I think I have been a bit spoiled by my last two Jumbos to blog, which were quite chewy and satisfying to finish. This was rather more run-of-the-mill, taking me little over half an hour to complete and with a number of clues that wouldn’t be out of place in the Quick Crossword. Nevertheless, there were some delights to be found in some elegant surfaces, such as 1a, 9a, 31a, 5d and 43d, and a nice surprise at the clever conjunction of 35d and 36d, making it all worthwhile. So thanks to our setter. How did you all get on?
Definitions underlined in italics, (ABC)* indicating anagram of ABC, {} deletions and [] other indicators.
| Across | |
| 1 | Flowers thrive around spring and summer primarily (7) |
| BLOSSOM – BLOOM (thrive) outside S{pring} and S{ummer}. But I like the snowdrops at the end of winter too. Neat surface. | |
| 5 | Clangers? Hard work must be restricted for servants (8) |
| BELLHOPS – BELLS (Clangers) enclosing [restricted] H + OP. You ring the bell and they hop to it, carrying your bags etc. | |
| 9 | Composer needing help with English language initially (6) |
| HANDEL – HAND (help) + E{nglish} L{anguage}. Very good – he was, of course, of German origin so will have had to learn English. | |
| 13 | Game faced with temporary stoppage — one brings two sides together (10,6) |
| SUSPENSION BRIDGE – SUSPENSION (temporary stoppage) + BRIDGE. I’ve not come across the device ‘faced with’ to tell you to put part1 after part2 before. | |
| 14 | A solicitor holding sealed case finally dined in restaurant? (3,3) |
| ATE OUT – A TOUT (solicitor) [holding] {sealed cas}E [finally]. I was not sure why we needed “sealed” in the clue at first, but it does help with the surface. | |
| 16 | Notice one horse going round less agitated (8) |
| STEADIED – AD (Notice) + I with STEED (horse) [going round]. Not the tempting STEADIER as STEER is a cow not a horse. | |
| 17 | Squandering half away? Reminder given (4) |
| PROD – PROD{igal} [half away]. | |
| 18 | A potential point-scorer for the team? (9) |
| EQUALISER – Cryptic definition. If you score one of these and nobody scores again, you get a draw, which gives you 1 point each. | |
| 20 | Disorder in London thoroughfare, ending in trouble for area repeatedly (4-4) |
| PELL-MELL – PALL MALL is the throughfare. replace the A (area) with {troubl}E twice. | |
| 21 | Like chemical reaction bringing death to different chap shortly (11) |
| ENDOTHERMAL – I’ve heard of endothermic, but endothermal is not in my dictionary. But it has to be… END (death) + OTHER MAL{e}. It refers to a type of chemical reaction that absorbs heat. | |
| 24 | What actor finds difficult to learn? Bad luck! (4,5) |
| HARD LINES – Double definition, first cryptic. The origin of this phrase is somewhat opaque, as described here. | |
| 25 | Excess praise is given to monarch returning (8) |
| RESIDUAL – LAUD + IS + ER all reversed. Not difficult as long as you avoid the trap of thinking the definition is “Excess praise”. | |
| 26 | Appeal for help and love just about acceptable? (2-2) |
| SO-SO – SOS + O. Just about acceptable as a clue, perhaps? | |
| 29 | Rose admired strange animals in zoo? (11) |
| DROMEDARIES – (Rose admired)*…. when her Daddy took her there after singing this song. | |
| 31 | Hesitation about small smell that’s providing a jog to the memory (11) |
| REMINISCENT – RE (Er [about]) + MINI + SCENT. There is a strong correlation of smell with memory as described here. | |
| 33 | Small room has power unit — there’s hesitation to end trapped inside (5,6) |
| WATER CLOSET – Another Er for hesitation. WATT is the unit of power. Include ER + CLOSE for the smallest room in the house. | |
| 36 | Coppers in coloured glassware (11) |
| BLUEBOTTLES – Double definition. In singular form a favourite character of mine from a radio series of a bygone age. | |
| 38 | Goes down, having lost heart, and fades away (4) |
| DIES – DI{v}ES (Goes down). | |
| 39 | Hate a man unduly — becoming this? (8) |
| ANATHEMA – (Hate a man)* [unduly]. “Something or someone that one vehemently dislikes“. | |
| 41 | A number of chaps having drug injected by back-street accommodation (9) |
| TENEMENTS – TEN MEN [injected] with E (drug) + ST backwards. Glasgow is known for this type of accommodation, which housed my glaswegian grandparents, among plenty of others. | |
| 44 | Prison kids? They may grow up in a dank environment (11) |
| STALAGMITES – STALAG + MITES, which grow upwards in caves (mites grow up and tights (tites) come down, as we all know). | |
| 45 | Conservative resigning maybe or holding tight? (8) |
| CLEAVING – C + LEAVING, “becoming very strongly involved with or emotionally attached to (someone)“. | |
| 48 | The Spanish form of therapy given examination with people voting (9) |
| ELECTORAL – EL + ECT + ORAL, putting an X in the box. | |
| 49 | Bar charging nothing, beginning to end (4) |
| REEF – Charging nothing is FREE. Follow the instructions and put the F at the end, to get a bar of rock, sand, coral or similar material, lying beneath the surface of water. | |
| 50 | Torch made of iron and gold carried by Mary’s companion (8) |
| FLAMBEAU – FE (iron) + AU (gold) including LAMB. This didn’t hold me up much – I think we’ve had this word 3 times across the times crossword formats this month. | |
| 52 | Good old-fashioned verses for operatic character (6) |
| GRIMES – G + RIMES. The character being Peter Grimes, the main protagonist in the opera by Benjamin Britten. I remember studying the wonderfully evocative Sea Interludes for ‘O’ level music. | |
| 53 | Complete the circle maybe to stay within budget? (4,4,4,4) |
| MAKE BOTH ENDS MEET – Double definition, earning just enough money to live on. | |
| 54 | Article by upright character, good person who believes in God (6) |
| THEIST – THE + I + ST (good person). Person is doing double duty here as part of both wordplay and definition. | |
| 55 | Group lying in grass, back to remember the good old days? (8) |
| REUNITED – UNIT inside REED. | |
| 56 | Situation in which bishops may have been done away with (7) |
| ENDGAME – Cryptic Definition, referring to a game of chess where most of the pieces (including, perhaps, the bishops) have been exchanged off the board. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | A son tucked into cream — most disgraceful! (6) |
| BASEST – A S{on} inside BEST. Leave some for your sister, Mum and Dad! | |
| 2 | Boy’s terrified — just a bit pink? (6) |
| OYSTER – Hidden word… {B}OY’S TER{rified}. “A delicate pinkish-white colour, sometimes with a greyish tinge”. | |
| 3 | Plant appetite-suppressing drug? Fancy that! (9) |
| SPEEDWELL – SPEED (appetite-suppressing drug) + WELL (Fancy that). I never knew amphetamine sulphate suppressed the appetite, but I do now. The plant is also known as Veronica. | |
| 4 | What could make a cinema sell lots of bits and pieces? (11) |
| MISCELLANEA – (a cinema sell)*. | |
| 5 | Wardrobe malfunction exposes it? A mistake! (4) |
| BOOB – Double definition. A sly reference to Janet Jackson’s “nipplegate” at Super Bowl XXXVIII, perhaps? | |
| 6 | Intellectual studies? Brits are all at sea (7,4) |
| LIBERAL ARTS – (Brits are all)* [at sea]. | |
| 7 | Barnet worker in hotel bearing furniture (11) |
| HAIRDRESSER – H (hotel) + AIR (bearing) + DRESSER (furniture). A cockney rhyming slang definition. | |
| 8 | Obstinate and conceited, wanting power for British (3-6) |
| PIG-HEADED – Conceited is BIG-HEADED… swap the B (British) for a P (power). A bit of a dig at Brexiteers, perhaps? | |
| 10 | A knight works to secure Eastern islands (8) |
| ANTILLES – A + N (knight in chess) + TILLS (works) with E secured. Anyone for a trip there to escape to the sun? The forecast says winter is not over yet, despite the arrival of British Summer Time this weekend. | |
| 11 | Briefly communicate help before winching to safety? (4,7,1,4) |
| DROP SOMEONE A LINE – Double definition. | |
| 12 | Actual mistake made by keyboarder (7) |
| LITERAL – Another double definition | |
| 15 | Crouch with head hidden having come down to produce some poetry (8) |
| QUATRAIN – {s}QUAT [head hidden] + RAIN to get the 4 line poem. | |
| 19 | Little animals endure for the most part dirty homes (8) |
| BEASTIES – BEA{r} (endure for the most part) + STIES. | |
| 22 | Thus, inwardly deceived, gets married, beset by gloom? (8) |
| SHADOWED – SO outside HAD + WED. | |
| 23 | Troublesome head interferes, so play it cautiously (3,2,3,4,4) |
| ERR ON THE SAFE SIDE – (head interferes so)*. | |
| 27 | Most stupid old boy, American absorbed by cricket match? (8) |
| OBTUSEST – OB + US in TEST. Don’t mention New Zealand. | |
| 28 | Note placed on street that can attract a person’s attention (4) |
| PSST – PS + ST. | |
| 30 | Make gear, nice clothes (4) |
| EARN – Hidden word in {g}EAR N{ice}. | |
| 32 | After short time, removes restriction on police force (8) |
| MOUNTIES – MO + UNTIES, to get the constabulary who always get their man. | |
| 34 | Learner with book that describes a significant event (8) |
| LANDMARK – L + AND (with) + MARK (book of the New Testament). | |
| 35 | Outdoor operator — one who takes … (4,7) |
| TREE SURGEON – Double definition in conjunction with the answer of… | |
| 36 | … this expands business (8,3) |
| BRANCHES OUT – what 35a takes. Nice one! and double clue of the year (so far). | |
| 37 | Bill’s friend beginning to expect savagery, one denied kindness (11) |
| BENEVOLENCE – BEN (Bill’s friend) + V{i}OLENCE [one denied]. You have to be of a certain age to remember the Flkowerpot men, I think. | |
| 40 | Tease flighty creature, unkind female creating trouble (9) |
| TITILLATE – TIT + ILL + ATE (the goddess of mischief and ruin).And what a tease she was too. | |
| 42 | Severely cut-down note is finished by editor (9) |
| MINIMISED – MINIM + IS + ED. | |
| 43 | Beasts, those out of breath getting hot inside (8) |
| PANTHERS – PANTERS + H inside. Neat. | |
| 44 | Cunning form of winter transport arriving on time (7) |
| SLEIGHT – SLEIGH + T. | |
| 46 | Girl trailing after dope in city (6) |
| GENEVA – GEN (dope) + EVA. | |
| 47 | Crafty additional label — it gets missed (6) |
| SUBTLE – SUBT{it}LE. Very crafty. | |
| 51 | Country fellow who peered over wall (4) |
|
CHAD – Double definition. Wot – you haven’t seen the cartoons.?
Kilroy was here! |
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CLEAVING is one of those interesting words that also means its own opposite
Does the typo in John’s first sentence turn the blog into a dnf? Discuss ..
ONG’ARA,
NAIROBI.