Times Jumbo 1239

Author   helenoughamPosted on Categories Jumbo Cryptic
Season’s greetings, everyone!

Overall I didn’t find this too tough, but I hadn’t come across 39ac before, and spent ages trying to work out 7ac – the clue is a nice bit of misdirection.

As always, * indicates an anagram.

Across
1 BASEBALL CAP – BALL (‘function’) + CAP (‘better’), after BASE
7 EAST BY SOUTH – E BY S is hidden in ChEBYShev
13 ROADS – could sound like Rhodes
14 DUCHAMP – DUMP around CHA
15 PULL A FACE – fall up (reversed) + ACE
16 ILL AT EASE – there’s an error here. The clue suggests that the answer is hidden in vacILLATE SEriously, but there’s an A missing
17 WISHY-WASHY – WISH, + WASH in YY
20 HAWKEYE – H, + KEY in AWE
22 ASTATIC – AS + TA (soldiers sometimes) + TIC
24 MORPHIA – could sound like ‘more fear’
25 DRAMBUIE – (bum a ride)*
26 OFF ONE’S TROLLEY – double indication
28 ADDER – lADDER
29 LAHORE – AH in LORE
30 SUPERSAVER – SUPERS + AVER
33 TOM COLLINS – (alternate letters of ‘lime’, + isn’t cool)*
35 ASKING – AS + KING
37 MANLY – MANY (‘legion’) around GauL
39 NIZHNI NOVGOROD – (n on h driving zoo)*
41 MALTREAT – MALT + R + EAT
44 MONTANA – MONTy (as in ‘the full Monty’) + ANA
45 RESIDUE – RE + S + I, + DUE (‘deserts’)
46 CAMPHOR – CAMP + H + OR
47 PANTOMIMES – (semi-nap around mot), reversed
49 PANATELLA – PANT around A, + ELLA
53 UNWEARIED – (idea we run)*
54 SCOURER – just a double definition, I think
55 EMMET – me, reversed, + MET
56 AERODYNAMIC – (acronym idea)*
57 DISPATCH BOX – DI’S PATCH + BOX

Down
1 BURNISHED – BURN + I + SHED
2 SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS – SWALLOW (‘down’), + SANDS around AMAZON
3 BESET – BE + SET
4 LUDGATE HILL – (the Guildhall)*
5 CYCLEWAY – C + (clay yew)*
6 PLAY WITH FIRE – double indication (‘axe’ indicates FIRE as in sack from a job)
7 EXPOSITION – EX + POSITION
8 SOPPY – SPY around OP
9 BALLAD METRE – Lab (Labour party), reversed, + LAD MET RE
10 SMASHEROO – MA’S HERO, in SO
11 URAL – mURAL
12 HOED – FrencH + OED
18 THE LAVENDER HILL MOB – (a helmeted hornbill v)*. What a great anagram!
19 LAWYERLY – well, I suppose some might pronounce ‘loyally’ in the same way as LAWYERLY!
21 EMBARGO – EM + BAR + GO
23 CHERUBIC – CUB around HER, +IC
27 WHENEVER – HEN (‘layer’) in W +E, + VERy
28 AUTONOMY – (am you not)*
31 SYMPTOM – hidden in buSY MP TO Meet
32 AS GOOD AS GOLD – GOLD (‘or’) after AS GOOD AS
34 LANCASTRIAN – (Tin can Sara L)*
36 GRAN CANARIA – GRAN + CAN + ARIA
38 HOUSE MUSIC – O US EMU’S in HIC
40 NYASALAND – (alas ay), reversed, in N + stabiliseD
42 TARTAN TAX – TART + ANTi + A + X
43 HESPERUS – HE’S + PERUSe
48 MADAM – MAD (refers to 26ac, OFF ONE’S TROLLEY) + Acacia Mansions
50 THEIC – alternate letters of ‘crime that’, reversed
51 PUPA – up, reversed, + PA
52 EWER – WERE, with the final E moved to the start of the word

4 comments on “Times Jumbo 1239”

  1. The usual long steady solve for me. The usual struggle to completely parse everything. Didn’t know EM could be a dash (21d) and relieved that 16a was unparseable due to the error. Could see that the Russian city was an anagram but looked it up I’m afraid. I wasted a lot of time being convinced 33a was RUM something from the ‘oddly’ reference. Enjoyable nonetheless. Thanks Helen.

    David (Warwick)

  2. This was tough for me ,as last week’s,one error at 39(NizhnY)that’s how it was spelled when l googled.Thanks Helen.Merry Chrismas to all xword buffs.Ong’ara,Nairobi.
  3. I had trouble with several clues, never, for instance, figuring out how EAST BY SOUTH worked, not realizing that Duchamp was a naturalize American, not knowing what a ‘short’ was (25ac), etc. I resisted putting in DISPATCH BOX for the longest time because I couldn’t think of a word T___C; I finally put in THEIC and hoped for the best. (It’s not in ODE.) Loved THE LAVENDER HILL MOB, also 45ac and 47ac.

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