I did this in 9 minutes it looks like from the leaderboard, and had no real recollection of any of it, so it’s probably not unfair to describe this as a Mondayish Jumbo (which is different from being a Mumbo Jumbo). COD to 35ac as I quite like Matryoshka-style containment clues. Wordwise I liked BDELLIUM and HURRY-SCURRY. Thanks monsieur setter!
Definitions underlined in italics, (ABC)* indicating anagram of ABC, {} deletions and [] other indicators.
| Across | |
| 1 | Woman with capital touring area round Chilean port (10) |
| VALPARAISO – VAL(erie) with PARIS “touring” A(rea) + O [round] | |
| 6 | Bishop, say, taking whisky and flavoured toffee (12) |
| BUTTERSCOTCH – B(ishop) + UTTER [say] + SCOTCH [whisky] | |
| 14 | Piece of fruit from damaged crate in square (9) |
| NECTARINE – (CRATE*) in NINE [square of 3] | |
| 15 | Man absorbing girl’s turn of phrase (5) |
| IDIOM – I(sle)O(f)M(an) “absorbing” DI(ana) | |
| 16 | An accommodating type leaving house for studio (7) |
| ATELIER – A (ho)TELIER | |
| 17 | Disturbed by Shaw play, throw plans into confusion (5,3,9) |
| UPSET THE APPLECART – UPSET [disturb] by THE APPLE CART [1928 Shavian comedy]. According to Shaw’s preface it is “…a comedy in which a King defeats an attempt by his popularly elected Prime Minister to deprive him of the right to influence public opinion through the press and the platform: in short, to reduce him to a cipher. The King’s reply is that rather than be a cipher he will abandon his throne and take his obviously very rosy chance of becoming a popularly elected Prime Minister himself.” Charles III may be taking notes | |
| 18 | Daughter introducing well-ventilated source of milk products (5) |
| DAIRY – D(aughter) + AIRY [well-ventilated] | |
| 19 | Like bristly growth displayed by learner in squat (7) |
| STUBBLY – L(earner) in STUBBY [squat] | |
| 21 | Struggle ultimately set American ship against the French (6) |
| TUSSLE – {se}T + U(nited)S(tates)S(hip) + LE [the, in French] | |
| 22 | Like erupting mountain with very old clan oddly in charge (8) |
| VOLCANIC – V(ery) + O(ld) + (CLAN*) + I(n)C(harge) | |
| 24 | Examine first of patients overcome by bug (7) |
| INSPECT – P{atients} “overcome by” INSECT | |
| 26 | Tramp crossing wooded hollow, initially identifying gumtree (8) |
| BDELLIUM – BUM, “crossing” DELL + I{dentifying} | |
| 27 | Cook meal finally rejected by weight watcher (6) |
| SIMMER – S{l}IMMER | |
| 30 | Eerie quality of spoken words framed by good entertainers (11) |
| GHOSTLINESS – LINES framed by G(ood) HOSTS | |
| 32 | Republican priest with capacity for trustworthiness (11) |
| RELIABILITY – R(epublican) ELI [priest] + ABILITY | |
| 33 | Mess one clears up if only slight (11) |
| SUPERFICIAL – (I CLEARS UP IF*) | |
| 35 | In cold season attorney secures revolutionary outer garment (11) |
| WINDCHEATER – in WINTER, D(istrict)A(ttorney) “secures” CHE [revolutionary] | |
| 37 | Invested in university, died outside it (6) |
| ENDUED – U(niversity), in ENDED | |
| 38 | Books seized by leading press chief stupefied with drink (8) |
| BESOTTED – O(ld)T(estament) “seized by” BEST ED(itor) | |
| 39 | Head across border to find top cleric (7) |
| PRIMATE – PATE “across” RIM | |
| 42 | Records produced by shrewd American composer (8) |
| ARCHIVES – ARCH [shrewd] + (Charles) IVES 1874-1954 | |
| 44 | Part of fireplace king introduced to old PM (6) |
| HEARTH – R(ex) “introduced to” (Ted) HEATH | |
| 46 | Good fortune currently attending this old siege city (7) |
| LUCKNOW – LUCK [good fortune] + NOW [currently] | |
| 48 | Senseless importuners dismissed from Macbeth’s castle (5) |
| INANE – {duns}INSANE | |
| 49 | More distinguished chap at NW city — or larger NW area (7,10) |
| GREATER MANCHESTER – GREATER MAN at CHESTER, a rather good description of this blogger’s schooldays | |
| 51 | Additional article — by him, do we assume? (7) |
| ANOTHER – A [article] by NOT HER [so presumably, him] | |
| 52 | A retired man from a foreign land (5) |
| ALIEN – A + reversed NEIL | |
| 53 | Plant hanging down at end of bay, perhaps? (9) |
| HORSETAIL – a bay is a horse, so double def with an actual horse’s tail | |
| 54 | Text originator’s certificate, cornier western included (12) |
| SCRIPTWRITER – SCRIP [certificate] + TRITER [cornier] “including” W(estern) | |
| 55 | One who pledges to deal with people who are late? (10) |
| UNDERTAKER – a kind of double def, as presumably an undertaker undertakes to undertake | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Defeating first two in quiz, disappearing outside (11) |
| VANQUISHING – QU{iz} in VANISHING | |
| 2 | Place in which stripper wastes time? (5) |
| LOCUS – LOCUS{t} | |
| 3 | Flexible notice father put up on board (9) |
| ADAPTABLE – AD [notice] + reversed PA + TABLE [board] | |
| 4 | Remains extremely lazy about letter? It’s how some 39s behave (7) |
| APISHLY – ASH L{az}Y, about PI | |
| 5 | Agitation at confining king in royal house once (7) |
| STEWART – STEW + AT “confining” R(ex) | |
| 7 | Like protozoans, extremely unusual in college wine vault (11) |
| UNICELLULAR – U{nusua}L in UNI CELLAR | |
| 8 | Male Abyssinian, perhaps, completely taking in host? (6) |
| TOMCAT – TO A T, “taking in” M(aster of)C(eremonies) | |
| 9 | Feedback on beginning of play being broadcast (8) |
| REACTION – RE [on] + ACT I [beginning of play] + ON [being broadcast] | |
| 10 | I feed such nice crumbles, being head cook (4,2,7) |
| CHEF DE CUISINE – (I FEED SUCH NICE*) | |
| 11 | Boy king, one talking tediously about one’s schooling (7) |
| TUITION – TUT [boy king] + I + ON [talking tediously?], “about” I. I don’t honestly see how ON means “talking tediously”, even though it is a key part of phrases such as “droning on”, “going on a bit”… | |
| 12 | Fly spicy food around south in frantic haste (5-6) |
| HURRY-SCURRY – HURRY [fly] + CURRY [spicy food] “around” S(outh) | |
| 13 | Oust inspector’s force on ship (10) |
| DISPOSSESS – D(etective)I(nspector)’S POSSE on S(team)S(hip) | |
| 20 | Allowed to continue, having misguidedly posted pun (9) |
| UNSTOPPED – (POSTED PUN*) | |
| 23 | Old-fashioned occupation duke summarised (8) |
| OUTLINED – OUT [old-fashioned] + LINE [of work] + D(uke) | |
| 25 | Dimly illuminated legal document briefly digested by singer (6) |
| TWILIT – WIL{l} “digested by” TIT | |
| 26 | Farm animals are seen around most of his workers’ homes (8) |
| BEEHIVES – BEEVES “around” HI{s}. Worker bees | |
| 28 | Letter-carrier (man, we hear) represented in art (4,5) |
| MAIL TRAIN – homophone of MALE + (IN ART*) [“re-presented”] | |
| 29 | Reckless general’s assistant enthralled by chart (6) |
| MADCAP – A(ssistant)D(ivision)C(ommander) “enthralled by” MAP | |
| 31 | Summons to vote, fixing pint while here (5-4,4) |
| THREE-LINE WHIP – (PINT WHILE HERE*) | |
| 33 | Female childminder talked of problem reversing mischief (11) |
| SHENANIGANS – SHE [female] + homophone of NANNY + reversed SNAG [problem] | |
| 34 | Most unrestricted widespread plant (11) |
| LOOSESTRIFE – LOOSEST RIFE [most unrestricted | widespread] | |
| 35 | Frown at ratter regularly loose in dockyard area (10) |
| WATERFRONT – (FROWN AT R{a}T{t}E{r}*) | |
| 36 | Singer distributing ale brewed in outskirts of Rochester (4,7) |
| REED WARBLER – (ALE BREWED*) in R{ocheste}R | |
| 40 | Popular old pope’s description of stormy weather? (9) |
| INCLEMENT – IN [popular] + CLEMENT. Don’t know which Clement, but apparently the fourteenth and last died in 1774, so they’re all old | |
| 41 | Evade argument, creating shrubby border round field (8) |
| HEDGEROW – HEDGE ROW [evade | argument] | |
| 43 | Outcry about affair involving Liberal leader (7) |
| CLAMOUR – C(irca) AMOUR [affair], “involving” L{iberal} | |
| 45 | Governor at that time shielding a nonbeliever (7) |
| HEATHEN – H(er)E(xcellency) THEN, “shielding” A | |
| 46 | Picked up escaped bird of prey in Swiss canton (7) |
| LUCERNE – homophone of LOOSE, plus ERNE | |
| 47 | Asian writer turned boxer (6) |
| NEPALI – reversed PEN + ALI [the greates | |
| 50 | Equestrian equipment found outside entrance to rural path (5) |
| TRACK – | |
I did wonder about the ‘on’ in TUITION. I don’t have a time–definitely longer than 9 minutes–but it wasn’t much of a challenge. The 26s were my POI/LOI.
I also had a query against ‘on’ in 11dn, but revisiting it this morning I think you can substitute it in, for example: ‘He’s on (talking tediously) about politics again’.
Btw, we’re missing the the parsing of TRACK in the blog (50dn).
I only tackle the Jumbos occasionally, as I struggle to proofread the larger grid and usually end up with typos. However, this was one of my successes and I got it all correct in 39:53, so it must have been on the easier end of the spectrum. I think I started with LOCUS, but the rest of the puzzle is now a blur. I can see by the orange square that I finished with BEEHIVES. Nice clue. Thanks setter and V.
A problem I solve by completing them on paper, and not bothering to submit .. I find them useful for filling odd moments .. queue at the post office, woken up too early, that sort of thing
Yes, easier side of the difficulty spectrum.
Also liked bdellium. No problem with on, as Jackkt points out you can be on about something all the time …
Re 17ac, I like th synopsis above but it does slightly grate that the king can potentially do both jobs, but the PM cannot. When ER died I had hopes of the vacancy being advertised, but it was not to be. Nepotistic appointments in general business life are technically illegal, though I concede they happen often enough..
25:37. Not terribly difficult but I had one or two problems, notably the obscure and unlikely-looking BDELLIUM crossed with the archaic BEEVES. SHENANIGANS was my last in and it took me a while too.