Times Cryptic Jumbo No 1367 – 16th Febuary

Author   JohninterredPosted on Categories Jumbo Cryptic

Although one of the advantages is that I have 2 weeks to complete the blog, one of the difficulties in blogging the Jumbo is the 2 weeks delay between publication of the crossword and publication of the answers… and the blog. So, as I write this summary just before publication, I’m struggling to remember what the solving experience was like. Hmm. I think there’s an obvious answer to this that I should take on board. Do the intro for the blog shortly after solving! I must remember that for No 1372. But reacquainting myself with this rather satisfying puzzle as I write this I remember I found most of it quite straightforward, but I had a number of stumbling blocks such 16A, 47A, 7D and 24D that held me up. Favourite was the clever 15A, but I also liked the semi&lits at 23A and 6D. In all this took me about 54 minutes, so a litle harder than usual, but by no means a stinker. Thanks Setter! How did everyone get on?

Definitions underlined in italics, Abc indicates anagram of Abc, deletions are like this and instructional indicators [like this].

Across
1 Unforeseen problem mostly became wearisome, with outgoing leader booed (9)
CATCALLED – Join CATCh, (unseen problem [mostly]) and  pALLED, (became wearisome [with outgoing leader], i.e. removing first letter).
6 Result of pig-shooting finally reported in online forum (8,5)
BULLETIN BOARD –  If you go pig-shooting, you might end up with a BULLET IN BOAR. Add  reporteD [finally].
13 Put out something evasive about Times page (5)
EXPEL – EEL wrapping around, [about] X, (times), P, (page).
14 Cavalry not deployed to arrest one visionary (11)
CLAIRVOYANT – Anagram [deployed] of  Cavalry not outside I, one.
15 Loves to embrace a measure of hardness? (5)
NAILS – NILS,  loves (that’s sneaky!) [to embrace] A. Hard as nails. Ho ho.
16 Baggage French friend brought back includes section of building (11)
IMPEDIMENTA – The French friend is mon AMI. He is reversed [brought back] and [includes] PEDIMENT (a section of a building). “The triangular upper part of the front of a classical building, typically surmounting a portico.”  Like this one in Athens…
17 Jaunty clarinet air affecting many people (11)
INTERRACIAL – Anagram of [jaunty] clarinet air.
18 Image formed by etching? Left no copper in it (7)
LINOCUT – L, left, with NO CU, (chemical symbol for copper) [in] IT.
20 Works function edgy? Not very (7)
TANNERY – TAN, (mathematical function, tangent), and, NERvY, (edgy without the V, very).
21 Puzzles returned unchanged, including snare (7)
ENIGMAS – SAME, (unchanged), [including] GIN, (snare), all reversed [returned].
23 Play having significant dealings with love? (4,3,5,7)
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING – MUCH ADO (significant dealings) ABOUT, (with), NOTHING, (love). The Shakespearean comedy. A nice semi-&lit.
27 Beer jugs all round at the outset (3)
JAR – Anyone fancy going for a Jugs All Round [at the outset]?
28 Some latitude is right in subject-matter (6)
TROPIC – R, (right), [in] TOPIC, (subject-matter).
29 Kidnap son, of course (6)
SNATCH – S, (son), NATCH, (of course – naturally).
31 Appreciate sources of Roman activities in Roman God’s festival (5,4)
MARDI GRAS – DIG, (appreciate), [sources of] Roman Activities [in] MARS, (Roman God).
34 Northern town, before change, displaying earlier time (9)
PRESTWICH – PRE, (before), then move the T, time, [displaying earlier], in SWITCH, (change), to get STWICH. If you’ve never been, read about it here.
35 Take stock of troops taking battle west (6)
REVIEW – RE, (Royal Engineers; troops) [taking] VIE, (battle), W, (west).
36 Talk at length about source of recent growth (6)
SPROUT – SPOUT, (talk at length), [about] [source of] Recent.
39 Papers supplied by a musical princess (3)
IDA – ID, (papers), [supplied by] A. The eponymous herione of the opera by Gilbert & Sullivan.
40 Thinking to crush observatory equipment (10,9)
REFLECTING TELESCOPE – REFLECTING, (thinking),  and TELESCOPE, (crush).
42 Salesman in European capital recalled title (7)
EMPEROR – The European capital is ROME. The salesman is a REP, put him in the capital and reverse, [recalled].
43 Copying, one’s satisfied, picked up by microphone (7)
MIMETIC – Not a homophone, as you might initially think, as I did. I, (one), MET, (satisfied), inserted into [picked up by] MIC, (microphone).
45 Tests, though without opening, locks (7)
TRESSES – sTRESSES, (tests, [without opening]).
47 The Spanish soccer team, working to block easy victory, lacking ultimate in discipline (4-7)
SELF-CONTROL – EL, (Spanish for “the”), FC, (soccer team), ON, (working) all inside STROLl, (easy victory, losing its last letter, [lacking ultimate]). Nice charade. Hands up if you just biffed it, though.
49 One million taking security measure, avoiding uranium blast? (11)
IMPRECATION – I, (One), M, (million), PRECAuTION, (security measure without, [avoinding] the U, chemical symbol for Uranium).
51 “Far in” translated as “further on” in Latin (5)
INFRA – Anagram of Far in, [translated]. As in the phrase Vide Infra, meaning see later in the text.
52 Ergonomic reforms roused certain wage earners (6,5)
INCOME GROUP – Anagram of Ergonomic [reforms], and add UP, (roused).
53 Beat bowler initially after return from fielder has missed wicket (5)
THROB – Nice cricketing surface. The return from the fielder is a THROw, missing the wicket, W, with Bowler [initially] [after].
54 No right place to assemble Queen and fashionable set in Yorkshire town (13)
NORTHALLERTON – A charade of 5 parts. Assemble NO. RT, (right), HALL, (place to assemble), ER, (the Queen) and TON, (fashionable set). A market town at the north end of the Vale of York. Read all about it here.
55 Five getting stuck into easy job? It has its ups and downs (4,5)
SINE CURVE – The easy job is a SINECURE. Insert V, five and add the enumeration.
Down
1 How much you believe you can spend? (6,5)
CREDIT LIMIT – Double definition You may believe, CREDIT, only so much; i.e. have a LIMIT, and you can spend up to your CREDIT LIMIT.
2 Feature of bowling takes prize money, with a twist (7)
TOPSPIN – NIPS, (takes, or snatches) – not a meaning I was familiar with, and POT, all reversed, [with a twist].
3 Felt bad, being unsuccessful in ousting leader (5)
AILED – fAILED, (unsuccssful [ousting leader]).
4 Old dance is crazy subject for discussion (10)
LOCOMOTION – LOCO, (crazy), MOTION, (subject for discussion). Do it with Little Eva, as recorded in 1962, here, or with Kylie Minogue, if you must, here.
5 Newspaper, note, blocking detective in police operation (4-3)
DRAG-NET – RAG, (newspaper), N, (note), in, [blocking] DET., (abbreviation for detective).
6 Unearthing bra, slashed? That’s for me! (7-6)
BARGAIN-HUNTER – Anagram of Unearthing bra, [slashed]. A nice semi-&lit.
7 Caledonia in a storm? It’s not precisely warm (9)
LAODICEAN – Anagram of Caledonia, [in a storm]. I think I vaguely recognised the word, but didn’t know it meant. “Half-hearted or indifferent, especially with respect to religion or politics.” It refers to the criticism of the Laodicean Church, conveyed by St. John in Revelations.
8 Demand and get lavatory emptied on the spot (7)
EXACTLY – EXACT, (demand) and LavatorY [emptied].
9 Negotiator, during legal sessions, beginning to edit record (12)
INTERMEDIARY – IN, (during), TERM, (legal sessions), [beginning to] Edit, DIARY, (record).
10 Providing cover for group nearing retirement? (9)
BANDAGING – BAND, (group), AGING, (nearing retirement.)
11 Some sibilance picked up in “suspect’s story” (5)
ALIBI – Hidden in [some] sIBILAnce, written upwards, [picked up].
12 They reveal daughter is accepting second way to resolve trauma? (11)
DISCLOSURES – D, (daughter), and IS outside, [accepting], S, (second), CLOSURE, (way to resolve trauma)…. which is what they may reveal.
19 Church having disturbance involving a former military vehicle (7)
CHARIOT – CH, (church), and RIOT [involving] A.
22 Household official overturned difficulty or changed mood (5-4)
MAJOR-DOMO – JAM, (difficulty), [overturned], OR, anagram of, [changed], mood.
24 Sanctioned interrupting winner? It makes for an unpleasant atmosphere (9)
CHOKEDAMP – OKED, (sanctioned), [interrupting] CHAMP, (winner). A new word on me. Also known as Blackdamp, it is a rather nasty asphyxiant often found in coal mines.
25 Sign of imminent death? Refuses to allow reduction in care (7)
BANSHEE – BANS, (refuses), HEEd ([reduction in], i.e. remove last letter of, care). A banshee is “a female spirit in Irish mythology who heralds the death of a family member, usually by wailing, shrieking, or keening.“.
26 Satisfied with upset, blight or storm (7)
TEMPEST – MET, (satisfied), written upwards [upset], PEST, (blight).
30 Be free, if barely? (4,7,2)
HAVE NOTHING ON – Double definition, second cryptic.
32 I’m no longer popular — there’s no getting around it (7)
IMPASSE – One from QC land. I’M, PASSE, (no longer popular).
33 Dead, and unexpectedly in afterlife? There’s a measure of variation (12)
DIFFERENTIAL – D, (dead) and anagram of, [unexpectedly], in afterlife.
34 Victorian novel, mostly simple, covered by two N Europeans, one heard (7,4)
PHINEAS FINN – Take EASy ([mostly] simple), and surround it but PHIN [one heard] and FINN, two northern europeans. A novel by Anthony Trollope. I’ve not read it and don’t suppose I ever will.
37 Source of this sound giving people away (11)
TREASONABLE – [Source of] This, REASONABLE, (sound).
38 Company engaging large actor needing a fix for costume (7-3)
CLOTHES-PIN – Take CO, (company), inserting [engaging] L, (large) and THESPIaN, (actor without [needing] the A).
40 Artist at church, welcoming soldiers and school test creator (9)
RORSCHACH – RA, (artist) and CH, (church), outside [welcoming] OR, (other ranks; soldiers), SCH, (school). The test being the famous ink-blot test. Here’s one…
41 US magazine was illuminating about one month deadline (4-5)
TIME-LIMIT – TIME, the US magazine, LIT, (was illuminating), [about] I, (one), M, (month).
43 Length in major road race is something amazing (7)
MIRACLE – The major road is the M1. Take it and add RACE and insert L, length. A bit QC-ish having RACE clued as, um, race.
44 Mostly shy and maybe saying prayers in abundance (7)
COPIOUS – COy [mostly] shy, and PIOUS, (maybe saying prayers).
46 One making solution perhaps for troublemaker (7)
STIRRER – Double definition, first cryptic.
48 Curtailment of second drink upset prisoner (5)
LIFER – Your second drink muight be a REFILl, losing the last letter [curtailment of]. Invert it [upset].
50 High level of trainee fliers taking it up (5)
ATTIC – A.T.C., the Air Training Corps – (trainee fliers), including IT [up].

6 comments on “Times Cryptic Jumbo No 1367 – 16th Febuary”

  1. Only a couple of DNKs this time: ATC and CHOKEDAMP. 25d was my 2d LOI, and it appears that I never parsed it past the BANS; 34ac LOI. Trollope has lots of fans and lots of disparagers; I liked PHINEAS FINN and indeed the whole set of his ‘Parliamentary’ novels, of which this is in effect the first. He pretty much ruined his reputation in his Autobiography, where he let on that he made a point of writing 250 lines every day.
  2. Thanks, Kevin. I can always rely on you to fill the gaps of my ignorance of classic literature.
  3. Enjoyed this one .. from what I remember, it was easy to start but harder to finish, nho chokedamp or Phineas Finn. All I will say about Trollope is that I prefer him to Hardy or Dickens, which is not saying much at all, Philistine that I mostly am.
    Northallerton is a nice town; Bedale, just down the road, better still..
  4. I spent 1:19:37 on this but messed up 7d with LAOCIDEAN. Drat! I didn’t know(but managed to construct) CHOKEDAMP either. I concur with Jerry’s opinion of Northallerton and Bedale. I live 30 minutes from the former and 45 minutes from the latter and spent quite a lot of my working life visiting both. Now I occasionally play the lovely golf course at Bedale with our pub Golf Society. We’ll be visiting in April this year. Thanks setter and John.
  6. Surely the definition part of 18a is incorrect. To make a LINOCUT you remove material with a sharp gouge. Etching is an entirely different process using strong acid. The question mark doesn’t really excuse it.

    Those who did not know CHOKEDAMP should look out for its companion FIREDAMP.

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