Times Jumbo 990 (28 Jul 2012)

Author   daveperryPosted on Categories Jumbo Cryptic
Solving time: 1:35:44

For the most part, I found this pretty straightforward and I was able to rattle through 75% of it in about 40 minutes. I slowed down towards the end, mainly in the SE corner.

There were several unknown words but they could generally be worked out from the wordplay.

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

Across
1 TIGHT – dd
4 I’M PLiANT
8 EMBARRASS = (B + ARRAS) in EMS – I didn’t know the German town, but once I realised that the definition had to be ‘make red’ the answer was obvious enough. Anyone with a passing acquaintance with Hamlet should be familiar to ARRAS as a tapestry, as Polonius is hiding behind one when Hamlet stabs him through it.
13 IN LINE FOR = LINE (policy) in INFORm (advise)
14 LICK INTO SHAPE – cd
15 LAMe + BETH – I had to look up the lame = halt connection post-solve as I wasn’t familiar with it. Collins lists ‘lame’ as an archaic meaning of halt as an adjective.
16 hAIRLESS
17 HOLBEIN = BE IN after HOL
18 CUT A LONG STORY SHORT = CUT ALONG + “STOREY” + SHORT
21 YE + AH
23 OB(L + I)VIOUS
25 HOOPLA = OP in HOLe + A – I considered HOLD for ‘difficulty’, but I think HOLE works better.
26 UNITES = “YOU” + “KNIGHTS”
28 NINE NINE NINE – cd – The Emergency Services telephone number in the UK – doesn’t work for Americans!
30 MALINGERER = LINGERiE in MARch – Lingerie can be women’s underwear or women’s nightclothes (or indeed both)
33 TOWN CENTRE – The centre of TOWN is O+W or old wife
34 WELL + BA(LANCE)D
37 EDWARD – hidden
39 SAMOSA = AMOS (bookmaker) in SA (it, i.e. sex appeal) – Amos was a bookmaker in the sense that he wrote the biblical Book of Amos
40 SE(AB)ATTLE
42 TOSA = A SOT all rev – I didn’t know the Japanese breed of dog, but with the consonants in place there were really no other options.
43 TREATY OF VERSAILLES = (TRAVESTY FOR + E + ALLIES)* – I got this from the definition and the enumeration, then reverse engineered the wordplay.
46 RECRUIT = RECITe about RU
47 P(LAST)IC
48 ANTIGUA = ANTI + AUG rev
50 DEAD RECKONING – cd
51 MUNGO PARK = (PONG)* + A all in MURK. I’ve not come across this explorer before, so it was one of my last in. I’m not convinced that the wordplay quite works either – there doesn’t seem to be anything to indicate that the A comes after the anagram of PONG rather than before it. I had to restrain myself from bunging MARCO POLO in early on just from the definition and the checkers.
52 pENTANGLE + D
53 THE OPEN = (HOPE)* in TEN, although it’s not possible to get round in less than 18 strokes, so that really would be incredible!
54 StitcH + EAR – a spike of corn is also an ear
Down
1 TRIPLE CROWN = TRIPLE (series of victories) + CROWN (tiara)
2 GOLEM = ME + LOG all rev
3 TENDER LOVING CARE = T.L.C. = Two Little Children
4 ISFAHAN = IS + FAN about (H + A) – I didn’t know the city, but the wordplay was clear.
5 PARNASSUS = PASS (accept) + US about (A + RN) – another word I didn’t know, which I eventually worked out from the wordplay. It was the Greek Mountain upon which the Muses were suppoosed to dwell.
6 ALL-OR-NOTHING – cd
7 TICKETY-BOO = TICKET + awaY + BOO – lift & separate required on ‘Pass away’
8 ELIAS = SAILEd rev
9 BUTCHERY = BUT + CHERrY
10 RESULT = USER rev + LT
11 AMAZEMENT = (Z + TEAM NAME)*
12 STERN + CHASER
19 TILL NOW – dd
20 HOLD ALL – dd
22 ENIGMA VARIATIONS – This held me up for a long time in the SE corner. I wasn’t aware that each of Elgar’s Enigma Variations was an affectionate portrayal of one of his friends. The wordplay is in the solution, i.e. one possible variation (anagram) of ENIGMA could be ‘IN GAME’
24 dOWNING – One of the Cambridge colleges
27 CICADA = “SICK” + “ARDOUR”
29 NIRVANA = IN rev + VAN in RA
31 RECITAL = (CLEAR IT)* – a well-disguised anagram
32 METAL + FATIGUE
33 TRENT BRIDGE = (BETTER GRIND)* – A neat anagram of Nottingham’s test cricket venue
35 DEERSTALKER = S in “DEAR” + TALKER – A hat with side flaps as famously sported by Sherlock Holmes
36 POLYGAMIST – cd
38 WE + ST + COAST
40 SKETCH MAP = (PACKS THEM)* – another well-disguised anagram
41 CRITICAL – dd
44 SHANNON = SH (stow it) + ANON (shortly) about cabiN – It took me until writing this blog to work out the wordplay
45 FUN + RUN
47 PRO(U)D
49 GRACE – dd – an automatic write-in.

5 comments on “Times Jumbo 990 (28 Jul 2012)”

  1. 77′, pretty much par for me for a Jumbo. I knew of MUNGO PARK (how does one decide to name one’s son Mungo?), but it took me a while to remember. (I wasn’t bothered by the A problem Dave indicates; I just took it as an anagram of PONGA.) I also wasn’t aware of the background to the Enigma Variations until I looked it up after submitting. DK HOOPLA the game. And finally, thanks to Dave, I understand 27d: where I come from, it’s a sikAYda; never heard the other pronunciation. Not to mention the inevitable rhoticism problem.
    1. That’s one of the things I love about these puzzles, and its bloggers: I’ve gone all these years (never mind how many) just assuming that Mungo was a one-off. Of course, if one just did the cryptics, one might be justified in thinking that all Scotsmen are named Ian.
  3. 22:16 for me – so about middling. Some nice clues – I particularly 43ac (TREATY OF VERSAILLES).

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