A number of well-worked clues made this a good ‘un. It was another straightforward puzzle, relatively speaking, so we’ll probably see the difficulty cranked up in time for a Boxing Day stinker. Back in the here and now, you can find my completed grid below along with explanations of my solutions where I have them. I hope you find them helpful.
(Cue Pearl and Dean music.)
Some me-stuff before we begin. My Just For Fun page has solutions for over a year’s worth of Times Jumbo Cryptic crosswords. If you have a grid that’s recently given you gyp, then go check it out. Meanwhile, I have a Reviews page if book reviews are your thing. If you fancy a short story, I’ve got your back.
(Cue Pearl and Dean music again.)
And now our feature presentation.
LP
Across clues
1. Amusing and sad to urinate in street after beer (11)
Answer: BITTERSWEET (i.e. “amusing and sad”). Solution is WEE (i.e. “to urinate”) placed “in” ST (a recognised abbreviation of “street”), and the whole placed “after” BITTER (i.e. “beer”), like so: BITTER-S(WEE)T. A clue that scans rather well!
7. Fantastic careerist at office (11)
Answer: SECRETARIAT (i.e. “office”). “Fantastic” indicates anagram. Solution is an anagram of CAREERIST AT.
13. Rented property is large, no bother to maintain (9)
Answer: LEASEHOLD (i.e. “rented property”). Solution is L (a recognised abbreviation of “large”) followed by EASE (i.e. “no bother”) and HOLD (i.e. “to maintain”). Another good clue.
14. Catch geezers twice undressed in circus bar (7)
Answer: TRAPEZE (i.e. “circus bar”). Solution is TRAP (i.e. “catch”) followed by EZE (i.e. “geezers twice undressed” – meaning to twice remove the beginning and end letters of GEEZERS).
15. Friend, a married one with spirit (5)
Answer: AMIGO (i.e. “friend”). Solution is A followed by M (a recognised abbreviation of “married”), then I (i.e. “[Roman numeral] one”) and GO (i.e. “spirit”, as in having some oomph).
16. Monkey god gets to climb with no tail (6)
Answer: RASCAL (i.e. “monkey”). Solution is RA (i.e. “[Ancient Egyptian sun] god”) followed by SCALE (i.e. “to climb”) with its last letter removed (indicated by “with no tail”), like RA-SCAL.
17. Rogue, pig mostly, led to run by Republican (8)
Answer: SWINDLER (i.e. “rogue”). Solution is SWINE (i.e. “pig”) with the last letter removed (indicated by “mostly”), followed by an anagram (indicated by “to run”) of LED, then R (a recognised abbreviation of “Republican”), like so: SWIN-DLE-R.
18. China is after support, filled with people (7)
Answer: TEEMING (i.e. “filled with people”). Solution is MING (i.e. “China”) placed “after” TEE (i.e. “[golf ball] support”), like so: TEE-MING.
20. Recorded mental impulses to choose caviar, new mushroom glory and chickpeas (20)
Answer: ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAM, often abbreviated to EEG (i.e. “recorded mental impulses”). Solution is ELECT (i.e. “to choose”), followed by ROE (i.e. “caviar”), then N (a recognised abbreviation of “new”), then CEP (i.e. a type of “mushroom”), then HALO (i.e. “glory”) and GRAM (i.e. “chickpeas”), like so: ELECT-ROE-N-CEP-HALO-GRAM. Crikey. As seed words go, this is a doozy! Well, I guess it was a seed word. I can’t imagine the setter left themselves -L-C-R-E-C-P-A-O-R-M to fill.
23. Admit something in Arabic once denied (7)
Answer: CONCEDE (i.e. “admit”). “Something in” indicates the solution is hidden in the clue, like so: ARABI(C ONCE DE)NIED.
24. Pedal note raised a tone in cloying sentimentality (7)
Answer: TREADLE (i.e. “pedal”). Solution is TREACLE (i.e. “cloying sentimentality”) with the C (i.e. “[musical] note”) upped to D (indicated by “raised a tone”).
26. Oriental festival beginning in Nagasaki (7)
Answer: EASTERN (i.e. “oriental”). Solution is EASTER (i.e. “festival”) followed by N (i.e. “beginning in Nagasaki”, i.e. the first letter of “Nagasaki”).
28. Concerned with morning paper? (4)
Answer: REAM (i.e. “paper”). Solution is RE (i.e. “concerned with” – think email replies) followed by AM (i.e. “morning”).
29. Runs article in Express, most extreme (8)
Answer: FARTHEST (i.e. “most extreme”). Solution is R (a recognised abbreviation of “runs” used in a number of ball games) and THE (i.e. “article”) placed “in” FAST (i.e. “express” – ignore the misleading capitalisation), like so: FA(R-THE)ST. Another clue that scans rather well.
32. Note girl’s shoulder piece (9)
Answer: EPAULETTE (i.e. “shoulder piece”). Solution is E (i.e. “[musical] note”) followed by PAULETTE (i.e. “girl”).
35. A nice pure mixed philosophy student (9)
Answer: EPICUREAN (i.e. “philosophy student”). “Mixed” indicates anagram. Solution is an anagram of A NICE PURE.
36. Really like deer backing into large shrub (8)
Answer: TREASURE (i.e. “really like”). Solution is RUSA (i.e. “deer”) reversed (indicated by “backing”) and placed “into” TREE (i.e. “large shrub”), like so: TRE(ASUR)E.
37. Handle spades leaving access to mine (4)
Answer: HAFT (i.e. a “handle”). Solution is SHAFT (i.e. “entrance to mine”) with the S removed (indicated by “spades leaving”, S being a recognised abbreviation of “spades” used in card games).
39. Chap’s chasing leather function (7)
Answer: TANGENT (i.e. “[trigonometrical] function”). Solution is GENT (i.e. “chap”) placed after or “chasing” TAN (i.e. “leather”), like so: TAN-GENT.
41. Weak, like modern violins? (7)
Answer: GUTLESS (i.e. “weak”). Catgut, made from the intestines of sheep and other animals, was once used to create strings for musical instruments. “Like modern violins” refers to how they are, as it were, GUTLESS.
44. Inflicting of pain is wrongful act regularly hurried (7)
Answer: TORTURE (i.e. “inflicting of pain”). Solution is TORT (i.e. “wrongful act” – one I remember from a previous puzzle) followed by URE (i.e. “regularly hurried”, i.e. every other letter of HURRIED).
45. Mistake by noble moving slowly in seeking to restore old order (7-13)
Answer: COUNTER-REVOLUTIONARY (i.e. “seeking to restore old order”). Solution is ERR (i.e. “mistake”) placed after or “by” COUNT (i.e. “noble”) and then followed by EVOLUTIONARY (i.e. “moving slowly”), like so: COUNT-ERR-EVOLUTIONARY.
49. Wine drink revealed secrets, draught being knocked back (7)
Answer: SANGRIA (i.e. “wine drink”). Solution is SANG (i.e. “revealed secrets”) followed by AIR (i.e. “draught”) once it has been reversed (indicated by “being knocked back”), like so: SANG-RIA.
50. Surprised being shown the way after second bitter (8)
Answer: STARTLED (i.e. “surprised”). Solution is LED (i.e. “being shown the way”) placed “after” S (a recognised abbreviation of “second”) and TART (i.e. “bitter”), like so: S-TART-LED.
51. Is copper interrupting me for error? (6)
Answer: MISCUE (i.e. “error”, say, in snooker). Solution is IS and CU (chemical symbol of “copper”) placed in or “interrupting” ME, like so: M(IS-CU)E.
53. Up before court (5)
Answer: ERECT (i.e. “up”). Ooer missus, etc. Solution is ERE (i.e. poetic form of “before”) followed by CT (a recognised abbreviation of “court”).
54. Through which one hears a murder has been arranged (7)
Answer: EARDRUM (i.e. “through which one hears”). “Has been arranged” indicates anagram. Solution is an anagram of A MURDER.
55. Unfortunately no clue left us for body found in cell (9)
Answer: NUCLEOLUS, which, according to my Chambers, is a body with a cell nucleus. Not sure this quite equates to “body found in cell”, but there you go. Solution is an anagram (indicated by “unfortunately”) of NO CLUE, L (a recognised abbreviation of “left”) and US.
56. Two-faced tutor holds right over us (11)
Answer: TREACHEROUS (i.e. “two-faced”). Solution is TEACHER (i.e. “tutor”) wrapped around or “holding” R (a recognised abbreviation of “right”) and followed by O (ditto “over”, used in cricket) and US, like so: T(R)EACHER-O-US.
57. Wrongly interpret consumerist modelling (11)
Answer: MISCONSTRUE (i.e. “wrongly interpret”). “Modelling” indicates anagram. Solution is an anagram of CONSUMERIST.
Down clues
1. Trunk must get right round in Spanish dance (6)
Answer: BOLERO (i.e. “Spanish dance”). Solution is BOLE (i.e. “[tree] trunk”), followed by R (a recognised abbreviation of “right”) and O (i.e. “round”).
2. Tons managed military base about project moving elsewhere (15)
Answer: TRANSPLANTATION (i.e. “moving elsewhere”). Solution is T (a recognised abbreviation of “tons”) followed by RAN (i.e. “managed”) and STATION (i.e. “military base”) once it has been placed “about” PLAN (i.e. “project”), like so: T-RAN-S(PLAN)TATION.
3. Impressive sight, organ has to provide around church (3-7)
Answer: EYE-CATCHER (i.e. “impressive sight”). Solution is EYE (i.e. “organ”) followed by CATER (i.e. “to provide”) once it has been placed “around” CH (a recognised abbreviation of “church”), like so: EYE-CAT(CH)ER.
4. Set up Japanese festivals for pretentious person (4)
Answer: SNOB (i.e. “pretentious person”). Solution is BONS (i.e. “Japanese festivals” – referring to a Buddhist festival held in Japan every August. A new one on me, but its Google-able) reversed (indicated by “set up” – this being a down clue).
5. Women tend to organise funding (9)
Answer: ENDOWMENT (i.e. “funding”). “To organise” indicates anagram. Solution is an anagram of WOMEN TEND.
6. Caught during doing something to raise sunken ship (7)
Answer: TITANIC (i.e. “sunken ship”). Solution is C (a recognised abbreviation of “caught” used in several ball games) followed by IN (i.e. “during”) and AT IT (i.e. “doing something”). Titter ye not, etc. The whole is then reversed (indicated by “raise”, this being a down clue), like so: TI-TA-NI-C.
7. Carefully examined cases entirely curved at the edges? (9)
Answer: SCALLOPED (i.e. “curved at the edges”). Solution is SCOPED (i.e. “carefully examined”) which is wrapped around or “encasing” ALL (i.e. “entirely”), like so: SC(ALL)OPED.
8. The French invested in vehicle patent (5)
Answer: CLEAR (i.e. “patent”). Solution is LE (i.e. “the French”, as in the masculine form of “the” in French) which is placed or “invested in” CAR (i.e. “vehicle”), like so: C(LE)AR.
9. What may be connected and favoured people went on horseback (9)
Answer: ELECTRODE (i.e. “what may be connected”). Solution is ELECT (i.e. the “favoured people”) followed by RODE (i.e. “went on horseback”).
10. Ineptly confuse us with a tail rhyme (12)
Answer: AMATEURISHLY (i.e. “ineptly”). “Confuse” indicates anagram. Solution is an anagram of US and A TAIL RHYME.
11. I’d one covered in one strange metal (7)
Answer: IRIDIUM (i.e. “metal”). Solution is I’D and I (i.e. “[Roman numeral] one”) placed or “covered in” I (“one”, again) and RUM (i.e. “strange”), like so: I-R(I’D-I)UM.
12. Even if finished, runs out (6)
Answer: THOUGH (i.e. “even if”). Solution is THROUGH (i.e. “finished”) with the R removed (indicated by “runs out” – R being a recognised abbreviation of “runs” used in a number of ball games).
19. Open conflict over English code given away (8)
Answer: FREEWARE (i.e. “[program] code given away”). Solution is FREE (i.e. “open”) followed by WAR (i.e. “conflict”) and E (a recognised abbreviation of “English”). “Over” indicates how the pieces are stacked over one another, this being a down clue.
21. Forever without regular income, foregoing whiskey (7)
Answer: AGELESS (i.e. “forever”). Solution is WAGELESS (i.e. “without regular income”) with the W removed (indicated by “foregoing whiskey”, being W in the phonetic alphabet).
22. Harsh and sharply caustic, quietly dismissed the French (8)
Answer: UNGENTLE (i.e. “harsh”). Solution is PUNGENT (i.e. “sharply caustic”) with the P removed (indicated by “quietly dismissed”, P being a recognised abbreviation of “piano”, which is “quietly” in musical lingo), and then followed by LE (i.e. “the French”, i.e. the masculine form of “the” in French), like so: UNGENT-LE.
23. Check temperature in centre of reactor’s vessel (8)
Answer: CORVETTE (i.e. “[sea] vessel”). Solution is VET (i.e. “check”) and T (a recognised abbreviation of “temperature”) placed “in” CORE (i.e. “centre of [nuclear] reactor”), like so: COR(VET-T)E.
25. “Uniform tango” incident (5)
Answer: EVENT (i.e. “incident”). Solution is EVEN (i.e. “uniform”) and T (“tango” in the phonetic alphabet).
27. Outside routine, run with dog in charge in rural ground (5-10)
Answer: EXTRA-CURRICULAR (i.e. “outside routine”). Solution is EXTRA (i.e. a “run” in cricket not scored by a batsman, such as those punishing wide deliveries) followed by CUR (i.e. “dog”) and IC (a recognised abbreviation of “in charge”) once it has been placed “in” an anagram (indicated by “ground”) of RURAL, like so: EXTRA-CUR-R(IC)ULAR.
30. Bird is brown and silver tern with wings out (7)
Answer: TANAGER (i.e. “bird” – did a Google image search – Ooh, pretty!) Solution is TAN (i.e. “brown”) followed by AG (chemical symbol of “silver”) and ER (i.e. “tern with wings out”, i.e. the word TERN with the first and last letter removed), like so: TAN-AG-ER.
31. Anthem lacking an English subject (5)
Answer: THEME (i.e. “subject”). Solution is ANTHEM with the AN removed (indicated by “lacking an”) and followed by E (a recognised abbreviation of “English”), like so: THEM-E.
33. Broadcasts mistake in pilot’s destination? (8)
Answer: AIRSTRIP (i.e. “pilot’s destination”). Solution is AIRS (i.e. “broadcasts”) followed by TRIP (i.e. “mistake”).
34. Counting beans in cucurbit area ploughed up? (12)
Answer: BUREAUCRATIC (i.e. “counting beans”). “Ploughed up” indicates anagram. Solution is an anagram of CUCURBIT AREA.
38. Odd manner of Scots physicist succeeded in Civil Service (10)
Answer: CRANKINESS (i.e. “odd manner”). Solution is William John Macquorn RANKINE (i.e. “Scottish physicist” – no, me neither) and S (a recognised abbreviation of “succeeded”) placed “in” CS (ditto “Civil Service”), like so: C(RANKINE-S)S.
40. Repetitive notes about a private meeting (4-1-4)
Answer: TETE-A-TETE (i.e. “private meeting”). Solution is TE TE TE TE (i.e. “repetitive notes” in the doh-ray-me style) placed “about” A, like so: TE-TE-(A)-TE-TE.
42. Reference like this includes Jacob’s brother Romeo (9)
Answer: THESAURUS (i.e. “reference”). Solution is THUS (i.e. “like this”) which is wrapped around or “including” ESAU (i.e. “Jacob’s brother” in the Bible) and R (“Romeo” in the phonetic alphabet), like so: TH(ESAU-R)US.
43. Author’s holding gold wine that’s sweet (9)
Answer: SAUTERNES (i.e. “wine that’s sweet”). Solution is Laurence STERNE (“author” of Tristram Shandy) wrapped around or “holding” AU (chemical symbol of “gold”), like so: S(AU)TERNES.
45. Bring together religious community that’s endless ecstasy (7)
Answer: CONVENE (i.e. “bring together”). Solution is CONVENT (i.e. “religious community”) with the last letter removed (indicated by “that’s endless”) and followed by E (a recognised abbreviation of the drug “ecstasy”), like so: CONVEN-E.
46. Best I am in work with corporation (7)
Answer: OPTIMUM (i.e. “best”). Solution is I’M (a contraction of “I am”) placed “in” OP (a recognised abbreviation of “opus”, i.e. “work”. Also “operation”, I like to think) and TUM (i.e. “corporation”, an archaic word meaning the tummy often used by setters), like so: OP-T(I’M)UM.
47. Feature of a cult grabbing power (6)
Answer: ASPECT (i.e. “feature”). Solution is A SECT (i.e. “a cult”) wrapped around or “grabbing” P (a recognised abbreviation of “power), like so: A-S(P)ECT.
48. Make reduction, changing direction for tenant (6)
Answer: LESSEE (i.e. “tenant”). Solution is LESSEN (i.e. “make reduction”) with the N changed to E (indicated by “changing direction”, N and E being recognised abbreviations of “north” and “east” respectively).
50. Something ensuring really vigorous output, primarily (5)
Answer: SERVO. “Primarily” indicates the solution is derived by taking the initial letters of SOMETHING ENSURING REALLY VIGOROUS OUTPUT. Within the context of the clue, a SERVO is a system in which a mechanism gets a helping hand from a subsidiary mechanism to achieve more grunt, hence “something ensuring really vigorous output”.
52. Musical effect in nocturne Chopin put together (4)
Answer: ECHO (i.e. “musical effect”). “In” indicates the solution is hidden in the clue, like so: NOCTURN(E CHO)PIN.
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