Times Cryptic Jumbo No 1407 – 26th October

Author   JohninterredPosted on Categories Jumbo Cryptic

Taking just over an hour over two sessions, I found this a little harder than your average Jumbo, with a sprinkling of questionmarks and “check” on my paper copy. 27A, 37A, the spelling at 7D  and the hall in 38D, were all unknown, although I somehow remembered 26D. A good few approving ticks too…. I liked 43A, 51A, 8D and 47D in particular. All rather satisfying and good entertainment. Thank-you setter! How did everyone else get on?

Definitions underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc, deletions and [] other indicators.

Across
1 Person in surgery admitting green look (5)
DECOR – DR (Doctor; person in surgery) outside [admitting] ECO (green).
4 Old lady hosting male Spanish virgin is a stickler for rules (10)
GRAMMARIAN – GRAN (old lady) outside [hosting] M (male) MARIA (Spanish virgin Mary). Enjoyable surface.
9 Pure drug snorted by class (6)
CHASTE – H (Heroin; drug) inside [snorted by] CASTE (class). Inventive inclusion indicator. Not C for Charlie, but one doesn’t snort Heroin, does one?
14 Bird to make slow progress on animal feed (9)
CHAFFINCH – INCH (make slow progress) [on] CHAFF (animal feed, such as husks of corn).
15 At sea, crew has complete order (6,7)
SEARCH WARRANT – (crew has)* [at sea] ARRANT (complete).
16 Grenade thrown in defensive position (2,5)
EN GARDE – (Grenade)* [thrown]. Very smooth.
17 Dairy product in case monarch eats dessert (9)
LEICESTER – LEST (in case) ER (Her Majesty; monarch) [eats] ICE (dessert).
18 Small like a youngster? (5)
TEENY – Double definition. But my teenager is not small – he’s taller than me… but that’s not saying much.
19 Disallow gossip about people in dodgy country (6,8)
BANANA REPUBLIC – What a lovely phrase. Read about its origin here. Here we take BAN (disallow) ANA (gossip; a collection of reminiscences, sketches, etc, of or about a person or place) RE (about) PUBLIC (people). Is the Honduran economy still dependent on bananas, I wonder?
22 Mug is picked up? That’s a relief (7)
SUCCOUR – Sounds like [is picked up] SUCKER (mug)
25 Head in business doubly cautious in fair event (7,3)
COCONUT SHY –  NUT (head) [in] CO CO [business, doubly] SHY (cautious).
27 Soon penning attempt, piece in verse (2,5,2,3)
AN ESSAY ON MAN – ANON (soon) [penning] ESSAY (attempt) MAN (piece, as in chess). I’m going to have to admit to my literary ignorance again. NHO this poem by Alexander Pope. Is it worth reading and still relevant? I’m sure Kevin, if he drops by, will tell me.
30 Gutless Earl’s clothing as Roman peer (5)
EQUAL – EarL [gutless] [clothing] QUA (as, in latin). Neat.
31 Religious authority perhaps derived from Torah etc. (8)
THEOCRAT – [derive from] (Torah etc)*
32 Gloomy inventor making a bloomer (8)
BLUEBELL – BLUE (gloomy) BELL (inventor; Alexander Graham Bell, credited as inventor of the telephone).
35 Did gas upset attender? (8)
NATTERED – [upset] (attender)*. I loved the definition.
36 Warning nerd to return and get informed early (8)
FOREKNOW – FORE (warning, on a golf course) and WONK (nerd) reversed [to return] -> KNOW.
37 I’m off to capture unknown tree creature (5)
TAYRA – Derived from wordplay and confirmed before submission. TARA (I’m off – think Cilla Black) [to capture] Y (unknown). So who had heard of this animal before? My General Knowledge is enhanced!
39 Stout fellow to carry tip in two empty trays (6,6)
HUMPTY DUMPTY – I confess to biffing this when I solved. But now I need to explain… HUMP (to carry) with DUMP (tip) [in] TraY TraY [two empty trays].
41 Italian let in to break the ice (10)
FLORENTINE – RENT (break) and IN inside [to break] FLOE (the ice).
43 Taste butter or jam, pieces needing rearrangement? (7)
TANGRAM – TANG (taste) RAM (double definition, butter or jam). Unusual wordplay, but it works nicely.
45 Rigid Commander enters not looking good (14)
UNCOMPROMISING – COM (commander) [enters] UNPROMISING (not looking good).
48 Sub‘s back pass with sign of uncertainty (5)
LOCUM – COL (pass) [back -> LOC and UM (sign of uncertainty).
49 Partners playing in songs, at any rate (9)
LEASTWAYS – EAST and W (West) (playing partners in bridge) [in] LAYS (songs).
51 School member to scoff after Asian dress is cut short (7)
SARDINE – DINE (scoff) [after] SARi (Asian dress) [cut short]. School member – nice definition, but I got it straight away.
53 Someone who treats complaints superficially? (13)
DERMATOLOGIST – Cryptic definition. Superficially being skin-deep.
54 Caught up in French, spoke angrily (9)
ENSNARLED – EN (in, in French) SNARLED (spoke angrily).
55 Give extra source of illumination, in a mess (6)
ADDLED – ADD (give extra) LED (light emitting diode; source of illumination).
56 Press employee, a kind person such as myself (10)
TYPESETTER – TYPE (a kind) SETTER (person such as myself). Yes. I think our setter is very kind to provide us with such an entertaining crossword!
57 Maybe oral fluency? Ultimately likely to lose it (5)
TESTY – Nicely disguised. TEST (maybe oral) fluencY [ultimately].
Down
1 Summons cut and used in the Vatican? (6)
DOCKET – DOCK (cut) ET (and in latin; used in vatican). Sneaky.
2 Credit source of story introduced by military operation (6,7)
CHARGE ACCOUNT – ACCOUNT (story) [introduced by] CHARGE (miltary operation).
3 Point in either direction? (5)
REFER – A palindrome.
4 Artilleryman uncovered gas plant (7)
GUNNERA – GUNNER ( artilleryman) [uncovered] gAs.
5 Suffering cutting pains, incline to show weakness (8,4)
ACHILLES HEEL – ILL (suffering) [cutting] ACHES (pains) HEEL (incline).
6 Gosh! It’s about that Gallic aura (8)
MYSTIQUE – MY (gosh) ITS [ about] -> STI and QUE (that in Fremch, i.e. Gallic).
7 Sack magistrate in hearing (5)
REAVE – Sounds like REEVE. Alternative spelling of the activity of the Border Reivers
8 Cats and mice running around, besetting one’s simple existence (10)
ASCETICISM – (cats, mice)* [running around] outside [besetting] I’S [one’s].
10 Turning back, some incite rehabilitated dissenter (7)
HERETIC – Reverse hidden in inCITE REHabiiitated,
11 Formal setting, say, African set up (9)
STATEROOM – STATE (say) and MOOR (African) [set up] -> ROOM.
12 Door guard after polling (5)
ENTRY – sENTRY [after polling], i.e. without first letter.
13 Performer looking less well, suppressing remark on weight (5,9)
SWORD SWALLOWER – SALLOWER (looking less well) [supressing] WORDS (remark) [on] W (weight).
20 Making invalid queen not disheartened around German city (9)
ANNULMENT – ANNE (queen) NoT [disheartened] [around] ULM (German city).
21 Course covering mature relationships (8)
LINKAGES – LINKS (golf course) [covering] AGE (mature, the verb).
23 Director of music cycle recited songs (10)
RINGLEADER – RING (music cycle of operas by Wagner) and sounds like [recited] LIEDER (songs) -> LEADER. Nice misdierction on the definition. I thought “Director of music” at first. Did you?
24 Protects very popular image (10)
SCREENSHOT – SCREENS (protects) HOT (very popular).
26 Shabby tent, tailor-made originally (14)
TATTERDEMALION – (tent tailor-made)* [originally]. A lovely word. Last seen in the 15×15 in May last year.
28 Visible figures added nuances (9)
OVERTONES – OVERT (visible) ONES (figures).
29 A pair of short teachers’ marks for poem? (8)
ACROSTIC – A CROSs and TICk [short] (teachers’ marks). Nice one.
33 See competitors in Welsh girl’s resting place (7,6)
ELYSIAN FIELDS – ELY (see; bishopric) and FIELD (competitors) [in] SIAN’S (Welsh girl’s). The final resting place of the souls of the heroic and the virtuous in Greek mythology and religion.
34 Wild fern and its clone in bloom (12)
INFLORESCENT – (fern its clone)* [wild].
38 Doctor in hall, one on the right, walking around (10)
AMBULATORY – MB (doctor) in AULA (hall) TORY (one on the right). Aula is a new word on me, deduced from the obvious answer.
40 Note about article better with digital enhancement (9)
MANICURED – MI (note) [about] AN (article) CURED (better). An amusing cryptic definition.
42 Let team bowled out prepare to get attacked (8)
EMBATTLE – (Let Team b)* [out]. b = bowled on a cricket score card.
44 Ferret, curious and enchanting sort (7)
RUMMAGE – The verb, not the creature. RUM (curious) MAGE (magician; enchanting sort).
46 Wrongly surmise this person acts improperly (7)
MISUSER – [Wrongly] (surmise)*.
47 Prime fodder keeping colour up (6)
HEYDAY – HAY (fodder) [keeping] DYE (colour) [up] -> EYD.
48 Kingdom once a great place, mostly, to be brought up (5)
LYDIA – A IDYLl (great place) [mostly] brought up].
50 Nickel removed from salt for stock (5)
TRITE – NiTRITE (salt) losing the NI for Nickel [removed].
52 Pan for meat, maybe (5)
ROAST – Double definition.

12 comments on “Times Cryptic Jumbo No 1407 – 26th October”

    1. I don’t know what I was thinking. Thanks. Amended.

      Edited at 2019-11-09 06:44 am (UTC)

  2. Somehow or other, I biffed SWORD SWALLOWER, from the definition and enumeration, and then parsed it. DNK REAVE, thought it was REIVE. LOI DOCKET. I never cared much for Pope, and have no memory of the Essay, although I must have read it back in the day. I’d never heard of a TAYRA, either; and went for the equally likely TAYTA (if not more likely, given the relative frequencies of TA-RA and TA-TA). I then checked in my dictionary, and corrected to TAYRA before submitting. Two possible solutions, depending on an unchecked square, for a little-known word; not good.

    Edited at 2019-11-09 07:27 am (UTC)

  3. I discovered I’d only completed 81% of this puzzle when I saw the blog was up, so I completed the puzzle before reading it. I obviously got disheartened as the extra half hour I spent finishing took me to 1:51:32, so quite a marathon! I needed plenty of assistance too. I looked up TAYRA, which I had got right, REAVE, as I also thought it should be RIEVE, ULM, as I’d never heard of it and finally needed a wordfinder for LOI, TESTY where I couldn’t see the wood for trees!. Hard work, but no pink squares. Thanks setter and John.

    Edited at 2019-11-09 07:14 am (UTC)

  4. Another crossword where a plausible and (in my opinion) defensible entry turned out to be surprisingly wrong. I had LINEAGES at 21d, and while I can see that LINKAGES is much the better answer, it wasn’t apparent at the time of solving. I can make a case for lines as course (just about) and lineages are the relationships between generations (humour me!), and while I concede happily that links for course and linkages for relationships are better, I don’t concede that my answer is impossible.
    So there!
      1. I wholeheartedly sympathise. But, alas, the admissibility of your claims for clemency is slightly tarnished by the mismatch in cardinality. Course = links (golf course) is singular. To get to “lines”, I submit that the clue would have had to state “courses”. Close, but no cigar, methinks. Not that I’m the arbiter in these matters!

        1. A single course might be made up of seversl lines on a chart, which was the direction I was going in and it felt OK since I hadn’t made the golf connection. I freely acknowledge that links works better, but are you maintaining that  “lines” doesn’t work at all?

          1. Hmm. Not sure what sort of chart you are alluding to, but, on reflection, I can envisage a course of zig-zags where each zig and zag can be construed as a separate line. But, having no authority in the arbitration of such matters I am not empowered to remove your pink square. Sorry!

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