Quite a gentle Jumbo I thought with little to frighten the horses. Solved on a train journey on my way to the Colchester Beer Festival (largely in the waiting room at Ipswich between trains) so no accurate time but certainly rather less than 30 minutes. How did you all get on? If anything’s unclear in the relatively terse blog do leave a comment with your query and I’ll endeavour to respond.
Definitions underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc, {deletions} and [] other indicators.
| Across | |
| 1 | Firm well-organised factor (11) |
| COEFFICIENT – CO (Company; firm) EFFICIENT (well-organised). A straightforward one to start. | |
| 7 | Coat ornament Glynis wore at last, one of five (6) |
| SEQUIN – GlyniS worE [at last] QUIN (one of five). A bit of a MER at this from me. The wordplay is clear enough but is a sequin generally an ornament on a coat rather than any other garment? | |
| 10 | Affected male in close-fitting headgear (4) |
| CAMP – M (male) in CAP (close-fitting headgear). | |
| 14 | Fellow engaging an expert where alcohol may be served (7) |
| TAPROOM – A PRO (an expert) in TOM (fellow; random man’s name). | |
| 15 | Agree the sun god is a will-o’-the-wisp (7) |
| CHIMERA – CHIME (agree) RA (sun-god) | |
| 16 | Club employee’s dishonoured cheque? (7) |
| BOUNCER -Double definition, the second a cryptic hint | |
| 17 | Fashionable artist frames them regularly, that’s for sure (13) |
| INCONTESTABLE – IN (fashionable), T{h}E{m} [regularly] in CONSTABLE (artist). | |
| 18 | Talmudic scholar, poor performer, accepting return of evil (9) |
| RABBINIST – SIN (evil) reversed -> NIS, in RABBIT (poor performer with the bat in cricket). | |
| 19 | Solicitor catching river fish (5) |
| TROUT – R (river) in TOUT (solicitor). | |
| 21 | Desire for travelling west and touring Ulster (10) |
| WANDERLUST – W (west) AND (Ulster)* [touring]. | |
| 23 | Be tedious, like the north wind (6) |
| BOREAS – BORE (be tedious) AS. | |
| 25 | Framework retailed outside popular eating-place (8) |
| SCAFFOLD – CAFF (popular term for an eating place) in SOLD (retailed). | |
| 26 | Defiance regarding ringers enveloping us in terrible noise (14) |
| REBELLIOUSNESS – A double inclusion clue. RE (regarding), US in (noise)* [terrible], in BELLS (ringers). | |
| 29 | Fuss associated with bishop’s parsley, for example (7) |
| POTHERB – POTHER (fuss) B (bishop). I only know ‘pother’ from it appearing in crosswords past. | |
| 30 | Means to record a dupe raving about very little (9) |
| AUDIOTAPE – IOTA (very little amount) in (a dupe)* [raving]. | |
| 31 | Instrument produced by girl at bar (5) |
| BANJO – BAN (bar) JO (girl) . | |
| 32 | Verbal greeting to woman, one that laughs maniacally? (5) |
| HYENA – HY sounds like HI (greeting) ENA (woman). Does anybody know an Ena other than Ena Shrples? | |
| 34 | Opposed to sparkling wine, consuming soft hors-d’oeuvres (9) |
| ANTIPASTI – P (piano; soft) in ANTI (against) ASTI (sparkling wine) | |
| 37 | Increased entitlement — honest! (7) |
| UPRIGHT – UP (increased) RIGHT (entitlement). | |
| 39 | Typical letters about one given time in charge (14) |
| CHARACTERISTIC – I (one) in CHARACTERS (letters), T (time) I/C (in charge). | |
| 41 | Police officer’s bloomer, a catastrophe! (8) |
| DISASTER – DI’S (Detective Inspector’s; police officer’s) ASTER (bloomer). | |
| 43 | Revealing novel accepted by agent (6) |
| SKIMPY – KIM (novel by Rudyard Kipling) in SPY (agent). | |
| 44 | Least distinguished weaver ultimately fails in test (10) |
| BOTTOMMOST – BOTTOM (weaver in a Midsummer Night’s Dream), failS [ultimately] in MOT (annual motor vehicle test). | |
| 45 | Wee tipple taken before a play (5) |
| DRAMA – DRAM (wee tipple) A. | |
| 48 | Boyfriend, very shortly, to accommodate painter (9) |
| INAMORATO – RA (painter) in IN A MO (shortly), TO. | |
| 49 | Vulgarity involving four sons, late teens, sadly (13) |
| TASTELESSNESS – (SSSS late teens)* [sadly]. What a lot of Ss! | |
| 51 | Formal note about a church dignitary, perhaps (7) |
| PRIMATE – A in PRIM (formal) TE (note). | |
| 52 | Beg politician to penetrate current body of learning (7) |
| IMPLORE – MP (politician) in I (current in e.g. V=IR) LORE (body of learning). | |
| 53 | Diplomat starts to acquire this hirsute growth (7) |
| ATTACHE – [Starts to] Acquire This, TACHE (hirsute growth). | |
| 54 | Republican with cash in Limpopo (4) |
| RAND – R (Republican) AND (with). | |
| 55 | Dry American conspirator (6) |
| BRUTUS – BRUT (dry sparkling wine) US (American). | |
| 56 | Disheartened after new heater damaged pottery (11) |
| EARTHENWARE – (a{fte}r new heater)* [damaged]. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Downy plant principally cultivated where money is made (7) |
| CATMINT – Cultivated [principally], AT MINT (where money is made). | |
| 2 | In the club collecting gold? It makes you spit! (11) |
| EXPECTORANT – OT (gold) in EXPECTANT (in the club). | |
| 3 | Scowl, initially feeling narked about argument (5) |
| FROWN – ROW (argument) in first letters of Feeling Narked. | |
| 4 | A fluttery type, Miss London SE5? (10,6) |
| CAMBERWELL BEAUTY – A butterfly. Double definition with the second a cryptic hint. | |
| 5 | Thrilling, going out without chaperone at first (8) |
| EXCITING – Chaperone [at first] in EXITING (going out). | |
| 6 | American anemone maybe little daughter found under seamstress’s cap (11) |
| THIMBLEWEED – THIMBLE (seamstress’s cap for the finger) WEE (little) D (daughter). Several plants are known as thimbleweeds including various species of anemone. | |
| 7 | Kid moved from side to side when speaking (5) |
| SUEDE – SUEDE sounds like SWAYED (moved from side to side). | |
| 8 | A bird struggling with icy squall — like oystercatcher, for example (14) |
| QUADRISYLLABIC – (A bird icy squall)* [struggling]. | |
| 9 | Take in this person’s sacred writings, forking out pounds (6) |
| IMBIBE – I’M (this person’s) BIB{l}E (sacred writings) without the L (pounds in LSD). | |
| 11 | Chap welcoming male faculty head, like a man of principle? (11) |
| ARCHIMEDEAN – M (male) in ARCHIE (chap), DEAN (faculty head). As I’m sure you knew already… Archimedes’ principle states that: “The upward buoyant force that is exerted on a body immersed in a fluid, whether partially or fully submerged, is equal to the weight of the fluid that the body displaces and acts in the upward direction at the centre of mass of the displaced fluid” | |
| 12 | Yellow mineral used in two-fifths of happy ceremonies (7) |
| PYRITES – [two-fifths of, i.e. two of the five letters of] hapPY, RITES (ceremonies). | |
| 13 | Rebellious Greek character can finally woo you and me (8) |
| MUTINOUS – MU (Greek letter) TIN (can), last letter of woO, US (you and me). | |
| 20 | Material from Welsh river consumed going north (7) |
| TAFFETA – TAFF (Welsh river), ATE (consumed) going upwards -> ETA. | |
| 22 | Stop at sea and tell tales? (3,2) |
| LIE TO – Double definition. | |
| 24 | Sort itself out? The rivers Welland and Nene do it (4,3,2,3,4) |
| COME OUT IN THE WASH – Double definition, the second a cryptic hint. | |
| 25 | Like some Greek odes thus entertaining husband with download (7) |
| SAPPHIC – APP (download) H (husband) in SIC (thus). | |
| 27 | Duck run into by old two-wheeled vehicle (7) |
| SCOOTER – O (old) in SCOTER (a type of duck). | |
| 28 | Perform with hesitation, disturbing one scientist or another (14) |
| BACTERIOLOGIST – Another scientist, that is. ACT (perform) ER (sound made when hesitating) in BIOLOGIST (one scientist) | |
| 31 | Save money at first — help girl that pulls pints (7) |
| BARMAID – BAR (save; as in all bar) Money [at first] AID (help). | |
| 33 | Investigation into axeman rampaging around island (11) |
| EXAMINATION – I (island) in (into axeman)* [rampaging]. | |
| 35 | Put forward ideas originally received in mail (5) |
| POSIT – Ideas [originally] in POST (mail). | |
| 36 | Old detector of tremors Moses copies ineptly (11) |
| SEISMOSCOPE – (Moses copies)* [ineptly]. | |
| 38 | Get up a chart cracking up latex-derived substance (5-6) |
| GUTTA-PERCHA – (Get up a chart)* [cracking up]. | |
| 40 | A very quiet cricket ground securing king’s favour (8) |
| APPROVAL – R (king), in A PP (pianissimo; very quiet) OVAL (cricket ground). | |
| 42 | Ancestor’s warning over plantigrade mammal (8) |
| FOREBEAR –FORE (warning on a golf-course) BEAR (plantigrade animal). | |
| 43 | Captain’s second course at breakfast, perhaps? (7) |
| SKIPPER – S (second) KIPPER (course at breakfast, perhaps). | |
| 46 | Stern Liberal leaving Ulster, in paper regularly (7) |
| AUSTERE – U{l}STER without the L (liberal) in the alternate letters, [regularly] of pApEr. | |
| 47 | Rush about centre of Leeds in motorised vehicle (6) |
| CAREER – RE (about) [centre of] LeEds in CAR (motorised vehicle). | |
| 49 | Thanks old man originally supplying savoury snacks (5) |
| TAPAS – TA (thanks) PA (old man) and first letter of Supplying. | |
| 50 | Glossy fabric used by dressmakers at Inverness (5) |
| SATIN – Hidden in dressmakerS AT INverness. | |
A gentle Jumbo solved in one session. There were a few unknowns or forgottens along the way, such as BOREAS and GUTTA-PERCHA, but checkers and wordplay saw me through.
Easy enough. DNK SEISMOSCOPE or THIMBLEWEED, but must have come across the butterfly, or maybe the district, sometime. I learned GUTTA-PERCHA as a schoolboy reading about the Southern Congressman who attacked Senator Charles Sumner in the Senate with a gutta-percha cane; almost killed him. The Senate is a bit more sedate now.
One error with QUADRASYLLABIC having rather too many ‘A’s. And I had been so chuffed for spotting it early, in the end somewhat hubristically (a more apt 4-syllable word for my performances recently, I feel).
COD to BOTTOMMOST.
NHO Boreas or Gutta-Percha but being based in SE5 I got Camberwell Beauty immediately which was a helpful start. I liked Bottommost and Come Out in the Wash
This blog seems like a great resource for Jumbo solvers! I especially like the blogger’s offer to answer any questions if the clues are unclear. The breakdown of the clues is helpful too, although some of the wordplay seems a bit tricky. I never would have gotten “SEQUIN” from that clue!
Thanks. Glad you find it useful.