Times Jumbo 1110 (13 Sep 2014)

Author   daveperryPosted on Categories Jumbo Cryptic
Solving time: An enjoyable couple of hours

My apologies for being a few days late with this one, but I have a lot going on at the moment, and this one slipped down the priority list a bit.

I found this one very enjoyable. There were plenty of well-disguised definitions, clever wordplay, and neat surfaces. In fact, with all that, the cheekiness of 9a and the Spoonerism at 14a, it seemed a little Anaxian. I don’t know if this is one of Dean’s or not, but if not then the setter can take that as a compliment! There were a couple of enumeration issues at 47 & 52, but we’ll say no more about that.

cd = cryptic def., dd = double def., rev = reversal, homophones are written in quotes, anagrams as (–)*, and removals like this

1 EUCALYPTI = EU + (TYPICAL)*
6 roundS + NOOK
9 I’M PLANT – ‘Bristol may get boost from this’ is the cheeky definition. That’s Bristol as in CRS.
13 HINDU – hidden
14 POTHOLE = HOT POLE with initials switched
15 OVER + STATE
16 SPEED CAMERA – cd
17 NEEDLE + POINT
18 DIVER + Talk
19 MINIMISE = IS in MINI-ME
21 S + TRIPE
25 ASTATINE = A + E about STATIN (drug) – ‘At’ is the definition, the chemical symbol for Astatine. With my medical history, statins are a drug I’m quite familiar with!
26 HABERDASHERIES – cd
28 NOVAE = (OVA after N) + E
29 PEARLS = “PURLS”
30 BREASTBONE = BR + EASTBOurNE – UR (“you are” removed)
33 TYPESCRIPT = TYPES + “CRYPT”
35 FRINGE – dd – ‘thrum’ can mean the fringe of a thread, and ‘bang’ is the US equivalent of the British fringe in hairstyling
36 SLOOP = POOLS rev
38 LARGE INTESTINE = (INTERESTING ALE)*
40 OPERA HAT = (A HERO APT)* – semi-&lit
42 CoY sPy + HER
43 LAH-DI-DAH = HAL (prince) rev + DID (made) + AH (interjection)
44 CITRUS = CRUSh about IT (vermouth)
47 LEGAL TENDER = (EG + ALT) in LENDER – enumeration is given as (11) instead of (5,6)
50 PIE IN THE SKY = IN THE SKY (heavenly) after (P + IE)
52 SHANGRI-LA = SHe ANd GRIm LAd – enumeration again, presumably should be (7-2) instead of (9)
53 ACE + TONE
54 ODOUR = bODy + Overtly Unchaste Reaction
55 TRENTON = ON-TRENT (like Stoke) with words switched
56 THYME = “TIME”
57 TEMP + TRESS
Down
1 E + THO + S
2 CONSERVATIVE PARTY = (VERY ACTIVE PATRONS)*
3 LAUNDERETTE = LATTE about (UNDER + pristinE)
4 POPLAR = POPuLAR – although I’m not sure this one works. The definition in the centre?
5 INTREPID = IN + (DI + PERT) rev
6 SPORADICALLY = SALLY about (PICADOR)*
7 OCEAN + LINE + Ravish
8 KilteR + ONE
9 IDEALISTS = IDES about A-LIST
10 PAS + boughT + PERFECT
11 ABACI = BA rev + A + CI
12 TREAT + neutralitY
18 DEAD + NETTLE
20 ENDURING – dd
22 PHILOSOPHERS STONE = PHILOSOPHERS (people who think) + (ETON’S)*
23 SNIPpER
24 OSTEOPATHS = (TO TEASHOPS)*
27 CAMPBELL = BELL after CAMP (theatrical)
31 ALE+ PP + Offered
32 FRONTISPIECE = (IS PERFECTION)*
34 SEETHE + LIGHT
36 STRAIGHT OUT = “STRAY” + TOUT
37 AT THE READY = ATm + THE READY – although I can’t quite see where the THE comes from.
39 NORWEGIAN = N + (ON EARWIG)*
41 BAREFOOT = A + REF all in BOOT
45 CLOSEsT
46 ANSELM = makarioS in AN ELM
48 GRATE = “GREAT”
49 DEAL + T
51 YPRES = (oSPREY)*

4 comments on “Times Jumbo 1110 (13 Sep 2014)”

  1. I wrote in my notes that this had more than a whiff of Anax and I thought the clue for FRONTISPIECE in particular was brilliant.
  2. 29 mins but with one wrong at 35ac where I had read the clue as a CD rather than a DD and had “grunge”, although in retrospect my idea would have worked much better if the setter had used Seattle rather than Detroit. I thought the clue for POPLAR was just plain wrong, and the enumeration errors at 47ac and 52ac were poor.
  3. All I remember of this one is that it took a zillion hours, mainly to get the last three: 35ac, 25ac and 23d. That last was retrospectively embarrassing as I could come up with ‘clipper’ but not ‘snipper’. Like mohn, I very much liked FRONTISPIECE. Isn’t the term (it’s not US, so I don’t know) for cash ‘the ready’? E.g., can you say “I don’t have enough ready to buy this”, “You’ll need a lot of ready”, etc.?
    1. ‘Ready’ certainly – short for ready money, but I’ve never heard “I don’t have enough of the ready to buy this” or “You’ll need a lot of the ready”, etc. So the ‘the’ doesn’t seem to fit into the wordplay.

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