Apologies to all for the late posting of this. Our regular blogger was unavailable and, due to an administrative oversight, no-one was allocated to take it on, so I have belatedly picked this up.
A middle-of-the-road Jumbo today that took me a sub-average 33 minutes. How did you all find it?
Definitions underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc, {deletions} and [] other indicators.
| Across | |
| 1 | Riddle gripping western author (5) |
| SWIFT – W (western) in SIFT (riddle, the verb). | |
| 4 | Lively piece with the oud centrally in a north African style (10) |
| HUMORESQUE – Middle letters of tHe oUd + MORESQUE (a north African style) | |
| 9 | Uproar remains to west of America (6) |
| RUMPUS – RUMP (remains) + US (America). “to west of” is a positional indicator in an across clue meaning “to the left of”. | |
| 14 | China pursuing evil game in court (9) |
| BADMINTON – BAD (evil) + MINTON (brand of china). Read about the company (nowadays spelt with an S on the end) here. | |
| 15 | Wind having estuary hotels suffering? (13) |
| SOUTHEASTERLY – (estuary hotels)* [suffering]. | |
| 16 | Reported drive to pursue gold, being far from rich (7) |
| AUSTERE – AU (chemical symbol for gold) + STERE sounds like [reported] STEER (drive). | |
| 17 | French poet intermittently pursued local man (9) |
| PRUDHOMME – Alternate letters of PuRsUeD + HOMME (man, in French, i.e. local). Not a poet I knew of, but obvious from checkers and wordplay. Read all about Sully Prudhomme here. | |
| 18 | Last of stilton of doubtful quality is smelling bad (5) |
| NIFFY – Last letter of stiltoN + IFFY (of doubtful quality). | |
| 19 | Very best key army corps twice introducing lead shot (5,2,2,5) |
| CREME DE LA CREME – C (musical key) REME (army corps) + CREME again [twice] outside (lead)* [shot]. | |
| 22 | Obscure record broken by rewritten novel (7) |
| ENVELOP – (novel)* [rewritten] in EP (Extended Play; record). | |
| 25 | Cause metal to deform and weaken (10) |
| EMASCULATE – (cause metal)* [to deform]. | |
| 27 | Where one is dying to add to share somehow (2,6,4) |
| AT DEATHS DOOR – (to add to share)* [somehow]. Our 4th anagram clue in a row! | |
| 30 | A politician with current excuse (5) |
| ALIBI – A + LIB (politician) + I (current in physical equations such as V=IR). | |
| 31 | Spuds looking strange when brought back hot in dishes (8) |
| MURPHIES – RUM (strange) [brought back] -> MUR + H (hot) in PIES (dishes). | |
| 32 | Man’s place in his era is evolving (5,3) |
| IRISH SEA – (in his era is)* [evolving]. | |
| 35 | Machinery backing into car round aircraft (8) |
| AUTOGIRO – RIG (machinery) [backing] -> GIR, in AUTO (car) + O (round letter). | |
| 36 | European friend’s after a lot of possibly Danish smoked beef (8) |
| PASTRAMI – PASTR{y} [a lot of] (possibly Danish) + AMI (European friend). | |
| 37 | Wife of Odysseus out of confinement’s run away (5) |
| ELOPE – {pen}ELOPE (wife of Odysseus) without the PEN (confinement). | |
| 39 | Lying Conservative interrupting second counting of votes (12) |
| STORYTELLING – TORY (Conservative) in S (second) + TELLING (counting of votes). | |
| 41 | Against rum entitlement being pared down in fiddle? (10) |
| INSTRUMENT – Hidden in [being pared down] agaINST RUM ENTitlement. My LOI. I often fail to see hidden answers at first. | |
| 43 | Stone item for drawing unstarted pattern (7) |
| STENCIL – ST (stone) + {p}ENCIL (item for drawing) without its first letter. | |
| 45 | Chain store with excellent way of presenting customer surveys? (8,6) |
| MULTIPLE CHOICE – MULTIPLE (chain store) + CHOICE (excellent). | |
| 48 | Detest house when a brother is round (5) |
| ABHOR – HO (house) in A + BR (brother) | |
| 49 | Current unit with long-term inmate — about one thing that might help him be heard? (9) |
| AMPLIFIER – AMP (current unit) + LIFER (long-term inmate) about I (one) | |
| 51 | Contrary way in which Shakespeare wrote? (7) |
| INVERSE – IN VERSE (way in which Shakespeare wrote). | |
| 53 | Is high route initially identified in present objective? (13) |
| DISPASSIONATE – IS + PASS (high route) + initial letter of Identified, all in DONATE (present). | |
| 54 | Drink port? I’m surprised about bill (9) |
| ORANGEADE – ORAN (port in Algeria) + AD (bill) in GEE (I’m surprised). | |
| 55 | Hearing of Yankee in Hertfordshire town (6) |
| TRYING – Y (Yankee in the phonetic alphabet) in TRING (Hertfordshire town). | |
| 56 | Unfortunately fattest are producing lingering impression (10) |
| AFTERTASTE – (fattest are)* [unfortunately]. | |
| 57 | Thread used with new cloth (5) |
| LINEN – LINE (thread) + N (new). | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Temporarily change course with road vehicle going over underground passage (6) |
| SUBWAY – YAW (temporarily change course) + BUS (road vehicle) all reversed [going over] -> SUBWAY. | |
| 2 | Manufacturer in clay sounded a pragmatic sort (13) |
| INDUSTRIALIST – IN + DUST (clay) + RIALIST – sounds like REALIST (pragmatic sort). I was a bit dubious at first, but “clay” for “dust” fits with the definition ” sticky fine-grained earth ” when it’s not wet. | |
| 3 | Wind awfully wet around home (5) |
| TWINE – IN (home) inside (wet)* [awfully]. Not the meteorological sort of Wind. | |
| 4 | Stolen by chief tearaway (7) |
| HOTHEAD – HOT (stolen) + HEAD (chief). | |
| 5 | List tall plant coming up in spring month for controlling (12) |
| MANIPULATORY – ROTA (list) + LUPIN (tall plant) all coming up in MAY (spring month). | |
| 6 | Royal Engineers find supply for facility (8) |
| RESOURCE – RE (Royal Engineers) + SOURCE (find supply). | |
| 7 | Skier’s first drunk melting snow (5) |
| SLUSH – First letter of Skier + LUSH (drunk). | |
| 8 | What picnic might be free? (10) |
| UNHAMPERED – Double definition, the first a cryptic hint for UN HAMPERED. | |
| 10 | Actor appearing in Faust in Oviedo? (7) |
| USTINOV – Found in FaUST IN OViedo. Read about the renowned actor Peter Ustinov here. | |
| 11 | Wine book in which some have invested (9) |
| PORTFOLIO – PORT (wine) + FOLIO (book). | |
| 12 | Craftily singular English dramatist (5) |
| SLYLY – S (singular) + LYLY (English dramatist). I’d not heard of him but he lived (mostly) in the 16th century. Read about him here. | |
| 13 | One drawing on the support of the man in the street? (8,6) |
| PAVEMENT ARTIST – Cryptic definition. | |
| 20 | Way of working with cold royal in a derisive manner (9) |
| MOCKINGLY – MO (modus operandi; way of working) + C (cold) KINGLY (royal). | |
| 21 | Request admission, needing to take food inside (8) |
| ENTREATY – EAT (to take food) inside ENTRY (admission). | |
| 23 | Sliding note at Prom? (10) |
| PORTAMENTO – (note at prom)* [sliding]. A nice &lit. | |
| 24 | Some bones encountered on a historic site in Turkey (10) |
| METATARSUS – MET (encountered) + A + TARSUS (historic site in Turkey). | |
| 26 | All rise stirred after priest is beginning on emotional anthem (2,12) |
| LA MARSEILLAISE – LAMA (priest) + (all rise)* [stirred] + IS + first letter of Emotional. | |
| 28 | Indifferent about tango melody returning in a prolonged style (9) |
| SOSTENUTO – T (Tango in the phonetic alphabet) + TUNE [returning] -> ENUT, in SO-SO (indifferent). | |
| 29 | Quiet strike over new high-level railway in Chicago gets little money (8) |
| SHRAPNEL – SH (quiet) + RAP (strike) + N (new) + EL (high-level railway in Chicago). A word for a collection of low-value coins. | |
| 33 | Hanging of worthless people, something which ends drama (6,7) |
| SHOWER CURTAIN – SHOWER (worthless people) CURTAIN (something which ends drama). | |
| 34 | Idly boasting vice-admiral — disgraceful (12) |
| VAINGLORIOUS – VA (vice-admiral) + INGLORIOUS (disgraceful). | |
| 38 | Setter getting into panic over house cover protecting against fire (10) |
| FLAMEPROOF – ME (setter) in FLAP (panic) + ROOF (house cover). | |
| 40 | Rash vote cast before end of day could be this? (9) |
| OVERHASTY – (rash vote)* [cast] + last letter of daY. A semi-&lit, where the whole clue is the definition and all but the “this” the wordplay. | |
| 42 | Elevated top international man that’s hard-working (8) |
| DILIGENT – LID (top) [elevated] -> DIL + I (international) + GENT (man). | |
| 44 | Convinced murderer must entertain regret regularly (7) |
| CERTAIN – Alternate letters, [regularly], of rEgReT in CAIN (murderer). | |
| 46 | Shut up about uncovered joint money (7) |
| COINAGE – CAGE (shut up) about {j}OIN{t} [uncovered]. | |
| 47 | River among a number (6) |
| SEVERN – R (river) in SEVEN (a number). Another &lit. | |
| 48 | Car needs time for inspection (5) |
| AUDIT – AUDI (car) + T (time). | |
| 50 | I am mature in vision (5) |
| IMAGE – I’M (I am) + AGE (mature, the verb). | |
| 52 | Silent protest of US soldier in base cut short (5) |
| VIGIL – GI (US soldier) in VIL{e} (base) [cut short]. | |
Christian Prudhomme is the directeur of the Tour de France, and quite well known to cyclists and viewers. But not otherwise, I guess 🙂
Sorry I didn’t spot the gap either John – jumbos aren’t in the diary!
Oh yes. I thought I remembered the name from somewhere. So did you ninja-turtle the poet then?
Well the poet was certainly a nho! So yes ..
Moderate difficulty but I couldn’t get 4ac, knowing neither the answer nor the main element of the wordplay. The latter is pretty hard to spot with the French spelling.
Surely you’ve heard this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2B9kZ2jguwk
I have indeed, but had no idea what it was called.
DNK PRUDHOMME, PORTAMENTO, MULTIPLE. It took me forever to figure out MANIPULATORY (POI).
About an hour.
In good company as I also couldn’t see HUMORESQUE.
Thanks for the blog John, and setter for the enjoyable puzzle.
Usual story, some amusement spoiled by obscurities – humoresque, Prudhomme, Lily, portamento, sostenuto, multiple used to mean chain store. Didn’t get 41a or 34d (didn’t know that vice admiral could be reduced to va).
Some nice clues here – we especially liked Portamento and Unhampered. Although there were a few obscurities, the wordplay clearly showed the way for a quick dictionary check.
All done apart from the NHO HUMORESQUE- where as I’ve also NHO Moresque I was left clutching at straws. All the more disappointing as I had managed to unravel other problems such as PRUDHOMME, LYLY, PORTAMENTO, and SOSTENUTO.