Times Jumbo 915 (12 Mar 2011)

Author   daveperryPosted on Categories Jumbo Cryptic
I forgot to make a note of my time for this one. I did it two weeks ago, came to post it today and realised I hadn’t written the preamble.

I remember liking the 3 Little Pigs reference at 49, but I’ve done too many other crosswords in the meantime to remember much about this one. Note to self: Must write the preambles sooner.

cd = cryptic def., dd = double def., rev = reversal, homophones are written in quotes, anagrams as (–)*, and removals like this

Across
1 HOME + O + PATH – nice usage of ‘in love’ for HOME + O – it had me fooled for a long time.
6 HEATH ROBINSON – I guess you’d call this a cd. It’s the bird’s territory if it’s the HEATH that the ROBIN’S ON.
13 GUISE = “GUYS”
14 COP + ART + NEaR
15 CUE BALL = “QUEUE” + B + ALL
16 IN ONE EAR AND OUT THE OTHER – cd – the canals are ear canals, of course. My first one in.
18 DAN(DIES)Te – that’s dies as in ‘I’m dying for a cup of tea’.
20 STICK OUT – dd
21 APPAL = PA rev + PAL
23 NOT (I) ON
24 SAC + RUM – the bone found at the base of the spine, between the hips
25 BRAND NAME = (MAD BANNER)*
28 PREACHMENT = PulpiT about REACH + MEN
29 KNOT – a type of wading bird
30 I + MA(swaddllinG attirE)RY
32 SE(AB + O)AT
34 CREW = “CREWE” – Easy for me as I used to work there in an office block that overlooked the enormous railway junction.
35 FRANC(HIS + E)E
38 IMPOSTURE = TU in (PROMISE)*
39 rOBO(IS)T
40 B(UR)EAUties
43 L + ARCH
45 IRRIGATE = RaIn rev + RaIn) + GATE
47 C(A + RY + A + T)ID – a sculpted female figure acting as a column – one of these
49 KEEP THE WOLF FROM THE DOOR – an allusion of the story of the Three Little Pigs
52 OXALATE = OX + LATE about A
53 ALL + I(ANC + lovE)S – African party = African National Congress
54 GUANO = ON + AUGust all rev – bird/bat droppings are rich in phosphorus & nitrates which is what makes it good as fertilizer
55 LETTERS PATENT = LETT + (AT PRESENT)* – a Lett is an archaic term for a Latvian.
56 W(O)E + BEGONE
Down
1 H(A + GRID + D)EN
2 MAISONNETTE = (MET ETONIANS)*
3 rOBE SEemingly
4 ARCH + AI + ST – I expected the definition to be ‘one observes’ for ages. Once I realised it was ‘one observes the old-fashioned’ it came quite easily.
5 HE(PT)AD
6 HERE + DI(T)ARY
7 A + N + NOUN + CEMENT
8 speecH + ORATIOn
9 OR + CHEST + RATIONS
10 INERTIA = (IN THE AIR)* without the H (hard to fly), quite sneaky.
11 SHAKESPEARE = SHAKES + “PIER” – Southend is well-known for having the longest pleasure pier in the world
12 NILE – I got this from the agent noun definition, but I don’t have a clue about the wordplay. Anyone? It’s ANILE with the A removed, Anile meaning old-womanish. Not a word I knew but I shall try and remember it. Thanks to Kevin Gregg.
17 ALDEHYDE = (HE + DEADLY)*
19 IRON CROSS – the borders of Felix are FE (iron) and X (cross). Another sneaky one. I got CROSS straight away, but needed both checkers to get IRON.
22 BARN + AC(L)E
25 BUTTRESS = BESS about UTTER with one of the Es removed
26 DEATH DUTY – cd
27 AMATEURISHNESS = (ENTHUSIASMS ARE)*
28 PA + STILL + Eat
31 SEA OF GALILEE = (A GALE SO I FEEL)*
33 A + P + PURe + TENANT
36 SWEET POTATO = (PASTE TOO WET)*
37 PONTEFRACT = (PROTECT FAN)* – well-known for their liquorice sweets called ‘Pontefract cakes’ – but don’t eat too many!
41 UNDER + DON + pleasurE
42 BAD(TA + ST)E
44 HE + P(TAN)E – although my first attempt was PHETANE.
46 RAW DATA = A TAD + WAR rev – I guess War is a contest, albeit a pretty extreme one.
48 MO’S + COW – Railroad = COW in the sense of browbeat someone into doing something.
50 E + AG + LE – An American gold coin
51 Boil + OWL

4 comments on “Times Jumbo 915 (12 Mar 2011)”

  1. Doing the NY Times would help here: old-womanish=anile, a NYT favorite, once as common as ‘etui’ and ‘adit’. I’m not sure what ‘here’ is doing in the clue, though; wouldn’t ‘A flower would be old-womanish’ have done?
    1. I think “here” is necessary to indicate that the “flower” is what you need to put in as the answer. Surface readings of alternatives like “A this flower would be old-womanish” don’t really stand up.
      1. Yes, of course; I finally noticed that my revision would be a clue for ‘anile’ not ‘nile’. My bad; again.
  2. 22:18 for me, so pretty straightforward – at least I don’t remember any particular difficulties.

    There was a bit of chemistry with ALDEHYDE and the crossing OXALATE and HEPTANE, but I think the wordplay would have made these easy enough for non-scientists.

    I liked the Three Little Pigs reference as well, having grown up with a miniature 78 of the song and a jigsaw of the little pigs and their houses, both inherited from my older brother and sister who would have had them in the mid-1930s.

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