Times Jumbo Cryptic Crossword 1650

…and seamlessly into Boxing Day’s Jumbo.

This was a toughie thanks in part to it leaning a little too deeply into general knowledge for this uncultured oik. I imagine the Olav Bjortomts among you would have been fine. The clueing was mostly good, but, as you’ll see, there was the odd spelk that stung me.

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 had the better of you then you might find my Just For Fun page of use, where you’ll find links to solutions to hundreds of the things.

This post marks a near-consecutive run of 300 Jumbo Cryptic solutions over the last five years, which I’m rather chuffed about. Less cool is the significant drop-off in visitors since I switched to posting solutions after the competition deadline. I’d anticipated this, but it’s still a little deflating. To those of you who have stuck with me these last few weeks, and to those who have dropped by with messages of support, thank you. I’ll keep the posts going for a little while longer and see how things pan out in the new year. Till next time, stay safe out there kids.

LP

Across clues

1. Skip American judge we must think not quite appropriate (4,4)

Answer: JUMP ROPE (i.e. “skip American”, or an American name for a skipping rope). Solution is J (a recognised abbreviation of “judge”) followed by UM (i.e. a noise often made when “we must think”) and PROPER (i.e. “appropriate”) once its last letter has been removed (indicated by “not quite”), like so: J-UM-PROPE.

5. Capital made out of sarcasm – a rationale we don’t wholly get (6)

Answer: ASMARA (i.e. “capital” city of Eritrea). “We don’t wholly get” indicates the solution has been hidden in the clue, like so: SARC(ASM A RA)TIONALE.

9. Turning, you drive off briefly after function (7)

Answer: SINUOUS (i.e. wavy or “turning”). Solution is U (i.e. “you”, e.g. in textspeak) and OUST (i.e. “drive out”) once its last letter has been removed (indicated by “briefly”). This is all then placed “after” SIN (i.e. trigonometrical “function”, short for sine), like so: SIN-(U-OUS).

14. Harsh, beginner having to go in with new form of metal (7,4)

Answer: WROUGHT IRON (i.e. “form of metal”). Solution is ROUGH (i.e. “harsh”), TIRO (i.e. “beginner”) both placed between or “in” W (a recognised abbreviation of “with”) and N (ditto “new”) like so: W-(ROUGH-TIRO)-N.

15. Rebuff gained at home daily for speaking out (3,2,3,3)

Answer: ONE IN THE EYE (i.e. a “rebuff”). Not 100% sure on this one. I guess “for speaking out” indicates a homophone, but this only seems to cover two-thirds of the clue: ONE for WON (i.e. “gained”) and THE EYE for THE I (i.e. a “daily” newspaper in the UK). IN, meanwhile, is “at home”. If this is correct then, ugh, what a dog’s dinner of a clue. Signalling that the solution comprises homophones and then slapping some entirely different wordplay in the middle is poor. I wouldn’t mind the setter bending the rules if it resulted in a clue that scanned well, but the thing reads like something my washing machine would spew out if I’d fed it a dictionary. If I do have the wrong end of the stick, however, and a better explanation comes to light, then I’ll update the post.

16. Sanction put on that hurt junior parliamentarian? (5)

Answer: OWLET (i.e. “junior parliamentarian”, playfully referencing a parliament, the collective noun for owls). Solution is LET (i.e. to allow or “sanction”) placed “on” or after OW (i.e. “that hurt”), like so: OW-LET.

17. Zero per cent of staff backing appeal (3,1,3)

Answer: NOT A BIT (i.e. “zero per cent”). Solution is BATON (i.e. “staff”) reversed (indicated by “backing”) and followed by IT (i.e. “appeal”), like so: NOTAB-IT. This was an easier get thanks to a very similar clue appearing in The Times Crossword only four days earlier.

18. Fish, sort of cut on top, to have with wine (3,6)

Answer: RED MULLET (i.e. “fish”). Solution is MULLET (i.e. “sort of [hair]cut on top”) placed after or “with” RED (i.e. variety of “wine”).

19. Rivet or nut, crude (7)

Answer: ENGROSS (i.e. to hold interest or “rivet”). Solution is EN (i.e. “nut”, both printing lingo for a space half the width of an ‘m’ character) followed by GROSS (i.e. “crude”).

20. What can attract good fortune? (9,6)

Answer: HORSESHOE MAGNET. Clue plays on how MAGNETs “attract” certain metals, and how HORSESHOEs are believed to grant “good fortune”. You get the idea. Simple but nicely done.

22. Slight resistance restricts one working for solicitor (10)

Answer: PETITIONER (i.e. “solicitor”). Solution is PETITE (i.e. “slight”) and R (a recognised abbreviation of electrical “resistance”) all wrapped around or “restricting” I (i.e. “[Roman numeral] one”) and ON (i.e. “working”), like so: PETIT(I-ON)E-R.

23. Drink brought back is allowed to turn cold (6)

Answer: COGNAC (i.e. “drink”). Solution is CAN (i.e. “is allowed to”), GO (i.e. a “turn”, say, in a game) and C (a recognised abbreviation of “cold” used on water taps) all reversed (indicated by “brought back”), like so: C-OG-NAC.

25. Black veil must be worn (4)

Answer: EVIL (i.e. “black” – it’s valid, but let’s just say it’s not the first word I’d have reached for). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “must be worn”) of VEIL.

28. Sadly, tale erring: half is exaggerated (6,4,4)

Answer: LARGER THAN LIFE (i.e. “exaggerated”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “sadly”) of TALE ERRING HALF.

30. Repulsive boxer nursing ear, fifty years later (4-4)

Answer: PLUG-UGLY (i.e. “repulsive”). Solution is PUG (i.e. “boxer” dog) wrapped around or “nursing” LUG (slang for an “ear”). This is then followed by L (i.e. “[Roman numeral] fifty”) and Y (a recognised abbreviation of “years”), like so: P(LUG)UG-L-Y.

32. Gathers dance must be attraction for schoolkids (4,4)

Answer: TUCK SHOP (i.e. “attraction for schoolkids”). Solution is TUCKS (i.e. “gathers”) followed by HOP (i.e. “dance”).

34. End argument? Vis-à-vis league title, it might (4,10)

Answer: GOAL DIFFERENCE. The solution satisfies the clue as a whole, given how goal difference can factor into a league title if teams cannot be separated on points. The solution also comprises GOAL (i.e. “end” or aim) and DIFFERENCE (i.e. “argument”). Another nicely worked clue.

37. Old people’s home? Not exactly (4)

Answer: INCA (i.e. historic or “old people” of South America). Solution is IN (i.e. at “home”) followed by CA (i.e. “not exactly”, specifically a recognised abbreviation of “circa”).

38. What one may have seen in garden after storm and scoffed? (6)

Answer: NOSHED (i.e. “scoffed”). When written as NO SHED the solution also playfully satisfies “what one may have seen in garden after storm”. I rather liked this one when I finally twigged it.

39. Square in Melbourne where exhibition had finally earned money, we hear (4,6)

Answer: FAIR DINKUM (i.e. “square in Melbourne”, or an Aussie way of saying someone is very honest). Solution is FAIR (i.e. “exhibition”) followed by D (i.e. “had finally”, i.e. the last letter of “had”) and an homophone (indicated by “we hear”) of INCOME (i.e. “earned money”), like so: FAIR-D-INKUM.

43. I don’t know what could make the guy overemote (5,3,2,5)

Answer: YOU’VE GOT ME THERE (i.e. “I don’t know”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “what could make”) of THE GUY OVEREMOTE.

45. Irish church worker perhaps is into refreshing brew (3,4)

Answer: ICE BEER (i.e. “refreshing brew”). Solution is IR (a recognised abbreviation of “Irish”) wrapped around or having “into” it CE (i.e. “church”, specifically the Church of England) and BEE (i.e. “worker perhaps” – other flavours of bee are available), like so: I(CE-BEE)R.

47. Proceed with an awkward balancing act (4,5)

Answer: ROPE DANCE (i.e. “balancing act”, another name for a tightrope walk). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “awkward”) of PROCEED and AN.

49. Summoning up nerve to dispense with the odd act of approval (7)

Answer: EVOKING (i.e. “summoning up”). Solution is EV (i.e. “nerve to dispense with the odd”, i.e. every other letter of NERVE) followed by OKING (i.e. “act of approval”).

51. Possible Italian tourist handbook with nothing for the English (5)

Answer: GUIDO (i.e. “possible Italian”, basically a bloke’s name). Solution is GUIDE (i.e. “tourist handbook”) with the E (a recognised abbreviation of “English”) swapped “for” O (i.e. “nothing”), like so: GUID(E) => GUID(O). Hey, setters, here’s an idea. After IRINA a couple of weeks ago and GUIDO this week, it’s clear many of you are too lazy to rework awkward spots in your grids. Why bother when you can just reach for a book of foreign names, right? So why not double down and crutch on some Polish forenames next time? Lots of Ks, Ys and Zs in there to bail you out of a tight spot. Even the occasional vowel if you really need it. This was at least an easier get than IRINA, but still, bloody hell.

52. Christian doctrine somehow thriving without turning to ridicule (6,5)

Answer: VIRGIN BIRTH (i.e. “Christian doctrine”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “somehow”) of THRIVING wrapped around or placed “without” RIB (i.e. “to ridicule”) once reversed (indicated by “turning”), like so: VIRGIN(BIR)TH.

53. Fish caught by pair at bridge wrapped in leaves? (11)

Answer: ENGARLANDED (i.e. “wrapped in leaves”). Solution is GAR (i.e. a variety of “fish”) and LANDED (i.e. “caught”) both placed after or “by” E and N (i.e. “pair at bridge”, the card game, being recognised abbreviations of east and north respectively), like so: (E-N)-GAR-LANDED.

54. Family members briefly demanding seconds behind one’s back (7)

Answer: SISTERS (i.e. “family members”). Solution is STERN (i.e. “demanding”) once its last letter has been removed (indicated by “briefly”) and the remainder followed by S (a recognised abbreviation of “seconds”). This is all then placed “behind” I’S (i.e. “[Roman numeral] one” made possessive) once reversed (indicated by “back”), like so: (S’I)-STER-S.

55. Bled once cold increased (6)

Answer: CUPPED (i.e. “bled”, specifically through the use of heated cups to draw blood to the surface of the skin). Solution is C (a recognised abbreviation of “cold”, already covered) followed by UPPED (i.e. “increased”).

56. Suffocating outside for hockey team visiting a resort (8)

Answer: ASPHYXIA (i.e. “suffocating”). Solution is HY (i.e. “outside for hockey”, i.e. the first and last letters of “hockey”) and XI (i.e. “team”, specifically eleven expressed in Roman numerals) both placed in or “visiting” A and SPA (i.e. “resort”), like so: A-SP(HY-XI)A.

Down clues

1. Strongman’s deadly weapon, essential for Churchill’s preference to war? (7)

Answer: JAWBONE. Solution satisfies “strongman’s deadly weapon” – a Biblical reference to Samson picking up a donkey’s jawbone and using it to slay a thousand men, which, I can only imagine, was because all one thousand men were milling around the edges, each politely waiting their turn to be killed one-by-one like in some 1970s Kung Fu movie. Either that or the jawbone came from one of those highly radioactive donkeys you read about in The Bible, and Samson just left it in the middle of the soldiers’ camp for a few weeks. Or maybe, just maybe, and hear me out on this one… maybe it didn’t happen. Meanwhile, the solution also satisfies “essential for Churchill’s preference to war” – a reference to a quote from his speech at The White House on 26th June 1954 (according to Brewer’s): “to jaw-jaw is always better than to war-war”, though others have suggested what he really said was, “meeting jaw-to-jaw is better than war”.

2. Person with two jobs: second one mostly easier (11)

Answer: MOONLIGHTER (i.e. “person with two jobs”). Solution is MO (i.e. “second”, short for a moment) followed by ONE once its last letter has been removed (indicated by “mostly”), then LIGHTER (i.e. “easier”), like so: MO-ON-LIGHTER.

3. OMG: T-shirt’s ripped at far end (9)

Answer: RIGHTMOST (i.e. “at far end”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “ripped”) of OMG T-SHIRT.

4. Make firm decision to accelerate (3,4,4,4)

Answer: PUT ONE’S FOOT DOWN. Solution satisfies “make firm decision” and “to accelerate”.

6. Flyer from member of Trinity finally spending term inside (8)

Answer: SONGBIRD (i.e. “flyer”). Solution is SON (i.e. “member of [Holy] Trinity”, being the Father, the Son and In The Hole He Goes) followed by G (i.e. “finally spending”, i.e. the last letter of “spending”) and BIRD (slang for “spending term inside” prison).

7. French film dealing with boy given egg dish but no starter (1,4,2,7)

Answer: À BOUT DE SOUFFLE (i.e. 1960 “French film” by Jean-Luc Goddard, also known as Breathless. It was remade in 1983, starring Richard Gere. I haven’t seen either, to be honest). Solution is ABOUT (i.e. “dealing with”) followed by DES (i.e. “boy’s” name) and SOUFFLE (i.e. “egg dish”) once the first letter has been removed (indicated by “but no starter”), like so: ABOUT-DES-OUFFLE.

8. Ace finding missing uniform narrowly avoided disaster? (1,4,5)

Answer: A NEAR THING (i.e. “narrowly avoided disaster”). Solution is A (a recognised abbreviation of “ace” used on playing cards) followed by UNEARTHING (i.e. “finding”) once the U has been removed (indicated by “missing uniform” – “uniform” being U in the phonetic alphabet), like so: A-NEARTHING.

9. Needs one twice as new, not dated (4,3)

Answer: SINE DIE (i.e. “not dated” in Latin). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “as new”) of NEEDS and two Is (indicated by “[Roman numeral] one twice”).

10. What game’s been covered by New Statesman once? (5)

Answer: Jawaharlal NEHRU (i.e. Indian “statesman”, ignoring the misleading formatting. He died in 1964, which was a bit before my time). Solution is EH? (i.e. “what”, pardon?) and RU (i.e. “game”, specifically Rugby Union) both placed “by” or after N (a recognised abbreviation of “new”), like so: N-(EH-RU).

11. Now history lecturer’s beginning to get close, making improper advances? (11)

Answer: OVERLENDING (i.e. “making improper [bank] advances”). Solution is OVER (i.e. “now history”) followed by L (i.e. “lecturer’s beginning [letter]”) and ENDING (i.e. “close”). For all my bellyaching over some of this week’s clues, this was very nicely worked.

12. Watch from gallery, following instructions (8)

Answer: SPECTATE (i.e. “watch”). Solution is TATE (i.e. a famous art “gallery”) placed after or “following” SPEC (i.e. “instructions”, short for specification), like so: SPEC-TATE.

13. You’ll find that in bunker golf gets played more slowly (4)

Answer: GRIT (i.e. “you’ll find that in bunker”). Solution is G (“golf” in the phonetic alphabet) followed by RIT (i.e. “played more slowly”, specifically a recognised abbreviation of the musical term “ritardando”). Another good un.

20. Requiring hotels for sons, go up and down Bray (6)

Answer: HEEHAW (i.e. to “bray”, ignoring the misleading capitalisation). Solution is SEESAW (i.e. “go up and down”) with the two Ss (recognised abbreviations of “sons”) swapped “for” two Hs (“hotel” in the phonetic alphabet), like so: (S)EE(S)AW => (H)EE(H)AW.

21. One getting back from post-war celebration in rage (7)

Answer: AVENGER (i.e. “one getting back”). Solution is VE (i.e. “post-war celebration”, specifically Victory in Europe day, 8th May 1945) placed “in” ANGER (i.e. “rage”), like so: A(VE)NGER.

22. Irrational, being behind old governor (6)

Answer: Pontious PILATE (i.e. “old governor” of Judaea who ordered the crucifixion of Jesus Christ). Solution is PI (an “irrational” number, being one that cannot be expressed as a numeric fraction) followed by LATE (i.e. “being behind”).

24. State miss “succeeded” – and recorded hit (10,5)

Answer: CALIFORNIA GIRLS (i.e. “recorded hit” by The Beach Boys). Solution is CALIFORNIA (i.e. US “state”) followed by GIRL (i.e. “miss”) and S (a recognised abbreviation of “succeeded”). Did I ever mention how annoying it is to keep seeing the same solutions again and again in Times Jumbos? No? Hmm. Maybe someone should write something about it sometime.

26. Gangster, sweetheart and actor keeping house in disarray (3,4,3,4)

Answer: ALL OVER THE SHOP (i.e. “in disarray”). Solution is AL Capone (i.e. “gangster”) followed by LOVER (i.e. “sweetheart”), then THESP (i.e. “actor”, short for thespian) once wrapped around or “keeping” HO (a recognised abbreviation of “house”), like so: AL-LOVER-THES(HO)P.

27. After vacation, liftboy chose uniform for school (6)

Answer: LYCEUM (i.e. “school”, from the Latin). “After vacation” indicates the solution is derived by removing all the middle letters of LIFTBOY CHOSE UNIFORM.

29. Master, not the head, meaning to grab large bible (7)

Answer: ENSLAVE (i.e. to “master” or dominate someone). Solution is SENSE (i.e. “meaning”) with the first letter removed (indicated by “not the head”) and the remainder wrapped around or “grabbing” L (a recognised abbreviation of “large”) and AV (i.e. “bible”, specifically the Authorised Version, another name for the King James Bible), like so: ENS(L-AV)E.

Hang on a minute… (scans back through clues): Virgin Birth, Samson, member of Trinity, Pontius Pilate, the Authorised Version of The Bible, and don’t think for a minute that I missed SISTERS back there either. Oh God, it’s this setter again, isn’t it? Bloody hell. I was wondering why my fingertips were scorched by the end.

31. Be preoccupied and worried by predicament (6)

Answer: FIXATE (i.e. “be preoccupied”). Solution is ATE (i.e. “worried”) placed after or “by” FIX (i.e. “predicament”), like so: FIX-ATE.

33. Rye is one to down, reportedly, with strong wines (6,5)

Answer: CINQUE PORTS (i.e. “Rye is one”. Chosen by Edward the Confessor for their defensive locations, the Cinque Ports comprised five harbours in south-east England (Sandwich, Dover, Hythe, Romney and Hastings) and two towns (Rye and Winchelsea)). Solution is a homophone (indicated by “reportedly”) of SINK (i.e. “to down”) followed by PORTS (i.e. “strong wines”). Another well-worked clue.

35. Shares figures related to rise, ie kind falsified no longer (6,5)

Answer: NIKKEI INDEX (the Japanese stock market, i.e. “shares figures”). Solution is KIN (i.e. “related”) reversed (indicated by “to rise” – this being a down clue) and followed by an anagram (indicated by “falsified”) of IE KIND, then EX (i.e. “no longer”), like so: NIK-KEIIND-EX.

36. When upset, brother gets poetic rhythm out of proportion (10)

Answer: ASYMMETRIC (i.e. “out of proportion”). Solution is AS (i.e. “when”) followed by MY (i.e. “brother”, both exclamations) once reversed (indicated by “upset” – this being a down clue), then METRIC (i.e. “poetic rhythm”), like so: AS-YM-METRIC.

40. Character of eg hairdo quietly altered (9)

Answer: IDEOGRAPH (i.e. “character”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “altered”) of EG HAIRDO and P (i.e. “quietly”, specifically a recognised abbreviation of “piano” in musical lingo).

41. What I Claudius was for old entertainer (8)

Answer: Max BYGRAVES (i.e. “old entertainer”). When written as BY [Robert] GRAVES the solution also satisfies “what I Claudius was”.

42. Italian birds seen around late autumn (8)

Answer: GENOVESE (i.e. “Italian”, Genoa is also known as Genova). Solution is GEESE (i.e. “birds”) wrapped “around” NOV (i.e. “late autumn”, short for November), like so: GE(NOV)ESE.

44. The works outing in one? (7)

Answer: OMNIBUS. Solution satisfies “the works”, and, playfully, “outing in one”, referring to the old vehicle. Another good un.

46. Don’t take ay extra personnel to north Wales region (7)

Answer: RHONDDA (i.e. “Wales region”). Solution is ADD NO HR (i.e. “don’t take any extra personnel” – HR being short for Human Resources) all reversed (indicated by “to north” – this being a down clue), like so: RH-ON-DDA.

48. RAM that’s needed to operate computer disk (5)

Answer: DRIVE. Solution satisfies to “ram”, ignoring the misleading capitalisation, and also “that’s needed to operate computer disk”.

50. Standard bearer who gaily shows up (4)

Answer: IAGO (i.e. “standard bearer” of William Shakespeare’s Othello). “Shows” indicates the solution has been hidden in the clue, while “up” indicates the solution has been reversed – this being a down clue – like so: WH(O GAI)LY.