Times Jumbo 1059

I thought this was fairly straightforward; it took me 17 minutes, plus checking the answer to 39dn (PHILISTIA).

As ever, * indicates an anagram.

Across
1 SPENCER – sounds like (Edmund) Spenser. Hubert SPENCER coined the phrase ‘survival of the fittest’, subsequently used by Charles Darwin
5 NECESSARY – double definition. ‘The NECESSARY’ can be used to mean ‘money’
10 DIVA – avid (reversed)
14 BAG AND BAGGAGE – nag (reversed), in BAD BAGGAGE
15 CHEONGSAM – (G-man chose)*. A CHEONGSAM is a traditional style of Chinese dress
16 SHOPFITTER – SHOP (defined by ‘to inform on’) + FITTER
17 MUM’S THE WORD – double definition
18 TOPIC – TOP + IC
19 HUNTINGDON – DON after HUNTING
21 PISTOL – (spoilt)*. Reference is to a character in Shakespeare’s ‘The Merry Wives of Windsor’
23 ANDROMEDA – AND + ROME + DA (District Attorney)
25 THETA – TA (Territorial Army) after THE
26 OTHELLO – O + Tragedy + HELLO
28 PRESS RELEASES – PRESS + RE + LEASES
31 EDITORIAL – ORAL around I, after tide (reversed)
33 RHOS-ON-SEA – SON in (a horse)*
35 MERRIE ENGLAND – (lame rendering)*. MERRIE ENGLAND is an opera by Edward German
37 TREASON – TREAdS ON
38 SCRAP – CRAPs after Snow
40 SURPASSED – SURe + PASSED
42 SCHEME – S + ME, around CHE (Guevara)
44 PRAIRIE DOG – PRAIRIE, + DOG (to tail)
46 SHOWY – SHOW + SavoY
48 PURITANICAL – (Lunatic pair)*)
50 INS AND OUTS – double definition
52 POTPOURRI – (up to prior)*
53 GET TO THE POINT – GET + TOT + HE + POINT
54 RIPEgRIPE
55 SANCTUARY – (scary aunt)*’
56 THRUSTS – TRUSTS around H

Down
1 SOBS – OB in SS (steam ship)
2 EGG-SHAPED – EG + Gryphon, + SHAPED (as in ‘shaped up’, = looked promising)
3 CONSPICUOUS CONSUMPTION – CONSPICUOUS (apparent) on CONSUMPTION (tuberculosis)
4 RUBBISH – RUSH, round B + B + I
5 NIGHTINGALE – this clue took me the longest to work out completely. It’s N GAL (northern lass), in NIGHTIE (i.e. in a nightdress, therefore ready for bed)
6 CHAIRLIFT – cryptic indication (St Moritz – ski resort)
7 STEAM – Search + TEAM
8 ACCOMMODATE – triple definition
9 YVETTE – VETTEd after plaY
11 IN SHORT – IN SORT around H
12 ARMADILLO – (mall radio)*. I hadn’t realised that the armadillo is nocturnal!
13 KNEE-HIGH TO A GRASSHOPPER – (shopkeeper has no right)*, around AG (Ag is the chemical symbol for silver)
18 TRAPPER – (rep + part), reversed – here, ‘rep’ = ‘repertory theatre
20 GREASER – GREASE (the film) +disasteR
22 DOMINEER – MINE (pit) in DOER (energetic person, defined by ‘live wire’)
24 EVENSONG – EVEN SO, + NG (no good)
27 LEILA – hidden in LoreLEI LAnd
29 ERODE – ROD, in EastbournE
30 SAMURAI – SA + MURAl + I
32 LADY DAY – LADY + DAY
34 ABSTRACTION – AB’s (Able-Bodied Seaman’s) + TRACTION
36 INSIDE STORY – cryptic definition
37 TEST PAPER – TEST (assess) + PAPER
39 PHILISTIA – PHI + LIST (border) + I + A. PHILISTIA was the historical name of a region in the Middle East – I had to check this
41 SMOOTHIES – (I’m the so so)*
43 HARDTOP – HARD + TOP
44 MOTHIER – I in MOTHER
45 GUNSHOT – GUNS + HOT
47 IN ARMS – IN (elected) + ARMS (members)
49 LIGHT – double definition
51 OTIS – cryptic definition (OTIS lifts)

One comment on “Times Jumbo 1059”

  1. Yes, straightforward.. always nice though to see a mention of where I was brought up, 19ac, a Cambridgeshire town now but formerly the proud county town of late lamented Huntingdonshire

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