I enjoyed this Jumbo. It was mostly standard fare, but with a couple of chewy bits and took me 36 and a bit minutes, which is about average for me for a Jumbo Cryptic. 23A was my favourite and 30A my LOI. Thank-you setter.
Definitions underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc, {deletions} and [] other indicators.
| Across | |
| 1 | Tolerate leading comedian (5-2) |
| STAND UP – STAND (tolerate) + UP (leading). | |
| 5 | Images on taxi, perhaps embracing ultimate in coarse entertainment (7) |
| CABARET – CAB (taxi perhaps) + last letter of coarsE in ART (images). | |
| 9 | Central part of thick seed burst or split (7) |
| DEHISCE – ({t}hic{k} seed)* [burst], using only the central letters of “thick”. I’m not sure how I knew the word, but I did. | |
| 13 | Widely read letter covering military police and love never disappearing from view? (11) |
| CIRCUMPOLAR – MP (military police) + O (0; love), in CIRCULAR (widely read letter). The definition refers to CIRCUMPOLAR stars, which never set. | |
| 14 | One of several kings followed by poet and novelist (6,5) |
| GEORGE ELIOT – GEORGE (one of several kings) + ELIOT (T.S. Eliot; poet). | |
| 15 | Sign is inconstant, with first letter not visible (5) |
| ARIES – {v}ARIES (is inconstant) without the first letter. A Star sign. | |
| 16 | Indication of empty sincerity — politician curtailed vault (7) |
| SYMPTOM – All but the outside letters of S{ympath}Y + MP (politician) + TOM{b} (vault) without the final letter, [curtailed]. | |
| 17 | Man bitten by dog? Here’s sign of disease (9) |
| BIOMARKER – IOM (Isle of Man; Man) inside BARKER (dog?). | |
| 18 | Understanding English proposal to lead a large system of spies? (9,12) |
| EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE – E (English) + MOTION (proposal) + A + L (large) + INTELLIGENCE (system of spies). | |
| 23 | Resolutely pursue grand day in cathedral city (8) |
| DOGGEDLY – DOG (pursue) + G + D (day) in ELY (cathedral city). | |
| 25 | Get money for enclosure beside tree (6) |
| ENCASH – ENC. (enclosure) + ASH (tree). | |
| 27 | Head of police blocking freedom heartlessly? That’s a step back (7) |
| RELAPSE – First letter of Police in REL{e}ASE (freedom) without its middle letter [heartlessly]. | |
| 30 | Note reduction in low points (5) |
| MINIM – MINIM{a} (low points) without the last letter [reduction]. | |
| 32 | Betray prisoner receiving intense police attention (5,2) |
| CHEAT ON – HEAT (intense police attention) in CON (prisoner). | |
| 33 | Informed location of sports company logo? (2,3,4) |
| ON THE BALL – Double definition, the second a cryptic hint. | |
| 35 | City pioneering move in game (9) |
| NEWCASTLE – NEW (pioneering) + CASTLE (move in chess; move in game). | |
| 36 | Routine abandoned before birth (2,5) |
| IN UTERO – (routine)* [abandoned]. | |
| 37 | Count disconcerted to return, having abandoned a university (3,2) |
| TOT UP – PUT O{u}T (disconcerted) losing one of the Us (university) all reversed [to return]. | |
| 38 | A thing you have to do when returning fruit (7) |
| SATSUMA – A + MUST (thing you have to do) + AS (when) all reversed [returning]. | |
| 40 | Country the subject of business discussions? (6) |
| TURKEY – Double definition, the second a cryptic hint referring to “talking turkey”. | |
| 41 | No performance in church for piece by Chopin? (8) |
| NOCTURNE – NO + TURN (performance) in CE (Church of England; church). | |
| 44 | American drama American readers detest in a different version (1,9,5,6) |
| A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE – (American readers detest)* [in a different version]. | |
| 48 | Cheer and go in excitedly, making a resounding noise (2-7) |
| RE ECHOING – (Cheer and go in)* [excitedly]. | |
| 50 | Red fruit at first mashed or, like a banana, peeled (7) |
| MORELLO – First letter of Mashed + OR + {y}ELLO{w} (like a banana) without the outside letters, [peeled]. | |
| 53 | Operator wearing shirt and hat in India (5) |
| TOPEE – OP (operator) in TEE (t-shirt; shirt). I’d only seen this spelt TOPI before, but this is an alternative spelling. | |
| 54 | Hard copy guarantee following lot of computer accessory data at the outset (7,4) |
| PRINTED WORD – PRINTE{r} (computer accessory) without the last letter [lot of] + D{ata} [at the outset] + WORD (guarantee). | |
| 55 | Failing to pen a couple of lines working at full capacity (5,3,3) |
| GOING ALL OUT – A + L L (couple of lines) in GOING OUT (failing, like a candle). | |
| 56 | Tackle specialist further down that can accommodate 50 (7) |
| SADDLER – L (50 in Roman numerals) in SADDER (further down) | |
| 57 | Echo court imprisoning top inmate? Not any more (7) |
| ESCAPEE – CAP (top) in E (echo in the phonetic alphabet) + SEE (date; court). | |
| 58 | Not musical work involving Poles, such as Perpetuum Mobile? (7) |
| NONSTOP – N and S (poles) in NOT + OP (musical work). | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Is time to leave left-wing party? (6) |
| SOCIAL – SOCIAL{ist} (left-wing) without the IS + T (time). | |
| 2 | A passion about Cambridge University after elevating radio slot? (7) |
| AIRTIME – MIT (Cambridge Massachusetts University) [elevating] -> TIM, in A + IRE (passion). | |
| 3 | Last of old carpets ripped in US shop (9) |
| DRUGSTORE – Last of olD + RUGS (carpets) + TORE (ripped). | |
| 4 | Diarist with energy? Certainly expending energy (5) |
| PEPYS – PEP (energy) + Y{e}S (certainly) without the E (energy). | |
| 5 | Old person’s sadly cut up? For me, soothing ointment involves this (8) |
| CALAMINE – ALAC{k} (sadly; archaic – old person’s) [up] -> CALA + MINE (for me). | |
| 6 | Deprived, having lost fine headgear (5) |
| BERET – BERE{f}T (deprived) without the F (fine). | |
| 7 | Border space restricting for one government (7) |
| REGIMEN – E.G. (for example; for one) in RIM (border) + EN (printer’s space, the width of a letter n). | |
| 8 | Tense source of alarm, perhaps, involving currency investigator (14) |
| TROUBLESHOOTER – ROUBLES (currency) in T (tense) + HOOTER (source of alarm). | |
| 9 | Good firm surrounded by American money — indication of ministerial preferment? (3,6) |
| DOG COLLAR – G (good) + CO (company; firm) in DOLLAR (American money). It is (generally) an indication that a minister is ordained -hence “preferment” in the clue. | |
| 10 | Wild animal that man keeps in yard before an upset (5) |
| HYENA – Y (yard) in HE (that man) + AN [upset] -> NA. | |
| 11 | Criticism over lager, with pints drunk — it conceals the injury (8,7) |
| STICKING PLASTER – STICK (criticism) + (lager pints)* [drunk]. | |
| 12 | Eastern European welcoming United, rising ready for Cantona? A source of inspiration (7) |
| EUTERPE – U (united) + PRET (ready in French; for Cantona?) [rising] -> TERP all in E (east) E (European). One of the 9 muses, the daughters of Zeus, king of the gods, and Mnemosyne, the Greek goddess of memory. Euterpe was the muse of music. | |
| 19 | 50 per cent unable to read when crossing Channel Islands? That’s wrong (7) |
| ILLICIT – C.I. (Channel Islands) in first half of ILLIT{erate} (unable to read). | |
| 20 | More extended church season here in Berlin involving leader of Germany (9) |
| LENGTHIER – first letter of Germany in LENT (church season) + HIER (German for here; here in Berlin). | |
| 21 | Satirist, one scoffing about Liberal establishment at last (7) |
| GILBERT – L (Liberal) in GIBER (one scoffing) + last letter of establishmenT. W.S. Gilbert, librettist of the savoy operas with music by Arthur Sullivan, often satirical. | |
| 22 | Party brought up reductions banking millions? Just things here and there (8) |
| ODDMENTS – DO (party) [brought up] -> OD + M (millions) in DENTS (reductions). A bit of an odd definition, I think. | |
| 24 | Film length disowned by Twilight when done with editing (4,4,3,4) |
| GONE WITH THE WIND – (Twi{l}ight when done)* losing the L (length) [with editing]. | |
| 26 | Notice bloke going the wrong way about American employment to an intolerable degree (2,7) |
| AD NAUSEAM – AD (notice) + A (American) USE (employment) in MAN (bloke) [going the wrong way] -> NAM. | |
| 28 | Concealed concern from part of London getting to grips with film extracts (8) |
| ECLIPSED – CLIPS (film extracts) in {h}EED (concern) dropping the H [from part of London]. “concern” for “heed” seems a bit of a stretch | |
| 29 | Alien locates legible star map (9,5) |
| CELESTIAL GLOBE – [Alien] (locates legible)*. | |
| 31 | Alcoholic drink reduced by certain amount (7) |
| MEASURE – MEA{d} (alcoholic drink) without the last letter + SURE (certain). | |
| 34 | Couple’s volume outside broadcast held up (7) |
| TWOSOME – SOW (broadcast seed) reversed -> WOS, in TOME (book; volume). | |
| 39 | Anti-trade manoeuvres? It’s a disgrace no longer (9) |
| ATTAINDER – (anti-trade)* [manoeuvres]. “No longer” is it is an archaism. | |
| 42 | Legal action in progress, restricting most of the Olympic event (9) |
| TRIATHLON – [Most of] TH{e} in TRIAL (legal action) + ON (in progress). | |
| 43 | Pop singer receiving support in Australian city (8) |
| ADELAIDE – AID (support) in ADELE (pop singer). | |
| 44 | Article favouring stance not entirely suitable (7) |
| APROPOS – A (indefinite article) + PRO (favouring) + POS{e} (stance) [not entirely]. | |
| 45 | Roaming bats I captured in trick, looking up (7) |
| NOMADIC – MAD (bats) + I in CON (trick) [looking up] -> NOC. | |
| 46 | Take advantage of stratagem, mostly during departure (7) |
| EXPLOIT – PLO{t} (stratagem) [mostly] in EXIT (departure). | |
| 47 | Repressed writer with elevated position (4-2) |
| PENT UP – PEN (writer) + PUT (position, the verb) [elevated] -> TUP. | |
| 49 | Place to stay that’s partly comparable to home, on reflection (5) |
| HOTEL – reverse hidden in comparabLE TO Home. | |
| 51 | Apparently girl trimmed dress (3,2) |
| RIG UP – GIR{l} trimmed could be RIG going UP. | |
| 52 | Worry about supporting case for Observer newspaper? (5) |
| ORGAN – Outside letters of ObserveR + NAG (worry) [about] -> GAN. | |
DNF
Never got ESCAPEE. NHO Cantona, and biffed EUTERPE: the def made it fairly easy. DNK ENCASH (ODE marks it as Brit.). I got ECLIPSED, but had no idea how to get the E~ED; not a great clue. I was surprised at HIER; are we expected to know German?
I noted this as mostly easy. My outstanding queries were the parsing of CALAMINE which I’d never have got, and ECLIPSED where I agree with John that ‘concern / HEED’ is a bit dodgy.