Times Jumbo 1249

Author   helenoughamPosted on Categories Jumbo Cryptic
I can’t think of a lot to say about this one, which I found straightforward. Favourite clue: 23dn – I always enjoy the misdirection of clues like this.

As always, * indicates an anagram.

Across
1 MOTHPROOFS – (photos from)*
6 MARKSMANSHIP – MARKS SHIP, around MAN
14 ROLE MODEL – ROLL, around E + MODE
15 HOTEL – hidden in comparabLE TO Home
16 LOW TIDE – (w toiled)*
17 ACADEMIE FRANCAISE – (faces American idea)*
18 OBOES – hOBOES
19 BAGGINS – BAG + GINS. Refers to the hobbit family (Bilbo Baggins, Frodo Baggins etc.) in ‘Lord of the Rings’
21 RASCAL – LASCAR, with the L and R swapped round
22 WRESTLER – WHISTLER, with RE replacing HI
24 AMONGST – ANGST around MO (modus operandi)
26 PLAYBILL – PLAY BALL, with I replacing the second A
27 PREFAB – B, after PRE-FA (= before the existence of the Football Association)
30 DISQUIETUDE – Debussy + IS + QUIt + ETUDE
32 RAISON D’ETRE – (restrained)*, around O
33 MIND-BLOWING – MIND + BLOWING
35 FISHEYE LENS – cryptic indication (‘snapper’ here indicates a type of fish)
37 LIEDER – sounds roughly like ‘leader’
38 ENFORCES – FOR in fENCES
39 NUPTIAL – U in (plan it)*
42 NAPOLEON – NON around A POLE
44 RELIEF – BELIEF, with R replacing B
46 ST LEGER – STERn around LEG
48 HINTS – HITS around N
49 AN AMERICAN IN PARIS – double indication
51 LANYARD – ANY in LARD
52 ADIEU – A + D + IE + U
53 COMPOSITE – POSIT in COME
54 CHEDDAR GORGE – CR + GORGE, around HEDDA (Gabler)
55 DEPLOYMENT – D + EmPLOYMENT

Down
1 MORTAR-BOARD – MORTAR + BOARD
2 TULSA – L, in T + USA
3 PAMPERING – PAM + PE + RING
4 ORDAINS – (iron sad)*
5 FALL FOR – F + A LL, + FOR (indicated by ‘behind’; in favour of)
7 ANTECHAMBER – A + AMBER, around N + TECH
8 KELVIN – cryptic indication – the KELVIN scale is often used when referring to very low temperatures
9 MULBERRY – MERRY, around blue reversed
10 NEWTON’S CRADLE – (entranced slow)*
11 HAIR-OIL – I + RO, in HAIL
12 PLEASURABLE – PLEAS + dURABLE
13 CHEAPSKATE – HE in CAP (to CAP = to ‘best’), + SKATE
20 GOOD SENSE – (ends)* in GOOSE
23 ELLIPSIS – (I spill), reversed, in mESs. The definition here is the … at the end of the clue
25 TREMOR – TREe + MORe
26 PRURIENT – P + RUT around RIEN
28 FATTENING – FlATTENING
29 COME-ON – CON around ‘OME
31 UMBRELLA-STAND – cryptic indication
33 MELANCHOLIC – M + ELAN, + CHOICe around L
34 GOOD EVENING – GOVErNING around ODE
35 FACTITIOUS – IT in FACTIOn, + US
36 SELF-RESPECT – (less perfect)*
40 POLYPHONY – POLY + PHONY
41 COLANDER – CO + LANDER
43 PENANCE – PENzANCE
45 FIANCEE – if (reversed) + A + N + CE + Elopement
46 SEISMAL – SEAL around ISM
47 LAVABO – LAVA + Blister + Odd
50 RAISE – pRAISE

4 comments on “Times Jumbo 1249”

  1. Bah!One error,FICTITIOUS for FACTITIOUS,should have read the clue more carefully as the word is in my Oxford.LOI OBOES.
    ONG’ARA,
    KENYA.
  2. Straightforward, as Helen says. My one ? was at 53ac; I didn’t know the word ‘composite’ ([KAMpezait]), but assumed that ‘composite) ([kmPAzIt]) somehow applied to daisies. (On edit: I just noticed that the ODE, and SOED, put the stress on the first syllable; a UK/US difference I didn’t know of.) I thought 49ac was a rather wimpy clue, but really liked 22ac, 24ac, 20d, and especially COD 23d (a pity, though, that the next clue couldn’t start with the expected suspension dots).

    Edited at 2017-02-19 04:32 am (UTC)

  3. I enjoyed this puzzle, which has a decidedly French tone to it.

    Let us look at four pairs of lights which are symmetrically placed in the diagram. That is, pairs in which the two words would swap places if the diagram were to be rotated through 180°.

    # 15ac: HOTEL and 52ac: ADIEU
    I really liked the clues for these two French words. They each had a very natural surface reading. I quote the clues here:
    15 Holiday venue somewhat comparable to home, on reflection (5)
    52 Farewell to a daughter that is heading for University (5)

    # 17ac: ACADÉMIE FRANÇAISE and 49ac: AN AMERICAN IN PARIS
    Very nice. Especially so when we notice that the clue to 17ac uses the word ‘American’. The Académie française has its headquarters in Paris.

    # 5dn: FALLS FOR and 45 dn: FIANCÉE
    This raised a smile.

    # And, was the
    32ac: RAISON D’ÊTRE
    of the puzzle to be
    33ac: MIND BLOWING
    ?

  4. Thanks for the clear explanations. I agree it was on the easy side but nonetheless very 12D.

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