Times Cryptic Jumbo No 1452 – 1st August

Author   JohninterredPosted on Categories Jumbo Cryptic

Let me see now. What do I remember about soving this nearly 2 weeks ago?  Notes on my paper copy say I was all but done in 40 minutes but then took nearly another 10 to finish it, with the NE corner holding me up most – last 2 in were 13D and 15A. As usual there were a few unknowns – the weapon at 32A, the synonym for sell at 23D and the coin at 29D but only 15A was, I think, a bit of a stretch. No less than nine approving ticks on my copy. I liked the “error at the back” in 24A, the alchemy at 37A and the rather clever 49A, but COD to 25D for the neat wordplay trick. 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 The essentials in underwear piles (5,5)
BRASS TACKS – BRAS (underwear) STACKS (piles).
6 Official voice possessed by a graduate with robe (12)
AMBASSADRESS – BASS (voice) inside [possessed by] A MA (Master of Arts; graduate) DRESS (robe).
14 Out of bed with feathers showing instability (2,3,4)
UP AND DOWN – UP (out of bed) AND (with) DOWN (feathers).
15 Demon has man at heart scared (5)
AFRIT – mAn [at heart] FRIT (scared). An unusual word clued by another unusual word. Hmm. A clue that’s escaped from the Mephisto, perhaps?
16 This person’s on army’s first vehicle in offensive (7)
ABUSIVE – I’VE (this person’s) after [on] Army’s [first] BUS (vehicle).
17 Novel states in which account may be (3,3,3,3,5)
THE RED AND THE BLACK – Definition and a cryptic hint – an account can be either “in the red” (overdrawn) or “in the black” (in credit). I’m afraid I’d never heard of, let alone read, this classic novel by Stendhal.
18 Sub officer retreating? I’m not sure (5)
LOCUM – Sub as in substitute. COL (officer) [retreating] -> LOC, UM (I’m not sure).
19 Cook fine, edible root, wanting starter (7)
FALSIFY – A bit sneaky, I think! Cook as in commit fraud. F (fine) sALSIFY [edible root] without the first letter [wanting starter].
21 Cats track mouse heartlessly by second track (6)
MEMORY – Another tricky one. This song from the musical Cats. MouseE (heartless) MO (second) RY (railway track).
22 Fancy if I possessed lentils from the east (3-2-3)
LAH-DI-DAH – HAD  I (if I possessed)  DHAL (lentils) reversed [from the east] -> LAHD  I DAH.
24 Whence porcelain fruit without error at the back (7)
LIMOGES – LIMES (fruit) [without] O.G. (own goal) [error at the back]. Ho ho!
26 Almost keen on less civil, unwelcome fellow (8)
INTRUDER – INTo (keen) [almost] RUDER (less civil).
27 Guide rested by reversing vehicle (6)
SATNAV – SAT (rested) VAN (vehicle) [reversing] -> NAV.
30 Loudly cutting chicken, always making complaint (6,5)
YELLOW FEVER – F (forte; loudly) inside [cutting] YELLOW (chicken) EVER (always).
32 Detective on drug many rejected, one maybe fired (5,6)
HORSE PISTOL – PI (Private Investigator; PI) [on] HORSE (drug) LOTS (many)  [rejected] ->  STOL.
33 Like judge‘s issue with one’s English in test (11)
MAGISTERIAL – MAG (magazine; issue) I’S (one’s) E (English) [in] TRIAL (test).
35 Entertaining place to involve partner in match (7,4)
DRAWING ROOM – DRAW IN (involve) GROOM (partner in match, i.e. wedding).
37 Substance initially becoming nitrogen gas (6)
NATTER – mATTER (substance) with the M [initially] [becoming] N (chemical symbol for nitrogen). We need to “lift and separate” “nitrogen gas”.
38 Ruler at intervals moulding part of foot (8)
OLIGARCH – Alternate letters [at intervals] of mOuLdInG, ARCH (part of foot).
39 Male Greek deity knocked over dish (7)
RAMEKIN – RAM (male (goat)) NIKE (Greek deity) reversed  [knocked over] -> EKIN.
42 Particular observation about banking area (8)
ESPECIAL – ESPIAL (observation) [about] EC (aka the city; the central financial district of london; banking area)..
44 Manufacturer with licence (6)
WRIGHT – W (with) RIGHT (licence). Wright as in wheelwright, shipwright etc,
46 A single medic enters close to parched (4-3)
BONE-DRY – ONE (A single) DR (doctor; medic) [enters] BY (close to).
48 Empty personnel devour tuck (5)
PLEAT – PersonneL [empty], i.e. with outside letters only, EAT (devour).
49 E.g. coming here, current power to split atom (7,10)
PRESENT PARTICIPLE – PRESENT (here) I (current) P (power) inside [to split] PARTICLE (atom).
51 Mundane covers of Telegraph put in prematurely (7)
EARTHLY – Outside letters [covers] of TelegrapH [put in] EARLY (prematurely).
52 So we hear, look for one in flight (5)
STAIR – Sounds like [so we hear] STARE (look).
53 Put under the rocks, wish to return (9)
ETHERISED – (the)* [rocks] DESIRE (wish) [to return] -> ERISED. Let us go then, you and I…
54 Put down revolt to seize power? That’s bold (12)
ENTERPRISING – ENTER (put down in e.g. a journal) RISING (revolt) [seizing] P (power).
55 Person sacking porter, dead drunk (10)
DEPREDATOR – (porter dead)* [drunk].
Down
1 Cow eating unit of bananas lavishly (11)
BOUNTIFULLY – BULLY (cow, the verb) [eating] (unit of)* [bananas].
2 Device for cooking skin of vine that’s succulent (5)
AGAVE – AGA (device for cooking) [skin of] VinE.
3 Making blue design and modelling (9)
SADDENING – (design and)* [modelling].
4 Clad in vinyl, a monarch’s turned up something odd (7)
ANOMALY – Hidden in  [clad in] vinYL A MONArch [turned up].
5 It’s involved in stocking domestic animals, say (7)
KINGDOM – Hidden in [involved in] stocKING DOMestic.
7 Saving pound, ruin old, unrefined English town (11)
MARLBOROUGH – MAR (ruin) O (old) ROUGH (unrefined) [saving] LB (pound).
8 Off track, like cup-bearer (6)
ASTRAY – AS (like) TRAY (cup-bearer).
9 Diner‘s bag filled with new piece of chocolate (5,3)
SNACK BAR – SACK (bag) [filled with] N (new), BAR (piece of chocolate).
10 Manipulate and beguile old fraud (6-7)
DOUBLE-DEALING – [Manipulate] (and beguile old)*.
11 Shown one boy embraced by another (7)
EVINCED – VINCE (one boy) [embraced by] ED (another boy).
12 Digger‘s spades and clubs found by shack (5-6)
STEAM-SHOVEL – S (spades) TEAMS (clubs) HOVEL (shack).
13 Pet around house, note, runs in part of dash (10)
TACHOMETER – CAT (pet) [around -> TAC, HOME (house) TE (note to drink with jam and bread) R (runs). Aka rev counter, as you find on your car dash(board).
20 What brightens up endlessly bad mess (9)
LAMPLIGHT – LAMe (bad) [endlessly] PLIGHT (mess).
23 Pull up and sell fish (8)
REPROACH – REP (the verb; sell) ROACH (fish). I never new rep = sell.
25 Cushion, with pins removed, spins over and over (6)
SOFTEN – Spins [with pins removed] OFTEN (over and over). Clever bit of deletion.
26 Dishonestly persuade, given lie to spread around (8)
INVEIGLE – (given lie)* [to spread around].
28 Made contacts, so it was possible to go online? (9)
NETWORKED – Definition and a cryptic hint.
29 Person repudiating old French bread (6)
DENIER – Double definition. “The denier (Latin: denarius; abbr. d.) or penny was a medieval coin which takes its name from the Frankish coin first issued in the late seventh century; in English it is sometimes referred to as a silver penny.“
31 Bird‘s cry, coast there being wild (13)
OYSTERCATCHER – (cry coast there)* [wild].
33 Figures on board covering obstruction around shelf (11)
MANTELPIECE – MAN, PIECE (figures on chessboard) [covering] LET (obstruction) [around] -> TEL. Sneaky use of plural to indicate we need two words.
34 Deception emerged? Nail criminal (11)
LEGERDEMAIN – (emerged nail)* [criminal].
35 Offering insults before leftist turns on rightist (10)
DEROGATORY – AGO (before) RED (leftist) [turns] -> DEROGA, TORY (rightist).
36 Merely running with no end, he hopes to generate interest (11)
MONEYLENDER – (merely, no end)* [running].
40 Chap treated by yours truly given digital upgrade (9)
MANICURED – MAN (chap) I (yours truly) CURED (treated).
41 Rates contributor in Times during year apt to change (8)
TAXPAYER – X (times) [during] (year apt)* [to change].
43 Stage character to go off behind platform (7)
PIERROT – PIER (platform) ROT (go off).
45 Role reversed with ease, we hear, in swingers’ bar (7)
TRAPEZE – PART (role) [reversed] -> TRAP, EZE sounds like [we hear] (ease).
46 Very masculine ruler in ruin (7)
BUTCHER – BUTCH (very masculine) ER (ruler).
47 Count on son abandoning agreement (6)
CENSUS – ConsENSUS (agreement) [abandoning] on s (son).
50 Good health leaving queen’s place (5)
POSIT – PrOSIT (good health toast) [leaving] R (regina, queen).

5 comments on “Times Cryptic Jumbo No 1452 – 1st August”

  1. I also didn’t know REP as a verb, and that made REPROACH my LOI. I knew AFRIT (as ‘afreet’), and I’m pretty sure it’s been here before. FRIT I knew from Margaret Thatcher’s (inadvertent, apparently) use of it in Commons, which apparently provoked laughter from the Labour benches (and maybe some wet Tories). I biffed the Stendhal novel (which I confess I haven’t read) from the 2d E. I could make nothing of ‘cats track’, but fortunately didn’t need to. I’ve got ‘COD’ written in by ETHERISED.
  2. Struggled on the RH side. Didn’t understand ‘dash’ at 13dn and REP as a verb was unfamiliar but perfectly logical.
  3. Yet another typo … “yellow feber,” so the website alleges. I think I will not bother to submit them in future

    I liked 12dn because it brought back memories of reading “Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel” to my children at bed time… classic literature at its finest 🙂

  4. Found this a bit easier than average but there were some clever clues and I particularly enjoyed the banana-eating cow. Knew there was a novel called THE RED AND THE BLACK but couldn’t have told you anything about it nor who wrote it. Also hadn’t heard of HORSE PISTOL, STEAM-SHOVEL or the DENIER coin but the wordplay was kind.

    Afrit was one of the pseudonyms of A.F. Ritchie, who set for the Listener in the ’30s and ’40s. He was the origin of the famous (?) quote for compilers: “You need not mean what you say, but you must say what you mean”. His ideas regarding “fair” clues were expanded upon by Ximenes.

    Of course, this information would not have helped anyone solve the clue – just wanted to mention that there is a little extra significance to the word AFRIT in crosswording history.

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