Hello again. My style with jumbos is to riffle through them in the time I would spend on a normal cryptic, about 15 or 20 minutes, solving what clues I can. Then I put it to one side, and pick it up for a minute or two over the ensuing week whenever time allows.. so I can’t really give completion times. But this Jumbo I thought was slightly harder than average; I did a fair number of clues to begin with, but some of the remainder took thought to polish off. I also thought it was a very high quality offering. No nho words at all, but difficulty supplied by cunning definitions and wordplay and a lot of fine surfaces. My sort of crossword, one of the best jumbos I’ve seen, and I liked it a lot. Thank you, setter!
What did you think? Please, do feel free to ask questions or comment as required.
I use the standard TfTT conventions like underlining the definition, CD for cryptic definition, DD for a double one, *(anargam) and so forth. Nho = “not heard of” and in case of need the Glossary is always handy
| Across | |
| 1 | Maine resident perhaps has peace by river interrupted by seabird (9) |
| EASTERNER – TERN (seabird) in EASE (peace) + R(iver). Maine seems to be about as far East as the USA goes, though Canada goes a fair bit further. | |
| 6 | One million soldiers chased by tailless sea monster (7) |
| IMMENSE – I M + MEN (soldiers) + SE(a) | |
| 10 | Bury playwright destroying first of plays (5) |
| INTER – (P)INTER | |
| 13 | Key in again across air gap of widescreen terminals? (2-5) |
| RE-ENTER – hidden, in widescREEN TERminals. Not quite sure what the air gap is about, is it just a reference to the gap between the two words? | |
| 14 | German prince who helps choose government? (7) |
| ELECTOR – dd. The Prince Electors did not choose government, they chose a monarch. A curious idea in itself, and a cunning way for the monarchs to seek legitimacy. Either way, as now, no way for you or I to apply for the post. | |
| 15 | Cut aluminium and separate (7) |
| SEVERAL – SEVER (cut) + AL (aluminium). It is common for (eg) a bank mandate to say liabilities are “joint and several,” ie together and separately.. | |
| 16 | Ran meditation online unusually involving several religious groups (19) |
| INTERDENOMINATIONAL – *(RAN MEDITATION ONLINE). I think the letters match! | |
| 17 | We are giving out whiskey as before (3) |
| ERE – (W)E’RE .. we are, with the W(hiskey) “given out.” Note the E in whiskey, which appears only in the NATO phonetic alphabet, and in Irish whiskey, not Scotch whisky | |
| 18 | Billy goat’s head tossed easily (6) |
| GLIBLY – *(BILLY + G(oat)) | |
| 20 | Dose of cocaine finished band’s members (4-2) |
| LINE-UP – LINE (a dose of cocaine, apparently. As so often, I bow to the setter’s greater knowledge of drug cant) + UP, finished. Time is up/finished, gents .. | |
| 21 | Ship worker backing weather checks (9) |
| STEVEDORE – A neat clue .. ERODE (weather) + VETS (checks), reversed | |
| 23 | One taking out patent, say, restarting with new design (10) |
| REGISTRANT – *(RESTARTING + N(ew)) | |
| 25 | House divided, leaderless, about possible Russian subjugation (11) |
| ENSLAVEMENT – SLAV, a possible Russian, in (T)ENEMENT, a house divided .. into flats. Slavs are Europe’s largest single ethnic group, and inhabit quite a few countries besides Russia .. Ukraine, for example | |
| 29 | Ring extended family before end of evening (5) |
| CLANG – CLAN, your extended family, + (evenin)G.
I am 1/8 Scottish, thus a member of the Gunn clan, and proud of it .. though they have the dullest tartan you will ever see |
|
| 30 | Signal unlikely to be misunderstood (3,5) |
| ALL CLEAR – a DD | |
| 31 | Way to finish off church from Rev Spooner, a bad-tempered type (8) |
| SPITFIRE – so FIT SPIRE, Spoonerised. My heart sinks whenever I see the word Spooner. Not a criticism, I’m just hopeless at them. Spooner was described as “an albino, small, with a pink face, poor eyesight, and a head too large for his body,” so we should be gentle with him.. | |
| 34 | Happening to get fish when the light is fading (8) |
| EVENTIDE – EVENT (happening) + IDE, a useful fish (to setters) that I have never seen in Sainsburys. Also known as the ORFE | |
| 36 | Choose Scots island loch at one’s discretion (8) |
| OPTIONAL – OPT (choose) + IONA (an island in the Inner Hebrides, near Mull), + L(och). Never been to Iona, but I would love to. For a short time, in decent weather, anyway | |
| 37 | English and eleven French for the bar? (5) |
| EXILE – E(nglish) + XI (eleven) + LE, which is French for “the,” I am reliably informed. We all have to be polyglots, these days.. c’est la vie | |
| 39 | Knowing I backed wind power round islands (11) |
| ARCHIPELAGO – ARCH (knowing) + I. Then O + GALE + P(ower), all backed. Not sure how convincing the surface reading is, but a neat clue otherwise. | |
| 41 | Concierge upset about tenant ultimately not thinking of others? (10) |
| EGOCENTRIC – *(CONCIERGE + (tenan(T)) | |
| 43 | Tactless speaker’s vulgar opening (9) |
| LOUDMOUTH – LOUD (vulgar. Noise is always vulgar. Just look at F1) + MOUTH (opening) | |
| 45 | Full of fun, but no judge of eyes (6) |
| OCULAR – (j)OCULAR | |
| 47 | Allowed to follow a Royal Marines band (6) |
| ARMLET – A R(oyal) M(arines) + LET, allowed | |
| 49 | Time after game to fight over females? (3) |
| RUT – RU (game, rugby union) + T(ime). Topical clue, as anyone who has watched the deer in Richmond Park or Knole lately will agree | |
| 50 | Not being got home, half have to leave school by about one with books (19) |
| INCOMPREHENSIBILITY – IN (home) + COMPREHENSI(ve); then I + LIT (books) in BY. Only now do I see that we have to remove the second half of HAVE from comprehensive .. another very neat bit of wordplay, | |
| 52 | Source of starch fool found in wine (7) |
| CASSAVA – ASS (fool) in CAVA, a wine, of sorts. Cassava, aka manioc, is where tapioca comes from. It is a rather unpromising sort of root which nevertheless has a wide variety of uses, though not so much in England, thankfully | |
| 53 | British current design leading to European aircraft (7) |
| BIPLANE – B(ritish) + I (current) + PLAN (design) + E(uropean). My first ever flight was in a biplane, the magnificent Avro Tutor. That yellow one. | |
| 54 | Support bad English language with feeling? (7) |
| BRAILLE – BRA (every setter’s favourite support, although see also 19dn) + ILL (bad) + E(nglish). | |
| 55 | Fencing move new in winter sport (5) |
| LUNGE – N(ew) in LUGE, the only sport that involves a tea tray. | |
| 56 | Drunken tart kept under observation (3-4) |
| PIE-EYED – PIE (tart, though the synonym always makes me wince) + EYED, observed | |
| 57 | So you dated, embracing a lot of fashion again (9) |
| THEREFORE – REFOR(m) inside THEE (you, dated) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Lacking pounds, picking up small income from work (8) |
| EARNINGS – (l)EARNING (picking up) + S(mall) | |
| 2 | Upturned seats over time gathered dust (5) |
| SWEPT – PEWS (seats) reversed, + T(ime). A very neat clue this, with a deceptive definition that seems to mean the very opposite of its intended meaning. My clue of the week, or COW. | |
| 3 | Fascinating all-nighter wound up around noon (11) |
| ENTHRALLING – *(ALL NIGHTER + N). Another very neat clue, fine surface reading | |
| 4 | Run in without clothes, bothered (6) |
| NARKED – R(un) in NAKED | |
| 5 | I rally Hector, possibly with rousing speeches (12) |
| RHETORICALLY – *(I RALLY HECTOR). Is rousing the same as rhetorical? I would say, not. | |
| 6 | News report that is about second break down (7) |
| ITEMISE – ITEM (news report) + S(econd) in IE, that is. | |
| 7 | Encountered speed in tiniest amount in Fife with a good source for stimulant (15) |
| METHAMPHETAMINE – MET (encountered); + MPH (speed) in HAET, which I discover means “a whit; iota; the least amount” in Scotland, + A MINE, a good source. | |
| 8 | Vanity of drug agent having wife keeping head down? (10) |
| NARCISSISM – yet another drug reference: NARC (drug agent, though only in US slang) + MISSIS, with the M moved down to the end. I would spell it MISSUS, but this alternative spelling is OK | |
| 9 | The very heart of a German city church (7) |
| ESSENCE – ESSEN, second largest city of the Ruhr, + CE, church (of England) | |
| 10 | Concern in volume five to fix missing chapter (11) |
| INVOLVEMENT – IN + VOL V + (c)EMENT. | |
| 11 | Triplets? See mother struggling (9) |
| THREESOME – *(SEE MOTHER) .. another nice, neat clue | |
| 12 | Bring aid to fifty-one locked up by local magistrate (7) |
| RELIEVE – LI (fifty one, in Roman numerals) in REEVE, a local magistrate. Once upon a time, anyhow. | |
| 19 | Repeat: I support trapping rodent (7) |
| ITERATE – I, + RAT (rodent) in TEE, a support | |
| 22 | Position legs over edges of tear in seat (8) |
| STRADDLE – T(ea)R in SADDLE, a seat | |
| 24 | What’s taking a long shot with an unapproachable subject? (15) |
| TELEPHOTOGRAPHY – I think this is just a CD, perhaps an &LIT. Though why the subject needs necessarily to be unapproachable I don’t know. Perhaps the photographer is just being lazy? | |
| 26 | Dismayed note on piano lost its attraction (8) |
| APPALLED – A, a note, + P(iano), musical direction, + PALLED | |
| 27 | Shackle communist with hierarchical system (6) |
| TIERED – TIE (shackle) + RED (communist) | |
| 28 | Note mother’s written after school plan (6) |
| SCHEMA – SCH(ool) + E (another note) + MA, mother | |
| 32 | Original capital for Denmark, say (7) |
| INITIAL – a simple DD I think | |
| 33 | Possibly amusing documentary throwing men into faint (12) |
| INFOTAINMENT – *(MEN INTO FAINT). Not keen on pseudo-documentaries of this sort, where (eg) Cromwell pops up and starts talking to camera.. | |
| 35 | Group of leaders seeing Mutti arrive flustered (11) |
| TRIUMVIRATE – *(MUTTI ARRIVE). A group of three leaders, usually Roman but there are others. The “Three Pashas,” anyone? | |
| 37 | Eliminate former word in a note (11) |
| EXTERMINATE – EX TERM, a former word, + IN A TE, a note (“a drink with jam and bread”) | |
| 38 | Overweight fairy queen in predicament, open to working out? (10) |
| FATHOMABLE – FAT, + MAB (fairy queen) in a HOLE, or predicament. Fairy queens never seem to be overweight, do they? | |
| 40 | Loose woman roués can’t upset (9) |
| COURTESAN – *(ROUES CANT) | |
| 42 | Vacated emplacement hastily — leave nerve gas (8) |
| ETHYLENE – E(mplacemen)T + H(astil)Y + L(eav)E + N(erv)E. Ethylene is a hydrocarbon with many uses, not least by setters.. | |
| 43 | Stringed instrument mostly I term endlessly songlike (7) |
| LYRICAL – LYR(e) + I + CAL(l) (term, endlessly) | |
| 44 | Relative nearly gets snake to release grip (7) |
| UNCLASP – UNCL(e), relative nearly, + ASP, your snake. | |
| 46 | University group speaking about Newton is not listened to (7) |
| UNHEARD – N(ewton) in U(niversity) + HEARD, sounds like HERD or group | |
| 48 | Sailor in base having potential to work (6) |
| VIABLE – AB (able seaman) in VILE, base | |
| 51 | Northern dwelling — one with a lot of shade (5) |
| IGLOO – I + GLOO(m). | |
I wondered about METHAMPHETAMINE, never having heard of HAET. The standard way of taking cocaine is to pour a line of the powder on a mirror, say, then sniff it into one’s nose with a straw. The Fairy Queen in “Iolanthe” is usually plump; “I see no objection to stoutness, in moderation.”
Good point about Iolanthe. I suppose that for opera singers, a certain latitude is essential..
I have this noted as ‘quite easy’ and ‘solved in one session’ – the latter being rare for me with Jumbos. My only query was the full parsing of METHA-thing as I didn’t understand ‘tiniest amount in Fife’ and was unable to account for HAET in the answer. Evidently it must appeared so unlikely as a word in its own right that it nevre occurred to me to look it up so that I would have discovered the Scottish connection.
just over one and a half hours on the clock, so about my regular time. I messed up 8dn by writing in NARCISSUSS, compelled to work with “missus” but that doesn’t explain the missing M and the extra S. Most of the long ones needed lots of crossers to help with the construction, so it felt quite hard work
I found this pretty straightforward: done and dusted in a little over 20 minutes. I didn’t bother parsing METHAMPHETAMINE so the question of what HAET might be didn’t arise. Rather Mephistoish.
If a photographer’s subject was approachable they wouldn’t need a telephoto lens: they could just use a normal camera and… approach!