Hello again. This Jumbo I thought was about average, but a bit of a potpourri with some neat clues and some not so neat – and some dreadful surfaces in clues like 13, 22, 29, 31ac, to look no further.
What did you think?
Please, do feel free to ask questions or comment as required.
I use the standard conventions like underlining the definition, CD for cryptic definition, DD for a double one, *(anargam) and so forth. Nho = “not heard of” and in case of need the Glossary is always handy
| Across | |
| 1 | Native poet’s back in Italy more than once (7) |
| ISRAELI – LEAR’S (poet’s) rev. in I(taly) twice. | |
| 5 | Guess your setter’s in the commons? (8) |
| ESTIMATE – I’M (your setter’s) in ESTATE, commons. Collins says: “Estate: an order or class of persons in a political community, regarded collectively as a part of the body politic: usually regarded as being the lords temporal (peers), lords spiritual, and commons” | |
| 9 | Is correspondence for him? (6) |
| ISMAIL – IS + MAIL. Not too cryptic! | |
| 13 | Often finished a new port before answer’s found in a gin (4,3,4,5) |
| OVER AND OVER AGAIN – OVER (finished) + A + N(ew) + DOVER (port) + A(nswer) in A GIN. I think I just bunged it in from the enumeration! | |
| 14 | Text from college is hardly one that’s entertaining (6) |
| GEISHA – hidden as above | |
| 16 | Sign of resistance returning a possible diamond ring (5) |
| OMEGA – A GEM (poss. diamond) + ) (ring). Ω, the symbol for ohms, electrical resistance | |
| 17 | Suspicion mostly to take possession of girl (7) |
| SUSANNE – SUS(picion) + ANNE(x), to take possession of, mostly | |
| 18 | Stag, elk, skate and civet all essentially are big-mouthed (9) |
| TALKATIVE – the middle bits of sTAg, eLk, sKATe and cIVEt. Clever, as long as you don’t dwell on the surface reading. | |
| 19 | Decorator is power finishing before beginning to repaint (9) |
| PLASTERER – P(ower) + LAST (inishing) + ERE + R(epaint) | |
| 21 | Bird’s cry caught greeting noise of cat returning (7) |
| CHIRRUP – C + HI + PURR, rev. | |
| 22 | Droppings round horse’s back absorbing upper-class (5) |
| GUANO – U (upper-class) in O + NAG, rev. The surface reading makes NO sense. | |
| 23 | Sleep during sex is not appropriate (5) |
| INAPT – NAP (sleep) in IT, sex | |
| 25 | Arrest — surprisingly resistance happened (9) |
| APPREHEND – *(R + HAPPENED) | |
| 27 | Extremely happy former partner dealt with changes (7) |
| EXALTED – EX (former partner) + *(DEALT) | |
| 29 | Result of pressing investigation — shells perhaps covered in minute chickpeas? (9) |
| MAMMOGRAM – AMMO (shells perhaps) in M + GRAM. I assume the def. is right! (mrs W says it is) | |
| 31 | Spice island stripped fennec pelt (7,6) |
| CAYENNE PEPPER – CAY (island) + (f)ENNE(c) + PEPPER, to pelt, eg with buckshot | |
| 34 | Caller chasing good state nurse (6,7) |
| HEALTH VISITOR – HEALTH (good state) + VISITOR (caller). Common when I was young, you will do well to see a health visitor nowadays I suspect | |
| 35 | What beats transport system old men reconstructed (9) |
| METRONOME – METRO (transport system) + *( O MEN) | |
| 37 | One not taking sides, nervous about end of conflict (7) |
| NEUTRAL – (conflic)T in NEURAL, to do with the nervous system. | |
| 39 | Party dress to discard, one going with black attire (9) |
| DOMINICAN – DO (party) + MINI (dress) + CAN, to discard. Blackfriars, named after them. | |
| 42 | Make improvements to staff editor retains (5) |
| EMEND – MEN (staff) in ED(itor) | |
| 43 | Pandemonium as Charles embraces Oscar (5) |
| CHAOS – O (Oscar, NATO alphabet) in CHAS (Charles) | |
| 45 | News — it is interrupted by Scottish strike (7) |
| TIDINGS – DING in ‘TIS (it is) | |
| 47 | Royal weapon of unknown calibre set in a lot of gems all over (9) |
| EXCALIBUR – X + CAL(ibre), in RUBIE(s), rev. | |
| 49 | A god turned insect? Almost freakish (9) |
| ANOMALOUS – A + AMON, rev. (Egyptian god) + LOUS(e), an insect almost. | |
| 50 | Workshop I later rebuilt to conserve energy (7) |
| ATELIER – E(nergy) in *(I LATER) | |
| 52 | Part of painting exhibiting slight colouration (5) |
| TINGE – hidden, as above. | |
| 54 | Language feature associated with Oxford? (6) |
| TONGUE – a DD, Oxford being a kind of shoe. | |
| 55 | I note golf might be derived from this kids’ game? (5,2,3,6) |
| PIGGY IN THE MIDDLE – because the middle letter of piggy is a G (NATO golf) | |
| 56 | Avoid motorway in bumpy vehicle (6) |
| DODGEM – DODGE (avoid) + M. Very popular when I was a kid, dodgems. | |
| 57 | Consecrated ground church gauge the ultimate in holy (8) |
| CEMETERY – CE (church) + METER (gauge) + (hol)Y | |
| 58 | Storm as English politician appears in trial (7) |
| TEMPEST – E MP (English politician) in TEST, a trial | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Correspondence of form is second rising art movement (11) |
| ISOMORPHISM – IS + MO rev., + ORPHISM. Nho orphism, I looked it up in Wikipedia but failed to understand a single sentence of the article. See for yourself .. a poor clue, imo | |
| 2 | Magistrate is concerned with always finishing early (5) |
| REEVE – RE (is concerned with) + EVE(r). Reeves, beloved of Chaucer and of crossword setters everywhere. | |
| 3 | Startling beat captured by revolutionary recording (7) |
| EPATANT – TAN (beat) in TAPE, rev. Another word that seldom crops up in conversation.. | |
| 4 | What led to the growth of cities badly invited rural solution (10,10) |
| INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION – *(INVITED RURAL SOLUTION). I am taking the setter’s word for this! Right number of letters, anyhow.. | |
| 5 | Try to hear birds during English fall (9) |
| EAVESDROP – AVES (birds, if you are Roman or an ornithologist) in E(nglish) DROP (fall) | |
| 6 | Go round one foreign city (5) |
| TURIN – I in TURN (go) | |
| 7 | Ten images repositioned to make attractive (9) |
| MAGNETISE – *(TEN IMAGES) | |
| 8 | Time to go on social media site with new name (7) |
| TWITTER – T(ime) + WITTER, to go on. I still think of it as twitter, as in “Have they nothing better to do?” | |
| 10 | Situation confused Bangladesh after boy goes missing (7) |
| SHEBANG – *(BANG(lad)ESH) | |
| 11 | One attacking a small southern tree of heaven endlessly (9) |
| ASSAILANT – A S(mall) S(outhern) + AILANT(hus). Nho “tree of heaven,” and certainly nho Ailanthus, its proper name. And I don’t remember seeing “endlessly” mean “all but the last three letters” before, either. Not a fan of this clue! | |
| 12 | Tenant of fields and house with tree outside (11) |
| LEASEHOLDER – LEAS, fields, + HO(use) in ELDER, a tree that I have heard of | |
| 15 | Everything’s as it should be here in a large country, right? (3,7,3,7) |
| ALL PRESENT AND CORRECT – PRESENT (here) in A L(arge) LAND (country) + CORRECT (right) | |
| 20 | Lack of vigour I intend getting raised in drinkers’ group (7) |
| ANAEMIA – I MEAN rev. (I intend) in AA, a drinkers (or non-drinkers?) group. An illness that I am currently suffering from, and it is no fun at all. In my case it is the result of poikilocytosis, but what is causing that is not yet known. | |
| 21 | Boasted less than attractive hair style (7) |
| CREWCUT – CREW (boasted) + |
|
| 24 | One supporting swine with swine supporting them initially (7) |
| TROTTER – T(hem) + ROTTER, a swine. Why pigs only have trotters when cows, sheep etc have hooves, I don’t know. | |
| 26 | Fabric printer’s measure, one coming in 500 metres (5) |
| DENIM – EN (printer’s measure) + I in D (five hundred, if you’re Roman) + M(etres) | |
| 28 | Champion keeping school solvent (7) |
| ACETONE – ETON (school) in ACE, champion. | |
| 30 | Silently contemplated sea engulfing you and me (5) |
| MUSED – US in the MED, a sea. | |
| 32 | Unknown typefaces including Roman capital can be pants (1-6) |
| Y-FRONTS – Y (an unknown, like X and Z) + R(oman) in FONTS, typefaces | |
| 33 | Dog secured by lead — better late than never? (7) |
| PROVERB – ROVER (a dog, does anyone anywhere still call them that?) in PB, or Pb, lead. Two dbes in one clue! | |
| 34 | Manually produced pair of taps, judged about fine (11) |
| HANDCRAFTED – H AND C (pair of taps) + F(ine) in RATED, judged. | |
| 36 | Modern teen’s involved record of lawbreaking (11) |
| ENDORSEMENT – *(MODERN TEEN’S) | |
| 38 | Stubbs maybe finished — in the end had to keep roan’s head simple (9) |
| UNADORNED – UNA (Stubbs, maybe) + R(oan) in DONE (finished) + (ha)D. Una Stubbs, well enough known in Britain as one of those actresses, always busy but never quite the star. | |
| 40 | French writer meaning to get translated (9) |
| MONTAIGNE – *(MEANING TO). Never read a thing he wrote, sadly. | |
| 41 | What helps people get on university course (9) |
| CHEMISTRY – a DD I think. | |
| 44 | Certain to limit tattoo’s size? (7) |
| STATURE – TAT(too), in SURE, certain. | |
| 46 | Look down on little sister holding on to papa in river (7) |
| DESPISE – P (NATO PAPA) in SIS, itself in DEE, a river. | |
| 48 | Burning smell around one type of battery? (7) |
| LITHIUM – LIT (burning) + I in HUM, a smell. | |
| 51 | Exclusive landed in middle of week (5) |
| ELITE – LIT (landed, this time!) in (w)EE(k) | |
| 53 | Elbow groom into picture — but there’s no room (5) |
| NUDGE – G(room) in NUDE, a picture. Geddit? | |
There seems to be one Jumbo setter who produces clues with awful surfaces; I’ve got ‘feh’ written in the margins by a number, including 22, 29, & 31. 22 probably the worst ever. My LOI was 1acc; ‘native’ not the best definition. I thought ‘calibre’ as part of the clue for EXCALIBUR was less than ept. Forunately, I somehow knew ‘ailanthus’, but dnk ‘tree of heaven’, and didn’t think ‘endlessly’ could indicate deletion of three letters. No idea who Stubbs was (another ‘feh’ clue). Jerry, this is 1723 not 1623. Sorry to hear about your anemia; I hope you recover quickly.
Thank you Kevin. I had a blood transusion yesterday and will have another today … there are worse illnesses to have but it is quite time-consuming!
Changed the number, thanks ..
Tree of Heaven aka AILANT{o}
Ah; thanks, Jack. But I just went to Wikipedia and it seems that ailanto is Ambonese, not English.
AILANTO is in Collins under British English and also in Chambers so the setter is covered.
Ah yes, Ailanto is in Collins as an alternative name for Ailanthus. I shan’t alter the blog, the clue isn’t worth it 🙂
Apologies for duplicating Kevin’s comment about the puzzle number. Assuming it wasn’t added later I somehow missed it.
Jerry, you need to change the puzzle number to 1723, also edit it in the Permalink field underneath the heading.
I found this easier than some recent Jumbos. I don’t recall meeting the spelling ISMAEL before but may have forgotten it. I missed the explanation of ESTATE at 5ac, but actually knew it, the press being regarded as the fourth estate. DNK MONA as a god.
Lost my comment…
Tough one for me as a newbie.
I thought this was quite straightforward, and didn’t notice the clumsy surfaces. I only notice surfaces if I make a conscious effort to do so, when blogging mostly.
I know about the estates from studying the French Revolution at school (Les États Généraux) and from the term for the press noted by jackkt.
21d: ‘less than attractive’ could be CUT(e)
Oh yes, quite right, ta… I did actually parse it that way when I solved the clue, but had forgot when I came to do the blog. Duly amended.
Thank you for the blog – and I hope you get well soon.
Didn’t get: 49a. Some I got but couldn’t parse were 29a (didn’t know that pressing was involved in this procedure), 1d, and of course 11d, my nomination for worst clue of the week. Favourite: 33d.
Yep, we also found this to be a curious mix of good clues and duffers.
For 1d my dictionary describes Orphism as “ a mystery religion of Ancient Greece” – not an art movement.
Didn’t like Épatant or the abbreviated Tree of Heaven in Assailant.
On the other hand, there were smiles for I-nap-t and T-witter. Also Proverb was neat.