Times Jumbo Cryptic Crossword 1636

A toughie after last week’s stinker, but this was a pretty good one. Sure, there were a couple of iffy clues and a jarring repeat (specifically TYROL – ah the Marconi GridFill 4000^TM, what would Times setters do without you?), but there was also a solid showing of well-written and inventive clues to make up for it.

You can find my completed grid below along with explanations of my solutions where I have them. I hope you find them helpful. If a recent Jumbo has done for you then you might find my Just For Fun page of use, where you’ll find links to solutions for hundreds of the things.

Thanks again for the kind words and comments as I’ve slowly caught up. While it’s fairly obvious I’ve grown jaded toward the Times Jumbo Cryptic of late, and I did seriously consider jacking these posts in (if only to reclaim my Saturdays), it was heartening to read the appreciation some of you have for the content I chuck out. I know I’d also miss the opportunity to act up and be silly, so I’ll keep the posts going a little while longer. I can’t promise another 280-odd Jumbo solutions, but let’s see where we get to.

Till next time, stay safe out there kids.

LP

RBV (Repeats-By-Volume): 8.1%

Across clues

1. Sat before fantastic Sunday lunch? (5,4)

Answer: ROAST BEEF (i.e. “Sunday lunch”). “Fantastic” indicates anagram. Solution is an anagram of SAT BEFORE. And straight off the bat we have a repeat, appearing in grid 1606 back in April, also on odd intersecting letters, so…

6. Defiant bachelor: nothing can stop what he is! (7)

Answer: UNBOWED (i.e. “defiant”). Solution is B (a recognised abbreviation of “bachelor”) and O (i.e. “nothing”) both placed in or “stopping” UNWED (i.e. “what [bachelor] is”), like so: UN(B-O)WED.

10. One next to do lively dance for a change (5)

Answer: REJIG (i.e. “change”). Solution is RE (i.e. “one next to do” in the sol-fa scale, i.e. do re mi fa so la ti do – there are a few variant spellings of each note) followed by JIG (i.e. “lively dance”).

13. Fancied rogue’s seductive embraces (7)

Answer: GUESSED (i.e. “fancied”). “Embraces” indicates the solution has been hidden in the clue, like so: RO(GUE’S SED)UCTIVE.

14. Start a fight (3-2)

Answer: SET-TO (i.e. “fight”). When written as SET TO the solution also satisfies “start” or apply oneself to something.

15. Make portent involving youth predicting disaster (4-5)

Answer: DOOM-LADEN (i.e. “predicting disaster”). Solution is DO (i.e. “make”) followed by OMEN (i.e. “portent”) once wrapped around or “involving” LAD (i.e. “youth”), like so: DO-OM(LAD)EN.

16. Old PM was familiar with pop song (5,6,4,2,6)

Answer: LLOYD GEORGE KNEW MY FATHER (i.e. a “song”). Solution satisfies the clue as a whole, taking “pop” to be an informal reference to one’s FATHER. Good grief, if it wasn’t for 50a I’d have questioned whether there is a single Times setter under the age of 100.

17. Hamper, medium one, not large, is in fashion (6)

Answer: STYMIE (i.e. to “hamper”). Solution is M (a recognised abbreviation of “medium”) and I (i.e. “[Roman numeral] one”) placed “in” STYLE (i.e. “fashion”) once the L has been removed (indicated by “not large” – L being a recognised abbreviation of “large”), like so: STY(M-I)E. While there are a fair number of good clues in this week’s Jumbo, this is a bit of a clunker. The phrasing of the clue doesn’t really match how the solution works.

18. Rambler getting stick before run (8)

Answer: WANDERER (i.e. “rambler”). Solution is WAND (i.e. “stick”) followed by ERE (poetic form of “before”) and R (a recognised abbreviation of “run” used in some ball games).

19. I note there’s little room outside section of glacier (7)

Answer: ICEFALL (i.e. “section of glacier” – over to Chambers for this one: “a steep broken place in a glacier”. A new one on me). Solution is I followed by FA (i.e. “note” of the sol-fa scale, already discussed) once placed in or having “outside” of it CELL (i.e. “little room”), like so: I-CE(FA)LL.

22. Bath for one to lie in really after one’s dropped temperature (10)

Answer: UNIVERSITY (i.e. “Bath for one” – other universities are available). Solution is SIT (i.e. “to lie”) placed “in” VERY (i.e. “really”) and the whole then placed “after” UNIT (i.e. “one”) once the T has been removed (indicated by “dropped temperature”- T being a recognised abbreviation of “temperature”), like so: UNI-(VER(SIT)Y).

23. Stories being spread of a coup, ultimately baseless (6,6)

Answer: AESOP’S FABLES (i.e. “stories”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “spread”) of OF A, P (i.e. “coup, ultimately”, i.e. the last letter of “coup”) and BASELESS.

27. When turning blue, tip of tongue was hanging out (5)

Answer: DWELT (i.e. “was hanging out” or inhabiting). Solution was LEWD (i.e. “blue”) reversed (indicated by “when turning”) and followed by T (i.e. “tip of tongue”, i.e. the first letter of “tongue”), like so: DWEL-T.

29. Tune that’s simple and sweet – a heaven-sent relief? (7)

Answer: AIRDROP (i.e. “a heaven-sent relief”, taking the heavens to be the sky). Solution is AIR (i.e. “tune that’s simple” – Chambers doesn’t make that distinction, so I might not have that right) followed by DROP (i.e. “sweet”).

30. Worn out after month dealing with excavation (8)

Answer: DECREPIT (i.e. “worn out”). Solution is DEC (i.e. “month”, short for December) followed by RE (i.e. “dealing with” or regarding – think email replies) and PIT (i.e. “excavation”).

32. Despot’s wife moving a way back (8)

Answer: TSARITSA (i.e. “despot’s wife”). Solution is ASTIR (i.e. “moving”), A and ST (i.e. “way”, specifically a recognised abbreviation of “street”) all reversed (indicated by “back”), like so: TS-A-RITSA.

34. Chapter in St John, maybe, one moving men to great effect (7)

Answer: Bobby FISCHER (i.e. 1960s chess grandmaster, or “one moving men to great effect” – chess pieces are sometimes referred to as “men”). Solution is C (a recognised abbreviation of “chapter”) placed “in” FISHER (i.e. “St John, maybe”, seemingly a reference to an English Catholic bishop from the 1500s. Bloody hell, perhaps I ought to have questioned whether there were any Times setters under the age of 500), like so: FIS(C)HER.

36. Can’t wait beyond day for scrap (5)

Answer: DITCH (i.e. abandon or “scrap”). Solution is ITCH (i.e. “can’t wait” for something) placed after or “beyond” D (a recognised abbreviation of “day”), like so: D-ITCH.

39. Annoys head that Pole’s put in for redundancy (12)

Answer: NEEDLESSNESS (i.e. “redundancy”). Solution is NEEDLES (i.e. “annoys”) and NESS (i.e. “head”, both geographic features) all wrapped around or having “put in” S (i.e. a “pole”, ignoring the misleading capitalisation, this is a recognised abbreviation of “south”), like so: NEEDLES-(S)-NESS.

41. Misery and scandal after blackguard has gone out (10)

Answer: CURMUDGEON (i.e. a right old “misery”). Solution is MUD (i.e. “scandal”) placed “after” CAD (i.e. “blackguard”) and followed by an anagram (indicated by “out”) of GONE, like so: CUR-MUD-GEON.

44. Increasingly wary of strange opening hands (7)

Answer: LEERIER (i.e. “increasingly wary of”). Solution is EERIE (i.e. “strange”) placed in or “opening” L and R (both “hands”, taking them to be recognised abbreviations of “left” and “right” respectively), like so: L(EERIE)R.

46. One making 29 yard bursts no fan of hard toil (8)

Answer: SKYDIVER (i.e. “one making 29” – the solution to 29a being AIRDROP; the word can relate to personnel as well as supplies). Solution is YD (a recognised abbreviation of “yard”) placed in or “bursting” SKIVER (i.e. “no fan of hard toil”), like so: SK(YD)IVER.

48. Old court to make a fool of as it were? (6)

Answer: ASSIZE (i.e. “old court” superseded by the Crown Courts). The rest of the clue playfully satisfies “to make a fool of”, or to ASS-IZE someone. (Probably better to read it with an -ISE suffix instead.) “As it were” is a joking acknowledgement the setter is rather stepping outside the bounds of the dictionary. I’m rarely keen on these kinds of clues.

50. Hit song from Il Trovatore head disliked, somehow (5,6,3,5,4)

Answer: VIDEO KILLED THE RADIO STAR (i.e. 1979 “hit song” by Buggles). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “somehow”) of IL TROVATORE HEAD DISLIKED.

53. Missing uniform marred retinue fit for a queen (9)

Answer: NEFERTITI (i.e. “queen” of Ancient Egypt). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “marred”) of RETINUE FIT once the U (“uniform” in the phonetic alphabet) has been removed or gone “missing”.

54. Daily charge hitting the roof? (5)

Answer: IRATE (i.e. “hitting the roof”). Solution is I (i.e. a “daily” newspaper in the UK) followed by RATE (i.e. “charge”).

55. Change ending of popular film – oddly shocking treatment! (7)

Answer: INFLECT (i.e. to “change ending” of words). Solution is IN (i.e. “popular”) followed by FL (i.e. “film – oddly”, i.e. every other letter of FILM) and ECT (i.e. “shocking treatment”, short for electroconvulsive therapy).

56. Fancy putting answer forward without digressing (2,3)

Answer: AD REM (i.e. to the point or “without digressing”, from the Latin. No, me neither). Solution is DREAM (i.e. “fancy”) with the A (a recognised abbreviation of “answer”, as in Q&A) put “forward” to the front, like so: DRE(A)M => (A)DREM.

57. Finally taking a very short vacation, acquiring fuel (7)

Answer: GASOHOL (i.e. “fuel”). Solution is G (i.e. “finally taking”, i.e. the last letter of “taking”) followed by A, then SO (i.e. “very”) and HOL (i.e. “short vacation”, i.e. short for “holiday”).

58. Uncle Sam pauses to drop one off on time (3,6)

Answer: THE STATES (i.e. “Uncle Sam”, a nickname thereof). Solution is HESITATES (i.e. “pauses”) with the I removed (indicated by “to drop [Roman numeral] one off”) and the remainder placed “on” or after T (a recognised abbreviation of “time”), like so: T-HESTATES.

Down clues

1. Ply that’s cut very fine (5)

Answer: REGAL (i.e. “very fine”). I’m not 100% sure on this one, so watch out. My solution, for what it’s worth, is REGALE with its last letter removed (indicated by “that’s cut”). Trouble is I can’t find much overlap between “ply” and REGALE, the nearest being “to keep supplying or assailing (with)” for “ply”, and “to treat to (stories, etc; with with)” for REGALE (both from Chambers). Another clunker for me. REGAL appeared in grid 1576, just outside my threshold for recent repeats.

2. One that could – or couldn’t? – bring to mind a riddle? (1,6,4,1,5)

Answer: A MEMORY LIKE A SIEVE. Clue plays on a variant meaning of “riddle” being a large SIEVE. The solution therefore playfully satisfies both variations of the clue: “one that could bring to mind a riddle”, i.e. one with a memory of a sieve, and “one that couldn’t bring to mind a riddle”, implying one with a memory like a sieve. I rather liked this one.

3. Shot played by Ashes batter, maybe, evaluating spin (4-5)

Answer: TEST-DRIVE (i.e. “evaluating spin”, taking “spin” to mean a car journey). When written without the hyphen the solution playfully satisfies “shot played by Ashes batter, maybe”, given the Ashes is played over a series of TEST matches. Appeared in grid 1624 a couple of months ago, also on odd intersecting letters, and using a very similar clue, so…

4. Quickly twisted sad news from journal’s head office? (6)

Answer: EDDIED (i.e. “quickly twisted”). When written as ED DIED the solution also playfully satisfies “sad news from journal’s head office”, taking ED to be short for a newspaper editor.

5. Energy provider, very good one, in food: ham, perhaps (4,7)

Answer: FAST REACTOR (i.e. “energy provider”, apparently “a nuclear reactor using fast neutrons, and little or no moderator” (Chambers). That was basically a bunch of words strung together, but okay). Solution is ST (i.e. “very good one”, specifically a recognised abbreviation of a “saint”) placed “in” FARE (i.e. “food”) and followed by ACTOR (i.e. “ham, perhaps”), like so: FA(ST)RE-ACTOR.

6. New Year turned lively in square (8)

Answer: UNTRENDY (i.e. “square”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “lively”) of N (a recognised abbreviation of “new”), Y (ditto “year”) and TURNED.

7. There’s a case for butter, and one having more chocolate? (7)

Answer: BROWNER (i.e. “more chocolate” in colour). Solution is BR (i.e. “a case for butter”, i.e. the first and last letters of “butter”) followed by OWNER (i.e. “one having”).

8. Being left by Dutch with passport, maybe, one in red headpiece (11)

Answer: WIDOWERHOOD (i.e. “being left by Dutch” – we’ve seen this a few times now, Dutch is supposedly cockney rhyming slang for “wife”, perhaps after the Dutchess of Fife; a widower, meanwhile, is a man whose wife has died). Solution is W (a recognised abbreviation of “with”) followed by ID (i.e. “passport, maybe” – other flavours of ID are available. For example, I know there are an awful lot of people in Norfolk who have shotgun licences. And you thought it was just Tony Martin), then OWER (i.e. “one in [the] red”) and HOOD (i.e. “headpiece”).

9. Old tyrant’s sins you and I’d laid out (9)

Answer: DIONYSIUS (i.e. “old tyrant” of Syracuse, ancient Sicily. Hmm. Perhaps I ought to have questioned whether there were any Times setters under the age of 2400). “Laid out” indicates anagram. Solution is an anagram of SINS YOU and I’D.

10. Centre for trek, facility across lake, is free (7)

Answer: RELEASE (i.e. to “free”). Solution is RE (i.e. “centre for trek”, i.e. the middle letters of “trek”) and EASE (i.e. “facility”) all wrapped around or placed “across” L (a recognised abbreviation of “lake”), like so: RE-(L)-EASE.

11. You must stop pilgrimage after upsetting ancient tribe (5)

Answer: JUDAH (i.e. “ancient tribe”, one of the twelve Tribes of Israel, “whose eponymous ancestors were the 12 sons of Jacob” (Brewers). JUDAH was Jacob’s fourth son.) Solution is U (i.e. “you”, informally) placed in or “stopping” HADJ (i.e. the annual Muslim “pilgrimage” to Mecca) once reversed (indicated by “after upsetting” – this being a down clue), like so: J(U)DAH.

12. Facts are put up on register – for polymath? (10)

Answer: GENERALIST (i.e. “polymath”). Solution is GEN (i.e. information or “facts”) followed by ARE reversed (indicated by “put up”, again this being a down clue) and LIST (i.e. “register”), like so: GEN-ERA-LIST.

17. Group heading for Scotland Yard (5)

Answer: SQUAD (i.e. “group”). Solution is S (i.e. “heading for Scotland”, i.e. the first letter of “Scotland”) followed by QUAD (i.e. “yard”, ignoring the misleading capitalisation). Appeared only a few weeks ago in grid 1632, also on odd intersecting letters, so…

20. Hitch or take plane home, stopping at hotel on time – ten – surprisingly (1,3,2,3,8)

Answer: A FLY IN THE OINTMENT (i.e. “hitch”). Solution is FLY (i.e. “take plane”) and IN (i.e. at “home”) all placed in or “stopping” AT and H (“hotel” in the phonetic alphabet). This is all then followed by an anagram (indicated by “surprisingly”) of ON TIME and TEN, like so: A(FLY-IN)T-H-EOINTMENT.

21. Inclined unfortunately to promote surfing primarily before books (6)

Answer: ASLANT (i.e. “inclined”). Solution is ALAS (i.e. “unfortunately”) with the S (i.e. “surfing primarily”, i.e. the first letter of “surfing”) moved up or “promoted”. This is then followed by NT (i.e. “books”, specifically the New Testament of The Bible), like so: ALA(S)-NT => A(S)LA-NT.

24. Old flame put out (6)

Answer: EXPOSE (i.e. to “out” someone or something). Solution is EX (i.e. “old flame”) followed by POSE (i.e. “put”).

25. Each to come up (5)

Answer: AHEAD. A triple-header, I believe. When written as A HEAD the solution satisfies “each”; as is, the solution also satisfies what is “to come”, and being “up” or winning. Nicely worked, but this appeared in grid 1588 back in December, also on odd intersecting letters, so…

26. Clues roughened up for the solver originally show the setter can win! (6)

Answer: CRUFTS (i.e. “show the setter can win”, taking setter to be a breed of dog). “Originally” indicates the solution is derived from the first letters of Clues Roughened Up For The Solver.

28. High state of versatility – role-player’s content! (5)

Answer: TYROL (i.e. a “high state” of Austria, being situated in the Alps). “Content” indicates the solution has been hidden in the clue, like so: VERSATILI(TY ROL)E-PLAYER’S. As mentioned, the office GridFill 4000^TM strikes again, luring another setter along the same path trodden in July’s grid 1625. This too appeared on odd intersecting letters, so…

31. Car’s exterior showing this off? (6)

Answer: CHROME. The solution satisfies the clue as a whole, given its use in wear-resistant metal coating, but “car’s exterior” also hints at the solution, given Cr (i.e. the first and last letters of “car”) is the chemical symbol of chromium. Very nicely worked.

33. Targets relatives and friends (4,7)

Answer: AUNT SALLIES (i.e. “targets” of abuse or ridicule). Solution is AUNTS (i.e. “relatives”) followed by ALLIES (i.e. “friends”).

35. Sacked a user, others being kept in one’s place (5,6)

Answer: HOUSE ARREST (i.e. “being kept in one’s place”). “Sacked” indicates anagram. Solution is an anagram of A USER OTHERS.

37. It follows bloke around enclosure (5)

Answer: HENCE (i.e. “it follows”). Solution is HE (i.e. in reference to a “bloke”) wrapped “around” ENC (a recognised abbreviation of “enclosure”), like so: H(ENC)E.

38. Reflecting indeed after Victor’s involved in foul play (5,5)

Answer: UNCLE VANYA (i.e. “play” by Anton Chekov). Solution is AY (i.e. “indeed”) reversed (indicated by “reflecting”) and placed “after” V (“victor” in the phonetic alphabet) once it has itself been placed or “involved in” UNCLEAN (i.e. “foul”), like so: UNCLE(V)AN-YA. One I remembered from its last appearance in the cryptic Jumbo, if I’m honest.

40. Trying hard to conceal aim with tweet (9)

Answer: STRAINING (i.e. “trying hard”). Solution is TRAIN (i.e. to “aim”, say, a gun sight) “concealed” in SING (i.e. to “tweet”), like so: S(TRAIN)ING.

42. Dance with married tailor to cause embarrassment (9)

Answer: DISCOMFIT (i.e. “to cause embarrassment”). Solution is DISCO (i.e. “dance”) followed by M (a recognised abbreviation of “married”) and FIT (i.e. to “tailor”).

43. Angle to follow in aeroplane manoeuvre (8)

Answer: FISHTAIL (i.e. “aeroplane manoeuvre” where the pilot swings the tail of the plane from side to side while descending in order to slow it down). Solution is FISH (i.e. to “angle”) followed by TAIL (i.e. “to follow”).

45. One’s awful blunder on drive, making line on map (7)

Answer: ISOGRAM (i.e. “line on map”). Solution is I’S (i.e. “one’s”, with one expressed as its Roman numeral equivalent) followed by OG (i.e. “awful blunder” or Own Goal) and RAM (i.e. to “drive” home).

47. Shy? Did wrong to hold one’s tongue (7)

Answer: YIDDISH (i.e. language or “tongue”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “wrong”) of SHY DID wrapped around or “holding” I (i.e. “[Roman numeral] one”), like so: Y(I)DDISH.

49. Tip trailer, needing something to grip (6)

Answer: ADVICE (i.e. “tip”). Solution is AD (i.e. “trailer” or advertisement) followed by VICE (i.e. “something to grip”).

51. Ruin suit (2,3)

Answer: DO FOR. Solution satisfies “ruin” and “suit”. Short and very sweet.

52. Legal permission to broadcast ceremonies (5)

Answer: RITES (i.e “ceremonies”). “To broadcast” indicates homophone. Solution is a homophone of RIGHTS (i.e. “legal permission”).