Times Jumbo 1311

Author   PenfoldPosted on Categories Jumbo Cryptic

This was very straightforward indeed, taking about 30 minutes across a couple of sessions.  There do seem to be rather a lot of A+B type clues.

My first in was VILLAGE, last was THROUGH TRAIN, just because that’s where I happened to finish.

Clues are in blue, with definitions underlined and answers are in bold.

Across

1
Have nothing to do with free ticket winning (4,2)

PASS UP – basic charade (watch out for that phrase later folks) of PASS and UP

5
Very bad period of time for a rural community (7)

VILLAGE – V[ery] ILL AGE

9
Recognise celebrities? Do this, perhaps, if struck (3,5)

SEE STARS – DD, the first bordering on whimsy

13
Run off in polished stilettos after parade? (4,1,5,4,2,5)

SHOW A CLEAN PAIR OF HEELS – charade, no further explanation required I reckon.

14
Explain Pinter’s opening in Betrayal (5,3)

SPELL OUT – P(inter) in SELL OUT

15
Urgently heading for teleprinter after distress call one received (7)

SOONEST – T(eleprinter) after ONE in S.O.S.

16
Class take this after dope (6)

SPHERE – “HERE” as in “here you are” after S.P., as in dope/craic/gen/info/plan as in “What’s the S.P. John, are we going to the pub or what?”

17
Hope to have most of jelly with helping (10)

ASPIRATION – ASPIc + RATION

20
Timid type, a bishop settling in London, maybe, in an overcrowded area (6,6)

RABBIT WARREN – RABBIT + A R[ight] R[everend] in WEN.  The Great Wen is supposedly a disparaging nickname from London, coined by William Cobbett.

23
Food pleasing to the eye, we’re told (4)

FARE – sounds like FAIR

24
With book in college defining game (8)

HANDBALL – AND B[ook] in HALL

26
Guys in principle responsible for a block of flats (8)

TENEMENT – MEN in TENET

29
Problem with arson, a crucial matter? (7,5)

BURNING ISSUE – basic charade of ISSUE with BURNING.  As has been discussed on the site in the past, “with” implies no order for the words.

30
Nerve and audacity shown in hold-up (10)

BOTTLENECK – basic charade of BOTTLE and NECK. Isn’t a bottlenech the cause of a hold-up rather than the hold-up itself?

32
Group after sound system for convention (10)

STEREOTYPE – basic charade of STEREO and TYPE

34
Possible result of game being in grass allowed to roam wild (8,4)

GOALLESS DRAW – (grass allowed)*

36
Insensitive column, a problem for the editor? (8)

DEADLINE – basic charade of DEAD and LINE

38
Tire oneself out on visit by Italian (6,2)

OVERDO IT – OVER (on) + DO (visit as in “Tomorrow we’re going to do Stonehenge”) + IT[alian]

39
Dam — spooky no end (4)

WEIR – WEIRd

41
Long distance traveller, finished with school (7,5)

THROUGH TRAIN – basic charade of THROUGH and TRAIN

43
TV game show runs into considerable trouble (3,7)

BIG BROTHER -R[uns] in BIG BOTHER

44
Stand as excursion party returned (6)

TRIPOD -TRIP + DO reversed

46
Disgusting old boy linked with ugly incident (7)

OBSCENE – basic charade of O[ld] B[oy] and SCENE

48
Non-professionals playing are a must (8)

AMATEURS – (are a must)*

50
Might a matador confront a problem head-on? (4,3,4,2,3,5)

TAKE THE BULL BY THE HORNS – DD, the first with a silent “…do this” implied

51
Artist wearing a top he designed, and a gibus (5,3)

OPERA HAT – R[oyal] A[cademician] in (a top he)*.  I didn’t know a gibus from Jebus but it easy enough to guess.

52
One putting clothes on sideboard (7)

DRESSER – DD

53
Plant in trouble had backing (6)

DAHLIA – AIL HAD reversed


Down

2
Story-teller having to sit up after first of allegories (5)

AESOP – POSE reversed after A(llegories)

3
Decoy‘s snout (5,6)

STOOL PIGEON – DD

4
Peg describing a row about bishop in cocktail lounge? (5,3)

PIANO BAR – PIN around (describing) A then OAR around B[ishop]

5
Large container porter brought in for a man (5)

VALET – VAT with ALE replacing (brought in for) A

6
I suffer over lad’s affair (7)

LIAISON – I AIL reversed then SON

7
Suitable whip (11)

APPROPRIATE – DD

8
Select rice, ultimately — low in calories (5)

ELITE – (ric)E LITE

9
Little tip for final applicants (9)

SHORTLIST – basic charade of SHORT and LIST

10
Distinctive character in Newmarket hostelry (5)

ETHOS – hidden

11
Film male, one fielding after start of test (3,5,3)

THE THIRD MAN – HE + THIRD MAN (fielding position in cricket) after T(est)

12
Without opener, field a substitute (7)

RESERVE – pRESERVE

18
Figure alien must be breaking law (9)

STATUETTE – E.T. in STATUTE

19
Lunacy omitting son in senseless action (7)

INANITY – INsANITY

21
Invoice committee for hoarding (9)

BILLBOARD – basic charade of BILL + BOARD

22
Turn on wench providing winch (8)

WINDLASS – basic charade of WIND and LASS

25
So ended a broadcast about married heroine in play (9)

DESDEMONA – (so ended a)* around M[arried]

27
Fruit drink that’s delicious in the East (9)

NECTARINE – NECTAR IN E[ast]

28
Tiresome nanny and I go out (8)

ANNOYING – (nanny I go)*

31
Substantial bidding (7)

TELLING – DD

33
Enthusiastic card game in plant (3-3,5)

RED-HOT POKER – basic… (you know the rest)

34
Inexperienced in a good way, that is belonging to an upper-class set? (5-6)

GREEN-WELLIE -GREEN WELL I.E. as in GW brigade

35
Sensible paraglider heading this way eventually? (4-2-5)

DOWN-TO-EARTH – DD, one whimsical

37
Outgoing person, former scout, entering IOM races (9)

EXTROVERT – EX + ROVER in T.T.

40
Under pressure, made and delivered a sermon (8)

PREACHED – REACHED (made as in made it to a destination or a target etc.) under P[ressure]

42
Type of car difficult to beat (7)

HARDTOP – basic… (need I go on?)

43
Sleep so long on top of sofabed (3-4)

BYE-BYES – BYE-BYE on S[ofabed]

45
Drop daughter with it by church (5)

DITCH -D[aughter] + IT + CH[urch]

47
Pronounce fit (5)

SOUND – DD

48
Detest rough bar small house installed (5)

ABHOR – HO[use] in (bar)*

49
Swiss dish acrostic contains (5)

ROSTI – hidden

8 comments on “Times Jumbo 1311”

  1. It usually takes me between an hour and 90 minutes to do a Jumbo, but I completed this correctly in 40:01, so definitely on the easier end of the spectrum. Enjoyable for all that. No unknowns, started with AESOP, can’t remember where I finished. Thanks setter for a confidence booster, and Penfold for the blog.
  2. I didn’t notice the plethora of charades, but I did feel that this was a rather blah puzzle. Several DNKs, like ‘snout’, RED-HOT POKER, ‘one fielding’, SP, and the TV game–43ad was my LOI.
  3. 35:05 The parsing of SPHERE and RABBIT WARREN the only difficulties for me, apart from putting in GRAB THE BULL BY THE HORNS before I had the checkers to correct me. It would have been better with a few more challenging clues, but I mustn’t grumble in case I get a stinker to blog when it’s my turn.

    Edited at 2018-03-17 09:00 am (UTC)

    1. The jumbos appear in the Online edition, but not within the iphone App. I don’t know whether thay appear in the tablet Apps.
  5. Quite easy , this one. Not bad for beginners to get a foothold. LOI SPHERE.
    ONG’ARA,
    NAIROBI.
  6. All done and dusted in just over the hour. Held up by the SPHERE/RESERVE crossers as I could not justify Preserve or sphere as “class”. Thank you Penfold for the explanations and setter too for an enjoyable crossword.

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