Hi everyone, and welcome to Jumbo 40 squared. If you laid all the grids out in one big square it would have dimensions of 920 x 920. With roughly 30 clues per puzzle, the total would be somewhere in the region of 48,000 clues. Edit: except that as JerryW points out below there are of course about 60 clues in a Jumbo, so that’s 96,000-odd clues. Even the champion solvers would need several solid days to get through those, and I’m not even going to try to calculate the blog hours!
Happily we enjoy these one at a time. A multi-session solve, so no time to report, but it would have taken me over the hour I think. I started well but slowed a bit towards the end. I hadn’t parsed 13a until settling down to write the blog but it clicked pleasingly just as I got to it. Nor had I quite figured out 44d to my satisfaction, although the answer was clear, but again it all made sense when I needed it to.
Entertaining as always – 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 | Hunt finally to wander, heading off for big cat (7) |
| TIGRESS — The Last letter of (… finally) hunT + dIGRESS (to wander) without its first letter (heading off) | |
| 5a | Children, note, cornered by a sudden attack — scorpion? (8) |
| ARACHNID — CH (children) and N (note) inside (cornered by) A RAID (a sudden attack) | |
| 9a | Bringer of news almost entirely surrounded by crowd (6) |
| HERALD — Almost ALl (entirely) in (surrounded by) HERD (crowd) | |
| 13a | Inflation measure covered (in another case) in afterpiece (6,5,5) |
| RETAIL PRICE INDEX — Contained within (covered … in) afteRPIece is the usual abbreviation of the answer, but in lower case rather than capitals (in another case) | |
| 14a | Preparing to drive, say, carrying large old politician (6) |
| ATTLEE — AT TEE (preparing to drive, say) containing (carrying) L (large) | |
| 16a | Pay for poet to give up first popular piece (8) |
| STANDARD — STAND (pay for) + bARD (poet) leaving out the first letter (to give up first) | |
| 17a | New Zealander winning originally, cracking K2 (4) |
| KIWI — The first letter of (… initially) Winning inside (cracking) K II (K2) | |
| 18a | Men keeping fine automobile back to get vehicle accessories (4,5) |
| ROOF RACKS — ROOKS (men) containing (keeping) F (fine) and CAR (automobile) reversed (back) | |
| 20a | Body of water — repeatedly it swirls around, repeatedly (8) |
| TITICACA — IT is reversed (swirls) twice (repeatedly …) followed by CA (around) twice (repeatedly) | |
| 21a | Young woman in European country, subordinate worker on schooners etc (11) |
| GLASSBLOWER — LASS (young woman) in GB (European country) + LOWER (subordinate) | |
| 24a | Converted girl has to accept a new life eternal here? Not quite (7-2) |
| SHANGRI-LA — An anagram of (converted) GIRL HAS containing (to accept) A and N (new) | |
| 25a | Old man leading revolution briefly, catching a city dweller (8) |
| PARISIAN — PA (old man) before (leading) RISINg (revolution) without the last letter (briefly) surrounding (catching) A | |
| 26a | Reiki initially involved in life energy (4) |
| BRIO — The first letter of (… initially) Reiki inside (involved in) BIO (life) | |
| 29a | Honest admen corrupted at the very least (3,4,4) |
| AND THEN SOME — HONEST ADMEN anagrammed (corrupted) | |
| 31a | Indicating rationale for joint deficiencies? (8,3) |
| POINTING OUT — A possible reason for joint deficiencies could be that the mortar in them – the POINTING – is OUT | |
| 33a | Earlier, rebuke elf, one with a compulsion to stay home? (11) |
| AGORAPHOBIA — AGO (earlier) + RAP (rebuke) + HOB (elf) + I (one) + A | |
| 36a | One foresees careering into cavalry (11) |
| CLAIRVOYANT — An anagram of (careering) INTO CAVALRY | |
| 38a | Watches emergency exits, always on the edge (4) |
| EYES — EmergencY ExitS, the outer letters of each word (always on the edge) | |
| 39a | Large animal knocked over tree, stifling agonised groan (8) |
| KANGAROO — The reversal of (knocked over) OAK (tree) around (stifling) an anagram of (agonised) GROAN | |
| 41a | Show host adopting nothing regal, in a ridiculing style (9) |
| MOCKINGLY — MC (show host) taking in (adopting) O (nothing) + KINGLY (regal) | |
| 44a | Creative function wrong from the outset? (8,3) |
| ORIGINAL SIN — ORIGINAL (creative) + SIN (function) | |
| 45a | Unhappy about US shop-owner turning over tree (8) |
| SYCAMORE — SORE (unhappy) around (about) the reversal of (… turning over) MACY (US shop-owner) | |
| 48a | Ballet favourite heading for Rome and America, going round Hong Kong (9) |
| PETRUSHKA — PET (favourite) + the first letter of (heading for) Rome + USA (America) going round HK (Hong Kong) | |
| 49a | Declined to dismiss match official no longer in top condition? (4) |
| USED — [ref]USED (declined) removing (to dismiss) REF (match official) | |
| 50a | Start of summer — immediately autumn and sign of winter? (8) |
| SNOWFALL — The first letter (start) of Summer + NOW (immediately) + FALL (autumn) | |
| 52a | Copper kitchen utensil (6) |
| PEELER — Two definitions | |
| 53a | Explorer going to platform with unknown flower (11,5) |
| LIVINGSTONE DAISY — LIVINGSTONE (explorer) + DAIS (platform) + Y (unknown) | |
| 54a | One’s opening call is coming up (6) |
| RISING — I’S (one’s) inside (opening) RING (call) | |
| 55a | Biased individuals helped to lose source of aggression (3-5) |
| ONE-SIDED — ONES (individuals) + [a]IDED (helped) without (to lose) the first letter (source) of Aggression | |
| 56a | Space probe, very old, having a long time in planetary tour finally (7) |
| VOYAGER — V (very) + O (old) + AGE (a long time) in the last letters of (… finally) planetarY touR | |
| Down | |
| 1d | Bird in this way mobbing rook, gaining height (6) |
| THRUSH — THUS (in this way) surrounding (mobbing) R (rook) + H (height) | |
| 2d | Meal in France no longer excluding last cake (6) |
| GATEAU — TEA (meal) in GAUl (France no longer) without the last letter (excluding last) | |
| 3d | Divine goal to eliminate a burst — of this? (4-5) |
| EVIL-DOING — DIVINE GO[a]L without (to eliminate) A anagrammed (burst) | |
| 4d | Oversight, Shostakovich’s first in previous works (11) |
| SUPERVISION — Shostakovich’s first letter in PREVIOUS is anagrammed (works) | |
| 5d | Keen to dodge losing love (4) |
| AVID — AV[o]ID (to dodge) losing O (love) | |
| 6d | Song title that could generate recipe mania? (8,3) |
| AMERICAN PIE — The answer can be anagrammed to give (that could generate) RECIPE MANIA | |
| 7d | After oats? It’s encouraging for horse (7-4) |
| HUNTING-CROP — HUNTING (after) + CROP (oats?) | |
| 8d | Cricket body with lots of pages about English courses for summer? (3,6) |
| ICE CREAMS — ICC (cricket body) and REAMS (lots of pages) around (about) E (English) | |
| 10d | Quietly heading away, stifling anger completely (8) |
| ENTIRELY — gENTLY (quietly) without its first letter (heading away) around (stifling) IRE (anger) | |
| 11d | Novel repairs etc on historic house placed under a notice (1,9,6) |
| A CLOCKWORK ORANGE — WORK (repairs etc) + ORANGE (historic house) under A and CLOCK (notice) | |
| 12d | Doctor, not so important, ignoring student, one treating wounds (7) |
| DRESSER — DR (doctor) + [l]ESSER (not so important) ignoring L (student) | |
| 15d | Permanent way guarded by prisoner and soldier (8) |
| CONSTANT — ST (way) surrounded by (guarded by) CON (prisoner) and ANT (soldier) | |
| 19d | Chap leading a search in cave (8) |
| CATACOMB — CAT (chap) ahead of (leading) A COMB (a search) | |
| 22d | Exploit key item of dressing used in A&E (8) |
| ESCAPADE — ESC (key) + PAD (item of dressing) used in A & E | |
| 23d | Youngster in care to steal from record company: anxiety for costume designer (8,8) |
| WARDROBE MISTRESS — WARD (youngster in care) + ROB (to steal from) + EMI (record company) + STRESS (anxiety) | |
| 27d | Is harder to get rid of than unfashionable corset (8) |
| OUTSTAYS — OUT (unfashionable) + STAYS (corset) | |
| 28d | Cancel Unionist veto about Democrat (4) |
| UNDO — U (Unionist) + NO (veto) around (about) D (Democrat) | |
| 30d | Husband getting over a Times spoof (4) |
| HOAX — H (husband) + O (over) + A + X (times) | |
| 32d | Seeing one, Schuman’s gone to pieces (8) |
| INASMUCH — I (one) + SCHUMAN‘s anagrammed (gone to pieces) | |
| 34d | That chap — cold and hot within a period of 24 hours, suffering localised pain (8) |
| HEADACHY — HE (that chap) + C (cold) and H (hot) inside A DAY (a period of 24 hours) | |
| 35d | Elevated activity using gold in extravagant creations (11) |
| AERONAUTICS — AU (gold) in an anagram of (extravagant) CREATIONS | |
| 36d | Tetchy Liberal offered encouragement in a seated position (11) |
| CROSSLEGGED — CROSS (tetchy) + L (Liberal) + EGGED (offered encouragement) | |
| 37d | Composer very supportive of harmonica playing, putting in extra note (11) |
| RACHMANINOV — V (very) under (supportive of) an anagram of (… playing) HARMONICA including (putting in) an extra N (note) | |
| 40d | Development promoted for one terminus? (9) |
| GESTATION — EG (for one) reversed (promoted …) + STATION (terminus?) | |
| 42d | |
| IRRAWADDY — I + R R (twice run) + AWAY (off) around D D (delta – twice) As curryowen and Kevin Gregg point out in the comments, the river is actually in Myanmar |
|
| 43d | Expect first diagram to be curtailed (6,2) |
| FIGURE ON — FIGURE ONe (first diagram) removing the end (to be curtailed) | |
| 44d | Apparently practicable to take The Times? (2,5) |
| ON PAPER — ON (practicable) + PAPER (The Times?) | |
| 46d | Painful sensation when carrying six flags (6) |
| PAVING — PANG (painful sensation) when around (carrying) VI (six) | |
| 47d | One trifling in soft bed (6) |
| PLAYER — P (soft) + LAYER (bed) | |
| 51d | Boss curtailed analysis (4) |
| STUD — Without the last letter (curtailed) STUDy (analysis) | |
I was puzzled by IRRAWADDY clued as Indian River. I always thought it was in Burma?
Thanks. Clearly I didn’t check the river and just took the setter’s word for it. I’ll add a note above.
Curryowen was right to be puzzled; the river’s in Burma, all of it. I biffed a couple and never figured out how to parse them: ROOF RACKS, RETAIL PRICE INDEX, GATEAU.
This one came as a huge relief after the beast served up the previous Saturday. My print-out shows minimal workings-out suggesting the answers came quite easily. The only unknown answer was LIVINGSTONE DAISY, but each part was solvable with the aid of checkers and put together the words made a plausible name for a flower.
1 hour 46 minutes on the clock, so it still earned me some speed points. At the time, though, I abandoned it with three left. When I looked again last night the first two – ESCAPADE and SYCAMORE – went in almost straight away, and the third – the awkward anagram for INASMUCH – didn’t hold out too long. I needed the blog. In particular, thanks for GATEAU, Kitty. It reminds me that gatto means cat in Italian but I’m sure you know that
I really liked this and thought it quite elegant and neat. I failed to parse 2dn but now you explain it Kitty, I love the clue … cod.
I hardly like to mention it, but your maths is awry. There are 60 clues on average in a jumbo, so 1600 jumbos is some 96,000 clues… it makes me ponder on how much time I have spent solving crossword clues, over the years: about 55 years of daily cryptics, and lots more jumbos, concise and other miscellaneous crosswords like the Week, Private Eye, TLS etc etc … after all that brain exercise, if I do end up with dementia I shall be seriously annoyed ..
Oops! Thanks Jerry – I have updated the intro. I can only do maths with letters and squiggles; actual calculations (or even counting it seems!) are often beyond me …
I thought 31a might be construed as POINT IN GOUT.
Oh, I hadn’t thought of that. Quite possibly.