Stinker time, and a goodie to boot. I believe this is the setter who likes to use all the letters of the alphabet in the grid and nearly every trick in the book when writing the clues. Can’t knock the effort, there. Some of the misdirection was top-notch too: clueing OF FEET as “pedal”, for example, or COL as “Mustard”, after a certain character in Cluedo. Very cool.
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 you jiggered 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 your patience and input. Till next time, stay safe out there kids.
LP
Across clues
- Pedal across river in pursuit of cold-drink container (9)
Answer: COFFEE POT (i.e. “drink container”). Solution is OF FEET (i.e. “pedal”) wrapped around or placed “across” PO (a “river” in Italy popular with Jumbo setters). This is all then placed after or “in pursuit of” C (a recognised abbreviation of “cold” used on water taps), like so: C-(OF-FEE(PO)T).
- Sportsman I hit when running who’s been put off his race? (13)
Answer: MISANTHROPIST (i.e. someone “who’s been put off his race”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “when running”) of SPORTSMAN I HIT.
- Put back, in touching scene (5)
Answer: RESET (i.e. “put back”). Solution is RE (i.e. “touching” or regarding – think email replies) followed by SET (i.e. “scene”, e.g. a movie set).
- Food fanatic hurt by obstruction (3,6)
Answer: NUT CUTLET (i.e. “food”). Solution is NUT (i.e. “fanatic”) followed by CUT (i.e. “hurt”) and LET (i.e. “obstruction”, an archaic variant meaning).
- Setter must have say, reflecting where ego comes from? (7)
Answer: GELATIN (i.e. a “setter” or “glue, prepared from albuminous matter, e.g. bones and hides” (Chambers)). Solution is EG (i.e. “say” or for example, from the Latin exempli gratia) reversed (indicated by “reflecting”) and followed by LATIN (i.e. “where ego comes from”), like so: GE-LATIN.
- Acknowledgement that doctor’s up in his practice? (3,4,2,7,6)
Answer: YOU KNOW MY METHODS WATSON. The solution satisfies the clue as a whole, being a quote from a number of Sherlock Holmes stories. “Up”, on this occasion, is another word for being versed or well-informed. That’s about it, I guess.
- Living death, say, of old fool consuming variable amounts (8)
Answer: OXYMORON (i.e. “living death, say”, the solution being a phrase of contradictory terms). Solution is O (a recognised abbreviation of “old”) and MORON (i.e. “fool”) all wrapped around or “consuming” X and Y (i.e. “variable amounts” – setters love referring to X, Y or Z in solutions as variables or unknowns), like so: O-(X-Y)-MORON.
- Turn to trivial attraction? Yes, if NY ultimately overrated somehow (8)
Answer: DISNEYFY (i.e. “turn to trivial attraction”, after a fashion. Chambers has this, if it’s any clearer: “to present or process the history of, or facts concerning (a site, etc) by means of video films or other visual aids, especially simplistically for the convenience of the tourist, instead of encouraging exposure to the actual environment”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “somehow”) of YES IF NY and D (i.e. “ultimately overrated”).
- The end of cabbage-moth, its wings clipped back (5)
Answer: OMEGA (i.e. “the end” or conclusion, after the last letter of the Greek alphabet). “Its wings clipped” indicates the solution has been hidden in the clue, removing the outer letters of CABB(AGE-MO)TH, while “back” indicates the solution has been reversed.
- Awkward, with tennis shot rebounding short (6)
Answer: BOLSHY (i.e. “awkward”). Solution is LOB (i.e. “tennis shot”) reversed (indicated by “rebounding”) and followed by SHY (i.e. “short” of the required amount), like so: BOL-SHY.
- Do you understand article extracted from ancient bit of Morse code? (6)
Answer: GEDDIT (i.e. “do you understand”). Solution is AGED (i.e. “ancient”) with the A removed (indicated by “article extracted from…” – an article being a word like a, an or the) and the remainder followed by DIT (i.e. “bit of Morse code”), like so: GED-DIT.
- Celebrate with band, having relations over (5,2,2)
Answer: WHOOP IT UP (i.e. “celebrate”). Solution is W (a recognised abbreviation of “with”) followed by HOOP (i.e. “band”), then IT (i.e. “having relations”, a euphemism for nookie, congress, the beast with two backs, getting one’s oats, playing hide-the-sausage, having a knee-trembler and generally the whole of Monty Python’s Nudge, Nudge sketch. If you’re still in the dark then ask your parents) and UP (i.e. “over” or finished).
- Wages to take in combination with one’s printed currency (5,5)
Answer: PAPER MONEY (i.e. “printed currency”). Solution is PAY (i.e. “wages”) wrapped around or “taking in” PERM (i.e. “combination”, short for permutation) and ONE, like so: PA(PERM-ONE)Y.
- Wryneck is a curse for one in the audience? (4)
Answer: JYNX (i.e. “wryneck”). Solution is a homophone (indicated by “for one in the audience”) of JINX (i.e. “a curse”). This was made somewhat easier by me asking “okay, what the hell is a wryneck?”, looking it up in my Chambers and seeing it is “a member of a genus of small birds (genus Jynx)”. I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
- Religious court to risk row involving husband (4,3)
Answer: BETH DIN (i.e. “religious court”). Solution is BET (i.e. “to risk”) and DIN (i.e. “row”) all wrapped around or “involving” H (a recognised abbreviation of “husband”), like so: BET-(H)-DIN.
- Violent storm nearly closed navy yard? Not regularly (7)
Answer: TORNADO (i.e. “violent storm”). Solution is TO (i.e. of a door “nearly closed”) followed by RN (i.e. “navy”, specifically the Royal Navy) and ADO (i.e. “yard not regularly”, i.e. every other letter of YARD NOT).
- Round, empty space a copper’s left for cell (4)
Answer: OVUM (i.e. reproductive “cell”). Solution is O (i.e. “round”) followed by VACUUM (i.e. “empty space”) once the A and CU (chemical symbol for “copper”) have been removed or “left”, like so: O-VUM.
- Assiduously if cheesily punned? (10)
Answer: CAERPHILLY, a variety of “cheese”. Clue plays on the solution being a homophone of CAREFULLY (i.e. “assiduously”).
- Later round mine fails to explode (9)
Answer: SEMIFINAL (i.e. “later round”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “to explode”) of MINE FAILS.
- Is French star briefly producing Godless book? (6)
Answer: ESTHER (i.e. “Godless book” – apparently the Book of Esther is one of only two books of The Bible that doesn’t mention Him Upstairs). Solution is EST (i.e. “is French”, i.e. the French for “is”) followed by HERO (i.e. “star” of the story) once its last letter has been removed (indicated by “briefly”), like so: EST-HER.
- Host needing bedsit around Notting Hill for one (6)
Answer: ROMCOM (i.e. “Notting Hill for one” – other romantic comedies are available, so I’m told). Solution is MC (i.e. “host” or Master of Ceremonies) with ROOM (i.e. “bedsit”) placed “around” it, like so: RO(MC)OM.
- Old priest cheated when clinching game (5)
Answer: DRUID (i.e. “old priest”). Solution is DID (i.e. “cheated”, as in doing someone) wrapped around or “clinching” RU (i.e. “game”, specifically Rugby Union), like so: D(RU)ID.
- Old jail is empty, indeed (8)
Answer: HOLLOWAY (i.e. “old jail”, closed in 2016). Solution is HOLLOW (i.e. “empty”) followed by AY (i.e. “indeed” or aye).
- Bill’s partner often eliminates cross females in culinary contests (4-4)
Answer: COOK-OFFS (i.e. “culinary contests”). Solution is COO (i.e. “bill’s partner often” after the phrase “bill and coo”, an informal phrase describing lovers’ intimate talking and kissing) followed by K.O.S (i.e. “eliminates” or Knocks Out) once wrapped around or “crossing” F and F (both recognised abbreviations of “female”), like so: COO-K.O.(FF)S.
- Picture Greek going as a result of it? (3,7,2,4,6)
Answer: THE MADNESS OF KING GEORGE (i.e. “picture”, in this case a 1994 movie starring Nigel Hawthorne). The remainder of the clue plays on how KING GEORGE is an anagram (indicated by “THE MADNESS OF”) of “Greek Going”.
- Port from military canteen not available after one (7)
Answer: MESSINA (i.e. an Italian “port”). Solution is MESS (i.e. “military canteen”) followed by N/A (i.e. “not available”) once first placed “after” I (i.e. “[Roman numeral] one”), like so: MESS-(I-N/A).
- Work that’s both hard and I bet shattering (3,6)
Answer: THE HOBBIT (i.e. “work”, in this case a novel by J.R.R. Tolkien). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “shattering”) of BOTH, H (a recognised abbreviation of “hard” used in grading pencils) and I BET.
- One from the Middle East, not long back (5)
Answer: OMANI (i.e. “one from the Middle East”). Solution is IN A MO (i.e. “not long”) once reversed (indicated by “back”).
- Be alert! The first hunter possibly has returned? (5,4,4)
Answer: WATCH ONE’S BACK (i.e. “be alert”). Solution also playfully satisfies “the first hunter possibly has returned” – a hunter being a type of watch protected by a metal case, the ‘S in the solution becoming a contraction of “is”.
- Hear about girlfriend holding party after film triumph (3,4,2)
Answer: GET WIND OF (i.e. “hear about”). Solution is GF (a recognised abbreviation of “girlfriend”) wrapped around or “holding” DO (i.e. slang for a “party”) once this has been placed “after” ET (i.e. “film”, our old friend ET: The Extra-Terrestrial) and WIN (i.e. “triumph”), like so: G((ET-WIN)-DO)F.
Down clues
- One preparing The Trotters, perhaps, to go through at end of season? (5,4)
Answer: CURRY COMB (i.e. “one preparing the trotters, perhaps”, specifically “a plastic or rubber brush used for currying horses” (Chambers), playing on a variant meaning of CURRY. Chambers also suggests this ought to have been a single word, not that it would have helped!) Solution is COMB (i.e. trawl or “go through”) placed after or “at end of” CURRY (i.e. “season”).
- Pilots conceal error in method of achieving height (7,4)
Answer: FOSBURY FLOP (i.e. “method of achieving height” pioneered by Dick Fosbury, an American high jumper who revolutionised the sport with this technique). Solution is FOS (i.e. “pilots” or Flight Officers) followed by BURY (i.e. “conceal”) and FLOP (i.e. “error”).
- Tidy last of autumn leaves, with none remaining? (5)
Answer: EATEN (i.e. “with none remaining”). Solution is NEATEN (i.e. “tidy”) with the first N (i.e. “last [letter] of autumn”) removed or “leaving”.
- Longed to hold court when making deal? (8)
Answer: PINEWOOD (i.e. “deal” – a variant meaning being “a fir or pine board of a standard size” (Chambers)). Solution is PINED (i.e. “longed”) wrapped around or “holding” WOO (i.e. to “court” someone), like so: PINE(WOO)D.
- Grumpy’s spurned by cold nymph (6)
Answer: TETHYS (i.e. sea “nymph” of Greek myth). Solution is TETCHY’S (i.e. “Grumpy’s”, read as “Grumpy is”) with the C (a recognised abbreviation of “cold” already covered in 1a) removed or “spurned”, like so: TETHY’S.
- Unruly mob issued Republican fliers (10)
Answer: MOUSEBIRDS (i.e. “fliers”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “unruly”) of MOB ISSUED and R (a recognised abbreviation of “Republicans”).
- Writer from NZ, honestly, is rubbish (12)
Answer: Aleksandr SOLZHENITSYN (i.e. “writer”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “rubbish”) of NZ HONESTLY IS.
- Remarkably, if periodically on foot, few delays (7)
Answer: NOTEDLY (i.e. “remarkably”). “Periodically” indicates the solution is derived from every other letter of ON FOOT FEW DELAYS.
- Malpractice taking a heavy toll? (7,7)
Answer: HIGHWAY ROBBERY. Solution satisfies the clue as a whole, taking “toll” to mean a tax paid to drive along a section of road.
- Having no siblings? What’s more jolly! (4,3)
Answer: ONLY TOO (i.e. “jolly” or very). Solution is ONLY (i.e. “having no siblings”) followed by TOO (i.e. additionally or “what’s more”).
- Preface, extremely short, chap’s withdrawn (11)
Answer: INTROVERTED (i.e. “withdrawn”). Solution is INTRO (i.e. “preface”) followed by VERY (i.e. “extremely”) with its last letter removed (indicated by “short”), then TED (i.e. “chap’s” name), like so: INTRO-VER-TED.
- Heavily defeat, causing upset in tie (4)
Answer: TONK (i.e. “heavily defeat”). Solution is KNOT (i.e. “tie”) reversed or “upset” – this being a down clue.
- Amphetamine around a displaced person is something unwelcome (3,5)
Answer: BAD PENNY (i.e. “something unwelcome”). Solution is BENNY (slang for an “amphetamine” tablet) wrapped “around” A and DP (a recognised abbreviation of “displaced person”), like so: B(A-DP)ENNY.
- The Dutch maybe with a life to envy! (5,4)
Answer: OTHER HALF (i.e. “the dutch” – ignoring the misleading capitalisation, this is Cockney rhyming slang for a wife, supposedly short for Duchess of Fife. We’ve seen this a few times in Jumbos, but not for a little while). Solution also satisfies someone “with a life to envy”, as in how the other half live.
- Pole, one travelling around in pursuit of good breeding stock (4,4)
Answer: GENE POOL (i.e. “breeding stock”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “travelling around”) of POLE ONE placed after or “in pursuit of” G (a recognised abbreviation of “good”), like so: G-ENEPOOL.
- Waterproof cover to get bigger daily (3,5)
Answer: WAX PAPER (i.e. “waterproof cover”). Solution is WAX (i.e. “get bigger”) followed by PAPER (i.e. “daily”).
- Field attack often using knight’s primitive weapon (9)
Answer: PITCHFORK (i.e. “primitive weapon”). Solution is PITCH (i.e. “field”) followed by FORK (i.e. “attack often using knight” – over to Chambers again: “in chess, to attack (two pieces) simultaneously”).
- To be received on board coach, he had to be wasted! (2,4,3,5)
Answer: GO DOWN THE DRAIN (i.e. “to be wasted”). Solution is GO DOWN (i.e. “to be received”, as in going down a storm) followed by TRAIN (i.e. “coach”) once wrapped around or having “on board” HE’D (a contraction of “he had”), like so: GO-DOWN-T(HE’D)RAIN.
- Confined to bed, I sat upright, lifting cast off (3,5)
Answer: PUT ASIDE (i.e. “cast off”). “Confined to” indicates the solution has been hidden in the clue, while “lifting” indicates the solution has been reversed – this being a down clue –like so: B(ED I SAT UP)RIGHT.
- He worked with one fine Basque ruler’s famous visitor (5,2,5)
Answer: QUEEN OF SHEBA (i.e. “ruler’s famous visitor”, the ruler being King Solomon). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “worked”) of HE, ONE, F (a recognised abbreviation of “fine” used in grading pencils) and BASQUE.
- Lodger when speaking knows Italian, apparently (6,3,2)
Answer: RUMOUR HAS IT (i.e. “apparently”). Solution is a homophone (indicated by “when speaking”) of ROOMER (i.e. “lodger”) followed by HAS (i.e. “knows”) and IT (a recognised abbreviation of “Italian”).
- Second row to result from security at hospital? (4,7)
Answer: LOCK FORWARD (i.e. “second row” in a rugby scrum). When written as LOCK FOR WARD the solution playfully satisfies “security at hospital”.
- After end of tea break catch folk not fully prepared (2,4-4)
Answer: AT HALF-COCK (i.e. “not fully prepared”). Solution is A (i.e. “end [letter] of tea”) with an anagram (indicated by “break”) of CATCH FOLK placed “after” it, like so: A-THALFCOCK.
- Wrong opinion one’s to contradict, interrupting rather loudly (9)
Answer: MISBELIEF (i.e. “wrong opinion”). Solution is I’S (i.e. “[Roman numeral] one’s”) and BELIE (i.e. “to contradict”) both placed in or “interrupting” MF (i.e. “rather loudly”, specifically a recognised abbreviation of mezzo-forte used in musical lingo), like so: M(I’S-BELIE)F.
- Behind can be rested on twig? No chance! (6,2)
Answer: FORGET IT (i.e. “no chance”). Solution is FOR (i.e. “behind” or in favour of) followed by GET IT (i.e. “twig” or realise).
- Reservoir I’m disgusted to find almost dry? (7)
Answer: DAMPISH (i.e. “almost dry”). Solution is DAM (i.e. “reservoir”) followed by PISH (i.e. “I’m disgusted”).
- Reflecting determined, true character of Hamlet (7)
Answer: LAERTES (i.e. “character of Hamlet”. If you know it, you know it). Solution is SET (i.e. “determined”) and REAL (i.e. “true”) all reversed (indicated by “reflecting”), like so: LAER-TES.
- Tall touring basketball players refuse to go there (3,3)
Answer: BIN BAG (i.e. “refuse to go there”). Solution is BIG (i.e. “tall”) wrapped around or “touring” NBA (i.e. “basketball players”, the National Basketball Association of the US), like so: BI(NBA)G.
- Mustard perhaps in that is revolting cause of illness (1,4)
Answer: E-COLI (i.e. “cause of illness”). Solution is COL (i.e. “Mustard perhaps”, referring to Colonel Mustard in a game of Cluedo) placed “in” IE (i.e. “that is”, i.e. “i.e.”, from the Latin id est). The whole is then reversed (indicated by “revolting” or uprising – this being a down clue), like so: E(COL)I.
- Duck sounds like cat with its tail up (4)
Answer: SMEW (i.e. a sea “duck”, apparently). Solution is MEWS (i.e. “sounds like a cat”) with the last letter or “tail” moved “up” to the beginning – this being a down clue – like so: MEW(S) => (S)MEW.
Lucian Poll's Web Ramblings 
How right you are! I see there is a lot more scribblings in my margins than usual.
MOUSEBIRDS, well really! No horses left here now but the CURRYCOMB’s main job was cleaning the hair and dander out of the brushes. I too chortled when remembering PEDAL means OF FEET.
I have discovered from elsewhere that TETHYS was a lady titan (terrifying) rather than a nymph (dangerously attractive) but the setter can readily be forgiven after producing this masterpiece.
As ever thanks
Where do we ever use “ONLY” (10d) to mean “having no siblings”? Is “only” employed as a noun here, then? Who ever said “I was an only”, as opposed to an “only child/kid/baby” etc? I think this was an unacceptable liberty with English to contrive a solution.
Nor is “coach” actually cognate with “train” (23d) if we are to be exact.
And “Caerphilly” is not in fact a homophone of “carefully” – speak them out loud, it doesn’t quite work, amusing though the idea is (which is presumably why the setter couldn’t resist it).
There were a lot of nicely cute and sly clues in this stinker but the above betray laxity. Am I being too pedantic (crosswords surely must be to work, nicht wahr?) or are you a touch too lenient?
LP will love today’s Jumbo, by the way: French all over the place! But we speak not of that for another fortnight! Best wishes to all. Happy solstice next week.
We got through this okay, but don’t take much satisfaction from crawling through the dictionary to find obscure words like Jynx.
There were three answers we didn’t quite understand until we saw your explanations – thank you – including ‘it’ for having relations. I still think Only Too was rather weak.
But then I did admire Living Death for Oxymoron, and King George going Greek.
Mostly an enjoyable puzzle with some chuckles but a few were too contrived or just off
Curry doesn’t mean season I humbly suggest and is Awkward ok for Bolshy? Not convinced.
Small grumbles though. I missed Jynx, being fixated on the clue being a pain in the neck.
Cheers Lucian
Thanks Lucian.
I found this one tougher than usual and had at least 5 answers that I couldn’t parse. I’m still not sure about COOK OFFS – why should KOS (eliminates feels a bit weak for this?) be “crossing” the females when the clue says “cross” not “crosses” or “crossing”? I did wonder if the parsing “often eliminates cross” gave me “OF” as removing “ten” (for a cross or X?) from often leaves “of”, but I couldn’t make the rest work and I agree that your parsing is better than I managed…
Agree this was a tough one, but I enjoy a stiffer challenge and something to steadily whittle away at. And not too many clues with a ? at the end – there are 19 in #1678!
Best mental work out for ages! I too loved the anagram of King George and the use of pedal in 1ac. Several answers made me laugh.
Only two quibbles, one undermining my faith in Chambers, which makes me sad. That source is unequivocal about Tethys’ nymph-hood, which I was not taught! I agree with Dr John that she was a Titan, although I’ve never felt she was fearsome. I think the myths suggest she was the mother of thousands of rivers and innumerable sea nymphs….. fair enough , that would be a fearsome endeavour… anyway, as it’s all myth, perhaps the loss of rigour I perceive is unimportant.
The other is only that I think Disneyfy is a horrible word, but if it is actually used in the context that Chambers suggest, then their definition is a touch patronising.
Many thanks yet again for the complete parsing – I ought to admit that I had a ‘b’ instead of a ‘c’ in the second word of 1d, with an alternative take on trotters .I know it’s wrong now, but I think it fitted the clue quite well – although perhaps not quite what one might expect in the Times!
Love the idea of a ‘curry bomb’ inducing the trotters! One for an ‘alternative Times xword’, perhaps?
I spent a long time on 47a because (showing my age) I thought Bill’s partner was Ben from the Flowerpot men. Then, happily, I twigged ‘Coo’. And I reached the correct answer to 27 down by thinking of The Drain as the Waterloo and City Line (which it is (was?) nicknamed), so he had to be received on board an underground coach!
Been on holiday so late commenting.
I loathed this. I didn’t get 1ac and things went downhill from there. Too many answers needed checking to see if the word existed: jynx, disneyfy, geddit, mousebirds, curry comb, Fosbury flop, tethys, tonk, smew. I’ll let ‘Laertes’ go because I happen to be familiar with Hamlet, but many might not be.
Too many clues needed obscure specialist knowledge, like ‘lock forward’ in rugby, or the group to which basketball teams in the USA belong, or ‘fork’ meaning an attack with a knight in chess, or that God is not mentioned in the Bible’s Book of Esther.
Other clues had hopelessly vague definitions, like ‘ruler’s famous visitor’ for ‘Queen of Sheba’. ‘Only’ meaning ‘having no siblings’ I think exists solely in the mind of the setter.
The worst of a terrible bunch? For me, 16a. Impossible until you realise that ‘doctor’ means ‘Doctor Watson’, and even then you have to be familiar with a phrase used occasionally by Sherlock Holmes. This is the sort of crossword that would put off newcomers for life. No witty word play, no laughs, just continuous tedious Google checking. I’d happily never see another puzzle by this setter again.