This puzzle took me around 55 minutes. I’m not sure why it took quite so long as there’s nothing too tricky. The definitions are pretty much all straightforward, there aren’t many silly words and the wordplay isn’t convoluted. While writing up the explanations it struck me that there were a lot of insertions and single letter elements, often used together.
First in was PISCES and last was CURASSOW. Fish to fowl.
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 O[ld] B[oy]
| Across | |
| 1 | Fish Swedish chefs originally served in pastry dishes (6) |
| PISCES – S{wedish} C{hefs}in PIES | |
| 4 | Wedding attendant married on fateful day in interwoven fabric (10) |
| BRIDESMAID – M[arried] on IDES in BRAID | |
| 10 | Engineers attack renovation of vessel, say (5) |
| REFIT – R[oyal] E[ngineers], FIT | |
| 14 | English reader, a Liberal, concerned with voting (9) |
| ELECTORAL – E[nglish] LECTOR, A L[iberal] | |
| 15 | Top European is able to maintain a large missile launching site (4,9) |
| CAPE CANAVERAL – CAP, E[uropean] CAN, AVER, A L[arge] | |
| 16 | Unsurpassed junior officer hiding in a tree (3-4) |
| ALL-TIME – L[ieutenan]T in A LIME | |
| 17 | Baskets of celebratory wine Charlie left out (7) |
| HAMPERS – CHAMPERS sans C[harlie] | |
| 18 | Protein in connective tissue finally introduced to a German (7) |
| ELASTIN – LAST in EIN | |
| 19 | Bar, merchandise and beer container — the whole lot! (4,5,3,6) |
| LOCK STOCK AND BARREL – basic charade | |
| 21 | Short extra box? (4) |
| SPAR – SPAR{e} | |
| 24 | Tenor ultimately associated with estrangement (5) |
| DRIFT – {associate}D, RIFT | |
| 26 | Plot involving girl in South Carolina port (8) |
| SCENARIO – ENA in S[outh] C[arolina] RIO. You don’t need to know any South Carolina ports, thankfully. | |
| 27 | Beasts of burden carrying good, first-class light spears (8) |
| ASSEGAIS – ASSES around G[ood] A1. | |
| 29 | Abandoned Nigel calmly, though with lack of care (11) |
| NEGLIGENTLY – (Nigel calmly)* | |
| 30 | Dependable NHS management — of unknown value? (11) |
| TRUSTWORTHY – (NHS) TRUST, WORTH Y. | |
| 32 | Blatancy of old boy and girl initially outraging American head (11) |
| OBVIOUSNESS – O[ld] B[oy], VI, O{utraging}, U.S. NESS | |
| 35 | Lacking capacity to carry table reportedly set in stone? (11) |
| UNALTERABLE – UNABLE around homophone of ALTAR | |
| 37 | Example of popular fellow, civil engineer (8) |
| INSTANCE – IN, STAN, C[ivil] E[ngineer] | |
| 39 | Pertinent, rejecting a gang leader’s suggestion (8) |
| PROPOSAL – aPROPOS, AL (Capone) | |
| 40 | Flower starts to look inferior, nibbled by sheep (5) |
| TULIP – L{ook} I{nferior} in TUP | |
| 43 | House acceptable for a literary pirate (4) |
| HOOK – HO[use], O.K. | |
| 44 | Glorify oneself — with a fanfare, perhaps? (4,4,3,7) |
| BLOW ONES OWN TRUMPET – DDCDH | |
| 47 | Imposing building, or small one in opera? (7) |
| MANSION – S[mall] I in MANON (a Massenet opera). | |
| 48 | Most obtrusive yobbo taking in some of the French (7) |
| LOUDEST – LOUT around DES | |
| 50 | Time and motive for lese-majesty (7) |
| TREASON – T[ime], REASON | |
| 51 | Old Europeans vet hols, we hear, touring capital city (13) |
| CZECHOSLOVAKS – soundalike of CHECK VACS around OSLO | |
| 52 | Frenchman’s to go inside container to meet a dancer (9) |
| BALLERINA – ALLER in BIN A | |
| 53 | Feeble wife quietly dislodged by cat (5) |
| WUSSY – W[ife] then PUSSY without P[iano] | |
| 54 | They expand a detective’s offers (10) |
| DISTENDERS – D[etective] I[nspector]’S TENDERS. | |
| 55 | Thin and emaciated male bore (6) |
| MEAGRE – M[ale] EAGRE | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Quiet cleric was unwell, but gained mastery (9) |
| PREVAILED – P[iano], REV[erend], AILED | |
| 2 | That woman left without applying glossy coat (11) |
| SHELLACKING – SHE, L[eft], LACKING | |
| 3 | Guards dismissing first of such registered competitors (7) |
| ENTRIES – SENTRIES without S{uch} | |
| 5 | Fellow encountered in rural pharmacy (5) |
| RALPH – hidden | |
| 6 | Study Latin with new intake, penning a factual film (11) |
| DOCUMENTARY – DO (as in, say, I did economics at uni), CUM, ENTRY around A | |
| 7 | Boss regularly met priest reforming a participant in massacre (11) |
| SEPTEMBRIST – (B{o}S{s} met priest)*. 1792 and all that. | |
| 8 | A northern church’s attempt to establish roots (8) |
| ANCESTRY – A N[orthern] C[hurch of E[ngland]’S TRY | |
| 9 | Information found in sandhills on south Kent headland (9) |
| DUNGENESS – GEN in DUNES, S[outh] | |
| 10 | Expose girl with article in both hands (6) |
| REVEAL – EVE with A in R[ight] L[eft] | |
| 11 | Warning to top politician — a way to get supporter on board (11) |
| FORETOPMAST – FORE! (golf), TO, P[rime] M[inister], A, ST[reet] | |
| 12 | Heavyweight holding almost all remaining cards (5) |
| TALON – TON around AL{l} | |
| 13 | Severity of poor European singers entertaining you in Paris (12) |
| GRIEVOUSNESS – (E[uropean} singers)* around VOUS | |
| 20 | King meets newsman bringing in unknown old coin (8) |
| KREUTZER – K[ing], REUTER around Z | |
| 22 | Change form of extremely rare historical writing implement (7) |
| RESTYLE – R{ar}E, STYLE | |
| 23 | US politician in rally runs into moggy (8) |
| DEMOCRAT – DEMO, R[uns] in CAT | |
| 25 | Stumble over young chap climbing, having three feet (8) |
| TRIPODAL – TRIP, O[ver], LAD reversed | |
| 28 | Dog and donkey primarily obsessed with crested bird (8) |
| CURASSOW – CUR, ASS, O{bsessed} W{ith} | |
| 29 | Characters in Borneo lithographing stone implement (7) |
| NEOLITH – hidden | |
| 31 | Chitchat of abstainer in old hat, story Times breaks (6-6) |
| TITTLE-TATTLE – T[ee]T[otaller] in TILE, TALE around T[ime] T[ime] | |
| 33 | Noblewoman representing vet’s cousins (11) |
| VISCOUNTESS – (vet’s cousins)* | |
| 34 | Constrict great-aunts travelling across lake (11) |
| STRANGULATE – (great aunts)* around L[ake] | |
| 35 | Owned by no one — but not crazed (11) |
| UNPOSSESSED – DD, one verging on whimsical | |
| 36 | Fellow given appointment working for advertisers (11) |
| BILLPOSTING – BILL, POSTING | |
| 38 | Stop one’s free land eventually being occupied (9) |
| COLONISED – COLON, I’S, {fre}E {lan}D | |
| 41 | Ruler’s earthenware vessel in French gallery (9) |
| POTENTATE – POT, EN, TATE | |
| 42 | Birds farm animals observed crossing barrier (8) |
| SWALLOWS – SOWS around WALL | |
| 45 | Stringed instrument from our country the Spanish at last gave the French (7) |
| UKELELE – UK, EL, {gav}E, LE. I’m more familiar with the UKULELE spelling. | |
| 46 | In Berlin I invested in trains — lavishly! (6) |
| RICHLY – ICH in R[ai]L[wa]Y | |
| 47 | Parrot beginning to make a crow’s sound (5) |
| MACAW – M{ake}, A, CAW | |
| 49 | Container finally made for King Edward? (5) |
| TUBER – TUB, {mad}E {fo}R | |
I’ve got almost no notes on this one, which suggests it was fairly easy. Except for 20d, which I couldn’t get: DNK KREUTZER and I probably never got beyond ED for ‘newsman’. DNK CURASSOW. Having ‘top’ in the clue and the solution was infelicitous.
Like Kevin, I have very few notes or workings on this one so I assume I found it easy for the most part, but I used aids for two: KREUTZER , which for me would have been better clued with reference to the Beethoven violin sonata named in honour of a musician who hated it and refused to play it, and SCENARIO which on reflection I should have solved easily .
It’s odd how things come around again, because only the day before this Jumbo was published the 15×15 contained BILL POSTER which began quite a discussion of corny old puns.
Yes I was very conscious of the bill posters discussion and steered clear today in order to avoid opening up old wounds 😁
34.14 for this one, which accurately suggests it was a straight through solve with no particular hold-ups. So you could hardly miss a beat on “bar, merchandise and beer container”, for example, before putting fingers to keyboard. Mind you, I fully concur with the view that KREUTZER could less obscurely defined, especially for us TLS types.
I found this mostly very easy but KREUTZER was impossible. ‘Newsman’ just offered too many possibilities. I considered Gavin Estler (KYESTLER? KNESTLER?) but he’s actually Esler.
Not all rockets are missiles. Cape Canaveral is not a “missile launching site”.
Yes, but…
Cape Canaveral has been a major launch site for both rockets and missiles throughout its history. While it is primarily known for space launches, it has also been used to launch various types of missiles, including:
Ballistic missiles: Early in its history, Cape Canaveral was used to test and launch ballistic missiles like the Redstone and Jupiter-C.
Cruise missiles: Some cruise missile tests and launches have also taken place at Cape Canaveral.
It’s important to note that Cape Canaveral’s primary focus today is on space launches, with a wide range of rockets carrying satellites, spacecraft, and astronauts into orbit.
Missile launches are much less frequent compared to the past.
Also ‘missile’ can be defined as any projectile launched with force.