Hi everyone. I can’t give you a time for this as I’ve been redonculously busy lately and have had to fit solving into spare moments, often on crowded trains … but I suspect if I could I’d be finding an excuse not to! Considerably chewier than the last Jumbo I blogged, I think it’s safe to say. I needed to look up a few things post-solve to understand everything, so it’s been educational as well as fun. Thanks, setter!
Definitions are underlined in the clues below. In the explanations, quoted indicators are in italics, [deletions] in square brackets, and I’ve capitalised and emboldened letters which appear in the ANSWER.
| Across | |
| 1 | Mark places of learning installing area for oriental tree (9) |
| MACADAMIA — M (mark) + ACADeMIA (places of learning) with A (area) replacing E (oriental) (installing area for oriental) | |
| 6 | For sale, non-uniform prison tankard (4,3) |
| TOBY JUG — TO B[u]Y (for sale) without U (non-uniform, uniform = U in the NATO alphabet) + JUG (prison, slang) | |
| 10 | Collect fool’s confession (5) |
| AMASS — A fool might possibly admit AM ASS. Possibly. This fool would be more likely to say, “I cannot brain today: I has the dumb” | |
| 13 | One recommends a screen to protect duke (7) |
| ADVISOR — A VISOR (a screen) around (to protect) D (duke) | |
| 14 | In the air? Not initially — on the ground (5) |
| LYING — [f]LYING (in the air) without the first letter (not initially) | |
| 15 | Impossible to improve without billions? That’s not acceptable from restaurant (9) |
| UNEATABLE — UN[b]EATABLE (impossible to improve) without B (billions) | |
| 16 | Make difficulties and honk when respirator wasn’t adjusted (5,1,7,2,3,5) |
| THROW A SPANNER IN THE WORKS — HONK WHEN RESPIRATOR WASN’T anagrammed (adjusted) | |
| 17 | Enlarge muscle; fail to keep it (6) |
| DILATE — The muscle is LAT, and DIE (fail) is to surround (to keep) it | |
| 18 | Haggle about a shilling, and finally buy instrument (8) |
| PSALTERY — PALTER (haggle) around (about) S (a shilling) and the last letter of (… finally) buY. Palter meaning haggle was knew to me | |
| 19 | Given to burner regularly, short fat strips (7) |
| UNROBES — Most of (… short) OBESe (fat) is appended to (given to) regular letters of (… regularly) bUrNeR | |
| 22 | Unfair comment about DNA pioneer ending in court (3,7) |
| NOT CRICKET — NOTE (comment) around (about) CRICK (Francis Crick, discoverer of the structure of DNA), then the last letter of (ending in) courT | |
| 23 | Look, I escaped, flying in ever-changing patterns (12) |
| KALEIDOSCOPE — LOOK I ESCAPED, anagrammed (flying) | |
| 27 | Steer half of relatives into charity (5) |
| OXFAM — OX (steer) and half of FAMily (relatives) | |
| 29 | Partly undressed, losing one’s head? (7) |
| TOPLESS — The answer could also mean without a head | |
| 30 | Party indoors with whiskey for starter a disadvantage (8) |
| DOWNSIDE — DO (party), then iNSIDE (indoors) with W (whiskey) replacing the first letter (for starter) | |
| 32 | Exercises joint that doesn’t allow one to lug cargo across (8) |
| TRANSHIP — TRA[i]NS (exercises) + HIP (joint) without (that doesn’t allow) I (one) | |
| 34 | Live, introducing choir to rock and roll (7) |
| BRIOCHE — BE (live) with the insertion of (introducing) CHOIR anagrammed (to rock) | |
| 36 | Pressure in water channel rose fast (5) |
| LEAPT — P (pressure) in LEAT (water channel). I have learnt that a leat is a trench for bringing water to a millwheel, etc. | |
| 39 | Writer‘s sporting portmanteau covering cape (6,6) |
| TRUMAN CAPOTE — An anagrammed (sporting) PORTMANTEAU surrounding (covering) C (cape) | |
| 41 | Lead actors in play concerning priests (10) |
| SACERDOTAL — LEAD ACTORS made into an anagram (in play) | |
| 44 | Shy, but entice into pub (7) |
| INDRAWN — DRAW (entice) goes into INN (pub) | |
| 46 | Trumpet that fleece is off? (4-4) |
| RAMS-HORN — A fleece might come from a RAM SHORN | |
| 48 | Look good with weapon (6) |
| GLANCE — G (good) with LANCE (weapon) | |
| 50 | Enormous company of mounted soldiers heard of in Arabian saga (3,8,3,3,6) |
| THE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS — Sound like (… heard) THE THOUSAND AND ONE KNIGHTS | |
| 53 | Satisfying answer, using gas for cooking (9) |
| ASSUAGING — A (answer), and USING GAS anagrammed (for cooking) | |
| 54 | A Nevada city shortly acquires a stadium (5) |
| ARENA — A (from the clue) and most of (… shortly) RENo (Nevada city) acquires the other A from the clue | |
| 55 | In orchestra, you are heard with a plucked instrument (7) |
| BANDURA — BAND (orchestra) and the letters which sound like (… heard) U (you) and R (are), with A (from the clue). In a reversal of the 18a situation, here I needed the wordplay to find the unfamiliar instrument | |
| 56 | Pair failing to thwart special occasion (5) |
| EVENT — The dropping of (…failing) PR (pair) from [pr]EVENT (thwart) | |
| 57 | Half-past ten? Ridiculous, we snort (3-4) |
| NOR-WEST — An anagram of (ridiculous) WE SNORT | |
| 58 | Account book held page for dining-room extension (5,4) |
| TABLE LEAF — TALE (account) with B inside (held), then LEAF (page) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Implied insect’s introduction? (5) |
| MEANT — ME ANT could be the self-introduction of an ant with a Tarzan-like way of speaking | |
| 2 | Fielder not apparently engaged on field catches hit eventually, having to run far (5,1,3,2,6) |
| COVER A LOT OF GROUND — The combination of COVER (fielder) and ALOOF (not apparently engaged) preceding (on, in a down answer) GROUND (field) contains (catches) the last letter of (… eventually) hiT | |
| 3 | Ruin server, dropping one in dirty liquid (9) |
| DISHWATER — DISH (ruin) + WA[i]TER (server) without (dropping) I (one) | |
| 4 | Miserable doctor was promoted (6) |
| MOROSE — MO (doctor, Medical Officer) + ROSE (was promoted) | |
| 5 | Complete success of worker not yet in the chimney? (1,5,5) |
| A CLEAN SWEEP — A CLEAN (chimney-)SWEEP could be such a worker before getting started on the chimney | |
| 6 | Shape of kitchen item (8) |
| TRIANGLE — Two definitions, the kitchen here being the percussion section of an orchestra | |
| 7 | Actor grand in part of stage role finally (7) |
| BOGARDE — G (grand) in BOARD (part of stage) + the last letter of (… finally) rolE. My last in, by quite a way | |
| 8 | Where lovers meet in play? (8,3) |
| JOURNEY’S END — “JOURNEYS END in lovers meeting, Every wise man’s son doth know.” — Feste, the fool in Twelfth Night. Also, a play by R. C. Sherriff. This went in easily enough, but I needed to do some research to understand it properly. I’m not up on my Shakespeare | |
| 9 | Uranium in hydrogen compound? Want to bet on it? (9) |
| GREYHOUND — U (uranium) in an anagram (compound) of HYDROGEN | |
| 10 | Pacifist soldier perhaps I advise to conceal name (7) |
| ANTIWAR — ANT (soldier perhaps), I (from the clue), and WAR[n] (advise) without (to conceal) N (name) | |
| 11 | Light resin (5) |
| AMBER — A double definition | |
| 12 | Measures I back shortly for one who hated Cinderella (10) |
| STEPSISTER — STEPS (measures) + I + STERn (back) without its last letter (shortly) | |
| 17 | I’m Sorry I haven’t a Clue team full of news (5) |
| DUNNO — DUO (team) containing (full of) N N (news: two copies of the abbreviation for new, N) | |
| 20 | American woman finding actors for audience in Art Deco building (12,5) |
| BROADCASTING HOUSE — A charade of BROAD (American [word for a] woman), CASTING (finding actors for), and HOUSE (audience). I’ve been to many recordings of radio shows there, but that didn’t help me find it terribly quickly on this occasion! | |
| 21 | Corner of Yorkshire offering strong drink (6) |
| SCOTCH — SCOTCH Corner is a road junction in North Yorkshire. New to me: the drink went in quickly (naturally!) but I needed to go on a journey to find the corner | |
| 24 | Attack Christmas revelry, needing to lose weight (6) |
| ASSAIL — [w]ASSAIL (Christmas revelry) without (needing to lose) W (weight) | |
| 25 | Girl, one bound up in rope fibre (5) |
| SISAL — LASS (girl), with I (one) inside (bound up in) | |
| 26 | You Tube’s about to lose European sort of agreement (3-3) |
| YES-BUT — YE (you) + TUB[e]S reversed (about) without (to lose) E (European) | |
| 28 | Special food not able initially to support fellow (5) |
| MANNA — First letters of (… initially) Not Able are to follow (to support, in a down answer) MAN (fellow) | |
| 31 | One greeting little childless person (6) |
| WEEPER — WEE (little) + PER[son] without SON (childless). I didn’t know that to greet could mean to weep; I do now. (Whether I will know tomorrow, however …) | |
| 33 | Perhaps briefly disturbed by rage: his work sends him up the wall (11) |
| PAPERHANGER — An anagram of (… disturbed) PERHAPs cut short (briefly) next to (by) ANGER (rage) | |
| 35 | Seer vainly involved with actor (11) |
| CLAIRVOYANT — VAINLY anagrammed (involved) together with ACTOR | |
| 37 | Movement of water across lake in wavy line (5) |
| TILDE — TIDE (movement of water) around (across) L (lake) | |
| 38 | Revelatory performance by band interrupted by drinks (10) |
| STRIPTEASE — STRIPE (band) containing (interrupted by) TEAS (drinks) | |
| 40 | Old officer, badly neurotic, back from expedition (9) |
| CENTURION — An anagram of (badly) NEUROTIC followed by the last letter of (back from) expeditioN | |
| 42 | Virtually exhausted in social function, a waste of time (9) |
| DALLIANCE — Most of (virtually) ALL In (exhausted) goes in DANCE (social function) | |
| 43 | Part of leg that is way the most glossy (8) |
| SHINIEST — A charade of SHIN (part of leg), IE (that is), and ST (way) | |
| 45 | Essentially a danger when river moves south (2,5) |
| AT HEART — A THREAT (a danger) with R (river) moved lower down in the word (when river moves south) | |
| 47 | Intervene, having no time to ponder at length (7) |
| MEDIATE — Without (having no) T (time), MEDI[t]ATE (to ponder at length) | |
| 49 | Rower‘s newly-washed hairstyle? (3,3) |
| WET BOB — A WET BOB is a rower at Eton. (I think I’d heard that before, but had clean forgotten it.) It could also be a bob hairstyle just after washing | |
| 51 | Follow, to make certain of downing resistance (5) |
| ENSUE — ENSU[r]E (to make certain of) with the removal of (downing) R (resistance) | |
| 52 | No way out of town for employees (5) |
| STAFF — O RD (no way) taken out of STAFF[ord] (town) | |
Fine and informative blogging: I like the personal asides!
Edited at 2019-07-20 12:27 pm (UTC)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjfeTvhWScw
Edited at 2019-07-20 07:20 pm (UTC)
Edited at 2019-07-20 07:29 pm (UTC)
There is a lot of UK-specific knowledge in here that might give trouble to overseas solvers. The Scots meaning of ‘greeting’ might have been particularly allusive, were it not for the song June Tabor sings:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XMqq2WoruI
@paul_in_london – fortunately “training” into work was a temporary thing. I’m now back to walking, which is great, although it looks like it’s going to be a warm one this week.
I hope to be commenting more in these parts once things have calmed down in the cathouse, but in any case, see you again in five weeks.
I can confirm that I neither live nor work in a disorderly house!
– Kitty (logged out)