Hello all. This felt a bit different to the average beast, with a few unusual devices in the mix. When writing it up I did also notice lots of cryptic definitions and double definitions (five of each at a quick count but I haven’t double-checked). I finished in under an hour but was concentrating pretty well throughout. Good fun – thanks setter!
Definitions are underlined in the clues below. In the explanations, quoted indicators are in italics 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 | Mundane arguments for backing organization of agents (7) |
| PROSAIC — PROS (arguments for) + the reversal of (backing) CIA (organisation of agents) | |
| 5a | More than one error in small volume is infuriating (8) |
| CLANGERS — CL (small volume) + ANGERS (is infuriating) | |
| 9a | Penny taken in by French writer’s university position (6) |
| CAMPUS — P (penny) inside (taken in by) CAMUS (French writer) | |
| 13a | As result of performance on this, I queue in audition? (12,4) |
| INTELLIGENCE TEST — I queue sounds like (… in audition) IQ | |
| 14a | Demon capturing rook, leading to mate (6) |
| FRIEND — FIEND (demon) around (capturing) R (rook) | |
| 16a | Caught out in the open? Just the opposite (8) |
| COVERTLY — C (caught) + OVERTLY (out in the open). Just the opposite of “out in the open”, that is | |
| 17a | Combined centres in almost accidental way (4) |
| MODE — The concatenation of the middle letters of (combined centres in) alMOst acciDEntal | |
| 18a | Like some music that, with initial repetitions, may be adapted for harpsichord (9) |
| RHAPSODIC — The answer with the first two letters, RH, duplicated (with initial repetitions) can be anagrammed to give (adapted for) HArPSIChORD | |
| 20a | Classify as invalid after I had turned unhealthy-looking (8) |
| DISALLOW — After I’D (I had) reversed (returned) is SALLOW (unhealthy-looking) | |
| 21a | Holder of position replaced, reprocessed, reorganized (11) |
| PREDECESSOR — REPROCESSED, anagrammed (reorganised) | |
| 24a | Philosopher and noble talked intermittently (9) |
| ARISTOTLE — ARISTO (noble) + alternate letters of (… intermittently) TaLkEd | |
| 25a | In backward class, join top performers (8) |
| MAESTROS — In reverse (backward) SORT (class) plus SEAM (join) | |
| 26a | Family with daughter, good-natured sort (4) |
| KIND — KIN (family) + D (daughter) | |
| 29a | Specialist knowing how to treat elders, for example (4,7) |
| TREE SURGEON — A cryptic definition | |
| 31a | Doctor to charge NHS, be less than honest? (11) |
| SHORTCHANGE — Make an anagram of (doctor) TO CHARGE NHS | |
| 33a | As far as possible, coat flask ahead of time (11) |
| FURTHERMOST — FUR (coat) + THERMOS (flask) preceding (ahead of) T (time) | |
| 36a | Rapid succession of passes that may lead to scoring goal? (5,6) |
| SPEED DATING — A cryptic definition | |
| 38a | As part of architectural essentials, what’s more? (4) |
| LESS — It’s part of architecturaL ESSentials, Less is more, so it’s said. The surface is apt since (as I learned in a recent puzzle) this phrase is associated with the architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe |
|
| 39a | Uniform officer put together for fellow sharing quarters (8) |
| FLATMATE — FLAT (uniform) + MATE (officer) | |
| 41a | One whose home is in a state, surrounded by water (9) |
| TASMANIAN — Another cryptic definition | |
| 44a | Without wife, at sixes and sevens? Not eating enough? |
| UNDERWEIGHT — Around (without) W (wife), UNDER EIGHT (at sixes and sevens?) | |
| 45a | Concert I watch as person entitled to expect something (8) |
| PROMISEE — PROM (concert) + I + SEE (watch) | |
| 48a | Behind pool of money: let it be split, at last! (9) |
| FUNDAMENT — FUND (pool of money) + AMEN (let it be) + spliT at last | |
| 49a | One feature of skirt that attracts attention (4) |
| AHEM — A HEM (one feature of skirt) | |
| 50a | Abraham Lincoln, initially, rebuilt palace (8) |
| ALHAMBRA — An anagram of (… rebuilt) ABRAHAM with Lincoln initially | |
| 52a | Starting point for big win, though lacking leaders (6) |
| ORIGIN — fOR bIG wIN, but without the first letters (though lacking leaders) | |
| 53a | Important IT role is new for teenager given new order (8,8) |
| SOFTWARE ENGINEER — IS NEW FOR TEENAGER anagrammed (given new order) | |
| 54a | Facility in middle of hospital entrance (6) |
| TALENT — The answer is central to (in middle of) hospiTAL ENTrance | |
| 55a | Does, for example, have it in leather (8) |
| DEERSKIN — A double definition | |
| 56a | Like fingers, but without hands passing over face (7) |
| DIGITAL — The second part of the clue refers to clock hands passing round a clock face, so not analogue | |
| Down | |
| 1d | One likely to succeed, when finally put in charge (6) |
| PRINCE — The last letter of (… finally) wheN put in PRICE (charge) | |
| 2d | Size of book, a volume penned by doctor, extremely abridged (6) |
| OCTAVO — A and V (volume) inside (penned by) dOCTOr without the outer letters (extremely abridged) | |
| 3d | Medical practitioner needs to go to France with substance (9) |
| ALLERGIST — ALLER (to go, to France) + GIST (substance) | |
| 4d | Measure of coolness about female player securing prominence (5,6) |
| CHILL FACTOR — C (about), F and ACTOR (player) around (securing) HILL (prominence) | |
| 5d | Rubbed it in hands (4) |
| CREW — Two definitions; crew = crowed | |
| 6d | Presenters with a warning about food king’s tucked into (11) |
| ANCHORWOMEN — AN OMEN (a warning) around (about) CHOW (food) which has R (king) inside (tucked into) | |
| 7d | With leader in Guardian, say, crush inferior competition (6,5) |
| GUTTER PRESS — The first letter of (leader in) Guardian + UTTER (say) + PRESS (crush) | |
| 8d | Reviving spiritual instruction’s pressing (9) |
| RESURGENT — RE’S (spiritual instruction’s) + URGENT (pressing) | |
| 10d | Ran in and stopped (8) |
| ARRESTED — Another double definition | |
| 11d | Mixing up of insecticides is not empirically based (16) |
| PSEUDOSCIENTIFIC — An anagram of (mixing) UP OF INSECTICIDES | |
| 12d | Attachment to vehicle that’s sped and is overturned (7) |
| SIDECAR — The reversal of (… overturned) RACED (sped) and IS | |
| 15d | Our confidant reveals end of scandal over job (8) |
| GATEPOST — –GATE (end of scandal) above (over) POST (job), Refers to “between you, me and the gatepost” | |
| 19d | Intimate location for marriage announced, say, with love (5,3) |
| ALTER EGO — ALTER, which sounds like (… announced) ALTAR (location for marriage) + EG (say) + O (love) | |
| 22d | Prodigal‘s faults we must change (8) |
| WASTEFUL — FAULTS WE needs to be anagrammed (must change) | |
| 23d | Like top US deputy, having evil power in relation to housing (4-12) |
| VICE-PRESIDENTIAL — VICE (evil) + P (power) + RESIDENTIAL (in relation to housing) | |
| 27d | Moving cautiously after doctor, getting up from bed (8) |
| DREDGING — EDGING (moving cautiously) after DR (doctor) | |
| 28d | Which person covering area gives order to stop? (4) |
| WHOA — WHO (which person) around (covering) A (area) | |
| 30d | Part of our capital also hoarded, but only part (4) |
| SOHO — alSO HOarded, but only part | |
| 32d | Passed, having finished and understood (8) |
| OVERTOOK — OVER (finished) and TOOK (understood) | |
| 34d | Repeated experience swallowing stimulant makes one carefree (8) |
| RELIEVED — RELIVED (repeated experience) taking in (swallowing) E (stimulant) | |
| 35d | In ideal way, mother embracing two sons as leader of tributes (11) |
| TOASTMASTER — TO A T (in ideal way) and MATER (mother) surrounding (embracing) S S (two sons). The two sons are inserted separately, which isn’t explicitly indicated | |
| 36d | His job allows him to overlook church (11) |
| STEEPLEJACK — A cryptic definition | |
| 37d | Record on one page how paper may be controlled (11) |
| DISCIPLINED — DISC (record) + I (one) + P (page) + LINED (how paper may be) | |
| 40d | Highly-strung supporter of one kind of artist (9) |
| TIGHTROPE — A final cryptic definition | |
| 42d | Finding 17 or 51 in state becoming more mature (9) |
| AVERAGING — AVER (state) + AGING (becoming more mature). 17a = mode; 51d = mean | |
| 43d | World‘s response when Conservative rises to the top (8) |
| CREATION — REACTION (response) when C (Conservative) rises to the top | |
| 44d | Frank‘s father coming in immediately after time (7) |
| UPFRONT — FR (father) going inside (coming in) UPON (immediately after) + T (time) | |
| 46d | Protest appearing in article, differently stressed (6) |
| OBJECT — There are two definitions here, but the answer for each is pronounced with the stress in different places (differently stressed) | |
| 47d | Pub count incomplete — one can hold many pints (6) |
| BARREL — BAR (pub) + RELy (count) missing its last letter (incomplete) | |
| 51d | Represent base (4) |
| MEAN — Our final pair of definitions | |
It’s difficult to remember one’s experience after a fortnight has passed, but I noted on my copy that despite starting well in the NW segment I found this harder than average. For all that, I have no answers marked with an asterisk to indicate that I resorted to aids so I must have slogged my way through to a successful conclusion eventually.
There were two clues I didn’t fully understand, one being 38ac where I didn’t get the ‘less is more’ reference, so thanks for that, Kitty. The other was 36ac where I was looking for something more than a cryptic definition because as it stands I don’t think it’s a very good one. Reviewing it now and having been assured by the blog that I didn’t miss anything, I can’t help but think that the clue might have been improved by the omission of the word ‘goal’.
I didn’t look too closely at the time, interpreting “scoring goal” as “the goal of scoring”. Of course that that doesn’t really work with “which could lead to” – unless, I suppose, you interpret that as “which could lead to achieving”. I agree with you and keriothe that it would have been better to sacrifice the “goal”.
Unusually for a Jumbo, there were no DNKs. All in all, a fairly bland Jumbo, with no outstanding clues, although I did put a check by 11d PSEUDO-SCIENTIFIC as an impressive anagram.
2hrs 10mins so, yes, harder than mean/mode. LOIs 5ac and 5dn CLANGERS and CREW, both of which I liked, including belatedly seeing how CREW worked. Similarly enjoyed the PDM for “Does” in 55ac (the plural of Doe, a deer, a female deer). It has caught me before and no doubt will again. I liked TOASTMASTER.
I noted your unexplained correction, Kitty, to the enumeration at 44ac. The “list view” on my phone showed UNDERWEIGH, ie one letter short, was that it? It threw me for a moment. I find the “list view” particularly good for the final quick check through
44a – yes, the enumeration is given – online, at least, in both the club and paper versions – as (10), which would be the cause of the list view displaying UNDERWEIGH. Naturally I only noticed when writing up the blog.
I liked this one. Quite chewy, and some nice touches. The rhapsodic/harpsichord device is very neat.
Like jackkt I was a bit baffled by the word ‘goal’ in 36ac. The clue kind of makes sense as is but would be better without it.