Times Jumbo 984

Author   helenoughamPosted on Categories Jumbo Cryptic
I solved this in around 20 minutes – nothing too contentious, I thought. There seemed to be an unusually large number of anagrams and “A in B” clues, though.

* indicates an anagram.

Across
1 CARPET – P in CARET
5 CHAPPED – H in CAPPED
9 OSSIFIED – (if so dies)*
13 PLAY ONE’S STRONGEST CARD – (on legendary sportscast)*
14 MEANNESS – ANNE in MESS
15 NASCENT – N + ASCENT
16 PLUMMY – double meaning
17 RESPECTFUL – (l + us + prefect)*
20 IMPERMANENCE – PER in IMMANENCE
23 WINK – winkle, minus l(angoustin)e. The definition here is “counter” – WINK as a short form of tiddlywink. Probably my favourite clue in this puzzle
24 GERMANIC – Reg (man’s name; reversed) + MANIC
26 DISPIRIT – ISP (Internet Service Provider) in rid (reversed), + IT
29 COUNTERTENOR – COUNTER (defined by “playing disc” – similar idea to 23ac) + TENOR (general style, drift)
30 LADY’S SMOCK – double definition
32 SIDE-SADDLE – E + (dads)*, in SIDLE
34 ARTISTICALLY – (la city trials)*
36 FLOURISH – L, in FOURISH = round about 4 pm, i.e. about teatime
38 NOAH’S ARK – A(rea) in NOH, + SARK
39 SCAM – SCAM(p)
41 SADDLE STITCH – S + ADDLES + TITCH
43 PAGE-TURNER – (great prune)*
44 DIM SUM – I + D (reversed), + (mums)*
46 HISTORY – H + IS, + (Troy)*
48 CAPACITY – CAP = do better than, + A CITY
50 DRAW ON ONE’S IMAGINATION – DRAW ON + MAGI + NATION, around (noise)*
51 HEAT SINK – H + EATS IN + (hoc)K
52 PUMPKIN – PUMP (try to get something out of) + KIN
53 EUNUCH – first letters of words: E(uropean) U(nion) N(ever) U(se) C(ommissioner) H(e’s)

Down
2 AMPLE – MP in (w)ALE(s)
3 PLAIN-SPOKEN – IN + SPOKE, in PLAN
4 TWOPENCE – OPEN replacing I in TWICE. Took me a while to work this one out!
5 CRESS – CRES(t)S
6 ARSENAL – AR(m) + LANES (reversed)
7 PARISHIONER – (I hire parson)*
8 DUNCE – DUN + CE (Church of England)
9 OVERTIRED – OVERT + IRE + D(emocrat)
10 SET-UP – SE(n)T UP
11 FEATURE FILM – (fearful time)*
12 ENDEMIC – END EM (the words Bethlehem and Jerusalem end in “em”), + IC
18 EDITORIAL – EDIT, + I in ORAL (exam)
19 FRETTED – F + RETTED
21 PECULATES – (s)PECULATES. PECULATES is an old-fashioned term for “embezzles”
22 ASSASSIN – AS + SAS (Special Air Service) + SIN (one of the seven deadly…)
25 MONKEY NUT – DRILL (kind of monkey, related to the mandrill) + NUT
27 INCULCATE – (clean cut I)*
28 RELATIVE – RIVE (old-fashioned term for split), around tale (reversed)
31 DISHRAG – DIG, around SH + RA (Royal Academician)
33 EQUIDISTANT – E + QUID IS + TAN (bronze, in the suntan sense), + T. I wasn’t too keen on “withdrawn just the same” as the definition of EQUIDISTANT here
34 ANACHRONISM – just a cryptic definition, I think
35 ABSTRACTION – AB(dominal)S + TRACTION
37 HITCHCOCK (film director) – ITCH + C, in HOCK (lower joint in leg of horse, etc.)
40 STOPPAGE – STOP + PAGE
42 ARIADNE – ARIA, + end (reversed)
43 PAYBACK – double definition
45 MAORI – hidden in (Oklaho)MA OR I(owa)
47 SHEEP – SEE + P, around (t)H(e). Cotswolds are a breed of sheep
48 CAIRN – double definition (Cairn terrier)
49 TONIC – not (reversed) + IC(e)

4 comments on “Times Jumbo 984”

  1. I found this fairly straightforward too (unlike 985!) but I see I never did properly parse 4dn, so thanks for that Helen.
  2. 27:02 for me – which seems a bit slow for a reasonably straightforward puzzle. Perhaps I was simply 9dn.

    I’ve been trying to think whether or not I like 33dn (EQUIDISTANT). I don’t think it would win a prize in a clue-writing competition, but it seemed OK at the time, and even now I’ve no real objection to it.

  3. 70′, with 23ac my LOI. I also couldn’t parse 4d, so thanks, Helen, for the explanation. I think I’d give 38ac my COD

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