Times Jumbo 1179

Author   helenoughamPosted on Categories Jumbo Cryptic
I didn’t find this one especially tough, and it was nice to have a seasonal answer (9dn) to get us in the mood for the festive season.

As always, * indicates an anagram.

Across
1 INSUPPORTABLE – IN + SUP + PORt + TABLE
8 VOWELLESS – V + O + S, around [Orson] WELLES. ‘Gypsy rhythms’ contains none of the vowels a, e, i, o, u
13 LATER – L + A + TERm
14 ELECTRICIAN – (in recital)*, around first letters of ‘Elgar’s concertos’. ‘Sparks’ is a nickname for an ELECTRICIAN
15 PATIO – I after PAT, + O
16 MEATINESS – A TINE in MESS
17 LIED – LIkED
18 DEAD BEAT – BEAT after DEAD
20 BALTIC – BALTI + C
21 SPAGHETTI WESTERN – (swine gets the part)*
24 DESULTORY – (L + used), reversed, + TORY
26 OMICRON – ON around MICRO
27 REBUS – (b + user)*
29 RHAPSODISING – RHAP (could sound like ‘rap’), + do’s reversed, + I SING
31 TIGER SNAKE – (seeking rat)*
33 GREAT-UNCLE – (cruel agent)*
35 TEN GALLON HAT – LL (‘£2’), in (Hatton Garden)* minus RD
38 MAYOR – last letter of ‘Councillor’, after MAYO
39 OUTPOST – POST after OUT
40 GANGING UP – (pug + nag), reversed, around GIN
42 NOT TO BE SNEEZED AT – double indication
44 BELLOC – BELLOw + C
47 AMRITSAR – AM, + (RA stir) reversed
49 GARB – hidden in vulGAR Bimbo
50 DAREDEVIL – DA + RED EVIL
52 IDIOM – IOM (Isle of Man) after ID
53 IMAGINATIVE – I’M A GI NATIVE
54 CARAT – CART around A
55 NURSLINGS – run, reversed, + SLINGS
56 TENDER-HEARTED – double indication (coffers contains the word ‘offer’, i.e. ‘tender’ – or coffers, as in chests, might contain money, similarly indicated by ‘tender’)

Down
1 ISLAMABAD – IS + LAMA + BADe
2 SET SAIL – SET + S + AIL
3 PARTICIPLES – PARTICLES around IP. ‘Earned’ and ‘spent’ are both examples of PARTICIPLES
4 O LEVEL – EVE in pOLL
5 THEOSOPHY – HE in (toy shop)*
6 BATTLEGROUND – ATTLEe + GR, in BOUND
7 EPIGENESIS – I, in EP + GENESIS
8 VEIN – sounds like ‘vain’, indicated by ‘useless’
9 WINTER WONDERLAND – cryptic indication
10 LIPID – LIP + I’D
11 EXTREME – M in (Exeter)*
12 SHORT AND SWEET – SHORT’AND, + SWEET (‘course’)
19 STIRLING – STIR + LING
22 SORTS – ShORTS
23 HOLDING OPERATION – double indication
25 STATELY – STAT (short for statistic) + ELY
28 BEAR HUG – BEAR (sounds like ‘bare’) + HUGe
29 REGIMENTATION – REGIME + NATION, around Tough
30 SPLIT END – cryptic indication
32 FEATHERBRAIN – FEAR around THE, + B + RAIN
34 TORSO – hidden in visiTORS Often
36 OBITER DICTA – (I direct boat)*
37 MONETARIST – IS, in MONET ART
40 GRANDSIRE – double indication, referring to changes in bellringing
41 PECULATED – sPECULATED
43 TERRIER – TIE + R, around ERR
45 LEVERET – LEVER, + last letters of ‘the lot’
46 BREECH – sounds like ‘breach’
48 TAMIL – AMI in ScoTLand
51 LASS – gLASS

4 comments on “Times Jumbo 1179”

  1. I found this incredibly tough: by far the hardest jumbo for a long time, and it took me a number of goes to finish off. I’m not really sure why: judging by the leaderboard it doesn’t seem to have given others anything like the same amount of trouble.
    I thought the idea with 56 was that the ‘heart’ of ‘coffers’ is ‘offer’, which means ‘tender’.

    Edited at 2015-12-12 10:23 am (UTC)

    1. Thanks keriothe, I’d missed that as an explanation. Or maybe both alternatives apply… I’ve updated the blog accordingly.
  2. Completed this after an almighty struggle with one query, l thought SCATTERBRAIN at 32 is a better answer than FEATHERBRAIN IMHO. (ONG’ARA, NAIROBI)
    1. Funny you should mention that: I biffed ‘scatterbrain’, ‘absent-minded’ fitting that word better than FEATHERBRAIN, which to me means ‘stupid person’.

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