Times Jumbo 811 (Sat 25 Apr 2009)

* = anagram < = reversed
ACROSS
1 G(RASP)ABLE Clark Gable of Gone With the Wind and much else
6 DEAD MEN’S SHOES (She’s Desdemona)* Clue divides very neatly at weird/substitute which starts a very precise definition.
13 TAC(H)O A short version of tachometer – the ‘spy in the cab’ (Thanks, Kurihan, comment 2 below, for explaining that the ‘spy in the cab’ is tachograph. The definition was ‘instrument for measuring’ which would I think be tachometer as above. Dicts confirm TACHO can be used for either.)
14 W (with) R (right) OUGHT IRON
15 OMAHA wOMAn and cHAp “in middle”
16 C (APT A IN A H)AB Character from Melville’s Moby Dick.
17 REIN T (R)O DUCE r = resistance Il Duce = Mussolini (fascist dictator)
18 A P(PLA)UD Port of London Authority
20 LIE-D OWN lied = song own = have. Very good
21 F (LE-AP)IT
23 HAND LE (W)ITH KID GLOVES w = weight Leith in Edinburgh Definition: gently manage
27 TAU(t)
28 DILUTE turn = reverse zEsTfUl LaIrDs ignoring letters in odd positions
29 HE (X)ADS 35 is TOSS-UP heads or tails X = ten in Roman numerals
31 SCRAP (Axe) BOOK (Numbers is a Book of the Bible)
34 C(I=one G) AR CASE Excellent misleading definition – Havana boxer carcase = body. Very good.
35 TOS S-UP (sot)< Another very good clue
36 B (OR)ROW Ditto and lovely definition ‘appropriate for a time’
39 NAstY
40 WEST LOTHIAN QUESTION (How quintessential to)* Readers outside the UK might not be familiar with this. Coined in the debate on devolution for Scotland drawing attention to the fact that with a parliament in London for the whole UK and one in Scotland dealing with Scottish issues that the Scots could vote on matters relating to England but not the other way round.
42 MAN I TOU(r)
43 TROPHIC (Pot rich)* In the cryptic reading ‘supply’ means ‘in a supple manner’ indicating the anagram
45 D (AYS) OFF Definition: leave doff = don’s counterpart those for = ays
47 OX FOR D C LOTH Tricky ox = source of leather for = backing DC = detective (constable)
loth = reluctant Definition: material
49 NOTTING HILL ill for am in Nottingham
51 GUM Marx O One of the Marx Brothers from old films
52 OVER INDULGE (eluding)*
53 A (article) T(time) I L T (time)
54 NORFOLK TURKEY (trunk for yokel)*
55 P AS(i)DE D EU X Five pieces in all
DOWN
1 G (key – music) ATE CRASHED
2 A L (COP)OP
3 POONA Alternate letters of PhOtO iN mAg
4 B OWING DOWN Excellent uses of red and blue in different senses
5 EPOC cope< HAL
6 DOGS BREAK FAST
7 AFTER WORD
8 M A RMION (minor)* A poem by Walter Scott The Times allows nounal anagram indicators in certain circs
9 NI NE T O FIVERS NI = Northern Ireland (province) Great clue
10 STOPOVERS V = five in (Poor Tess)*
11 OTAKU Hidden with indicator ‘bags’. I think Ximenes advised an easy clue for an unfamiliar word. Japanese person more interested in computers etc than social skills.
12 STAGE S TRUCK
19 AL (L-S)TAR Outside letters of laziness
22 POT-POUR(R)I Tea do I dispense = pot pour I !
24 N EL L G W Y NN Intricate Three Ns = some news drained means take all but the first and last letters from the three words given.
25 T (HE BE)LL Hebe for a (second) in tall. Book by Iris Murdoch
26 L (50 in Roman numerals) IS BURN singers when the verb is singe not sing, I guess
30 ST SWITHIN’S DAY S (son) (wants his tidy)* I think ‘there’s no time (=day) for a shower’ suggests please don’t rain as if it does it will for 40 days after by tradition. July 15.
32 P(rev)IOUSLY Very good
33 CAESIUM CLOCK (ace comic sulk)*
34 CINEMA-ORGAN Cryptic definition punning on ‘stop’
37 W (INDF) ALL T AX (find)*
38 QUAD RI (CE)PS
40 WATER (PO) LO Waterloo (defeat) less o
41 TO OT H PICK Excellent definition = after dinner stick
43 THOREAU (author E)*
44 CAT-FLAP Excellent cryptic definition
46 OX (steer) I DI (Z)E The Z is unchecked so the clue gave it very clearly so you know it’s not ‘oxidise’
48 F (EMU)R
50 GRAZE “Gray’s”