A toughie this week, but for the most part this was a goodie. TRAPINA got up my nose, but a bevy of well-worked clues more than made up for it.
Now that the competition deadline has passed 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 tread on your toes then you might find my Just For Fun page of use, where you’ll find links to hundreds of the things.
Thanks again for your comments and patience. Till next time, stay safe out there kids.
LP
Across clues
- Eliot accepts welcome from Adam, perhaps, and so does Nick (7)
Answer: THIEVES (i.e. “does nick”, ignoring the misleading capitalisation). Solution is TS (i.e. “Eliot”, the poet) wrapped around or “accepting” HI EVE (i.e. “welcome from Adam, perhaps”, Biblically speaking), like so: T(HI EVE)S.
- See head or tail of small horse obscured by pet (7)
Answer: PONTIFF (i.e. Holy “See head”). Solution is PONY (i.e. “small horse”) with its last letter removed (indicated by “tail of…obscured”) and the remainder followed by TIFF (i.e. “pet” or huff), like so: PON-TIFF.
- American means to open and cancel bill (4-3)
Answer: PULL-TAB (i.e. “American means to open”, e.g. a ring-pull on, say, a delicious can of Pepsi Max. Lime flavour, if any advertising reps are reading this. Worth a try). Solution is PULL (i.e. to “cancel”) followed by TAB (i.e. “bill”, say, at a bar).
- Scandal marred Legoland’s progress, somehow (6,5)
Answer: MUDDLE ALONG (i.e. “progress, somehow”). Solution is MUD (i.e. “scandal”) followed by an anagram (indicated by “marred”) of LEGOLAND, like so: MUD-DLEALONG.
- Early in the day, indeed, for broadcaster to supply something cheesy! (6,5)
Answer: MORNAY SAUCE (i.e. “something cheesy”). Solution is MORN (i.e. “early in the day”) followed by AY (i.e. “indeed”, variant spelling of “aye”) and a homophone (indicated by “for broadcaster”) of SOURCE (i.e. “to supply”), like so: MORN-AY-SAUCE.
- Career endlessly, becoming exhausted (3-2)
Answer: ALL-IN (i.e. “exhausted”). Solution is CALLING (i.e. one’s “career”) with both the first and last letters removed (indicated by “endlessly”).
- Parents rating entertainer for teenager? (3,4)
Answer: POP STAR (i.e. “entertainer for teenager”). Solution is POPS (i.e. “parents” – POP is an informal word for one’s father in the US, short for poppa) followed by TAR (i.e. “rating” – this refers to a rank of a sailor; TAR, meanwhile, is an informal word for a sailor).
- Biscuit base is mixed (9)
Answer: HOBNOBBED (i.e. socialised or “mixed”). Solution is HOBNOB (i.e. “biscuit” – also delicious, in case any McVities reps are in the room. Hey, your boy’s gotta eat) followed by BED (i.e. “base”). Nicely worked.
- One applied to head Corporate Challenge organised around English pub (21)
Answer: ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPH (i.e. “one applied to head” to detect brain activity). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “orgainsed”) of CORPORATE CHALLENGE wrapped “around” E (a recognised abbreviation of “English”) and PH (i.e. “pub”, short for Public House), like so: ELECTROENC(E-PH)ALOGRAPH.
- Exquisite present, amongst other things (8)
Answer: ETHEREAL (i.e. “exquisite” – I don’t think there’s much overlap here. You could argue both satisfy “heavenly”, but only if you play on two different meanings of “heavenly”. Very iffy). Solution is HERE (i.e. “present”) placed in or “amongst” ET AL (Latin for “and other”, or, in this case “other things”), like so: ET-(HERE)-AL.
- Trouble set back crook (6)
Answer: DOGLEG (i.e. a sharp bend or “crook”). Solution is DOG (i.e. to “trouble” someone) followed by GEL (i.e. “set”) once reversed (indicated by “back”), like so: DOG-LEG.
- A little embroidery more than enough to occupy sister (7)
Answer: SAMPLER (i.e. “a little embroidery”). Solution is AMPLE (i.e. “more than enough”) placed in or “occupying” SR (a recognised abbreviation of the title “Sister”), like so: S(AMPLE)R.
- Colleagues work after getting time off (5)
Answer: OPPOS (i.e. “colleagues” – Chambers offers: “a person who is allotted to one as partner, opponent etc”). Solution is OP (i.e. “work”, short for opus) followed by POST (i.e. occupation or “work”) once the T (a recognised abbreviation of “time”) has been removed (indicated by “off”), like so: OP-POS.
- Publicises furious golfer’s embarrassing error (3,4)
Answer: AIR SHOT (i.e. “golfer’s embarrassing error”). Solution is AIRS (i.e. “publicises”) followed by HOT (i.e. “furious”).
- Verbal agreement to follow play without rehearsing in full (3-6)
Answer: JAM-PACKED (i.e. “full”). Solution is a homophone (indicated by “verbal”) of PACT (i.e. “agreement”) placed after or “following” JAM (i.e. “play without rehearsing”).
- Snappy banker’s line (9)
Answer: CROCODILE. Solution satisfies “snappy banker” – this refers to how crocs can often be found at the water’s edge, e.g. riversides – and “line” of, say, schoolchildren.
- Director after ale half-heartedly fed (7)
Answer: Ingmar BERGMAN (i.e. film “director”). Solution is BER (i.e. “ale half-heartedly”, i.e. BEER with one of its middle Es removed) followed by G-MAN (i.e. “fed” or FBI agent in the US).
- Swimmer brightly coloured alien craft circles around (5)
Answer: TETRA (i.e. a fish or “swimmer brightly coloured”). Solution is ET (i.e. “alien” or Extra-Terrestrial) and ART (i.e. “craft”) each reversed (indicated by “circles around”), like so: TE-TRA.
- Scoffed as one unhorsed, as it were? (7)
Answer: DERIDED (i.e. “scoffed”). When written as DE-RIDED the solution also playfully satisfies “unhorsed”. The “as it were” is an acknowledgement that DE-RIDED isn’t exactly a word you’re going to find in the dictionary.
- Chief regularly had to try being casually friendly (6)
Answer: CHATTY (i.e. “being casually friendly”). Solution is CH (a recognised abbreviation of “chief”) followed by ATTY (i.e. “regularly had to try”, i.e. every other letter of HAD TO TRY).
- British-made – and broken! (8)
Answer: BREACHED (i.e. “broken”). Solution is B (a recognised abbreviation of “British”) followed by REACHED (i.e. “made”).
- Stolen motorboat blonde resolved to get back no matter what (3,4,6,6,2)
Answer: BET ONE’S BOTTOM DOLLAR ON (i.e. to “back no matter what”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “resolved”) of STOLEN MOTORBOAT BLONDE.
- Fiercest when moved to defend one’s rights (9)
Answer: RECTIFIES (i.e. “rights”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “when moved”) of FIERCEST wrapped around or “defending” I (i.e. “[Roman numeral] one”), like so: RECT(I)FIES.
- Dancer pushed back against discrimination charge (7)
Answer: Rudolph NUREYEV (i.e. “dancer”). Solution is V (i.e. “against”, short for versus), EYE (i.e. “discrimination”) and RUN (i.e. “charge”) all reversed (indicated by “pushed back”), like so: NUR-EYE-V. Very nicely done.
- Find fancy uniform needed by page (3,2)
Answer: DIG UP (i.e. “find”). Solution is DIG (i.e. to “fancy”) followed by U (“uniform” in the phonetic alphabet) and P (a recognised abbreviation of “page”).
- Primitive missile part prepared for battle? (11)
Answer: QUARRELSOME (i.e. “prepared for battle”). Solution is QUARREL (a square-headed crossbow arrow or “primitive missile”) followed by SOME (i.e. “part”).
- Asian dish: one nice roasted (11)
Answer: INDOCHINESE (i.e. “Asian”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “roasted”) of DISH ONE NICE.
- Used to 53 thousand in hex, due to be converted (7)
Answer: EXHUMED (i.e. descriptive of one who “used to 53” – the solution to 53a being DIG UP). Solution is M (i.e. “[Roman numeral] thousand”) placed in an anagram (indicated by “to be converted”) of HEX DUE, like so: EXHU(M)ED.
- Request to have part of component re-attached (7)
Answer: ENTREAT (i.e. “request to have”). “Part of” indicates the solution has been hidden in the clue, like so: COMPON(ENT RE-AT)TACHED.
- Major attempt to get to grips with old prejudice (7)
Answer: BIGOTRY (i.e. “prejudice”). Solution is BIG (i.e. “major”) and TRY (i.e. “attempt”) all wrapped around or “getting to grips with” O (a recognised abbreviation of “old”), like so: BIG-(O)-TRY.
Down clues
- Host poking spot on family pet? (6)
Answer: TOMCAT (i.e. “pet”). Solution is MC (i.e. “host” or Master of Ceremonies) placed in or “poking” TO A T (i.e. “spot on”), like so: TO-(MC)-A-T.
- Scandinavian girl retaining flat mostly as favour (7)
Answer: INDULGE (i.e. to “favour”). Solution is INGE (i.e. “Scandinavian girl’s” name) wrapped around or “retaining” DULL (i.e. “flat”) once its last letter has been removed (indicated by “mostly”), like so: IN(DUL)GE.
- University books, always of poetry, with one of a series on offer (9)
Answer: VOLUNTEER (i.e. “offer”). Solution is U (a recognised abbreviation of “university”), NT (i.e. “books”, specifically the New Testament of The Bible) and E’ER (i.e. “always of poetry”) all placed after or “with” VOL (i.e. “one of a series”, short for volume), like so: VOL-(U-NT-E’ER).
- A little current beneath the bottom left quagmire (5)
Answer: SWAMP (i.e. “quagmire”). Solution is AMP (i.e. “a little [electric] current”) placed after or “beneath” – this being a down clue – SW (i.e. “the bottom left”, short for the South-West), like so: SW-AMP.
- Twin bears scorn (4-4)
Answer: POOH-POOH (i.e. “scorn”). The solution also playfully satisfies “twin bears”, referring to AA Milne’s Winnie-The-Pooh repeated twice.
- When it’s black, chess piece can be picked up (5)
Answer: NIGHT (i.e. “when it’s black” outside). Solution is a homophone (indicated by “picked up”) of KNIGHT (i.e. “chess piece”).
- One’s just consuming small dip (7)
Answer: IMMERSE (i.e. “dip”). Solution is I’M (i.e. “one’s”, a contraction of I AM) and MERE (i.e. “just”) once wrapped around or “consuming” S (a recognised abbreviation of “small”), like so: I’M-MER(S)E.
- With carpeting coming, hoping to clear the bar? (3,3,4,4)
Answer: FOR THE HIGH JUMP. Solution satisfies “with carpeting coming” – carpeting being another word for a ticking-off – and, playfully, “hoping to clear the bar”.
- Record misfortunes involving amateur drama promoters (9)
Answer: PLAYBILLS (i.e. theatre posters or “drama promoters”). Solution is PB (i.e. “record”, short for Personal Best) and ILLS (i.e. “misfortunes”) all wrapped around or “involving” LAY (i.e. “amateur”), like so: P(LAY)B-ILLS.
- One used to catch and miss nothing (5)
Answer: LASSO (i.e. “one used to catch”). Solution is LASS (i.e. “miss” or young woman) followed by O (i.e. “nothing”).
- Picture, thus, executioner, grabbing doctor by collar (9,6)
Answer: THUMBNAIL SKETCH (i.e. “picture”). Solution is THUS and Jack KETCH (i.e. 17th Century English “executioner” notorious for some of his messy executions) all wrapped around or “grabbing” MB (i.e. “doctor”, specifically a Medicinae Baccalaureus or Bachelor of Medicine) and NAIL (i.e. to seize or “collar”), like so: THU(MB-NAIL)S-KETCH.
- Measure a fraction of a loaf? (7)
Answer: BREADTH (i.e. “measure”). Solution also satisfies “a fraction of a loaf”, jokingly adding the fractional suffix -TH to a “loaf” of BREAD. I rather liked this one when it clicked.
- Sicilian town in a region to the north (7)
Answer: TRAPANI (i.e. “Sicilian town”). Solution is IN A and PART (i.e. “region”) all reversed (indicated by “to the north” – this being a down clue), like so: TRAP-A-NI. Made. To. Fit.
- Disliking the new iPhone, ordered with a slightly smaller box (9)
Answer: NEOPHOBIA (i.e. “disliking the new”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “ordered”) of IPHONE, A and BOX once its last letter has been removed (indicated by “slightly smaller”).
- Tumbler seen at different types of bar (7)
Answer: GYMNAST (i.e. “tumbler”). The remainder of the clue plays on different types of gym equipment, unless I’m missing something clever.
- Celebrated, note, with big beam when speaking (8)
Answer: REJOICED (i.e. “celebrated”). Solution is RE (i.e. “note” of the sol-fa scale) followed by a homophone (indicated by “when speaking”) of JOIST (i.e. “big beam”), like so: RE-JOICED.
- A pledge from the MD, not one wallowing in power! (11,4)
Answer: HIPPOCRATIC OATH (i.e. “a pledge from the MD”, in this case a Medicinae Doctor or Doctor of Medicine). The remainder of the clue plays on HIPPOS “wallowing”, and also how part of the modern oath includes the line: “But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must not play at God”. That’s my take anyway. If a cleverer solution comes to light then I’ll update the post.
- Time trial is hit: so copied exactly? (9)
Answer: LITERATIM (i.e. without the change of a letter, or “so copied exactly”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “is hit”) of TIME TRIAL.
- Forest dweller on doorstep’s outside with key (3,5)
Answer: RED PANDA (i.e. “forest dweller”). Solution is RE (i.e. “on” or regarding – think email replies) followed by DP (i.e. “doorstep’s outside”, i.e. the first and last letters of “doorstep”), then AND (i.e. “with”) and A (i.e. musical “key”).
- Instructions for kids once put out by clubs in raw verse form (5,5,4)
Answer: GREEN CROSS CODE (i.e. “instructions for kids once”). Solution is CROSS (i.e. “put out”) and C (a recognised abbreviation of “clubs” used in some card games) both placed “in” GREEN (i.e. “raw”) and ODE (i.e. “verse form”), like so: GREEN-(CROSS-C)-ODE.
- Fall from great height taking green light up mountain (7)
Answer: SNOWDON (i.e. a “mountain” in Wales). Solution is SNOW (i.e. “fall from great height”) followed by NOD (i.e. “green light”) once reversed (indicated by “up” – this being a down clue), like so: SNOW-DON.
- For this, among relatives is boxer? (7)
Answer: MONGREL (i.e. “boxer”, a bulldog cross). “Among” indicates the solution has been hidden in the clue, like so: A(MONG REL)ATIVES.
- Girl calmed down and concentrated (9)
Answer: DISTILLED (i.e. “concentrated”). Solution is DI (i.e. “girl’s” name) followed by STILLED (i.e. “calmed down”).
- Drag in big works for this? (9)
Answer: ABRIDGING. Solution satisfies the clue as a whole, and is also an anagram (indicated by “works”) of DRAG IN BIG.
- Busy, you had use of computers for work on paper (4-4)
Answer: COPY-EDIT (i.e. “work on [news]paper”). Solution is COP (i.e. “busy”, both slang words for a policeman) followed by YE’D (i.e. “you had” contracted in ye olde form) and IT (i.e. “use of computers”, or Information Technology).
- Fifteenth café? That, for Paris, would be extravagant (7)
Answer: BAROQUE (i.e. “extravagant”). Solution is BAR O (i.e. “fifteenth café”, O being the fifteenth letter of the alphabet) followed by QUE (i.e. “that, for Paris”, i.e. the French for “that”).
- Function female solarium won’t do? (7)
Answer: TANGENT (i.e. trigonometrical “function”). When written as TAN GENT the solution also playfully satisfies a situation where a “female solarium won’t do”.
- Skip unused items fall into? (7)
Answer: NEGLECT. Solution satisfies to “skip” over, and also a state in which “unused items fall into”.
- Female leaving to eat, stopping to observe fast (6)
Answer: SPEEDY (i.e. “fast”). Solution is FEED (i.e. “to eat”) with the F removed (indicated by “female leaving…”, F being a recognised abbreviation thereof) and the remainder placed in or “stopping” SPY (i.e. “to observe”), like so: SP(EED)Y.
- One-hour drive is the habit of the pilgrim (5)
Answer: IHRAM (i.e. “habit of the pilgrim”, or “the seamless white cotton garment worn by Muslim pilgrims to Mecca” (Chambers)). Solution is I (i.e. “[Roman numeral] one”) and H (a recognised abbreviation of “hour”) followed by RAM (i.e. to “drive” an object with force).
- Hike evenly, tread in step (5)
Answer: RAISE (i.e. “hike”). “Evenly” indicates the solution is derived from every other letter of TREAD IN STEP.
- Words of verse passed on, roughly penned (5)
Answer: VOCAB (i.e. “words”, short for vocabulary). Solution is V (a recognised abbreviation of “verse”) followed by OB (i.e. “passed on”, short for the Latin obiit) once wrapped around or “penning” CA (i.e. “roughly”, short for “circa”), like so: V-O(CA)B.
Lucian Poll's Web Ramblings 
Thanks for the explanations Lucian, there were a couple I should have worked out but didn’t.
Still don’t quite understand Hippocratic Oath – it feels like it is either a slightly poor club, or it is a really clever one that we aren’t seeing!
Also still confused by 30ac – in your explanation (which is pretty much what I came up with), “work” seems to be doing double duty (or double work maybe) but there is nothing in the clue to indicate that is the case.
This is how I think that clue works: OP for work and the POS(T) is a synonym for “after” in the clue.
YES! Funnily enough, I reached that conclusion myself when I solved the puzzle but had forgotten it! This nearly two week wait for the blog is killing me!
I think this how the clue solves: “work” OP and then “after” a synonym for POS(T).
Apologies posted twice!
That was a goodie! Loved TOMCAT and REJOICED (when I got it).
The real HIPPOCRATIC OATH was never taken in my day, completely inappropriate, but there was a rather wishy-washy Declaration of Geneva. Still can’t parse it any better than you
LITERATIM my new word of the week
Thanks Lucian as ever
Thank you, Lucian. I didn’t like this one : at least in part because I couldn’t do a lot of it.
With you on that!
It was indeed a toughie. The main point for Crossword lovers though is a lack of time in the week. Given more, I would probably have solved it all – which I didn’t. And, just to say, I do think there are too many Americanisms. I’ve been to the US numerous times on business, but don’t ever recall the term “pull-tab” (9a).
I went down to breakfast one morning (this in the 1980s) and the waiter said, “would you like your egg ‘easy ‘over’?” I confess I had to ask him what he meant..
Last Saturday’s Jumbo (No. 1657) was a stroll in comparison. I didn’t time myself, but it was under an hour.
For a bit of light amusement, on trips to the US, we sometimes challenged ourselves to find typically American things to do. I do think I once managed to illegally park in front of a fire-hydrant and on another occasion in a Deli (remember “Kojak”?) ordered a “Pastrami on Rye, and don’t spare the mustard”.
Apologies to Lucian, I am getting off the point.
But do keep up the good work.
I thought this was often very poor. That Hippocratic Oath clue that no one can seem to adequately explain is one of the worst for a long time. Massively long anagrams leaving to an obscure 21 letter word (18a) are no fun. Other obscurities included pull-tab, literatim, tetra, ihram, busy to mean policeman, and what are the types of bar in gymnast at 21d? 12d was dreadful.
Very little fun, I gave up with quite a lot unfinished.
Excuse my manners, I should have added ‘Thank you, Lucien’, much appreciate the blog.
I’ve mislaid my completed grid (grrr Times) but di recall it took longer than most of the recent puzzles, with the very long anagrams taking some hard work.
I also found Hypocratic Oath and Gymnast as a bit “meh” – the sort of clue leaving you in doubt as to whether you got the correct answer.
Thanks for explaining Nureyev – I didn’t spot that meaning of EYE
Thx as ever Lucian
When does a toughie become a stinker? This was hard, lots of obscure words an doubtful clues.
A dreadful one for me. Too much American and obscure usage which I did not know meant over-use of the dictionary which Indo not find much fun.
Re Hippocratic Oath, I think it may be tied up in some convoluted way with Autocratic, ie someone used to wielding power. I leave that thought with you, Lucian, and thanks for your explanations.
And MD can be Managing Director as well.
Thanks Lucian,
Re Hippocratic Oath, the ‘cratic’ part (as in democratic, aristocratic, autocratic, etc) comes from the Greek word ‘kratia’ meaning power.
So the second part of the clue is just a playful observation that ‘hippocratic’ is nothing to do with hippos wallowing in power.
I haven’t described that very well.
What I meant was, the word hippocratic has obvious similarities to the words democratic, aristocratic, etc.
So if democratic refers to power of the people, aristocratic to power of the best, autocratic to power of one person, then logically (playfully) hippocratic might be thought to refer to power of a hippo (‘one wallowing’).
Oh well, you get the idea (as you always say!)
Good to see so many comments despite the delayed answers.
Keep going Lucian. This blog is much enjoyed.
Yes, good to see so many comments, but I’m afraid my copy of the crossword is long gone to recycling – and that, sadly, is the case every week.
Thanks Lucian. Keep them coming. We’ve taken to keeping the crossword for two weeks before starting so that your comments are fresh. Built up a neat little stockpile.