Hello all. How do you eat a jumbo? One bite at a time. Once again I solved this in bitesize chunks and so don’t have a time. From what I recall it slipped down ok without the need for excessive chewing, with just a couple of crunchier bits to finish.
I don’t generally worry too much about repeated indicators, especially simple ones, and especially in a jumbo. Still, I couldn’t help noticing that before very long I’d written “around (about)” a fair few times. Anyway, having done the Hokey Cokey, I will now say thank you to the setter – thank you setter! – and move on to the clues. That’s what it’s all about!
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 | Pompous worker chasing two mischievous children in class (4-9) |
| SELF-IMPORTANT — ANT (worker) following (chasing) ELF + IMP (two mischievous children) in SORT (class) | |
| 8 | Soldier’s one bloodsucker, mostly — like this? (9) |
| PARASITIC — PARA’S (soldier’s) + I (one) + TICk (bloodsucker) without the last letter (mostly), with the definition referring back to the bloodsucker in the clue | |
| 13 | A long letter (5) |
| AITCH — A (from the clue) + ITCH (long) | |
| 14 | Anger about recurrent motif in press writing (9) |
| REPORTAGE — RAGE (anger) around (about) the reversal of (recurrent) TROPE (motif) | |
| 15 | Shine, displaying knowledge about series of items (7) |
| GLISTEN — GEN (knowledge) around (about) LIST (series of items) | |
| 16 | Man can live ultimately on fish oil (12) |
| BRILLIANTINE — IAN (man) + TIN (can) + the last letter of (… ultimately) livE, all following (on, in an across answer) BRILL (fish) | |
| 17 | Exercises calm about time for deadly epidemic (10) |
| PESTILENCE — PE (exercises) + SILENCE (calm) around (about) T (time). Rather a topical surface 🙁 | |
| 18 | Scoffed about long time to pump in gas (6) |
| AERATE — ATE (scoffed) around (about) ERA (long time) | |
| 19 | Tiny edit affected equation (8) |
| IDENTITY — An anagram of (… affected) TINY EDIT. An identity is an equation which is true for all values of its variables | |
| 21 | Appoint a small board to give public information (6) |
| ASSIGN — A charade of the A from the clue, S (small) and SIGN (board to give public information) | |
| 24 | Improbity in the synod is out of order (10) |
| DISHONESTY — IN THE SYNOD is anagrammed (is out of order) | |
| 26 | Sloshed inebriate outside reception room, forgetting name? (5,2,1,4) |
| DRUNK AS A LORD — DRUNKARD (inebriate) around (outside) SALO[n] (reception room) without (forgetting) N (name) | |
| 29 | Contest unpaid pounds (4) |
| DUEL — DUE (unpaid) + L (pounds) | |
| 30 | Basil, say, a sentimental lover missing the point? (8) |
| AROMATIC — A (from the clue) + ROMA[n]TIC (sentimental lover) without (missing) the N (point) | |
| 31 | What’s fallen out of second sack (8) |
| SPILLAGE — S (second) + PILLAGE (sack) | |
| 34 | Relating to courts female emperor overturned thus (8) |
| FORENSIC — F (female) + NERO (emperor) reversed (overturned) + SIC (thus) | |
| 35 | Broadcast by queen holds nothing about what took her abroad? (8) |
| AIRLINER — AIR (broadcast) by ER (queen) contains (holds) NIL (nothing) reversed (about) | |
| 36 | Desire Shakespeare casually expressed (4) |
| WILL — WILLiam Shakespeare, familiarly | |
| 39 | English farm animals and cat I’m making upset — briefly amusing (12) |
| EPIGRAMMATIC — E (English) + PIG RAM (farm animals) and an anagram of (… making upset) CAT I’M | |
| 40 | Relaxed about wet weather that’s rather cold (10) |
| RESTRAINED — RESTED (relaxed) around (about) RAIN (wet weather) | |
| 43 | Area of ten by ten in the middle of cemetery (6) |
| EXTENT — X (ten) by TEN (ten) in the central letters of (the middle of) cemETary | |
| 44 | Act roughly in factory dance (8) |
| WORKSHOP — WORKS (factory) + HOP (dance) | |
| 45 | Fool holding gang’s possessions (6) |
| ASSETS — ASS (fool) around (holding) SET (gang) | |
| 49 | Reprimand tons with cheap disposal not having succeeded (7-3) |
| TELLING-OFF — T (tons) next to (with) [s]ELLING OFF (cheap disposal) without (not having) S (succeeded) | |
| 51 | Stadium boxer swinging, using both right and left (12) |
| AMBIDEXTROUS — STADIUM BOXER anagrammed (swinging) | |
| 53 | One cruelly killed a long time after deed (7) |
| ACTAEON — AEON (a long time) after ACT (deed) | |
| 54 | Bolshevik cunning is possessed by worker (9) |
| ANARCHIST — ARCH (cunning) + IS (from the clue) inside (possessed by) ANT (worker) | |
| 55 | Like some yogurt to follow over fruit? (5) |
| OLIVE — LIVE (like some yoghurt) after (to follow) O (over) | |
| 56 | Turn out upper-class in gallery after literary evening (9) |
| EVENTUATE — U (upper-class) in TATE (gallery) after EVEN (literary evening, literary word for evening) | |
| 57 | Spiritual awakening is nettling he-men, unfortunately (13) |
| ENLIGHTENMENT — An anagram of (… unfortunately) NETTLING HE–MEN | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Climbing rodents get on ship to leave port? (9) |
| STARBOARD — The reversal of (climbing, in a down answer) RATS (rodents) followed by BOARD (get on ship). To turn a ship to the right, or away from port | |
| 2 | Religious reformer imprisons one who will fret? (7) |
| LUTHIER — LUTHER (religious reformer) surrounds (imprisons) I (one). This didn’t feel like a word until I looked it up, then it all made sense | |
| 3 | Inspiration Henry found in island race (10) |
| INHALATION — H (Henry) is found in the concatenation of I (island) and NATION (race) | |
| 4 | Hard up, wretched in seclusion (6) |
| PURDAH — HARD UP, anagrammed (wretched) | |
| 5 | What’s pirate suffering splitting share being brought home? (12) |
| REPATRIATION — It’s an anagram of (… suffering) PIRATE inside (splitting) RATION (share) | |
| 6 | Deliverer of order arrives carrying cooker (8) |
| ARRANGER — ARR (arrives) containing (carrying) RANGE (cooker) | |
| 7 | Horses harnessed together: the second is out of energy (4) |
| TEAM — The S (second) is removed from (is out of) [s]TEAM (energy) | |
| 8 | Oddly need priest to get ordained in advance (10) |
| PREDESTINE — An anagram of (oddly) NEED PRIEST | |
| 9 | Not quite in line with the latest ideas, okay? (6) |
| RIGHTO — All but the last letter of (not quite) RIGHT–On (in line with the latest ideas) | |
| 10 | Indecision of foolish girl embracing Henry more than once (12) |
| SHILLYSHALLY — SILLY (foolish) + SALLY (girl) around (embracing) H and H (Henry more than once) | |
| 11 | Giant bird sank, lacking wings (5) |
| TITAN — TIT (bird) + sANk without the outer letters (lacking wings) | |
| 12 | Abode ripe for demolition? Felon might hang about here? (9,4) |
| CONDEMNED CELL — Whimsically this could be a CELL (abode) which is CONDEMNED (ripe for demolition). Actually it’s a prison cell for someone who is going to be executed. I hadn’t heard this term before | |
| 20 | Go quickly up, sick over a Spanish omelette (8) |
| TORTILLA — TROT (go quickly) reversed (up, in a down answer) and ILL (sick) preceding (over) A (from the clue) | |
| 22 | One remedy that has answer for universal solitude (9) |
| ISOLATION — I (one) + SOL[u]TION (remedy) that has A (answer) in place of (for) U (universal) | |
| 23 | Millions lost by metal plant (8) |
| GERANIUM — M (millions) is dropped from (lost by) GER[m]ANIUM (metal) | |
| 25 | Succeeded with fruit as new flavour (9) |
| SPEARMINT — S (succeeded) with PEAR (fruit) + MINT (as new) | |
| 27 | With which Hook starts in the role of buccaneer (8) |
| ASPIRATE — AS PIRATE (in the role of buccaneer) | |
| 28 | Reptile is back, large one coming in to lie in the sun (8) |
| BASILISK — IS (from the clue) reversed (back) followed by L (large) and I (one), all inside (coming in) BASK (to lie in the sun) | |
| 29 | Distinguish if iron ripped apart with current in time (13) |
| DIFFERENTIATE — IF + FE (iron) + RENT (ripped apart) + I (current) all in DATE (time) | |
| 32 | Determined current passing round grid, initially (12) |
| INTRANSIGENT — IN (current) + TRANSIENT (passing) round the first letter of (… initially) Grid | |
| 33 | Change ringers, inept and full of boldness (12) |
| ENTERPRISING — The instruction here is to make an anagram of (change) RINGERS INEPT | |
| 37 | Came across old uniform cloth for staff in military design (10) |
| CAMOUFLAGE — CAME (from the clue) around (across) O (old), U (uniform), and FLAG (cloth for staff) | |
| 38 | Instrument surgeon initially inserted in low spine (6,4) |
| BASSET HORN — The first letter of (… initially) Surgeon inserted in BASE (low) followed by THORN (spine) | |
| 41 | Cover song about street woman (9) |
| DUSTSHEET — DUET (song) around (about) ST (street) and SHE (woman) | |
| 42 | Caught Michael shaking for addictive drug (8) |
| CHEMICAL — C (caught) plus an anagram of (… shaking) MICHAEL | |
| 46 | European cause is possibly controversial (7) |
| EMOTIVE — E (European) + MOTIVE (cause) | |
| 47 | As told, look after united country (6) |
| UGANDA — GANDA here sounds like (as told) GANDER and it comes after U (united) | |
| 48 | Let It Be holds record for group (6) |
| SEPTET — STET (let it be) contains (holds) EP (record) | |
| 50 | Left one article in moving supply (5) |
| LITHE — A charade of L (left), I (one) and THE (article) | |
| 52 | Record finish for a race (4) |
| TAPE — We cross the line with a double definition to finish | |
Phil
Edited at 2020-02-29 06:54 am (UTC)
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