A middle-of-the-road Jumbo with the usual smattering of harder clues and less familiar words among the easier clues, taking me 32 minutes – little under average. I liked the “good summer”, the diversity of beers in Yorkshire an the neat &lit at 5D. DNK the light, but the checkers sorted out the anagram or the cat love, my LOI and needing a word-finder to get. Thank-you setter. How did you all like it?
Definitions underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc, {deletions} and [] other indicators.
| Across | |
| 1 | Something with which to wash or ruin sails (9) |
| DISHCLOTH – DISH (ruin) CLOTH (sails). I didn’t know “dish” could mean ruin. | |
| 6 | Beginning of one’s book getting further notice (7) |
| OBSERVE – First letter of One, B (book) SERVE (promote or help forward; further). | |
| 10 | Shame, mostly, about squeezing male in dance (5) |
| SAMBA – M (male), in ABAS{h} (shame) [mostly] reversed -> SABA. | |
| 13 | Local philanthropist doubly anti flu spreading (4,9) |
| LADY BOUNTIFUL – (double anti flu)* [spreading]. | |
| 14 | Contrived to retain attention prepared in advance (9) |
| FOREARMED – EAR (attention) in FORMED (contrived). | |
| 15 | Accomplish desire to store one measure of energy (7) |
| ACHIEVE – I (one) EV (Electron Volt; measure of energy) in ACHE (desire). | |
| 16 | Father accepting an excellent cure (7) |
| PANACEA – AN ACE (excellent) in PA (father). | |
| 17 | Pub blocking the introduction of recipe for slimmer (7) |
| THINNER – INN (pub) in THE and first letter of Recipe. | |
| 18 | Iceland riots, with violence unrestricted (12) |
| DISCRETIONAL – (Iceland riots)* [with violence]. An unusual anagrind, but “violently” is not unknown. | |
| 20 | Decline to participate in acquiring credit, but don’t give up (5,2,3) |
| STICK IT OUT – TICK (credit) in SIT OUT (decline to to participate). | |
| 23 | Feature of Yorkshire: 500 beers (5) |
| DALES – D (500 in Roman numerals) ALES (beers). | |
| 24 | Temple standard subsequently acceptable (9) |
| PARTHENON – PAR (standard) THEN (subsequently) ON (acceptable). | |
| 25 | Third wife regrets being taken aback about unknown second (7) |
| SEYMOUR – Y (unknown in an equation) MO (second) in RUES (regrets) reversed -> SEUR. | |
| 26 | Most organic cooking showing concern for fine food (11) |
| GASTRONOMIC – (most organic)* [cooking]. Neat wordplay. | |
| 28 | Repay Henry after putting wind up regular comedian (3,4,4) |
| GET EVEN WITH – GET (put the wind up) EVEN (regular) WIT (comedian) H (Henry). Hmm. I’m not a fan of “putting wind up” for “get”, but I suppose it sort-of works. | |
| 30 | Approach involving mezzo-piano — an opening for inspired musical partner (11) |
| ACCOMPANIST – MP (mezzo-piano) AN and first letter of Inspired in ACCOST (approach). | |
| 32 | Trouble for Brussels, spurning top fan of Queen? (11) |
| AILUROPHILE – Never heard of this. My LOI after using a wordfinder. AIL (trouble) {e}UROPHILE (for Brussels) without its first letter. A name for a cat-lover, apparently. | |
| 34 | Disparage extreme parts of doctrinaire treatise (7) |
| DETRACT – Outer letters from DoctrinairE, TRACT (treatise). | |
| 36 | Weed in lodge runs wild (9) |
| GROUNDSEL – (lodge runs)* [wild]. | |
| 38 | Item for chef initially terrorising others and quite losing it (5) |
| TOQUE – First letters of Terrorising Others and QU{it}E. | |
| 39 | Rider in pursuit going through receding northern river (10) |
| EQUESTRIAN – QUEST in N (northern) AIRE (river) reversed -> ERIAN. | |
| 41 | Academic seen around old university working for publisher? (12) |
| PROOFREADING – O (old) in PROF (academic) READING (a university). | |
| 45 | Lay on popular move involving clubs (7) |
| INFLICT – IN (popular) and C (clubs) in FLIT (move). | |
| 46 | Relevant staff brought in by Hollywood star (7) |
| GERMANE – MAN (staff) in (Richard) GERE (Hollywood star). | |
| 47 | Father, swallowing alcoholic drink, recalled something peppery (7) |
| PAPRIKA – KIR (alcoholic drink) [recalled] -> RIK, in PAPA (father). | |
| 49 | Source of American oil in USA, possibly (9) |
| LOUISIANA – (oil in USA)* [possibly]. &lit. | |
| 50 | Intimate with rich, frolicking across a good summer? (13) |
| ARITHMETICIAN – A in (intimate rich)* [frolicking]. | |
| 52 | Possession? Some get it legally (5) |
| TITLE – Hidden in seT IT LEgally. | |
| 53 | Arrival time? ETA useless about end of cruise, on reflection (3,4) |
| DUE DATE – Last letter of cruisE in ETA DUD (useless) reversed -> DU DATE. | |
| 54 | Women warm up what may be breakfast grain product (9) |
| WHEATMEAL – W (Women) HEAT (warm up) MEAL (what may be breakfast). | |
| Down | |
| 1 | No energy in fight with fat bonehead (7) |
| DULLARD – DU{e}L (fight) without the E [no energy in] LARD (fat). | |
| 2 | Sleuth busy probing team’s additional activities (4,7) |
| SIDE HUSTLES – (sleuth)* [busy] in SIDE’S (team’s). | |
| 3 | Big tower? Start to climb up to it (5) |
| CABLE – First letter of Climb, ABLE (up to it). A bit of an iffy definition, I think. It may be used in towing, but doesn’t itself tow. And why big? | |
| 4 | Mostly work fast to get wealthy (7) |
| OPULENT – OPU{s} (work) [mostly], LENT (fast). | |
| 5 | High of temperature, primarily (3) |
| HOT – Initial letters of High Of Temperature. An &lit. Cute. | |
| 6 | French composer frequently cancelling time for female predecessor (9) |
| OFFENBACH – OFTEN (frequently) replacing the T (time) with F (female) -> OFFEN, BACH (a composer predecessor). | |
| 7 | Relief only after claiming account (6) |
| SOLACE – A/C (account) in SOLE (only). | |
| 8 | Official working in Hollywood, say, before collapse securing right way to see stars (10,9) |
| REFRACTING TELESCOPE – R (right) in REF (official) ACTING (working in Hollywood, say), TELESCOPE (collapse). | |
| 9 | Unreliable quote involving a Rolls Royce originally taken up (7) |
| ERRATIC – A RR (first letters of Rolls-Royce) in CITE (quote) all reversed. | |
| 10 | Stone with capacity to provide solid grounding? (9) |
| STABILITY – ST (stone) ABILITY (capacity to provide) | |
| 11 | Idea from internet monitor disseminated reminder of termination (7,4) |
| MEMENTO MORI – MEME (idea from internet) (monitor)* [disseminated]. | |
| 12 | Tree coming up in nurtured lands (5) |
| ALDER – Reverse hidden in nurtuRED LAnds. | |
| 16 | Instructions for IT … and ITV? (11,8) |
| PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE – Double definition, the second a cryptic hint. | |
| 19 | Son amongst cobblers standing on singular platform (7) |
| ROSTRUM – S (son) in ROT (cobblers), RUM (singular). | |
| 21 | What lights up the room? Her erotic writhing (9) |
| TORCHIERE – (her erotic)* [writhing]. A new word on me. | |
| 22 | Germany’s leader, absorbed by a munition, promoted German wartime invention (6) |
| ENIGMA – First letter of Germany in A MINE (munition) all reversed. | |
| 23 | Weak stroke to follow boundary, two openers for Durham being involved (3,6) |
| DOG PADDLE – DOG (follow) and DD (first letter of Durham twice) in PALE (boundary). | |
| 24 | Long to snatch last item of jewellery (7) |
| PENDANT – END (last) in PANT (long). | |
| 25 | Quite a few always to be found in bargain event, reduced (7) |
| SEVERAL – EVER (always) in SAL{e} (bargain event) without the last letter. | |
| 27 | Material for sheet in bed not turning up (6) |
| COTTON – COT (bed) and NOT reversed -> TON. | |
| 29 | For some, no including phosphorus with that reduced distillation product (7) |
| NAPHTHA – P (chemical symbol for phosphorus) in NAH (no in some dialects), THA{t} reduced. | |
| 31 | Crumbling rustic soil turned over, receiving one lemon, say (6,5) |
| CITRUS FRUIT – (rustic)* [crumbling], I (one) in TURF (soil) reversed. | |
| 33 | During question I pose, I have to appear as curious (11) |
| INQUISITIVE – IN (during) QU (question) I SIT (pose) I’VE (I have). | |
| 35 | Early letters, among which second is means of replying and co-ordinates (9) |
| ABSCISSAE – S (second) in ABC (early letters) IS SAE (self-addressed envelope; means of replying). | |
| 37 | Story son’s written about arrival (9) |
| NARRATIVE – NATIVE (son) about ARR (Arrival). An Irish native, say, could be called a son of Ireland. | |
| 40 | Part of UK secure at end of track (7) |
| RUTLAND – RUT (track) LAND (secure e.g. a contract). | |
| 42 | No end of disgust about grant — satisfied? (7) |
| REPLETE – REPE{l} (disgust) without the last letter about LET (grant). | |
| 43 | Anchor elevated new piece, largely in support (7) |
| GRAPNEL – N (new) PAR{t} (piece) [largely] in LEG (support) all reversed. | |
| 44 | Three articles about Catholic mysteries (6) |
| ARCANA – RC (Catholic) in A AN A (three articles) | |
| 45 | International fishing equipment around large arm of the sea (5) |
| INLET – L (large) in I (International) NET (fishing equipment). | |
| 48 | Move quickly, offloading first edition (5) |
| PRINT – {s}PRINT (move quickly) without the first letter. | |
| 51 | No opening to chomp chop (3) |
| HEW – {c}HEW (chomp) without the first letter. | |
DNK EV, SIDE HUSTLES, TORCHIERE. Failed to parse 8d (didn’t see how ‘collapse’ worked) and 43d.
43.22, so yes, middle range. TORCHIERE my last in, teasing a probable word out of the anagram. Think I’ve heard of it!
I recorded this as being a “good, medium puzzle” but also noted the odd word: a red card for AILUREOPHILE (given the obscure word combined with obscure clueing) and a few eyebrow raises for the usual (ABSCISSAE!)…
Very enjoyable puzzle for me with clear cluing and for once I could parse almost everything. I’d heard of ailurophile as my cousin was an ailurophobe- an unusual fear, but one her husband found hilarious! Thanks Setter and John for the clear blog.
I think 49a is an &lit: it is an anagram of A (Source of American) + OIL IN USA.
Quite right. Thanks, Paul. I’m not sure why I didn’t underline the whole clue. Fixed now.
DNF
As I’m about to start blogging these I thought I might start doing them more regularly. Around 40 minutes for all but ABSCISSAE which I eventually teased out and the other one which I didn’t. Enjoyable until the last one.
Thanks John/setter.
No time for this, solved in fits and starts, but it doesn’t matter because I didn’t get AILUROPHILE. No idea.
I went to school in France, where what English maths students call the X and Y axes are always referred to as ‘abscisse et ordonée’.
Favourite: 26 for the apt surface.
Least favourite: ailurophile, torchiere, or that other horrible obscurity abscissai are contenders.
Like our setter I didn’t understand the use of ‘big’ in 3d, and I’m not sure about ‘local’ in 13a.
Re 13A. Collins has the definition “The charitable great lady of a district”, which is, I guess where our setter go the definition from. She is a character in The Beaux’ Stratagem, a comedy by George Farquhar, first produced at the Theatre Royal, now the site of Her Majesty’s Theatre, in the Haymarket, London, on 8 March 1707.
We also liked the good summer … but not much else! Maybe we were just having a bad day, but several clues seemed to be loosie goosie so we did a lot of pencilling-in and a bit of crossing out.
Thank you John for the extra detail on Lady Bountiful. It’s one of those expressions which are vaguely familiar but without knowing why.