ace band feeling triumphant (4-1-4)

COCK-A-HOOP – COCK, A[ce], HOOP

15
Vehicle is heap — pity me having to leave (7)

RICKSHA – RICK, SHAme.  Hands up who’s seen it spelled without a W before?

16
Photograph enrages sheik when developed — it’s really small (4-4,2,1,11)

KNEE-HIGH TO A GRASSHOPPER – (photograph enrages sheikh)*.  Is this a Britishism?

18
Feats from retired airmen one moved along (8)

EXPLOITS – EX-PILOTS with the I moved.

20
Boatman who has secret watch with silver lining (8)

VOYAGEUR – VOYEUR (who has secret watch) around AG

21
Rabbit meat paste right to be eaten (5)

PRATE – PATE around R[ight]

23
Daughter seen with runner in club (6)

DRIVER – D[aughter] + RIVER

24
Excellent returns by accounts in plant (6)

ACACIA – AI reversed after AC[count] x2.

25
One dancing graduate touring Ireland in its entirety? (9)

BALLERINA – B.A. around ALL ERIN

28
Inseparable Bury ladies — five not married (10)

INTERWOVEN – INTER, WOMEN with M[arried] replaced by V.

29
Lizzy in addition wants fish chucked out (4)

BESS – BESideS

30
Skirt appearing in G&S finds justification (7)

GROUNDS – ROUND in G & S

32
Bouncy castle melting when current passed through (7)

ELASTIC – (castle)* around I

34
Conservative newspaper makes rough projection (4)

CRAG – C[onservative] RAG

35
Spinner uses heavy atmosphere against one in the middle (10)

CENTRIFUGE – I FUG in CENTRE

38
Band’s regular engagement in leader’s office, but no piano (9)

RESIDENCY – pRESIDENCY

39
Maybe Chesterfield group should meet golfing supporter (6)

SETTEE – SET, TEE

40
Unqualified one must abandon English course (6)

ENTREE – ENTiRE, E[nglish]

43
Ship loads drink that’s brought back strength (5)

ASSET – SS in a reversal of TEA

45
Cat chasing dog seizes old clothing item (8)

TAILCOAT – CAT following TAIL with O[ld] bunged in

47
Slip on mountain pass and fall down (8)

COLLAPSE – LAPSE on COL

49
Computer thought certificate illegal twice in requiring regulation (10,12)

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE – (certificate illegal in in)*

52
Turning dark and damp around South American region (7)

MIDWEST – DIM reversed, WET around S[outh]

53
I’m obliged to exercise caution, handling large knives etc (9)

TABLEWARE – TA, BE AWARE sround L[arge]

54
Build up initially appalling service (5)

AMASS – A{ppalling} MASS

55
Valuable box certain to be found among the crates at sea (8,5)

TREASURE CHEST – SURE in (the crates)*

56
Philosopher and some things to mark his birthday? (9)

DESCARTES – DES CARTES = some cards.  Fabulous clue.

Down

1
Close result — disastrous conclusion (6,3)

STICKY END – STICKY (close as in humid), END

2
Online contributor on beer absorbing a creative product (6,5)

POSTER PAINT – POSTER, PINT around A

3
Academician and Knight Companion arriving at farm (5)

RANCH – R[oyal] A[cademician], N (knight in chess), C[ompanion of] H[onour]

4
Opening yard by church good for carrying in deceased (8)

LYCHGATE – Y[ard], CH[urch], G[ood] in LATE.  Very neat Semi &Lit.

5
Thrill having caught the thing in Devon river (6)

EXCITE – C[aught] IT in EXE

6
Stigma — a mark that hurt blustery old coward (10)

SCARAMOUCH – SCAR, A,, M[ark], OUCH.

7
One supervising Sellers in Goon realm, far gone (5,7)

FLOOR MANAGER – (goon realm far)*

8
East German comes in ready to make swift reply (7)

RIPOSTE – OST in RIPE

9
Celestial phenomenon stars follow and not sailors? (8,6)

NORTHERN LIGHTS – LIGHTS (stars) after NOR THE R[oyal] N[avy].  Neat.  Is the Northern Lights a phenomenon or are they phenomena?  Discuss.

10
Firm accessing a large population provides drink (7)

ALCOPOP – CO[mpany] in A L[arge] POP[ulation].  Is alcopop still a thing?

11
Man facing surgery has nothing to lose in hopeless state (11)

DESPERATION – DES, oPERATION

12
Accessible content of online article (4)

NEAR – hidden

17
See tailless canine hero, one revered as god (8)

SELASSIE – SEe, LASSIE

19
Ended unreliable trade given excessive merit (9)

OVERRATED – OVER, (trade)*

22
Shrill native Americans getting through school year (8)

SCREECHY – CREE in SCH[ool] Y[ear]

25
Top banana regarded as not looking straight (4-4)

BOSS-EYED – BOSS, EYED

26
Schmaltzy book about Scottish island on loch (9)

EMOTIONAL – TOME reversed, IONA, L[och]

27
Wild thing preferring squash to snakebite? (3,11)

BOA CONSTRICTOR – CD

28
This writer cries out on radio for scoop’s content (3,5)

ICE CREAM – homophone of I scream

31
About to exploit star concerned with controversial issue (5,7)

CAUSE CELEBRE – C[irc]A, USE, CELEB, RE

33
Evaluate short game — beginners find this difficult (5,6)

ASSES BRIDGE – ASSESs, BRIDGE.  A new one on me, something to do with Euclid, geometry and a barrier to progress.

36
Incorrigible author stops cracking rune article appearing in Times (11)

UNREPENTANT – PEN in between (rune)* and AN in T[ime] x2

37
People in dishonour finding success after effort? (10)

ATTAINMENT – MEN in ATTAINT

41
Snack‘s good chance for tucking into pickled eels (9)

ELEVENSES – EVENS in (eels)*

42
Officer circling over headland finds detachment (8)

COOLNESS – COL around O[ver], NESS

44
Second case of pistols for arms contractor? (7)

TRICEPS – TRICE, P{istol}S

46
Ridiculous old woman having to abandon native (7)

IDIOTIC – IDIOmaTIC

48
Hawk-headed god restrained outside produces trumpet (6)

HERALD – RA in HELD

50
Country bringing Chinese people into Georgia (5)

GHANA – HAN in G[eorgi]A

51
Salacious material that has stomachs turning (4)

SMUT – TUMS reversed

9 comments on “Times Cryptic Jumbo 1541 – Was he only a drunken f**t on his birthday, and can he do the fandango?”

  1. DNK STICKY END, BOSS-EYED. I know 16ac as KNEE-HIGH TO A TOADSTOOL; I don’t know if that’s a US/UK difference. (It always makes me think of Morris Bishop’s poem, “How to Treat Elves”. http://ashiverinthearchives.blogspot.com/2021/12/poetic-elves-in-1920s.html ) 33d is more familiar to me as PONS ASINORUM. And I don’t think I’ve ever seen RICKSHA with a W; but then I don’t see RICKSHA very often, either. COD to SUPERGLUE.

    Edited at 2022-02-26 03:08 am (UTC)

    1. I think it might be, as I’ve never heard the toadstool version.
      With my engineer’s hat on I would prefer grasshopper as they vary less in size, so it is a more precise description. And, they do actually have knees 😉
  2. ASSES BRIDGE was new to me, as was RICKSHA without a W. I think RANCH was my FOI. I have friends living in SAFFRON WALDEN. NHO K.H.to a TOADSTOOL, but the GRASSHOPPER version was familiar. I think ELEVENSES was LOI. 43:24, so quite easy for me and no typos! Thanks setter and Penfold.
  3. Just over an hour and a half with one error. So another triumph under the kapietro variant of the rules where one pink square is perfectly OK in a Jumbo.
    40ac ENTREE tripped me up. I took I (one) from AINTREE (English course) to get the NHO ANTREE. It fitted.
    NHO ASSES BRIDGE. I think I looked it up to check before submitting.
    I liked SUPERGLUE, DESCARTES, MIDWEST, ELEVENSES and NORTHERN (and not sailors)
  4. Steady and enjoyable solve this, no airscapes or janitrixes here.. I see I failed to parse the phenomenon NORTHERN LIGHTS, which is actually a very neat clue now that penfold has pointed it out.
    Most right-thinking folk would agree with me I expect, that RICKSHA has clearly forgotten its W and thus looks sadly incomplete
  5. Despite being British and living not a million miles away, I pinked my grid with SAFFRON WALDON, not bothering with the helpful (ish) wordplay and basic knowledge.
    I believe I looked up ASSES BRIDGE, never before knowingly encountered tom make sure my competition entry didn’t fail, especially as I managed the rest at a brisk pace in 37.06.
  6. 22:46. I have rather got out of the habit of doing the jumbo for some reason, so I decided to do this when I saw the blog. As a consequence I can remember the solve, but that doesn’t mean I have anything interesting to add. I slowed myself down by putting in ACLOPOP which made RICHSHA (which I would also expect to have a W) tricky.
    I would say that the NORTHERN LIGHTS are a phenomenon. Report me to the grammar police if you like.
    ASSES BRIDGE rang a bell but I wouldn’t have been able to tell you what it was.

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