This was quite a straightforward Jumbo with only the stew at 55A and the nasty form of torture at 5D being a new words to me. But both were easily derived from checkers and wordplay. Done online, I don’t have any notes on any particular difficulties.All done in about 39 1/2 minutes, which may be close to a PB for me for the Jumbo. One or two entertaining clues noted in the text; BIRTHSTONE my favourite, I think. Having learnt about the Greek stew, I decided to make it for Sunday dinner last weekend. I served it with rice and a greek salad. Very tasty! Thanks setter for the culinary lesson (and the rest of an entertaining, but not-too-taxing crossword). How did you all like it?
P.S. I am in York today for the fifteensquared Sloggers and Betters event. Hoping to see some of you there.
P.S. I am in York today for the fifteensquared Sloggers and Betters event. Hoping to see some of you there.
Definitions underlined in italics, (ABC)* indicating anagram of ABC, {} deletions and [] other indicators.
| Across | |
| 1 | One rarely seen on course, wandering bird? (9) |
| ALBATROSS – Double definition. Funnily enough I solved this the Friday after publication, just after doing that day’s daily cryptic, which also has this as an answer! | |
| 6 | Dazzling stuff by nesting bird, falling out (10) |
| SQUABBLING – SQUAB (nesting bird) BLING (dazzling stuff). This one held me up a bit, before i remembered “If you see a U there mght be a Q before it“. | |
| 12 | Charge around a country, missing key characteristic (7) |
| FEATURE – FEE (charge) around A TUR{key}. | |
| 13 | Record once over fifty, broken (5-4) |
| FORTY-FIVE – (over fifty)* [broken]. | |
| 14 | Key — it opens throne room from the back (5) |
| VITAL – IT inside LAV (throne room – ho ho) backwards. | |
| 16 | A noted form of treatment? (5,7) |
| MUSIC THERAPY – Cryptic definition. An interesting profession. I’ve always thought that music has a great power to affect. | |
| 17 | Less than a grand invested in current prodigy (10) |
| WUNDERKIND – UNDER (less than) K (a grand) inside WIND (current). | |
| 19 | Officer arrests magnate, corrupt (8,2,4) |
| SERGEANT AT ARMS – (arrests magnate)* [corrupt]. | |
| 22 | Release young man held by heartless relative (8) |
| UNBUCKLE – BUCK (young man) inside UN{c}LE (heartless relative). | |
| 24 | Spark: oxygen entering a device (6) |
| AROUSE – O (oxygen) inside A RUSE (a device) | |
| 25 | Separate, hopping away? (3,2,1,4) |
| OUT ON A LIMB – Double definition, second cryptic. If you are hopping, you will be using only a single leg. | |
| 26 | Unfamiliar doctor having short hair? I’m not sure (5) |
| LOCUM – LOC{k} (short hair) UM (I’m not sure). | |
| 29 | Make eyes at really nice principals (4) |
| EARN – Initial letters if Eyes At Really Nice. | |
| 30 | River attached to name in clothing — Tweed, say? (8) |
| KNITWEAR – N (name) in KIT (clothing) with WEAR (river) [attached]. | |
| 32 | Bird has adequate amount for chemical process (9) |
| TITRATION – TIT (bird) RATION (adequate amount). | |
| 34 | Deceit concealed by troop, or soldiers shouldering it? (9) |
| BANDOLIER – LIE (deceit) inside BAND (troop) OR. This is a pocketed belt for ammunition usually slung over the shoulder. | |
| 35 | Spirit discarded, died (8) |
| PERISHED – PERI (spirit) SHED (discarded) | |
| 36 | Kind with gun? (4) |
| WARM – W (with) ARM (gun). | |
| 39 | Large jar, it’s said? (5) |
| GREAT – Sounds like GRATE (jar). | |
| 40 | Fixing process: players helping (10) |
| CASTRATION – CAST (players) RATION (helping) – our second ration of the day. A bit of a euphemistic definition – I’ve never heard it called that, but I see ‘castrate’ is in Chambers as a meaning of ‘fix’. | |
| 42 | Provocateur on schedule at first for easy victory (6) |
| STROLL – S{chedule} TROLL (web forum provocateur)…. in the park. | |
| 44 | Fascinating little jerk following pride of lions round front of garden (8) |
| MAGNETIC – TIC (little jerk) after MANE (pride of lions) outside G{arden}. | |
| 46 | I don’t care to play solitaire, say? (6,8) |
| PLEASE YOURSELF – Double definition. Second cryptic. My favourite solitaire is Demon. | |
| 48 | General pain costly, given treatment (10) |
| SYNOPTICAL – (pain costly)* [given treatment]. | |
| 49 | One’s always taking king to main place that’s shabby (12) |
| KLEPTOMANIAC – (k to main place)* [shabby]. | |
| 53 | Bath for one in a state (5) |
| SPAIN – SPA (Bath, for one) IN. A definition by example without an indicator such as a question mark, but it’s clear enough. | |
| 54 | Greek leader soon to box willing male (9) |
| AGAMEMNON – ANON (soon) outside GAME (willing) M (male). When I pasted from my online solve after submitting, I discovered I had unaccountably typed AGANENNON. So I wont be winning the prize for this one! | |
| 55 | Provided by good man, stir stew (7) |
| STIFADO – ST (good man) IF (provided) ADO (stir). A popular Greek dish. I’ve still got some leftovers from my Sunday dinner. If I was following the instructions here I should have served it with BLUE CHEESE and BREAD AND BUTTER, of course. | |
| 56 | Heroically loud, thus hearing nothing? (10) |
| FEARLESSLY – F (loud) EARLESSLY. If you are earless, I guess you would thus hear nothing. | |
| 57 | Awkward situation easy to point out (9) |
| SPOTLIGHT – SPOT (awkward situation) LIGHT (easy). | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Pile up in a state (5) |
| AMASS – A MASS (abbreviation for the state of Massachusetts). | |
| 2 | Food waste: something to say to photographer! (4,6) |
| BLUE CHEESE – BLUE (to squander or waste) CHEESE (smile please). I never knew this meaning of BLUE. One to remember. | |
| 3 | Supporter with interest in pain when young (8) |
| TEETHING – TEE (supporter of the ball in golf) THING (interest). Thing as in “have a thing about”. | |
| 4 | Supply of iron beginning to rust (5) |
| OFFER – OF FE (chemical symbol for iron) R{ust}. | |
| 5 | Awful drop apt as method of torture (9) |
| STRAPPADO – [Awful] (drop apt as)*. Strappado sounds nasty. Don’t follow the link of you don’t want to know. | |
| 6 | Scottish isle is English — heavens above! (4) |
| SKYE – SKY (heavens) [above] E (English). Heavens above, indeed. The Hebridean branch of my family would have fits! | |
| 7 | Special noun I question to some extent (6) |
| UNIQUE – Hidden in noUN I QUEstion. | |
| 8 | Bacon brought home — what else for sandwiches? (5,3,6) |
| BREAD AND BUTTER – Double definition. If you bring home the bacon you are earning your bread and butter I guess. You combine them to make bacon sandwiches. | |
| 9 | Sweetmeat, as it were, to fix up for British citizen (12) |
| LIVERPUDLIAN – LIVER (meat) PUD (sweet) NAIL (fix) [up]. | |
| 10 | Carp — finger keeping it on top of plate (3-4) |
| NIT-PICK – NICK (finger) with IT P{late} inside. | |
| 11 | Make some gaffes misaligned with party policy (3,7) |
| OFF MESSAGE – [Make] (some gaffes)*. | |
| 15 | Philanderer stops to interrupt priest, close to confession (6,3) |
| LADIES MAN – DIES (stops) inside LAMA (prient) {confessio}N. Is philandery a sin? It depends who the ladies are. | |
| 18 | Demon broadcaster, one causing damage (8) |
| IMPAIRER – IMP (Demon) AIRER (broadcaster). | |
| 20 | Long-distance runner, elderly Brazilian possibly died before end of race (3,6) |
| RIO GRANDE – RIO GRAN (elderly Brazilain possibly) D (died) {rac}E. The river flows from Colorado to the Gulf of Mexico. Also a rather jolly piece by Constant Lambert. I’ve sung in the chorus for a performance of it, but never got to like it. | |
| 21 | Madame Bovary for example breaks a habit with cases of unfaithful turpitude (10) |
| ADULTERESS – A DRESS outside U{nfaithfu}L T{urpitud}E. Lovely word, turpitude. I must see if I can use it in a conversation at work tomorrow, just for fun. [Note – I’m preparing this blog on the Tuesday prior to publication. No, I don’t work Sundays!]. The book referred to was the debut novel by Gustave Flaubert. No, I’ve not read it. Should it be on my to-read list? | |
| 23 | One in twelve valued this Brontë novel (10) |
| BIRTHSTONE – (this Brontë)*. Novel indicating the anagram not a book. Nice surface, especially following on from the previous clue. | |
| 27 | Flower picked, queen choked up (5,4) |
| CHINA ROSE – CHOOSE (picked) with RANI (queen) upwards inside. | |
| 28 | Elected minister, cad, I suspect promiscuous (14) |
| INDISCRIMINATE – IN (elected) (minister cad I)* [suspect]. | |
| 31 | King embraced by old favourite, then special day ends well (8) |
| EXPERTLY – EX (old) PET (favourite) embracing R (King) {specia}L {da}Y [ends]. | |
| 33 | Daring cricketer facing new ball, one removing cap? (6-6) |
| BOTTLE-OPENER – BOTTLE (daring) OPENER (cricketer facing new ball). Cheers! | |
| 34 | Blockbuster films about a lot of criminals (9) |
| BIGAMISTS – BIG (blockbuster) MISTS (films) about A. “Lot of” criminals? Well I suppose that indicates the plural. Is it a high-volume crime, I wonder? | |
| 37 | Villain leading man perhaps to draw in female (10) |
| MALEFACTOR – MALE ACTOR (leading man, perhaps) with F (female) inside. | |
| 38 | Upset for nothing, one leaving with a zest for astronomy (4,6) |
| STAR GAZING – GRAT{i}S upset A ZING (a zest). I liked this one. | |
| 41 | Court limits liberation of men with trials (9) |
| TRAMLINES – (men trials)*. The courts here referring to tennis courts, of course. Another one that made me smile. | |
| 43 | Tremendous destruction inside burner (8) |
| COLOSSAL – LOSS (destruction) inside COAL (burner, or something that burns). | |
| 45 | Boat’s edging upstream primarily, then northwest into strong wind (7) |
| GUNWALE – U{pstream} NW (northwest) in GALE (strong wind). Another neat surface. | |
| 47 | Port unfortunately restricting one going under channel at first (6) |
| CALAIS – C{hannel} ALAS (unfortunately) including I (one). The one going under the channel using Eurotunnel, of course. | |
| 50 | Flag to mount (5) |
| PINTO – PIN (flag on golf course) TO. A sort of horse. | |
| 51 | Unsuitable to sleep in it (5) |
| INAPT – NAP (sleep) in IT. | |
| 52 | Sort of light, really (4) |
| VERY – Double definition. The light was named after a US naval officer. I didn’t know that, but I do now! | |
ONG’ARA,
NAIROBI.