I solved this rather old-fashioned puzzle in about 50 minutes over three sessions. There was a distinct lack of the up-to-date stuff The Times is thinking of introducing to attract younger solvers. I suspect that the setter was feeling pretty pleased with him / herself at getting two 23-letter Hamlet quotes into the grid, but, to quote Shania Twain, that don’t impress me much.
First in was INVEIGHED and last was BRAZEN.
If any of my explanations don’t make sense then feel free to ask for further elucidation.
The technical stuff:
Clues are in blue (unless you’re in dark mode) with the definition underlined. Anagram indicators are in bold italics.
Notation:
DD: Double definition
CD: Cryptic definition
DDCDH: DD/CD hybrid where a straight definition is combined with a cryptic hint.
&Lit: “all in one” where the entire clue is both definition and wordplay.
(fodder)* denotes an anagram of the letters in the brackets.
Rounded brackets are also used to add further clarity
Squiggly brackets {} indicate parts of a word not used
Deletions are struck out
Square brackets [] expand an abbreviation or shortening like V[olume]
| Across | |
| 1 | Limiting volume, I sounded like a nag was ranting (9) |
| INVEIGHED – I NEIGHED around V[olume] | |
| 6 | I have a craft — it’s coming in from islands off Ireland (7) |
| ARTISAN – ‘TIS in ARAN | |
| 10 | Flood market primarily in exchange (5) |
| SWAMP – M{arket} in SWAP | |
| 13 | Translucent material admits brief check of lenses etc (7) |
| OPTICAL – OPAL around TIC{k} | |
| 14 | One hundred and four at large in Greek city (5) |
| CORFU – C, (four)*. At large can mean at random. The city is the capital of the island. | |
| 15 | Punter’s song, festive one in plain setting (9) |
| BARCAROLE – CAROL (festive song) in BARE | |
| 16 | I appreciate the cameo line before Hamlet enters (3,4,6,4,6) |
| FOR THIS RELIEF MUCH THANKS – CAMEO (ware) is a style of pottery with a relief decoration. If you don’t know that and you haven’t brushed up your Shakespeare you’re in guessing territory. | |
| 17 | Chinese snack later sent back (3,3) |
| WON TON – NOT NOW reversed. Neat. | |
| 18 | The man’s doughnut-shaped and of a certain age (8) |
| HISTORIC – HIS, TORIC | |
| 19 | Give reasons for land that’s lost its flatness? (7) |
| EXPLAIN – Land that’s no loger flat might be an EX-PLAIN | |
| 22 | Greek king’s unnatural russety hue (10) |
| EURYSTHEUS – (russety hue)* | |
| 23 | Film developer’s scene with rough cut more overused in audition (12) |
| SCRIPTWRITER – SC[ene], homophone of RIP TRITER. SC for scene isn’t in Chambers. | |
| 27 | Thanks to the end of Spanish snacks, getting some Italian? (5) |
| PASTA – TAPAS with TA sent to the back. | |
| 29 | For Magritte, this recalled 18 without emotion (3-4) |
| ICE-COLD – reversal of CECI (as in “n’est pas une pipe”), OLD | |
| 30 | Put in heavy type to give encouragement (8) |
| EMBOLDEN – DD | |
| 32 | Nun’s supervisor’s earlier attempts half-forgotten (8) |
| PRIORESS – PRIOR, ESSays | |
| 34 | Something thorny or horny? (7) |
| DILEMMA – DDCDH | |
| 36 | Leftover rice left in a mess (5) |
| RELIC – (rice L[eft])* | |
| 39 | Waste of resources potentially nice? Nice and iffy (12) |
| INEFFICIENCY – (nice nice iffy)* | |
| 41 | Fifty per cent of not proven cases debunk sceptic (10) |
| UNBELIEVER – UNVERified around BELIE | |
| 44 | Work statement on leaving prison? (7) |
| CANTATA – CAN TATA (ot TATA CAN in non-Yoda speak) | |
| 46 | A time to tease in long rant (8) |
| DIATRIBE – A, T[ime], RIB all inside DIE | |
| 48 | Fixes this before PM starts (6) |
| AMENDS – AM ends as PM starts | |
| 50 | Hero’s description of uncle, heading off understanding by quiet inner areas of desert? (1,4,2,6,3,7) |
| A KING OF SHREDS AND PATCHES – another nasty one if you’re not a waggledagger fan as once again the wordplay is unfriendly. I think it’s tAKING, OF, SH!, RED (inner ring on an archery target), SAND PATCHES. Hamlet again for the record. | |
| 53 | They’re sliding, as in composition (9) |
| GLISSANDI – (sliding as)*, semi-&Lit | |
| 54 | Island deer animated, scratching head and feet (5) |
| IAMBI – I[sland], bAMBI | |
| 55 | Implicate loss of energy in remnant of burning petroleum (7) |
| EMBROIL – EMBeR, OIL | |
| 56 | Inflexible belief of one who’s dropped litter? (5) |
| DOGMA – A DOG MA will have had a litter of puppies | |
| 57 | Some echo the advice for a Spitfire (7) |
| HOTHEAD – hidden | |
| 58 | Turn decorated piece of wood after cutting a flower (9) |
| GOLDENROD – reversal of aDORNED LOG | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Type of pot, after a glance at the table (2-3) |
| IN-OFF – CD based on snooker / billiards / pool | |
| 2 | Who’d need nurse on a tiger, very sick? (10,7) |
| VETERINARY SURGEON – (nurse on a tiger very)*. Another anagram semi-&Lit | |
| 3 | Conspiratorial old Central American is having a laugh? (2,7) |
| IN CAHOOTS – INCA HOOTS | |
| 4 | Lives in a tree, getting altogether better? (6) |
| HOLISM – IS in HOLM (not HOLIST as I originally had it) | |
| 5 | Infirmity developed, climbing round about base of stomach? (11) |
| DECREPITUDE – EDUCED reversed around RE PIT. | |
| 6 | Rescues by plane runs across 17 yards? (8) |
| AIRLIFTS – AIRS around LI (51) FT (feet) | |
| 7 | Weds follower with nothing for engagement as yet (4,3) |
| THUS FAR – THUR[sday] around S[weet] F[anny] A[dams] | |
| 8 | Secured by loan one has, junior court were often used in it? (11) |
| SUBJUNCTIVE – JUN[ior] C[our]T in SUB I’VE. “If I were…” is in the subjunctive case. | |
| 9 | Went short, roughly between 10 and 11 o’clock? (9) |
| NORTHWEST – (went short)*. On a clock face NW is right in the middle of 10 & 11. | |
| 10 | Wreck wee drink with form of potato in it (5,2) |
| SMASH UP – SUP around MASH. | |
| 11 | A name written around my nut (5) |
| ACORN – A N[ame] around COR | |
| 12 | Agreeable remark reduced rent in food store (10) |
| PLEASANTRY – LEASe in PANTRY | |
| 17 | Give birth with assistance (5) |
| WHELP – W[ith] HELP | |
| 20 | Almost too late when 48, nearly? (2,3,8,4) |
| AT THE ELEVENTH HOUR – the answer to 48 being AM ENDS | |
| 21 | Bird’s piercing call with a final inversion (6) |
| SHRIKE – SHRIEK with the K and E transposed | |
| 24 | Copper with top off, unusually good for hugs (6) |
| CUDDLY – CU, oDDLY | |
| 25 | Monarch associated with unbending line? (5) |
| RULER – stationery-based CD | |
| 26 | Scandi and not American detective lacking conclusion (6) |
| NORDIC – NOR, DICk | |
| 28 | Cold sponge’s bottom needs to be on top (5) |
| ALOOF – LOOFA with the A moved | |
| 31 | What might be uplifting religion without shame (6) |
| BRAZEN – BRA, ZEN | |
| 33 | Wasteful species destroy most of the division (11) |
| SPENDTHRIFT – SP[ecies], END, TH{e} RIFT | |
| 35 | Complex fix improving when leads are crossed (4-7) |
| MIND-BENDING – Spoonerism of BIND MENDING | |
| 37 | Heart in sound body (5) |
| CORPS – sound like CORE | |
| 38 | Record difficult to hold up for example is released (10) |
| DISCHARGED – DISC, HARD around E.G. reversed | |
| 40 | Singer very loud in linked series — the long and short of it (9) |
| CHAFFINCH – FF in CHAIN and CH[ain] (long and short versions of the imperial measure) | |
| 42 | Changeless Malibu met changes (9) |
| IMMUTABLE – (Malibu met)* | |
| 43 | Taken for granted, carry on after intermission in Palladium (8) |
| PRESUMED – RESUME in P[alla]D[ium] | |
| 45 | Dignified area in Georgian city (7) |
| AUGUSTA – AUGUST A[rea] | |
| 47 | Brutish games, sporting similar (7) |
| APELIKE – P.E. in ALIKE | |
| 49 | News agency ring for request (6) |
| APPEAL – A[ssociated] P[ress], PEAL | |
| 51 | Somewhat calorific in general, in addition to cake (5) |
| ICING – hidden | |
| 52 | Daughter unfortunately upended dish of vegetables (5) |
| SALAD – reversal of D[aughter] ALAS | |
I got the first long Hamlet quote, never parsed it. Didn’t recognize the second one as from Hamlet–rather embarrassing, that, as I just re-read it last week– but I knew Nanki-Poo’s self-description as a ‘thing’ of shreds etc.; a bit of ninja-turtling, I suppose. DNK the Greek king. Never figured out AIRLIFT. “Can, ta-ta” is not a statement.
Add me to the Shania club for 16/50.
The Saturday Jumbo is normally a weekend treat for me, but this one wasn’t. I became increasingly frustrated with the long quotations which I knew I didn’t know, and even though I was eventually able to guess at some of the words from checkers I was unable to assemble them into anything that appeared to make any sense away from their original context which I also knew I wouldn’t know. In the end I looked them up but they still didn’t make any sense although I suppose they would in the context of the play.
Elsewhere I was writing in answers from definitions without understanding the wordplay and vice versa.
As one of our regulars used to say years ago: Pah!!
55 minutes for me. I was held up for 10 minutes by my last few, which was a bit frustrating. DNK either of the quotes (so had to search for them, which spoiled the pleasure) or the Greek king and never parsed GOLDENROD, thinking the ROD was the piece of wood. I liked NORTHWEST and WHELP, but I also felt it a bit dusty. Thanks Penfold and setter.
I found this very hard, and didn’t think much of it for the same reasons as others. The long Hamlet quotes are rather self-indulgent, and the obscure wordplay (cameo, inner) makes them pretty unfair if you ask me.
As above: bah!
And, a HOLM is a tree, making 4dn rather unsatisfactory.
As it happens, HOLISM is the correct answer and my HOLIST is a dud, a HOLT being a group of tress rather than a single tree. That said, HOLM as a name for holly or the holm-oak is marked as Spenserian in Chambers so is more fodder for a Listener or Mephisto than a Jumbo.
Anyway, blog corrected.