Hello all. I found this gentle enough for the most part, but fell over at the end. There were a couple of trickier clues, but the one I failed on was for the unfamiliar 18a. No matter: there was plenty to entertain here and I enjoyed the ride. Thanks setter!
Definitions are underlined in the clues below. In the explanations, most quoted indicators are in italics, specified [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 | Tycoon in Asian river experiment is German (13) |
| INDUSTRIALIST — INDUS (Asian river) + TRIAL (experiment) + IST (is, German) | |
| 8a | Bloke securing drink knocked back by Irish singer (9) |
| BOWERBIRD — BOD (bloke) around (securing) BREW (drink) reversed (knocked back) by IR (Irish) | |
| 13a | Surpass American state and European island (5) |
| CAPRI — CAP (surpass) + RI (American state) | |
| 14a | Bar key painting? That’s a slip (11) |
| COUNTERFOIL — COUNTER (bar) + F (key) + OIL (painting) | |
| 15a | Racecourse record thus misrepresented at first (5) |
| EPSOM — EP (record) + SO (thus) + Misrepresented at first | |
| 16a | Quiet Hampshire arts master disturbed by a ghostly vision (9) |
| PHANTASMA — P (quiet), HANTS (Hampshire) and MA (arts master) with insertion of (disturbed by) A | |
| 17a | The last word in armaments! (4) |
| AMEN — The answer is in armAMENts | |
| 18a | Hired ruffian’s year stalking male cricketer (8) |
| MYRMIDON — YR (year) after (stalking) M (male) + MID–ON (cricketer). | |
| I failed at this, resorting to a dictionary search. I then looked for an unknown cricketer called Midon … it was only when this proved fruitless that I realised. I did feel like a silly – and I don’t mean [checks Chambers] in a fielding position very near the batsman! | |
| 20a | Cleric entering cathedral city in a calm manner (6) |
| EVENLY — VEN (cleric) entering ELY (cathedral city) | |
| 21a | Very early way to keep trees: get your priorities right (5,6,5) |
| FIRST THINGS FIRST — FIRST THING (very early) + ST (way) surrounding (to keep) FIRS (trees) | |
| 24a | Waterproof fabric a Republican chap stored in container (9) |
| TARPAULIN — A, R (Republican) and PAUL (chap) stored in TIN (container) | |
| 26a | Craftsman finally becoming less active (7) |
| GLAZIER — Finally becominG + LAZIER (less active) | |
| 27a | Brightest star principally associated with sacred river (5) |
| ALPHA — Principally Associated with ALPH (sacred river) | |
| 29a | Cutting off chaps in army corps needing time to cross ditch (12) |
| RETRENCHMENT — RE MEN (chaps in army corps) and T (time) going over (to cross) TRENCH (ditch) | |
| 31a | Female Latvian opposed to dabblers (10) |
| DILETTANTI — DI (female) + LETT (Latvian) + ANTI (opposed to) | |
| 33a | Failure to settle on mat Penny repaired (10) |
| NONPAYMENT — ON MAT PENNY anagrammed (repaired) | |
| 35a | Fashionable inference to finish with (2,10) |
| IN CONCLUSION — IN (fashionable) + CONCLUSION (inference) | |
| 38a | Comparatively inactive fish seen round lake and river (5) |
| IDLER — IDE (fish) seen round L (lake) + R (river) | |
| 39a | Nanny trains where plants are reared (7) |
| NURSERY — NURSE (nanny) + RY (trains) | |
| 40a | Unacceptable corollaries for mounted escorts (9) |
| OUTRIDERS — OUT (unacceptable) + RIDERS (corollaries) | |
| 42a | Old timer’s impressive face captivating stout woman (11,5) |
| GRANDFATHER CLOCK — GRAND (impressive) and CLOCK (face) taking in (captivating) FAT (stout) and HER (woman) | |
| 44a | Restore theatre before broadcast (6) |
| REPAIR — REP (theatre) before AIR (broadcast) | |
| 47a | Note about wild partygoers makes us cross (8) |
| TRAVERSE — TE (note) around (about) RAVERS (wild partygoers) | |
| 49a | Photograph game (4) |
| SNAP — Double definition | |
| 50a | Eastern girl’s shoulder piece (9) |
| EPAULETTE — E (Eastern) + PAULETTE (girl) | |
| 52a | Set fire to church by rocky peak (5) |
| TORCH — CH (church) by TOR (rocky peak) | |
| 53a | Stylish fellow I arranged to meet — and terrorised! (11) |
| INTIMIDATED — IN (stylish) + TIM (fellow) + I + DATED (arranged to meet) | |
| 54a | River, one featuring in folk legend (5) |
| LOIRE — I (one) featuring in LORE (folk legend) | |
| 55a | Leader limiting a politician’s time in N London suburb (9) |
| HAMPSTEAD — HEAD (leader) surrounding (limiting) A, MP’S (politician’s) and T (time) | |
| 56a | Lacking individuality, unlike Hamlet for example (13) |
| CHARACTERLESS — Two meanings | |
| Down | |
| 1d | Just beginning nice pint I ordered (9) |
| INCIPIENT — NICE PINT I anagrammed (ordered) | |
| 2d | Corrupt fellow holding record on river (7) |
| DEPRAVE — DAVE (fellow) holding EP (record) on R (river) | |
| 3d | Sparkle misplaced in Tallis etc (11) |
| SCINTILLATE — An anagram of (misplaced) IN TALLIS ETC | |
| 4d | Secluded place for a break (6) |
| RECESS — Two definitions | |
| 5d | Fawning grown-up penning article on Scottish island mostly (9) |
| ADULATION — ADULT (grown-up) containing (penning) A (article) + IONa (Scottish island) mostly | |
| 6d | Uncompromising senior officer being conveyed around (12) |
| INTRANSIGENT — GEN (senior officer) with IN TRANSIT (being conveyed) around it | |
| 7d | Pouring rain let rot spread (10) |
| TORRENTIAL — RAIN LET ROT anagrammed (spread) | |
| 8d | Express disapproval of king’s literary work (4) |
| BOOK — BOO (express disapproval of) + K (king) | |
| 9d | Town with Welshman spreading danger: extremely canny about it (6,6,4) |
| WELWYN GARDEN CITY — W (with) + ELWYN (Welshman) + an anagram of (spreading) DANGER + outer letters of (extremely) CannY around (about) IT | |
| 10d | Discharge explosive substance in Hebridean island (5) |
| RHEUM — HE (explosive substance) in RUM (Hebridean island) | |
| 11d | Cool drink, we hear, for one in the know (7) |
| INSIDER — IN (cool) + SIDER, which sounds like (… we hear) CIDER (drink) | |
| 12d | Skilful person given post covering Republican rally (13) |
| DEMONSTRATION — DEMON (skilful person) + STATION (post) covering R (Republican) | |
| 19d | Half-hearted boost popular with old Asian islander (8) |
| FILIPINO — With only one of the two central letters (half-hearted), FILlIP (boost) + IN (popular) + O (old) | |
| 22d | Blowout in tyre ultimately disturbing at speed (5) |
| FEAST — The last letter of (… ultimately) tyrE entering (disturbing) FAST (at speed) | |
| 23d | Old county councillors initially want luxury food and new horse (16) |
| CLACKMANNANSHIRE — Councillors initially + LACK (want) + MANNA (luxury food) + N (new) + SHIRE (horse) | |
| 25d | Like part of organ in later reconstruction? (7) |
| RETINAL — IN LATER anagram (reconstruction) | |
| 28d | Thoughtful writers originally illustrating victory in Europe (7) |
| PENSIVE — PENS (writers) + originally Illustrating + VE (victory in Europe) | |
| 29d | Athletic little chap crossing sierra: seamstresses may use it (7,6) |
| RUNNING STITCH — RUNNING TITCH (athletic little chap) around (crossing) S (sierra) | |
| 30d | Month attorney finally framed acceptable system of rule (8) |
| MONARCHY — MARCH (month) and the end of (… finally) attorneY have framed ON (acceptable) | |
| 32d | Doctor coped nicely, given a reference book (12) |
| ENCYCLOPEDIA — Make an anagram of (doctor) COPED NICELY + A | |
| 34d | Caustic account delivered (5) |
| ACRID — AC (account) + RID (delivered) | |
| 36d | Like protozoans, extremely unusual in college wine store (11) |
| UNICELLULAR — Outer letters of (extremely) UnusuaL in UNI (college) CELLAR (wine store) | |
| 37d | Common rite broadcast strictly in time (10) |
| METRONOMIC — COMMON RITE anagrammed (broadcast) | |
| 40d | Odd in Scotland, keeping box for players (9) |
| ORCHESTRA — ORRA (odd in Scotland) keeping CHEST (box) | |
| 41d | Charming woman taking uniform from supply on ship (9) |
| SORCERESS — Taking U (uniform) from SO[u]RCE (supply) + RE (on) + SS (ship) | |
| 43d | What racing tipster is in relation to starting price (7) |
| ANAGRAM — “Racing tipster” is an ANAGRAM of “starting price” | |
| 45d | Way to enter a bridle path, seated thus? (7) |
| ASTRIDE — ST (way) going into (to enter) A RIDE (a bridle path) | |
| 46d | Robber’s daughter taking vermouth, propping up bar (6) |
| BANDIT — D (daughter) plus IT (vermouth) below (propping up) BAN (bar) | |
| 48d | English chap rejecting mother’s code of beliefs (5) |
| ETHOS — E (English) + THO[ma]S (chap) without MA (rejecting mother) | |
| 51d | Breeding establishment set at last in south of France (4) |
| STUD — The final letter of (… at last) seT in SUD (south of France) | |
DNK ORRA or MELWYN. I never thought of manna as ‘luxury food’. There were a number of rebarbative surfaces, like 29d.
I don’t usually time Jumbo puzzles as I solve them over several sessions but I found this straightforward and completed it in one lasting 64 minutes. I had no queries although the bird at 8ac was unknown to me despite a couple of previous appearances which I may have seen.
Take a look on Youtube at a bowerbird at work on his ‘bower’ to attract females.
Pretty straightforward. My only unknown was the old county, and it took a bit of faith in the wordplay to accept it. It sounds made up!
Can somebody elaborate a bit more on 56a please? The second double meaning, “unlike Hamlet for example” – is this as simple as saying that Hamlet, being a play has some characters in it? If so it feels a bit weak since the setter could have chosen any play by any playwright. I would expect something specific to the play being mentioned at least.
Your interpretation was the best I could do too – which is why I didn’t elaborate above! Just an example of something with characters. It would be great if anyone has a better idea, but as nobody has yet suggested one, I think it is probably as simple as that.
It seems that Lucian (https://lucianpoll.com/) was also not impressed with this clue, he says:
“The remainder of the clue plays on how the play Hamlet has characters in it. Like every other play then. But, like anything French, Times setters can’t help but crowbar Billy Shakespeare in at every given opportunity. It’s embarrassing really.”
It should be said, however, that Lucian has become increasingly frustrated with the Times Jumbo as can probably be inferred from his intro to the blog.
Thanks for the link. Good to have another opinion.
Blogging a Jumbo a week could perhaps be too much of a good thing!
I thought MANNA as ‘luxury food’ a tad dubious.