A typically entertaining Jumbo, this one, with plenty of straightforward clues to get you going but a few chewy bits as well. No time for this as I lost my paper copy. Furthermore, I discovered on checking my answers that I had forgotten to click “Submit” on entering it online, so no chance of a prize for me this time. Grr. A little trickier than average, I thought, with the neatly deceptive 19D being the biggest hold-up. Some other nice clues too – I liked 32A, 34A, 5D and 8D, but I had a couple of MERs at 14A and 21D. Probably my ignorance as usual – corrections welcome. Thank-you setter. How did you all get on?
Definitions underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc, {deletions} and [] other indicators.
| Across | |
| 1 | River quietens with injection of hydrogen (6) |
| THAMES – TAMES (quietens) [with the injection of] H (chemical symbol of hydrogen). Hmm. I can’t imagine any situation where that clue surface might be true. | |
| 5 | Gosh! Pound will get a good picnic accessory (4,3) |
| COOL BAG – COO (gosh) LB (pound weight unit) A G (good). Wow that’s cheap! Perhaps our setter will tell us where we can buy them for that price. | |
| 9 | Confident males, modest, relinquishing power (8) |
| COCKSURE – COCKS (males) {p}URE (modest) without the P (power). | |
| 13 | Unhappy end darkens this cartoon film (4,6,3,8) |
| KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS – [Unhappy] (end darkens this cartoon)*. Impressive surface. | |
| 14 | Tracery to move agitatedly after corrosion (8) |
| FRETWORK –WORK (move agitatedly; (of a person’s features) move violently or convulsively) [after] FRET (corrosion). MER at this. Corrosion is a chemical process, fretting is a physical one, i.e. abrasion rather than corrosion. Furthermore FRET in this meaning is a verb not a noun. I think I must have misunderstood something here! | |
| 15 | Understand, when tucking into meat, about greens (7) |
| VEGETAL – GET (understand) in VEAL (meat). | |
| 16 | Clubs possibly hosting Frenchmen for conference (6) |
| SUMMIT – SUIT (clubs, possibly) [hosting] MM (M = Monsieur, Frenchman, twice). | |
| 17 | Experts favoured our group to receive first of college course lists (10) |
| PROSPECTUS – PROS (experts) PET (favoured) US (our group) [to receive] [first of] College. | |
| 20 | One in disgrace, Mother got on with kind son (7,5) |
| DAMAGED GOODS – DAM (mother) AGED (got on) GOOD (kind) S (son). | |
| 23 | Patch of land I almost killed off (4) |
| ISLE – I, SLE{w} [almost] (killed off). | |
| 24 | Disparaging after extracting iodine around ring of bark? (8) |
| CORTICAL – CR{i}TICAL (disparaging) without the I (Iodine) [around] O (0; ring). I didn’t know that meaning. | |
| 26 | Church canon with a new description of the heavens? (8) |
| CERULEAN – CE (Church of England) RULE (canon) A N (new). | |
| 29 | Food item to elevate film shot at Acapulco finally (6,6) |
| JACKET POTATO – JACK (elevate) ET (film) POT (shot) AT AcapulcO [finally]. | |
| 30 | A cover gardener finally brought in to treat flower (6,4) |
| DAMASK ROSE – A MASK (cover) gardeneR [finally] inside DOSE (to treat). | |
| 32 | How to get sent fishing equipment? (6,4) |
| TANGLE NETS – A reverse cryptic. Make an anagram of, [tangle], (nets)* …explains “How to get sent”. Nice one. | |
| 34 | Palace throne resited in part of Westminster (7,5) |
| ANOTHER PLACE – (Palace throne)* [resited]. How the House of Lords is referred to by MPs and the House of Commons by the Lords (see here). | |
| 36 | Stopped to embrace second member, being placated (8) |
| DISARMED – DIED (stopped) outside S (second) ARM (member). | |
| 38 | Pile of farm produce has way to keep years (8) |
| HAYSTACK – HAS TACK (way; boat’s course), [to keep] Y (years). | |
| 39 | Bottle of great importance, lacking central element (4) |
| VIAL –VI{t}AL (of great importance). | |
| 41 | Group admitting Danish writer ignoring one English fantasy creature (12) |
| BANDERSNATCH –BATCH (group) [admitting] ANDERS{e}N (Danish writer), without one of the Es (English). Referring to the famous writer of fairy tales. | |
| 43 | One on board often depressed: restraint vital (7,3) |
| CONTROL KEY – CONTROL (restraint) KEY (vital). This might have helped with 39A if you got stuck on that. | |
| 44 | University learners coming in to secure passage (6) |
| GULLET – U (university) L L (learners) in GET (secure). | |
| 46 | Poison very twisted individual injected into ailing men (7) |
| ENVENOM – V (very) ONE (individual) [twisted] -> ENO, in [ailing] (men)*. | |
| 48 | Pepper’s appearance rooted in stone, initially odd (8) |
| PIMIENTO –MIEN (appearance) in PIT (stone), [initially] Odd. | |
| 50 | Wan desultory ambition stirred, receiving a comment on extended construction times (4,3,3,5,2,1,3) |
| ROME WAS NOT BUILT IN A DAY – (Wan desultory ambition)* [stirred], [receiving] A. | |
| 51 | Looking ravaged, allowed element of challenge (8) |
| GAUNTLET – GAUNT (looking ravaged) LET (allowed). Referring to throwing down the gauntlet. | |
| 52 | Caribbean island not supporting Pacific island? Not entirely (7) |
| ANTIGUA –ANTI (not supporting) GUA{m} (Pacific Island) [not entirely]. | |
| 53 | Charge excluding a German house-guest (6) |
| LODGER – LO{a}D (charge) [excluding] A, GER (German). | |
| Down | |
| 2 | Price rise beginning to rile rambler (5) |
| HIKER – HIKE (price rise) [beginning to] Rile. | |
| 3 | Little risk for speaker in a quick meal (6,5) |
| MINUTE STEAK –MINUTE (little) STEAK, sounds like STAKE [bet; risk]. | |
| 4 | Vessel more readily allowing first couple of children on board (8) |
| SCHOONER – SOONER (more readily) including CHildren. | |
| 5 | Family spook finally producing sound of chains? (5) |
| CLANK – CLAN (family) spooK [finally]. Nice surface. | |
| 6 | Gutted contralto picked up items on score, but not opening sequences of notes (7) |
| OCTAVES -C{ontralt}O [gutted], [picked up] -> OC, {s}TAVES (items on score) [not opening]. | |
| 7 | Country upset about newspaper trouble — I will probe company bluster (11) |
| BRAGGADOCIO – GB (country) [upset] -> BG [about] RAG (newspaper), ADO (trouble), I in CO (company). | |
| 8 | Leave and spot someone expected to appear? (5) |
| GODOT –GO (leave) DOT (spot), referring to the play Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett. | |
| 9 | Poor justification to produce firewood, say, before a lot of cold weather (9) |
| CHOPLOGIC –CHOP LOG (produce firewood), [a lot of] IC{e} (cold weather). | |
| 10 | It’s hard to carry, making you grumpy (5) |
| CROSS – Double definition, the first a cryptic hint. | |
| 11 | Slow-moving vehicle covering each mile with walker (11) |
| STEAMROLLER – EA (each) M (mile) in STROLLER (walker). | |
| 12 | Cancel escape, having cut skin (7) |
| RESCIND – ESC (escape) in RIND (skin). | |
| 18 | Runs a wildlife tour, retaining time for religious figure (3,6) |
| RAS TAFARI –R (runs) A SAFARI (wildlife tour) [retaining] T (time). | |
| 19 | Book containing revolutionary plant item (7) |
| TWOSOME – TOME (book) [containing] SOW (plant) [revolutionary] -> WOS. Very sneaky! | |
| 21 | Notice Eire investing in whiskey: that’s awkward (9) |
| MALADROIT – AD (notice) ROI (Republic of Ireland; Eire) in MALT (whiskey). Hmm. Very few whiskeys are made purely with malted barley and can thus be referred to as MALT, unlike (scotch) whisky. Surely the clue should have said “whisky”. I think the surface would work better too. Discuss! | |
| 22 | Is nothing in part of Northern Ireland of little significance? (8) |
| DERISORY – IS O (nothing) in DERRY (part of Ireland). | |
| 25 | It’s all over a statement of the obvious about pronoun (5,4) |
| THAT’S THAT – Double definition, the second a cryptic hint. | |
| 27 | Redevelopment of seacoast involving one couple (9) |
| ASSOCIATE – {Redevelopment of] (seacoast)* [involving] I (one). | |
| 28 | River boat’s gone round, displaying flag (8) |
| STREAMER – STEAMER (boat) round R (river). | |
| 31 | Hairstyle? Complain about yokel getting trimmed (7) |
| MOHICAN – MOAN (complain) [about] HIC{k} (yokel). | |
| 33 | African currency acquired by American banker, a respected figure (5,3,3) |
| GRAND OLD MAN – RAND (South African currency) in GOLDMAN (American banker). Read about Mr Goldman here. | |
| 34 | Trace of nudity in naughty bit broadcast? Certainly not (8,3) |
| ANYTHING BUT – [Trace of] N{udity} in (naughty bit)* [broadcast]. That could be a Harry Hoskins clue. | |
| 35 | Led after stage of game, being very controlled (5-6) |
| LEVEL-HEADED – LEVEL (stage of (computer) game) HEADED (led) | |
| 37 | Effort to acquire new Irish plates etc. (6,3) |
| DINNER SET – N (new) ERSE (Irish) in DINT (effort) | |
| 40 | US state securing border in getting crook (8) |
| CRIMINAL –CAL (…ifornia; US state) [securing] RIM (border) IN. | |
| 42 | Vocal music around pier curtailed marine displays (7) |
| AQUARIA – ARIA (vocal music) [around] QUA{y} (pier) [curtailed]. | |
| 43 | On holiday? Feeling glum, missing love, beside borders of China (7) |
| CAMPING – [Borders of] C{hin}A, M{o}PING (feeling glum) [missing] the O (love). | |
| 45 | Drying agent tails off excessively? (5) |
| TOWEL – [Tails off] TO{o} WEL{l} (excessively). | |
| 47 | Shakespearean character going by, catching start of one line (5) |
| VIOLA – VIA (going by) [catching] [start of] O{ne} L (line). | |
| 48 | Historic city has taken up recording revolutionary creative work (5) |
| PETRA – EP (recording) [taken up] -> PE, ART (creative work) [revolutionary] -> TRA. | |
| 49 | Fragrant plant no longer for the solver and setter (5) |
| THYME – THY, old form of [no longer] YOUR (for the solver) ME (setter). | |
I biffed the two long acrosses, 13ac from the K and H, 50ac from the definition, giving me access to lots of downs. DNK COOL BAG. DNK CHOPLOGIC as one word. I also didn’t know the ‘corrode’ meaning of FRET, but in any case something does seem to be wrong with the clue. 9ac: modest=PURE? I liked KIND HEARTS.
The comment written on my print out on completion of this puzzle sums it all up for me: Bloody hard work!
I am due to blog my first Jumbo (today’s) in a fortnight and I’m hoping for an easier ride than blogging this would have been. Thanks and congrats to John for sorting it all out.
[Content deleted].
John, we don’t comment on current puzzles, do we?
Quite right, Kevin, even though I didn’t give much away. Content of my comment deleted.
Never got round to submitting this one, but I believe I got it all correct while sitting next to johninterred and beeryhiker in the Fox and Roman in York. I may have the paper copy somewhere…. Quite tricky in places! I may have had some assistance with TANGLE NETS. Thanks setter and John.
I remember 19D being your last one in and what the answer was, which stopped me getting stuck when I solved the puzzle myself on the Sunday.
Yes that was a sneaky one!
When I looked back earlier today I saw I had put this aside 75 percent done after an hour and a half. So now another 45 minutes today to finish it off.
I struggled with 19dn TWOSOME at the end, but mainly because I had a crosser wrong, having mindlessly bunged in CRITICAL at 24ac. Once I started to think there was something wrong, the penny dropped for TWOSOME and I was able to construct CORTICAL. My actual LOI was FRETWORK, which I had seen early on but held back until I just had to go with it in the absence of anything else. Many thanks for the blog
Thanks for the blog. I also wondered about fret, but Collins has it as a noun:
9. the result of fretting; corrosion