Times Jumbo 1134

Author   helenoughamPosted on Categories Jumbo Cryptic
Not too difficult, I thought, though I hadn’t encountered MUSICAL SAW (4 ac) before.

As usual, * indicates an anagram.

Across
1 NIQAB – I + Q, in ban (reversed)
4 MUSICAL SAW – MUSICAL (‘Cats, perhaps’) + SAW
9 GADFLY – Guides + A D + FLY
14 ARAUCARIA – ARIA around A + U + CAR
15 NATIONALISTIC – RATIONALISTIC, with N replacing the initial R
16 BOTANIC – (obtain)* + C
17 EXEMPLARY – EX + tEMPLAR + Y
18 ADULT – hAD (indicated by ‘got out of puff’, i.e. ‘had’ without the aspirate) + ULT
19 PRAISEWORTHILY – (whole airstrip)* + MaY
22 OCARINA – O + CAR + IN + A
25 HEALTH CARE – HE around (tracheal)*
27 PLASTER SAINT – PLASTERS AIN’T
30 WATER – WAR around TEa
31 ALEHOUSE – A LOUSE, around H + E
32 NARRATOR – (R + O + Treasure + ARRAN), reversed
35 NORMALLY – N + OR + M + ALLY
36 ETHOLOGY – THEOLOGY with E moved to first place
37 TABLA – (a l bat), reversed
39 GO OVER THE TOP – GO (‘turn’) + OVER THE TOP
41 STRONGHOLD – STRONG HOLD
43 METHANE – MinE, + (neath)*
45 IMPOVERISHMENT – IMP + OVER + (sent him)*
48 SAUNA – an ‘&lit’ clue, where the wordplay is also the definition – first letter of ‘Steam’, second letter of ‘bath’, third of ‘usually’, fourth of ‘Finnish’ and fifth of ‘installed’
49 UNCLEANED – UNCLE + AN ED
51 PAINTER – PATER around IN
53 NONSENSE VERSE – well, I’m not sure about this. The definition is ‘something from Lear’, referring to the poet Edward Lear and not King Lear (and his Fool) as the clue might suggest. But is ‘Trifling ditty by fool’ just another indicator of NONSENSE VERSE, or have I missed something?
54 AMORPHOUS – AMOROUS around PH
55 CURARE – bARk in CURE
56 IRIDESCENT – I + RIDE (‘badger’, harass) + SCENT
57 TREND – TEND around R

Down
1 NEARBY – brae, reversed, in NY
2 QUARTERMASTER – a ship ‘very deficient in sails’ could be a QUARTER-MASTER as opposed to, say, a three-master
3 BACON – refers to the expressions ‘bring home the bacon’ and ‘save one’s bacon’
4 MIRACLE – L in MI RACE
5 SKATEBOARDER – SKATE + BOARDER
6 CONFETTI – (often)* in CT, + I (‘current’)
7 LET-UP – LET + UP
8 APOCALYPSE – (espy + la + cop), reversed, after A
10 ALI BABA – A LIB + A BA
11 FETTUCINI – (cut it fine)*
12 YACHT – (the cay), reversed
13 EASY COME EASY GO – refers to the novel ‘Mr Midshipman Easy’ by Frederick Marryat
20 INTERFACE – INTER (‘place beneath’, i.e. bury) + FACE
21 ILLUSION – ILLInois + ON, around US
23 AFTERWARDS – those who ‘seek to be guardians’ might be AFTER WARDS
24 CHEWING GUM – mug, reversed, after C + HEWING
26 CHARLOTTE RUSSE – (eel a shortcrust)*
28 STRATAGEM – (mega tarts), reversed
29 SOFT SOAP – OFT SO, in SAP
33 TO BE OR NOT TO BE – cryptic indication
34 POSTGRADUATE – (a tutor gasped)*
38 REDISCOVER – E + DISC, in ROVER
40 OUTRUNNER – OUT (‘blooming’) + RUNNER
42 EVENNESS – EVEN, + (Loch) NESS
44 AMATEUR – MATE, in AU (symbol for gold) + R
46 SUPPORT – SUP + PORT
47 ERASED – ERAS + EnglanD
48 SONIC – Stockhausen + ON + I/C
50 ERRED – refERRED
52 INPUT – I, + P in NUT

3 comments on “Times Jumbo 1134”

  1. Not that difficult for a Jumbo indeed – 19 mins. I do remember seeing someone play a musical saw once which helped.

    THanks to Helen and the setter too.

  2. I’ve seen more musical saws (3, maybe) than I needed. One is performed in the film, “Cabaret”. I was puzzled by QUARTERMASTER, as I only knew that as the army officer in charge of supplies. I liked 17ac and 6d (my LOI, I think)
  3. Quite gentle unlike last week’s,FOI NIQAB,14a reminds me of that late ace setter.(ONG’ARA,NRB)

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