Hello all. I doubt I’ll be alone in nominating 14a as Clue of the Day – its subject is hardly going to be outside the solver’s sphere of interest, after all! 18a was also neat, and I liked the long answers too. A happy cat (as seen today grinning in 32a) will always produce a happy Kitty, as will generally a reverse clue – and 35a was a little more interesting than standard.
I didn’t take much longer than 45 minutes to finish, which is a pretty decent Jumbo showing for me. Time is always secondary to enjoyment, but I do very much appreciate a high enjoyment/time ratio. Many 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. For clarity, I omit most link words and some juxtaposition indicators.
| Across | |
| 1a | So Roman hosts ladies perhaps from Prague? (6) |
| SLAVIC — SIC (so, Roman) contains (hosts) LAV (ladies perhaps) | |
| 4a | Once again gather take after pocketing a shilling (10) |
| REASSEMBLE — RESEMBLE (take after) around (pocketing) A and S (shilling) | |
| 10a | Filled with seasoning, starter of lamb cut (5) |
| SATED — SA[l]TED (with seasoning), the first letter (starter) of Lamb removed (cut) | |
| 14a | Battling with setter primarily what cryptic crosswords offer (9) |
| SWORDPLAY — The first letter of (… primarily) Setter + WORDPLAY (what cryptic crosswords offer) | |
| 15a | Worst rogue caught in lie, ultimately shady, could be described thus? (13) |
| UNTRUSTWORTHY — An anagram of (… rogue) WORST inside (caught in) UNTRUTH (lie) + the last letter of (ultimately) shadY | |
| 16a | Extremely eccentric discussion item is misplaced (7) |
| ECTOPIC — The outer letters of (extremely) EccentriC + TOPIC (discussion item) | |
| 17a | Reptile wanting soft ground (7) |
| TERRAIN — TERRA[p]IN (reptile) without (wanting) P (soft) | |
| 18a | Public flogging for all to see during battle (7) |
| AUCTION — U (for all to see) inside (during) ACTION (battle) | |
| 19a | What the Globe Theatre might tell us? (3,3,6,1,5) |
| ALL THE WORLDS A STAGE — Cryptic definition, punning on globe = world and theatre = stage. And, of course, this would be said during a production of As You Like It at the Globe Theatre | |
| 21a | Tot losing heart in nightmare? (4) |
| DRAM — We are losing the middle letter of (heart in) DReAM (nightmare?) | |
| 24a | Former leader Macbeth’s seen here (5) |
| HEATH — Two definitions: Ted Heath, and the “blasted heath” of Macbeth | |
| 26a | Figure working picked out tool (5,3) |
| TENON SAW — TEN (figure) + ON (working) + SAW (picked out) | |
| 27a | Day fashion journalist gets ahead in capital city (8) |
| EDMONTON — We start with MON (day) and TON (fashion); ED (journalist) goes first (gets ahead) | |
| 29a | Play — if given this? (1,5,5) |
| A DOLL’S HOUSE — Two meanings: the Ibsen play, and if given A DOLL’S HOUSE one might play with it | |
| 30a | Coming to pass, right back hoping to hold Arsenal’s No. 5 (11) |
| TRANSPIRING — RT (right) reversed (back) + ASPIRING (hoping) containing (to hold) ArseNal’s fifth letter (No. 5) | |
| 32a | One grinning teacher is travelling past Switzerland (8,3) |
| CHESHIRE CAT — An anagram of (… travelling) TEACHER IS after (past) CH (Switzerland) | |
| 35a | Cryptic indication of “par” or standard (3,3,5) |
| OLD MAN RIVER — An inverse clue: a cryptic indication of “par” could be OLD MAN (PA) + RIVER (R) | |
| 37a | Duck sandwiches left with old piece of meat (8) |
| ESCALOPE — ESCAPE (duck) goes around (sandwiches) L (left) and O (old) | |
| 39a | A politician sacked at first for explosive stuff (8) |
| FIREDAMP — A and MP (politician) with FIRED (sacked) at first | |
| 40a | Biblical figure, one keen to head west (5) |
| NAOMI — I (one) and MOAN (keen) going backwards (to head west) | |
| 43a | Group of students finally pay attention (4) |
| YEAR — The last letter of (finally) paY + EAR (attention) | |
| 44a | Try hard to move away from kerb everywhere you can catch a bus (4,3,3,3,5) |
| PULL OUT ALL THE STOPS — PULL OUT (to move away from kerb) + ALL THE STOPS (everywhere you can catch a bus) | |
| 47a | Agreeable overlooking lake for rustic sort (7) |
| PEASANT — P[l]EASANT (agreeable) without (overlooking) L (lake) | |
| 48a | Bank bordering Severn periodically smaller (7) |
| TEENIER — TIER (bank) around (bordering) sEvErN, alternate letters (periodically) | |
| 50a | Concerning vision of the compiler in plump state (7) |
| OPTICAL — I (the compiler) in OPT (plump) and CAL (state) | |
| 51a | Person displaying dog I wrapped in brown waterproof sheet (6,7) |
| SHOWER CURTAIN — SHOWER (person displaying) + CUR (dog) + I surrounded by (wrapped in) TAN (brown) | |
| 52a | Red part in shell of vacant vehicle (9) |
| CHEVROLET — CHE (red) + ROLE (part) in the outer letters (shell) of VacantT | |
| 53a | Silly billy possibly picked up frozen water (5) |
| RHYME — Sounds like (picked up) RIME (frozen water) | |
| 54a | After school, foolishly indulge in timetabling (10) |
| SCHEDULING — After SCH (school), an anagram of (foolishly) INDULGE | |
| 55a | Look, what striking clothes! (6) |
| BEHOLD — EH (what), which BOLD (striking) surrounds (clothes) | |
| Down | |
| 1d | Cheek on knight pinched by every Englishman (9) |
| SASSENACH — SASS (cheek) before (on, in a down entry) N (knight) inside (pinched by) EACH (every) | |
| 2d | American, working as a cashier, has a party drink (11) |
| AMONTILLADO — AM (American) + ON TILL (working as a cashier) + A + DO (party) | |
| 3d | Pint he’d drunk to the bottom (2,5) |
| IN DEPTH — PINT HE’D anagrammed (drunk) | |
| 5d | Pain to enter borders of easternmost land (5) |
| EGYPT — GYP (pain) inserted into (to enter) the outside letters (borders) of EasternmosT | |
| 6d | Activity for couples, uncool, inside European clubs (6,5) |
| SQUARE DANCE — SQUARE (uncool), then inside DANE (European) is C (clubs) | |
| 7d | Run with wanderer, no run going too far (11) |
| EXTRAVAGANT — EXTRA (run) + VAG[r]ANT (wanderer) without R (no run) | |
| 8d | Sporty student lifted weight with energy in reduced interval (4,4) |
| BLUE NOTE — BLUE (sporty student) + the reversal of (lifted) TON (weight) + E (energy) | |
| 9d | Distant way over mountains crossed by Edward (9) |
| ESTRANGED — ST (way) preceding (over) RANGE (mountains), all surrounded by (crossed by) ED (Edward) | |
| 10d | Brit getting taps or knock on the head (6) |
| SCOTCH — SCOT (Brit) + CH (taps: cold and hot) | |
| 11d | I disapprove about providing king with vermouth served up for dessert (5-6) |
| TUTTI-FRUTTI — TUT-TUT (I disapprove) around (about) IF (providing) and R (king) + the reversal of (… served up) IT (Vermouth) | |
| 12d | Master cook given foreign bread (5) |
| DOYEN — DO (cook) + YEN (foreign bread) | |
| 13d | Observe timepiece, having disheartened employer? This person may (5-7) |
| CLOCK-WATCHER — CLOCK (observe) + WATCH (timepiece) + EmployeR without the middle letters (disheartened …) | |
| 20d | Drop of whiskey rejected by flier that’s put on a little weight (8) |
| RENOUNCE — W (whiskey) is ousted from (rejected by) [w]REN (flier) which is placed above (that’s put on) OUNCE (a little weight) | |
| 22d | Coach and horse surrounded by horse with raised tail (7) |
| MANAGER — NAG (horse) surrounded by MARE (horse) with the last letter moved up (with raised tail) | |
| 23d | Place with resistance for current particle (8) |
| POSITRON — POSIT[i]ON (place) with R replacing I (resistance for current) | |
| 25d | Male golfer’s going to succeed in awful place (8) |
| HELLHOLE — HE’LL HOLE (male golfer’s going to succeed) | |
| 28d | Possible reason for booking hotel as well as formal do (8) |
| HANDBALL — H (hotel) + AND (as well as) + BALL (formal do) | |
| 29d | Learner in pain with fancy, spurious science (7) |
| ALCHEMY — L (learner) in ACHE (pain) + MY (fancy) | |
| 31d | Might one snipe start to sing, interrupting clever owl? (12) |
| SHARPSHOOTER — The first letter of (start to) Sing going inside (interrupting) SHARP (clever) and HOOTER (owl?) | |
| 33d | Old priest with Conservatives on both sides expressing sudden emotion (11) |
| EXCLAMATORY — EX (old) + LAMA (priest) with C and TORY (Conservatives) before and after (on both sides) | |
| 34d | Queen’s stand-in, perhaps, in bar butted in rudely (7,4) |
| TRIBUTE BAND — BAR BUTTED IN anagrammed (rudely) | |
| 35d | Running round before games, using good sense (11) |
| OPERATIONAL — O (round) before PE (games) + RATIONAL (using good sense) | |
| 36d | After 5.10, I’m leaving Italian liqueur for one in orchestra (11) |
| VIOLONCELLO — After V (5) is IO (10) + I’M removed from (leaving) L[im]ONCELLO (Italian liqueur) | |
| 38d | Young bird with chills getting medical treatments (9) |
| POULTICES — POULT (young bird) + ICES (chills) | |
| 41d | Covered area, slated on the outside (9) |
| INSULATED — A (area) with INSULTED (slated) around it (on the outside) | |
| 42d | Phrase containing line by mischievous Greek writer (8) |
| PLUTARCH — PUT (phrase) containing L (line) followed by ARCH (mischievous) | |
| 45d | Release group without charge (3,4) |
| SET FREE — SET (group) + FREE (without charge) | |
| 46d | Cell‘s entrance blocked by this person (6) |
| GAMETE — GATE (entrance) containing (blocked by) ME (this person) | |
| 47d | Someone sitting in more upmarket hospital departs (5) |
| POSER — POS[h]ER (more upmarket) in which H (hospital) leaves (departs) | |
| 49d | Suppose king’s gone scouting in the US (5) |
| RECON — REC[k]ON (suppose); K (king)’s removed (gone) | |
I had no idea what to do with 10d; I didn’t know SCOTCH=knock on the head (and I don’t find it in ODE or Collins). I also didn’t understand HANDBALL, but at least I got the parsing. I liked OLD MAN RIVER.
Not sure if you’re aware that ‘scotch’ and ‘knock on the head’ can both mean ‘put an end to’? In that sense ‘scotch’ is the first meaning listed in Collins. ‘Scotch a rumour ‘ is the most common phrase in which it’s said.
I knew ‘scotch’–scotch a rumor, etc.–although I tend to think of it as in Macbeth’s “We have scotch’d the snake, not killed it”–but I don’t think I knew ‘knock on the head’ other than non-metaphorically, which is where my problem arose. (I wouldn’t say, e.g., “I knocked the rumor on its head”.)
Your example is almost exactly what some people might say. It doesn’t sound odd to me in the slightest although I might substitute ‘the’ for ‘its’.
I had no queries and only a couple of workings on my printout so I must have found this quite easy. Evidently I ran out of steam at the end though, because I used aids for OPERATIONAL and the unknown RECON – on this side of the pond we say (or used to) ‘recce’.
No issues with this… nothing whatsoever written on my printout beyond the completed grid. That is probably a good thing, until you come to comment a fortnight later!
Still, a jumbo completed with no issues, thank you setter! And Kitty of course
Just under an hour and a half. I’m fine with that. And, yes, it’s always hard to remember after two weeks, but particularly good this week to read the blog and enjoy the clues all over again. I don’t think I can have parsed TUTTI-FRUTTI (King Tut was one of the tuts in my mind) but it was no problem. I enjoyed BEHOLD and PULL OUT ALL THE STOPS and the duck sandwiches and “par”
I brought this puzzle away on holiday so that I’d be able to solve it on the day of the blog and improve Kitty’s viewing figures.
It’s a pity there isn’t much to say about it. It was very easy with no real talking points. I didn’t manage to parse tutti-fritti so thanks for that, and only know Blue Note as a record label.
I don’t understand “gyp” as pain. Only find meanings related to cheating.
ODE sv gyp1: (Brit) (informal) pain or discomfort
Thanks,Kevin!