I found this Jumbo Cryptic on the easier side, taking 27:19 to finish. As usual there were a couple of (to me) unknowns, but nothing unfair. I noticed a few spurious “a”s and an “an” that didn’t seem to be needed as part of definition or wordplay, but I suppose they make the surface readings a bit more natural. Did they bother anyone else? Thank-you setter. How did you all get on?
Definitions underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc, {deletions} and [] other indicators.
| Across | |
| 1 | Dangerous reptile flusters hack regularly visiting north-east (11) |
| RATTLESNAKE – RATTLES (flusters), alternate letters of hAcK in NE (north-east). | |
| 7 | Old friend talked of spirit’s shimmering effect (11) |
| OPALESCENCE – O (old) PAL (friend) ESENCE, sounds like ESSENCE (spirit). | |
| 13 | Last of kids shut up, being exhausted! (5) |
| SPENT – Last letter of kidS, PENT (shut up). | |
| 14 | Limited object the French authorise (7) |
| ENTITLE – ENITIT{y} without its last letter, LE (the in French). | |
| 15 | Month a boxer initially talked about a liquid measure(9) |
| DECALITRE – DEC (December; month) ALI (Muhammad Ali; boxer), Talked [initially], RE (about). | |
| 16 | Interplanetary craft ultimately needs steps with it (9) |
| SPACESHIP – Last letter of needS, PACES (steps) HIP (with it). | |
| 17 | A singular type intended to dispose of a potpourri (10) |
| ASSORTMENT – A S (singular) SORT (type) ME{a}NT (intended) without the A. | |
| 20 | Vicious dog accompanying a Republican judge (7) |
| ARBITER – A R (Republican) BITER (vicious dog). | |
| 22 | Extremely popular breezy-sounding plain (7) |
| PRAIRIE – Outside letters, [extremely], of PopulaR, AIRIE sounds like AIRY (breezy). | |
| 24 | A newlywed taking in garments at first to shorten (7) |
| ABRIDGE – First letter of Garments in A BRIDE (newlywed). | |
| 25 | Trio mostly raving originally about sick suspense story (8) |
| THRILLER – THRE{e} (trio) [mostly] and first letter of Raving about ILL (sick). | |
| 26 | Disclose how age impaired a futile mission (4-5,5) |
| WILD-GOOSE CHASE – (Disclose how age)* [impaired]. | |
| 28 | Muslim legal expert’s everyday clothing (5) |
| MUFTI – Double definition. | |
| 29 | Unusually nasty adverse mark for use of language (6) |
| SYNTAX – (nasty)* [unusually] X (adverse mark). | |
| 30 | Hardy character’s suitor carrying light by day (10) |
| WOODLANDER – D (day) LAND (light) in WOOER (suitor). The Woodlanders is a novel by Thomas Hardy. Not that I knew that. | |
| 33 | Silver-haired poet picked up top journalist (10) |
| GREYHEADED – GREY sounds like GRAY (Thomas Gray; poet) HEAD (top) ED (editor; journalist). | |
| 35 | Reduce size of quiet skating venue (6) |
| SHRINK – SH (quiet) RINK (skating venue). | |
| 37 | Book miners once found outside a hotel (5) |
| NAHUM – A H (hotel in the phonetic alphabet) in NUM (National Union of Miners). | |
| 39 | Scallywag taking photograph of one applying lash? (14) |
| WHIPPERSNAPPER – WHIPPER (one applying lash) SNAPPER (one taking photograph). | |
| 41 | Clear first of plants I culled ineptly (8) |
| PELLUCID – First letter of Plants, (I culled)* [ineptly]. | |
| 44 | Obstruction set back lead communications satellite (7) |
| TELSTAR – LET (obstruction) [est back] -> TEL, STAR (lead actor/actress). | |
| 45 | Heavyweight introducing a posh car cover (7) |
| TONNEAU – TONNE (heavyweight) A U (posh). The top for a convertible car. | |
| 46 | Giant, one primarily attending a fairy queen (7) |
| TITANIA – TITAN (giant) I (one) and first letter of Attending. | |
| 47 | A risk-free time to gather over a woman’s bitter resin (10) |
| ASAFOETIDA –A, O (over) in SAFE (risk-free), T (time) IDA (woman). It’s in my spice rack and I use it in some Indian recipes. | |
| 49 | Fails with extreme difficulty: a nasty shock! (9) |
| BOMBSHELL – BOMBS (fails) HELL (extreme difficulty). | |
| 53 | Dancer in male crew carrying flag (6,3) |
| MORRIS MAN – ORRIS (flag; the Florentine iris) in M MAN (crew). | |
| 54 | Tearjerker holding sanctimonious view (7) |
| OPINION – PI (sanctimonious) in ONION (tearjerker; ha ha!). | |
| 55 | Source of beam installed in Agricola’s era (5) |
| LASER – Hidden in AgricoLA’S ERa. | |
| 56 | Chap tucking into fleshy fruit is primarily manifesting piggishness (11) |
| GOURMANDISM – MAN (chap) in GOURD (fleshy fruit) IS and first letter of Manifesting. I always thought a gourmand was just a lover of good food, but I see it can also mean someone who eats greedily. | |
| 57 | Police force info mother receives right by Canadian lake (11) |
| GENDARMERIE –GEN (info), R (right) in DAME (mother), ERIE (Canadian lake). | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Defiant chap entering further exam (9) |
| RESISTANT – STAN (chap) in RESIT (further exam). | |
| 2 | European citizen making cuts in opera? (3,6,2,7) |
| THE BARBER OF SEVILLE – Cryptic Definition. The opera is by Rossini. | |
| 3 | Turner’s device Henry invested in tardily (5) |
| LATHE – H (Henry; SI unit of inductance) in LATE (tardily). | |
| 4 | He’s pressed hard, surprisingly, to find an animal minder (11) |
| SHEPHERDESS – (he’s pressed h)* [surprisingly]. | |
| 5 | Rival church leader’s hint in article? Not at all (8) |
| ANTIPOPE – TIP (hint) in A (article) NOPE (not at all). | |
| 6 | Additional time welcomed by girl left outside union (12) |
| EXTRAMARITAL – EXTRA (additional), T (time) in MARIA (girl), L (left). | |
| 7 | Walk across street, supporting deliveries on cycle, perhaps? (10) |
| OVERSTRIDE – OVER (cricket deliveries) ST (street) RIDE (cycle, perhaps). | |
| 8 | Tree some vandal deracinated (5) |
| ALDER – Hidden in vandAL DERacinated. It’s not necessary to solve the clue, but it’s helpful to know deracinate means ‘root up’ and admire the skilful surface reading. | |
| 9 | Soldier in outskirts of Epsom, overtaken and surrounded (11) |
| ENCOMPASSED – NCO, soldier, in outside letters of EpsoM, PASSED (overtaken). | |
| 10 | Dry clinic oddly shaped like a tube (9) |
| CYLINDRIC – (dry clinic)* [oddly]. I’ve not seen the word without the “al” at the end. | |
| 11 | Memo causing upset to college (4) |
| NOTE – ETON (college) [upset]. Oh no. Not that elitist school again. But I guess its more use in a clue than my alma mater – Barnard Castle School. | |
| 12 | Seamstress beheaded in jug? (4) |
| EWER – {s}EWER (seamstress) without her first letter. | |
| 18 | Old king’s turbulent son faced sword there (6,3,9) |
| EDWARD THE CONFESSOR – (son faced sword there)* [turbulent]. | |
| 19 | Cable English member absorbed in public vehicle (8) |
| TELEGRAM – E (English) LEG (member) in TRAM (public vehicle). | |
| 21 | Fairly lofty Tudor composer overcoming height (7) |
| TALLISH – TALLIS (Thomas Tallis; composer) H (height). Listen to his famous and amazing 40-part motet Spem in Alium here. | |
| 23 | Cheap informal English comedian entertaining small number (8) |
| ECONOMIC – NO (small number) in E (English) COMIC (comedian). The definition is as it is in Chambers, meaning number 4. | |
| 27 | Hospital doctor principally employing this form of communication (8) |
| INTERNET – INTERN (hospital doctor) and first letters of Employing This. | |
| 28 | Note gun covering Tyler’s power unit (8) |
| MEGAWATT – WAT (Wat Tyler; leader of the 1381 peasant’s revolt) in ME (note; third of the sol-fa scale) GAT (gun). | |
| 31 | Ring and cancel film (7) |
| ANNULET – ANNUL (cancel) ET (a setter’s favourite film). | |
| 32 | Stingy governor in church, economical about energy (12) |
| CHEESEPARING – HE (his excellency; governor) in CE (Church of England), E (energy) in SPARING (economical). | |
| 34 | Broadcast by artisans dismissing first of such service personnel (11) |
| AIRCRAFTMEN – AIR (broadcast) CRAFT{s}MEN (artisans) without the first letter of Such. | |
| 36 | Urge to take Liberal inside preserved Arab area (11) |
| KLEPTOMANIA – L (Liberal) in KEPT (preserved), OMANI (Arab) A (area). | |
| 38 | Like some aquatic animals oddly imposing for one I ignored (10) |
| SPONGIFORM – ({i}mposing for)* without one of the Is [oddly] . | |
| 40 | Reactive element is a must, somehow, under river (9 (9) |
| POTASSIUM – PO (river), (is a must)* [somehow]. | |
| 42 | Girl with capacity to contain anger over mischief (9) |
| DIABLERIE – IRE (anger) [over] -> ERI, in DI (girl) ABLE (with capacity). | |
| 43 | Copper — married man from Kendal, say (8) |
| CUMBRIAN – CU (chemical symbol for copper) M (married) BRIAN (man). | |
| 48 | Boredom initially encompassing Greek character in part of UK (5) |
| ENNUI – First letter of Encompassing, NU (Greek character) in NI (Northern Ireland; part of UK). | |
| 50 | Sergeant major swigging beer in US state capital (5) |
| SALEM – ALE (beer) in SM (Sergeant Major). Capital of Oregon, as I’m sure you knew already. Not me. I thought of Salem Massachusetts, but it is not the state capital – that’s Boston. Salem Mass. is famous for its 1692 witch trials. | |
| 51 | Polluted atmosphere originally stifling cat (4) |
| SMOG – First letter of Stifling, MOG (cat). | |
| 52 | Trickster chucks out daughter, one married in Bonn, perhaps (4) |
| FRAU – FRAU{d} (trickster) without the D (daughter). The German equivalent of Mrs. | |
DNF: never got WOODLANDER (NHO), SPONGIFORM (one of many clues I’ve marked ‘feh!’ for their surfaces), MORRIS MAN (DNK, DNK ORRIS). As with most of the recent Jumbos (is it the same setter?), there was a plethora of ugly clues: ‘A risk-free time to gather over a woman’s bitter resin’, ‘Boredom initially encompassing Greek character in part of UK’ etc.
Mostly very easy indeed although the lower half presented a few more problems with trickier words or clues. NHO DIABLIERE but the wordplay was friendly. Use aids for WOODLANDER as the novel referred to is one by Hardy that has completely escaped my attention, even as a title. Wondered what ‘informal’ was doing in 23dn but moved on.
The Woodlanders is quite a pleasant read-Thomas Hardy in an unusually sunny mood.