Hello again. I’m standing in for Jerry this week as he walks the Pennine Way for a 4th time. Good luck to him with that. I got a bit of an easier one to blog than last week’s and it took me an about average time for me of 43 minutes. My stumbling block was having GRAND instead of GREAT in 23D at first, which made 32A impossible. A couple of unknowns as usual – this time the Welsh tales and the Oceanid, although the rowdy brawl was remembered only when I solved the word play. COD to 1A. 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 | Dependable pudding — and its eating? (9) |
| FOOLPROOF – FOOL (pudding), PROOF (its eating)… as the saying goes – “The proof of the pudding is in its eating“. Nice one, and my COD. | |
| 6 | Keen servant to cross stone wall once confining him? (4,6) |
| EAST GERMAN – ST (stone) in EAGER (keen), MAN (servant). Referring to the Berlin wall. | |
| 12 | Small turtle eschewing soft ground (7) |
| TERRAIN – TERRA{p}IN (small turtle) without the P (piano; soft). | |
| 13 | Beginning to think, philosopher provides clothing collection (9) |
| TROUSSEAU – First letter of T{hink}, ROUSSEAU (philosopher). Not one who appears in the Bruces’ Philosopher Song, my go-to reference for philosophers. Read about Jean-Jacques Rousseau here. | |
| 14 | Oceanid trapping men in the underworld (5) |
| DORIS – OR (other ranks; men) in DIS (underworld). I hadn’t come across her before (although I do know of Doris Day as she’s my wife’s favourite singer). Read about Doris the Oceanid here. | |
| 16 | Dunce securing prize thus for science branch (12) |
| ASTROPHYSICS – TROPHY (prize) SIC (this) in ASS (dunce). | |
| 17 | One breaking promise backed goddess to bring new life (10) |
| REGENERATE – RENEGER (one breaking promise) reversed -> REGENER, ATE (goddess). | |
| 19 | Top of the Bill? (5,9) |
| CHIEF CONSTABLE – Cryptic Definition, Ho ho! | |
| 22 | Respect sappers guarding position, so to speak (2,2,4) |
| AS IT WERE – SITE (position) in AWE (respect) RE (Royal Engineers; sappers). | |
| 24 | Influence result (6) |
| EFFECT -Double definition. | |
| 25 | Anagram at start to clue terribly old document (5,5) |
| MAGNA CARTA – (Anagram at c{lue})* [terribly]. I thought it rather amusing having “anagram” as part of the anagram fodder. | |
| 26 | Puzzle concerned with public transport (5) |
| REBUS – RE (concerned with) BUS (public transport). | |
| 29 | Brussels’ refusal to adopt right language (4) |
| NORN –R (right) in NON (Brussels’ refusal; well they do speak French as well as Flemish in Belgium). I surely must have remembered this only from previous crosswords. Norn is an extinct Germanic language that was spoken in the Northern Isles. | |
| 30 | Butcher’s service fantastic, baker finally admitted (8) |
| MASSACRE – MASS (service), and last letter of bakeR in ACE (fantastic). | |
| 32 | Energy seen in a race — about one mile (9) |
| ANIMATION – I (one) M (mile) in A NATION (race). | |
| 34 | Rearrest upper-class criminal — club’s accountant? (9) |
| TREASURER – (rearrest U)* [criminal]. | |
| 35 | Pilot in bar given nothing you say? (8) |
| AERONAUT –AERO (chocolate bar) NAUT sounds like NOUGHT (nothing). | |
| 36 | Exploited émigrés initially housed in Bucks? (4) |
| USED – First letter of Emigrés in USD (US dollars; bucks). | |
| 39 | Pipe up? (5) |
| RISER – Cryptic definition. | |
| 40 | On pole, sea-girt, with sun seen from east in city (3,7) |
| LOS ANGELES – LEG (on side in cricket) N (North pole), in SEA, SOL (sun) all reversed [from the east]. | |
| 42 | Horse leading man home (6) |
| HEROIN – HERO (leading man) IN (home). | |
| 44 | Removal of water from shower in day time (8) |
| DRAINAGE – RAIN (shower) in D (day) AGE (time). | |
| 46 | Abbey left as not demolished where Fairfax triumphed (6,2,6) |
| BATTLE OF NASEBY – (Abbey left as not)* [demolished]. | |
| 48 | Cuts courses involving bunk? (10) |
| ENTRECOTES – Cuts of meat, that is. COT (bunk) in ENTREES (courses) | |
| 49 | Folk performer and comedians working with Three Rs? (6,6) |
| MORRIS DANCER – (comedians r r r)* [working]. | |
| 53 | Jumblies’ craft is returned the night before (5) |
| SIEVE – IS [returned] -> SI, EVE (the night before). | |
| 54 | Plain ties with green buckles (9) |
| SERENGETI – (ties green)* [buckles]. | |
| 55 | Foreign banker a common character? (7) |
| ORINOCO – Double definition – the river and the Womble. | |
| 56 | Delightful deity embodying love all right (6,4) |
| PRETTY GOOD – PRETTY (delightful), O (0; love) in GOD (deity). | |
| 57 | Drunken idiot sounded very much together (5-4) |
| TIGHT-KNIT – TIGHT (drunk), KNIT sounds like NIT (idiot). | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Duke crossing river before all others (5) |
| FIRST – R (river) in FIST (duke; “put your dukes up”) | |
| 2 | Eggs parasites laid outside high chief’s chamber (4,6) |
| OVAL OFFICE – OVA (eggs), OFF (high) in LICE (parasites). | |
| 3 | Is it Manx cat sitting atop monument? (8) |
| PANTHEON – PANTHE{r} (cat) without its last letter, i.e. with no tail [Manx], ON (atop). | |
| 4 | Doomed Antarctic explorer fed on exceptionally large seals? (5) |
| OATES – ATE (fed on) in OS (Outsize; exceptionally large). Lawrence Oates the Antarctic explorer. | |
| 5 | Lunch for example comes before tea in pecking order (4,5) |
| FOOD CHAIN – FOOD (lunch for example), CHA (tea) IN. | |
| 6 | Language Beardsley used occasionally (4) |
| ERSE – Alternate letters of bEaRdSlEy. | |
| 7 | Spit in the food? (6) |
| SKEWER – Cryptic definition. | |
| 8 | Muscle: too much shown by English-American gladiator? (7,7) |
| GLUTEUS MAXIMUS – GLUT (too much) E (English) US (American) MAXIMUS (gladiator). Maximus, the hero of the film Gladiator is actually a fictional character. | |
| 9 | Special occasion when message arrives from China? (3-6,3) |
| RED-LETTER DAY – Double definition, the second a cryptic hint. A letter from a communist. I suppose. | |
| 10 | Flying home, atmosphere foul (7) |
| AIRBASE –AIR (atmosphere) BASE (foul). I took a while to see the second part of the answer. | |
| 11 | Randomly select a man to freshen up the carpets? (5-5) |
| STEAM-CLEAN – (select a man)* [randomly]. | |
| 15 | Writer’s point supportive of saint, nevertheless (9) |
| STEVENSON – ST (saint) EVEN SO (nevertheless) N (North; point of the compass). | |
| 18 | ARP signal everyone understood (3,5) |
| ALL CLEAR – ALL (everyone) CLEAR (understood). | |
| 20 | Playing well, accompanying King’s Singers (9) |
| INFORMERS – IN FORM (playing well) ER’S (King’s). King Edward for once, rather than the late queen makes a nice surface and deceptive definition. | |
| 21 | Sewer in Main Street runs through dining-room (10) |
| SEAMSTRESS – SEA (main), ST (Street) in MESS (dining-room). | |
| 23 | Female relative, super-polite, concealing enmity at first (5-5) |
| GREAT-NIECE – GREAT (super), E{nmity} [at first] in NICE (polite). | |
| 27 | Yellow butterfly is absolutely filled with colour (9) |
| BRIMSTONE – BRIMS (is absolutely filled) TONE (colour). | |
| 28 | Socialise with ugly Romeo, cavorting in irreverent manner (14) |
| SACRILEGIOUSLY – (socialise ugly R)* [cavorting]. | |
| 31 | Bond dated, but powerful feller (8) |
| CHAINSAW – CHAIN (bond) SAW (dated). | |
| 33 | 38 of 47s perhaps appearing in Alien (12) |
| ESTRANGEMENT – (separation, the answer to 38D). STRANGE MEN (weirdos; 47Ds) in ET (Alien). | |
| 34 | Current temperature raised with inflammation and fatigue (9) |
| TIREDNESS – I (current in physics equations) T (temperature) [raised] -> TI, REDNESS (inflammation). | |
| 37 | Explore northern city and tolerate rowdy brawl (10) |
| DONNYBROOK – DO (explore) N (northern) NY (New York; city) BROOK (tolerate). This last appeared in Jumbo 1004 in November 2012. That was before I started doing them so I wonder where I’ve seen the word before? | |
| 38 | Wrecked on a sea trip in Split (10) |
| SEPARATION – (on a sea trip)* [wrecked]. | |
| 41 | Sociable old pirate brought in abstaining totally (9) |
| EXTROVERT – EX (old), ROVER (pirate) in TT (teetotal; abstaining totally). | |
| 43 | Derivative and tasteless film-making process? (8) |
| OFFSHOOT – OFF (tasteless; bad form) SHOOT (film-making process) | |
| 45 | Nocturnal creature with an illness that needs attention? (3,4) |
| ANT BEAR – AN TB (illness) EAR (attention). | |
| 47 | Odd fish in barrier across river as before (6) |
| WEIRDO – WEIR (barrier across river) DO (ditto; as before). | |
| 50 | Sorry about official decision barring learner (5) |
| RUING – RU{l}ING (official decision) without the L (learner). | |
| 51 | Conservative hooligan showing political muscle? (5) |
| CLOUT – C (Conservative) LOUT (hooligan). | |
| 52 | Mabinogion character: sup up! (4) |
| ENID – DINE (sup) [up] -> ENID. I’d never heard of The Mabinogion, but I have now! | |
DNK, and was surprised to see, DORIS. Rather like coming across a nymph named Mabel. DNK NORN the language, but we’ve had NORNs the Norse goddesses; they are, according to Thomas Holley Chivers, reboantic. DNK the Womble–I’m not up on Wombles generally–and was at a loss to account for the ‘common character’ of ORINOCO. ‘Jumblies’ craft’ was something of a gimme.
Lots of 1-error entries on the leaderboard for this one – maybe SACRILEGIOUSLY?
Donnybrook is Paul Bringloe’s Telegraph Toughie alias, so you maybe know the word from that.
Yes. That word doesn’t look right spelled correctly. Luckily I checked the anagram fodder at the time or I might have got it wrong too. I didn’t know Donnybrook was Paul’s Toughie alias until I looked him up after meeting him last Saturday, a week after solving the puzzle. He is known among QCers here as Wurm.
I’ll fess up to the misspelling SACRELIGIOUSLY. I paused during the quick run through at the end but was reassured by seeing RELIGIOUS in there. After that the correct spelling …RILEGIOUS… would have looked ridiculous. If I had just brought SACRILEGE to mind I would have been OK.
Nice Jumbo. Thanks John and Setter
I can’t remember this now, but I queried whether I’d ever met NORN before and wondered whether a COT is a bunk (45ac).
Wurmybrook here. Thanks for blogging this John, it is one of my creations. I’d been intending to use that word as a pseudonym for a while when the opportunity eventually arose via The DT. I’ve one more fairly decent example up my sleeve which is reserved for the Grauniad, if ever I should get the chance to set for them.
Sad times indeed with the passing of the extraordinarily gifted and congenial RR, but I was cheered up by meeting the crew of the TfTT. Nice to meet you Johninterred, perhaps we’ll all get together again sometime soon.
I managed to complete this one in 42:09, but with a really careless (should’ve checked the anagrist) BATTLE OF EASEBY. Doh! Thanks Wurm and John.