Times Jumbo Cryptic Crossword 1679

A medium strength Jumbo this week that didn’t do too much for me, sadly. There were some good clues to be had, but I can’t recall too much more about it. Your mileage may have varied.

Much more interesting to me was the article in the main paper today (22nd June as I write this) acknowledging, among other things, that The Times’ crosswords have become rather dated – something I’ve brought up a few times in these posts. While the focus in the article was on certain elements of wordplay becoming too obscure for newbie solvers (knowing that Herbert Tree was an actor back in the 1800s for example), I’d extend that criticism to the cultural references in general.

Modern popular culture doesn’t seem to be prohibited by the style guide – we’ve occasionally seen Douglas Adams’ work make it into a Jumbo, or novels such as The Martian… even Public Enemy made a hippety-hoppety appearance a few weeks back – so the reluctance to include more of it in Jumbos baffles me. I can only imagine most Times setters feel it is beneath them. The upshot of this after documenting 330-ish Jumbo solutions over the last five or so years is that I am bored out of my tiny mind with setters trying to impress Stephen Fry every week. I am about done.

So let’s see if this indeed marks a tonal shift in The Times crossword as intimated in the article, or whether it’s all just a load of navel-gazing. I know there is a pipeline of Jumbos still to be published, meaning there’s a load more fuddy-duddyness still to come, so let’s give it, say, another 20 Jumbos before I hang up my black biro. If there is a noticeable shift toward the modern, then lovely. If not, then 350 Jumbos ain’t a bad knock, but I’ll probably be off the pavilion.

Anyway, 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 ran off with the last of the toilet roll wrapped around its middle, bounding about the place like some demented Andrex puppy, then you might find my Just For Fun page of use, though you’ll need to print it off a couple of times to get the full benefit. You can also find links there for solutions to hundreds of Jumbo Cryptics.

Thanks again for your patience and input. Till next time, stay safe out there kids.

LP

Across clues

1. Criticise Dame blocking demands for way to identify comedian? (3,3,5)

Answer: CAP AND BELLS (i.e. “way to identify comedian”, specifically “the insignia of a professional jester” (Chambers)). Solution is PAN (i.e. “criticise”) and DBE (i.e. “Dame”, specifically a Dame of the British Empire) both placed in or “blocking” CALLS (i.e. “demands”), like so: CA(PAN-DBE)LLS. One remembered from its previous appearance, if I’m honest.

7. Divide part that’s got dry on the inside (6)

Answer: BISECT (i.e. “divide”). Solution is BIT (i.e. “part”) with SEC (i.e. “dry” in respect of booze) placed “inside” of it, like so: BI(SEC)T.

10. Abandon some surgery led by doctor (4)

Answer: DROP (i.e. “abandon”). Solution is OP (i.e. “some surgery”, short for operation) placed after or “led by” DR (a recognised abbreviation of “doctor”), like so: DR-OP.

14. German article on learner in school, not the brightest one? (7)

Answer: PLODDER (i.e. “not the brightest one”). Solution is DER (i.e. “German article”, specifically the German for “the” – an article being a word like a, an or the) placed “on” or after L (a recognised abbreviation of “learner”, e.g. on L-plates) once this has been placed “in” POD (i.e. “school”, e.g. a pod of whales), like so: (P(L)OD)-DER.

15. Flowering plant Paul replanted around border (7)

Answer: PRIMULA (i.e. “flowering plant”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “replanted”) of PAUL placed “around” RIM (i.e. “border”), like so: P(RIM)ULA.

16. Bitter passion involving Bishop recalled in account (7)

Answer: ACERBIC (i.e. “bitter”). Solution is IRE (i.e. “passion”) wrapped around or “involving” B (a recognised abbreviation of “bishop” used in chess). This is all then reversed (indicated by “recalled”) and placed “in” ACC (a recognised abbreviation of “account”), like so: AC(ER(B)I)C.

17. Impoverished adherent unfortunately inconsolable (6-7)

Answer: BROKEN-HEARTED (i.e. “inconsolable”). Solution is BROKE (i.e. “impoverished”) followed by an anagram (indicated by “unfortunately”) of ADHERENT, like so: BROKE-NHEARTED.

18. Perceived welcoming old woman back as an imposition on staff (5,4)

Answer: TENOR CLEF (i.e. “imposition on staff” in music). Solution is FELT (i.e. “perceived”) wrapped around or “welcoming” CRONE (i.e. “old woman”). This is all then reversed (indicated by “back”), like so: T(ENORC)LEF.

19. That man about to get taken aback for a time (5)

Answer: EPOCH (i.e. “that man”). Solution is HE (i.e. “that man”) wrapped “about” COP (i.e. “to get”) all reversed (indicated by “taken aback”), like so: E(POC)H.

21. He or I perhaps will lead a railway – that’s obvious (10)

Answer: ELEMENTARY (i.e. “obvious”). Solution is ELEMENT (i.e. “He or I perhaps”, in this case chemical symbols for helium and iodine respectively – very nicely disguised) followed by A and RY (a recognised abbreviation of “railway”).

23. Crazy mother backing murderer (6)

Answer: MANIAC (i.e. “crazy”). Solution is MA (informal word for “mother”) followed by CAIN (i.e. biblical “murderer”) once reversed (indicated by “backing”), like so: MA-NIAC.

25. Head of monastery, settlement not given initial precedence (8)

Answer: PRIORITY (i.e. “precedence”). Solution is PRIOR (i.e. “head of monastery”) followed by CITY (i.e. a “settlement”) once its first letter has been removed (indicated by “not given initial”), like so: PRIOR-ITY.

26. “PROHIBITIONIST CHAP WITH COMMERCIAL POLICY”? (6,8)

Answer: BANNER HEADLINE, as in how such are often written in capital letters, like the clue, especially in tabloid newspapers. Solution is BANNER (i.e. “prohibitionist”) followed by HE (i.e. “chap”), AD (i.e. “commercial” or advertisement) and LINE (i.e. “policy”).

29. Depressing experience? Try another way (4-3)

Answer: TURN-OFF. “Try another way” suggests the solution satisfies the first half of the clue in more than one way: 1) descriptive of a downer, and 2) the depressing of a switch to turn it off.

30. One chronicling chap’s century, suppressing regressive attitude (9)

Answer: HISTORIAN (i.e. “one chronicling”). Solution is HIS TON (i.e. “chap’s century”, say, in a game of cricket) wrapped around or “suppressing” AIR (i.e. “attitude”) once this has been reversed or “regressed”, like so: HIS-TO(RIA)N.

31. Very good joke recalled, something worth displaying? (3-2)

Answer: PIN-UP (i.e. “something worth displaying”). Solution is PI (i.e. “very good”, short for pious) followed by PUN (i.e. “joke”) once reversed (indicated by “recalled”), like so: PI-NUP.

32. Clumsy person near to where MPs vote (5)

Answer: LOBBY (i.e. “where MPs vote” in the House of Commons). Solution is LOB (i.e. a “clumsy person”, apparently) followed by BY (i.e. “near to”).

34. Bachelor, one in post with English sweetheart (9)

Answer: COLUMBINE (i.e. the “sweetheart” of Harlequin in pantomime, according to Chambers). Solution is B (a recognised abbreviation of “bachelor”) and I (i.e. “[Roman numeral] one”) both placed “in” COLUMN (i.e. “post”) and followed by E (a recognised abbreviation of “English”), like so: COLUM(B-I)N-E.

37. American writer’s sense of smell repulsed, taking in sea at Calais (7)

Answer: Ralph Waldo EMERSON (i.e. “American writer”). Solution is NOSE (i.e. “sense of smell”) reversed or “repulsed” and wrapped around or “taking in” MER (i.e. “sea at Calais”, i.e. the French for “sea”), like so: E(MER)SON.

39. Broadcast left disharmony, dismissing writer’s latest lightweight stories (7,7)

Answer: AIRPORT FICTION (i.e. “lightweight stories”). Solution is AIR (i.e. “broadcast”) followed by PORT (i.e. “left” in shipspeak), then FRICTION (i.e. “disharmony”) once the R has been removed (indicated by “dismissing writer’s latest”, i.e. the last letter of “writer”), like so: AIR-PORT-FICTION.

41. Government: source of some anger on the golf course? (8)

Answer: STEERAGE (i.e. “government”). Solution is S (i.e. “source of some”, i.e. the first letter of “some”) followed by TEE RAGE (i.e. “anger on the golf course”, playfully).

43. Redirection of fishing gear starts to catch hundreds – smelt, is it? (6)

Answer: STENCH (i.e. “smelt, is it?” – rather well played given smelt is also a variety of fish). Solution is NETS (i.e. “fishing gear”) reversed (indicated by “redirection of…”) and followed by CH (i.e. “starts to catch hundreds”, i.e. the first letters of “catch” and “hundreds”), like so: STEN-CH.

44. Unexpected fish, a lone catch at sea (10)

Answer: COELACANTH (i.e. “unexpected fish” – over to Chambers: “any of a group of primitive crossopterygian fishes all of which were thought to be extinct until 1938”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “at sea”) of A LONE CATCH. A good anagram, but not much help to solvers who aren’t familiar with primitive crossopterygian fishes.

45. Content of quite a challenging lecture (5)

Answer: TEACH (i.e. “lecture”). “Content of” indicates the solution has been hidden in the clue, like so: QUI(TE A CH)ALLENGE.

48. One not going out after retirement (9)

Answer: INSOMNIAC. Solution satisfies the clue as a whole, taking “going out” to mean nodding off and “retirement” to mean going to bed.

49. Crows: “Bequests published! You can’t escape the truth!” (6,4,3)

Answer: MURDER WILL OUT (i.e. “you can’t escape the truth”). Solution is MURDER (i.e. a collective noun for some “crows”) followed by WILL (i.e. legal “bequests”) and OUT (i.e. “published”).

51. Slightly crazy orbit, perhaps incomplete? Mine wasn’t (7)

Answer: Yuri GAGARIN (i.e. “orbit, perhaps incomplete? Mine wasn’t” – he was the first man in space, completing an orbit of earth in 1961). Solution is GAGA (i.e. “slightly crazy”) followed by RING (i.e. “orbit”) once its last letter has been removed (indicated by “incomplete”), like so: GAGA-RIN.

52. Official weather forecast possibly a burden (7)

Answer: REFRAIN (i.e. “burden”, a variant meaning being “the part of a song repeated at the end of every stanza, a refrain” (Chambers)). Solution is REF (i.e. “official”, short for referee) followed by RAIN (i.e. “weather forecast possibly”).

53. Rugby people may be mostly moving single set of rugby posts? (7)

Answer: ENGLISH (i.e. “rugby people may be mostly”. If this indeed the definition then good lord it clunks harder than a Tin Man orgy). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “moving”) of SINGLE followed by H (i.e. “set of rugby posts”, given the shape of the letter H), like so: ENGLIS-H.

54. Techie recalled study involving basic element of education? (4)

Answer: NERD (i.e. “techie” – yeah, sure, we’re nerds until you suddenly need all that pornography removed from your work laptop). Solution is DEN (i.e. “study”, a room) reversed (indicated by “recalled”) and wrapped around or “involving” R (i.e. “basic element of education”, referring to the idiotically-named Three R’s: reading, riting and rithmetic), like so: NE(R)D.

55. Line I understand, provided by one modern composer (6)

Answer: György LIGETI (i.e. “modern composer”). Solution is L (a recognised abbreviation of “line”) followed by I, then GET (i.e. “understand”), then I (i.e. “[Roman numeral] one” again). Made. To. Fit.

56. Require large European vessel to show embroidery (11)

Answer: NEEDLECRAFT (i.e. “embroidery”). Solution is NEED (i.e. “require”) followed by L (a recognised abbreviation of “large”), then E (a recognised abbreviation of “European”) and CRAFT (i.e. “vessel”).

Down clues

1. Efficient secretary blocking message (7)

Answer: CAPABLE (i.e. “efficient”). Solution is PA (i.e. “secretary”, specifically a Personal Assistant) placed in or “blocking” CABLE (i.e. “message”), like so: CA(PA)BLE.

2. Furious policeman receiving nothing in support – one’s a source of repeated documents (11)

Answer: PHOTOCOPIER (i.e. “one’s a source of repeated documents”). Solution is HOT (i.e. “furious”) and COP (i.e. “policeman”) wrapped around or “receiving” O (i.e. “nothing”). This is all then placed “in” PIER (i.e. “support”), like so: P(HOT-(O)-COP)IER.

3. Prompt, say, with plague on the rise (5)

Answer: NUDGE (i.e. “prompt”). Solution is EG (i.e. “say” or for example, from the Latin exempli gratia) and DUN (i.e. to “plague” or harass – a variant meaning) all reversed (indicated by “on the rise” – this being a down clue), like so: NUD-GE.

4. Delivery documentation variously bathetic and terrific (5,11)

Answer: BIRTH CERTIFICATE (i.e. “delivery documentation”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “variously”) of BATHETIC and TERRIFIC.

5. Sprang around most of field, like many rabbits? (3-5)

Answer: LOP-EARED (i.e. “like many rabbits”). Solution is LOPED (i.e. “sprang”) wrapped “around” AREA (i.e. “field”, e.g. of expertise) once its last letter has been removed (indicated by “most of…”), like so: LOPE(ARE)D.

6. Be prepared for a row or this phrase goes awry (4,3,4)

Answer: SHIP THE OARS (i.e. “be prepared for a row”, or to bring the oars into the boat). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “goes awry”) of OR THIS PHRASE.

7. Secured maximum value from statistics? (5)

Answer: BOUND. Solution satisfies “secured” and “maximum value from statistics”.

8. Frivolous, dissipated, welcoming British drizzle (14)

Answer: SCATTERBRAINED (i.e. “frivolous”). Solution is SCATTERED (i.e. “dissipated”) wrapped around or “welcoming” B (a recognised abbreviation of “British”) and RAIN (i.e. “drizzle”), like so: SCATTER(B-RAIN)ED.

9. Careful to limit river breach, albeit minor (6)

Answer: CRANNY (i.e. “breach, albeit minor”). Solution is CANNY (i.e. “careful”) wrapped around or “limiting” R (a recognised abbreviation of “river”), like so: C(R)ANNY.

11. Indecently humorous as BA airline flounders (11)

Answer: RABELAISIAN (i.e. “indecently humorous”, supposedly after François Rabelais, a 16th century French writer). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “flounders”) of AS BA AIRLINE. For COELACANTH, see also RABELAISIAN. Le sigh.

12. Literary genre initially lacking in motion, mostly calm (7)

Answer: PACIFIC (i.e. “calm”). Solution is SCI-FI (i.e. “literary genre”) with its first letter removed (indicated by “initially lacking”) and the remainder placed “in” PACE (i.e. “motion”) once its last letter has been removed (indicated by “mostly”), like so: PA(CI-FI)C.

13. Not at the front, a runner’s last to secure prize? On the contrary (8)

Answer: REARWARD (i.e. “not at the front”). Solution is A and R (i.e. “runner’s last” letter) placed in or “secured” by REWARD (i.e. “prize”), like so: RE(A-R)WARD. The “on the contrary” bit reverses the wordplay in the clue, which would have seen REWARD placed in A-R.

20. Damage unknown following on agreement (7)

Answer: HARMONY (i.e. “agreement”). Solution is HARM (i.e. “damage”) and Y (i.e. “unknown” – setters love referring to X, Y or Z in solutions as unknowns) once placed after or “following” ON, like so: HARM-(ON-Y).

22. Dance round after smack (5)

Answer: TANGO (i.e. a “dance”). Solution is O (i.e. “round”) placed “after” TANG (i.e. a “smack”, tinge or hint), like so: TANG-O.

24. Check opening article with list and come up with nothing new (8,3,5)

Answer: REINVENT THE WHEEL (i.e. “come up with nothing new”). Solution is REIN (i.e. to curb or “check”) followed by VENT (i.e. “opening”), then THE (i.e. “article”, being a word like a, an or the), then W (a recognised abbreviation of “with”) and HEEL (i.e. to “list” or lean).

25. A bowman piercing old man in part of leg (7)

Answer: PATELLA (i.e. “part of leg”). Solution is A and William TELL (i.e. legendary “bowman”) both placed in or “piercing” PA (i.e. “old man”, both informal references to one’s father), like so: P(A-TELL)A.

27. European moving into region without a cost (7)

Answer: EXPENSE (i.e. “cost”). Solution is EXPANSE (i.e. “region”) with the A removed (indicated by “without a”) and with E (a recognised abbreviation of “European”) “moving into” its place, like so: EXP(A)NSE => EXP(E)NSE.

28. Prominent figure with concern about end of luncheon after cold dish (6,3,5)

Answer: CHILLI CON CARNE (i.e. “dish”). Solution is HILL ICON (i.e. “prominent figure”, taking “prominent” to mean something sticking out or projecting – crikey, and I thought the clueing for ENGLISH in 53a was weak) followed by CARE (i.e. “concern”) once wrapped “about” N (i.e. “end [letter] of luncheon”). This is all then placed “after” C (a recognised abbreviation of “cold” used on water taps), like so: C-(HILL-ICON-CAR(N)E).

31. Strasbourg’s ready with external, dubious rationale (7)

Answer: PRETEXT (i.e. “dubious rationale”). Solution is PRET (i.e. “Strasbourg’s ready”, i.e. the French for “ready”, as in Pret a Manger) followed by EXT (short for “external”).

33. Quantity of chocolate surely transformed with a good piece of confectionery (6,5)

Answer: BARLEY SUGAR (i.e. “piece of confectionery”). Solution is BAR (i.e. “quantity of chocolate”) followed by an anagram (indicated by “transformed”) of SURELY, A and G (a recognised abbreviation of “good”), like so: BAR-LEYSUGAR.

35. Small amount left in accommodation (5)

Answer: MOTEL (i.e. “accommodation”). Solution is MOTE (i.e. “small amount”) followed by L (a recognised abbreviation of “left”). Good grief. This appeared only a couple of weeks ago in grid 1676, and it appears again in next week’s grid. That’s three MOTELs in the space of 5 Jumbo cryptics. I mean, I don’t want to start wanging on about the office GridFill 4000™ getting stuck on repeat again, but when crap like this happens it’s hard not to.

36. Barrier to communication worried court in Iran (4,7)

Answer: IRON CURTAIN (i.e. “barrier to communication” between the former Soviet bloc and the West during the Cold War). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “worried”) of COURT IN IRAN.

38. Greek food spread on a knockout type of bread (11)

Answer: SPANAKOPITA (i.e. “Greek food”, a kind of cheesy spinach pastry). Solution is SPAN (i.e. “spread”) followed by A, then K.O. (short for “knockout”) and PITA (i.e. “type of bread”). Well, at least it wasn’t an anagram.

40. Filmed willing American entering borders of Canada (2,6)

Answer: ON CAMERA (i.e. “filmed”). Solution is ON (i.e. ready or “willing”) followed by AMER (a recognised abbreviation of “American”) once placed in or “entering” CA (i.e. “borders of Canada”), like so: ON-C(AMER)A.

42. Stake reputation ultimately on no Scottish radio equipment (8)

Answer: ANTENNAE (i.e. “radio equipment”). Solution is ANTE (i.e. gambling “stake”) followed by N (i.e. “ultimately on”, i.e. the last letter of “on”) and NAE (i.e. “no Scottish”, or the Scots form of “no”).

43. A bit sozzled to start with, partway through drink (7)

Answer: SMIDGIN (i.e. “a bit”). Solution is S (i.e. “sozzled to begin with”, i.e. the first letter of “sozzled”) followed by MID (i.e. “partway through”) and GIN (i.e. “drink”).

46. Maestro’s laughter interrupted by start of tense silence (7)

Answer: HOTSHOT (i.e. “maestro”). Solution is HOOT (i.e. “laughter”) wrapped around or “interrupted by” T (i.e. “start of tense”, i.e. the first letter of “tense”) and SH (i.e. “silence”), like so: HO(T-SH)OT.

47. Wagner opera: nothing to a Frenchman and almost nothing to an American (6)

Answer: RIENZI (i.e. “Wagner opera”). Solution is RIEN (i.e. “nothing to a Frenchman”, i.e. the French for “nothing”) followed by ZIP (i.e. “nothing to an American”) once its last letter has been removed (indicated by “almost”), like so: RIEN-ZI. Frankly, it’s nothing to me too.

49. I will follow Manchester United football team initially in civilian gear (5)

Answer: MUFTI (i.e. “civilian gear”). Solution is I placed after or “following” MUFT (i.e. “Manchester United football team initially”, i.e. the first letters of “Manchester United Football Team”), like so: MUFT-I.

50. Sense dull person’s in charge (5)

Answer: LOGIC (i.e. “sense”). Solution is LOG (i.e. “dull person” – a new one on me) followed by IC (a recognised abbreviation of “in charge”).