Times Jumbo Cryptic Crossword 1688

A toughie Jumbo, one for the Olav Bjortomts than us mere mortals. I did find it amusing that feedback from this Jumbo made it into the main paper today (14 Sept 2024). I’ll quote the article here, guest written by Mick Hodgkin, puzzles editor of The Times:

Plea against polymaths
How wide a vocabulary and how much general knowledge should be expected of a cryptic crossword solver? Geraldine Lloyd cried foul after struggling through Cryptic Jumbo 1688, writing to complain: “Your compiler seems to demand that readers are polymaths who have more than a working knowledge of: 5th-century Roman history (Ostrogoth), biological science (sterol), subclassification of snakes (ophidia), Italian terms for marine phenomena (fata morgana), medical terms (epicardial), turtle shell composition (plastron) and Arab guerrillas (Feyadeen). Phew! That’s just one puzzle.”

I must admit this did tickle me when I read it. I know some of you like it when Jumbos lean hard into general knowledge. I would too if the solutions were interesting. But some of the trash in this grid was beyond dull. “I don’t know how I ever got to this stage of my life without learning the parts of a turtle shell, but I’m so glad I know now. My life is enriched!” …is a phrase nobody is going to say. Ever.

The article continues:

Solvers of advanced cryptics like Mephisto and Listener accept that some answers may be unknown words that they must deduce from the wordplay and confirm in the more obscurity-friendly Chambers Dictionary, but we try to limit such things in regular cryptics.
All seven words can be found in Collins and all have helpful wordplay. But are we guilty of showing off? “May I suggest your compiler rein back the on the fruits of his/her no doubt very expensive private education”, Geraldine continued, “and give us products of a mere grammar school a bit of a chance?”

I think most readers of my recent posts could guess what I thought when Mick asked “are we guilty of showing off?” I wouldn’t be presenting my cases for the prosecution each week if you weren’t, Mick.

As for his wider point I’m going to politely highlight something that seems to have escaped him in that, of the seven words cited by Geraldine, all bar one of them are clumped close together in the bottom-left-hand quadrant of the grid. (And above them is AVOIRDUPOIS – hardly a common-or-garden word itself.) Such a concentration of exotic solutions can make it significantly harder to deduce the others around them from their intersecting letters.

What interests me is how these situations arise. Is this a case of the setter not giving a toss, to hell with solvers, let them gasp at the dexterity of my clueing, let them sweat over my magnificent breadth of knowledge? Or is it something I often call poor grid-awareness, i.e. putting any old trash in there, caring more about achieving a grid-fill than making the puzzle fun? We all know exotic solutions are deployed to fill awkward spaces. What checks and balances exist to rein in a setter who overdoes it?

Mick continues:

I take issue with the assumption that all crossword compilers must have had a privileged education. The compiler of this puzzle told me the closest he got to private school was playing the drums in gigs at Bedales and Winchester College, the latter in a Led Zeppelin tribute band.
A fellow graduate of the comprehensive system, he says that after being “tortured, rather than schooled”, he “started studying off my own bat, having realised that I was headed for the jobcentre long term if things didn’t change. But I did learn to read somewhere along the line, which has helped.”

As a fellow graduate of the comprehensive system too, I’m going to take issue with the setter’s incredibly sniffy attitude to the education they received. Look, I’m not going to pretend that every comprehensive school is A1, but, in the large majority of them, you’re going to get out of an education the effort and degree of interest you put in. “Tortured, rather than schooled”? Jesus wept, just listen to yourself. Fine, so you weren’t interested in the curriculum. You wanted to read wider. It didn’t mean you were on a one-way journey to the dole if you hadn’t. Get over yourself.

To close:

A wide vocabulary does help when solving crosswords, but doing crosswords is also a great way to widen your vocabulary. And we do try to make most answers words most solvers might actually know.

I would generally agree with the first half of this but I would argue the issue isn’t solvers’ vocabularies as such, so much the assumed breadth of their knowledge. One is a significantly smaller pool than the other. A lot more people are going to know about a fata morgana than know its name. And often it doesn’t matter that the word is present in a dictionary. There are probably 300 different varieties of trees dotted throughout Chambers, but 1) I’m only going to know a fraction of them and 2) I’m somewhat unlikely to remember another thanks to some crossword.

As for his closing sentence, I can only refer Mick again to my comments about poor grid-awareness. Yes, you could say if seven solutions were tough bastards then there are still another fifty-odd that are gettable, but your chances of getting them are somewhat lessened by them being connected to a cluster of exotic solutions.

Anyway, an interesting article, I thought. On with the show. Now that the competition deadline is long gone 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 gave you bother 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 comments and input. Till next time, stay safe out there kids.

LP

P.S. And oh wow the Times crossword clichés in this one! Perhaps unsurprisingly given all the above. There are now 12 more Jumbos to go before I wrap up these posts.

The case for the prosecution

Across clues

1. Also chasing university place in Pennines? (6)

Answer: UPLAND (i.e. “Pennines”, one such example of a hilly region). Solution is AND (i.e. “also”) placed after or “chasing” U (a recognised abbreviation of “university”) and PL (ditto “place”), like so: (U-PL)-AND.

5. Hurried to gobble crackers before a fasting period (7)

Answer: RAMADAN (i.e. Muslim “fasting period”). Solution is RAN (i.e. “hurried”) wrapped around or “gobbling” MAD (i.e. “crackers”, informally) and A, like so: RA(MAD-A)N.

9. Mushroom where batter needs to stand? (8)

Answer: INCREASE (i.e. to “mushroom”). When written as IN CREASE the solution also satisfies “where batter needs to stand” in a game of cricket.

13. Flying squadron tutored madmen that needed proving (4,4,13)

Answer: QUOD ERAT DEMONSTRANDUM (i.e. “that needed proving” in Latin, often abbreviated to QED). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “flying”) of SQUADRON TUTORED MADMEN. This has appeared twice before while I’ve been writing these posts, and always in this particular grid layout. In grid 1351 the clue was “It’s evident prison transmuted a modern criminal” i.e. QUOD followed by an anagram of TRANSMUTED A MODERN. When it came to be reprinted in the Times Jumbo Cryptic Crossword Book 21 (puzzle 44) the clue was for some reason changed to “It’s evident prison reformed a modern criminal”. Good luck to anyone trying to solve that one. Also, oh look, a Latin phrase in a Times crossword! You don’t see that every week. Most weeks, yes, but not every week.

14. Money in undefined amount MI6’s obsession? (8)

Answer: NEUROSIS (i.e. “obsession”). Solution is EURO (i.e. “money”, currency of a number of European countries) placed “in” N (i.e. “undefined amount” in mathematics) and SIS (i.e. “MI6”, or the Secret Intelligence Service), like so: N-(EURO)-SIS.

15. SLR shot captures wingless bird and those lingering (7)

Answer: LURKERS (i.e. “those lingering”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “shot”) of SLR wrapped around or “capturing” TURKEY (i.e. “bird”) once its first and last letters have been removed (indicated by “wingless” – nice disguise), like so: L(URKE)RS.

16. This was capital offence – leader denied motive (6)

Answer: REASON (i.e. “motive”). Solution is TREASON (i.e. “this was capital offence”) with its first letter removed (indicated by “leader denied”).

17. Circle of PC gurus may form research panel (5,5)

Answer: FOCUS GROUP (i.e. “research panel”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “may form”) of O (i.e. “circle”) and OF PC GURUS.

20. Liquid gold is enough for private home (7,5)

Answer: LODGING HOUSE (i.e. “private home”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “liquid”) of GOLD IS ENOUGH.

23. German foundation leaving bishop millions (4)

Answer: OTTO (i.e. “German” name – forenames as solutions are ugh; foreign ones are mega-ugh). Solution is BOTTOM (i.e. “foundation”) with the B and M (recognised abbreviations of “bishop” (in chess) and “millions” respectively) removed or “left”.

24. Solidly-built pupils lacking in academic promise? (5-3)

Answer: THICK-SET (i.e. “solidly-built”). When written without a hyphen then the solution playfully satisfies “pupils lacking in academic promise”.

26. Gold found in crazily loaded place invading Spaniards sought (2,6)

Answer: EL DORADO (i.e. “place invading Spaniards sought”). Solution is OR (i.e. “gold” in heraldry) placed or “found in” an anagram (indicated by “crazily”) of LOADED, like so: ELD(OR)ADO.

29. Cheered about one touch from the right for United (12)

Answer: CONSOLIDATED (i.e. “united”). Solution is CONSOLED (i.e. “cheered” up) wrapped “about” I (i.e. “[Roman numeral] one”) and TAD (i.e. a “touch” or hint of something) once the latter has been reversed (indicated by “from the right” – this being an across clue), like so: CONSOL(I-DAT)ED.

30. Artist returned with long face, related to structure close to the heart (10)

Answer: EPICARDIAL (i.e. “related to structure close to the heart”). Solution is RA (i.e. “artist”, specifically a Royal Academician) reversed (indicated by “returned”) and placed after or “with” EPIC (i.e. “long”). This is all then followed by DIAL (i.e. “face”), like so: (EPIC-AR)-DIAL.

32. Short story involving short Scottish prosecutor that’s appropriate (10)

Answer: CONFISCATE (i.e. to take or “appropriate”). Solution is CONTE (i.e. “short story” – from the French, apparently) wrapped around or “involving” FISCAL (i.e. “Scottish prosecutor”) once its last letter has been removed (indicated by “short”), like so: CON(FISCA)TE.

34. For whom getting back to work should be a professional priority? (12)

Answer: CHIROPRACTOR. Clue plays on how they work on people’s backs. Relatively straightforward, but this still raised a smile when I twigged it.

36. Articles drawn from Cairo and Tehran reversed artificial expression (8)

Answer: RHETORIC (i.e. “artificial expression”). Solution is CAIRO and TEHRAN with the A removed from CAIRO and AN removed from TEHRAN (indicated by “articles drawn from…” – articles being words like a, an or the). The remainder, CIRO and TEHR, is then all “reversed”, like so: RHET-ORIC.

38. Letters central to belief in tract showing faith (8)

Answer: RELIGION (i.e. “faith”). Solution is LI (i.e. “letters central to beLIef”) placed “in” REGION (i.e. “tract”), like so: RE(LI)GION.

39. Weak husband opening airtight container (4)

Answer: THIN (i.e. “weak”). Solution is H (a recognised abbreviation of “husband”) placed in or “opening” TIN (i.e. “airtight container”), like so: T(H)IN.

41. Former empire’s vulgar riches? (12)

Answer: COMMONWEALTH (i.e. “former empire”). Solution is COMMON (i.e. “vulgar”) followed by WEALTH (i.e. “riches”).

43. Go to bed with upper-class lodger – army officer (10)

Answer: LIEUTENANT (i.e. “army officer”). Solution is LIE (i.e. “go to bed”) followed by U (a recognised abbreviation of the “upper-class”) and TENANT (i.e. “lodger”).

44. Initially sober, then learning about solid alcohol (6)

Answer: STEROL (i.e. “solid alcohol”). Solution is S and T (i.e. “initially sober then”, i.e. the first letters of “sober” and “then”) followed by LORE (i.e. “learning”) once reversed (indicated by “about”), like so: S-T-EROL.

46. Sat after collapse in a wine store, choose not to drink (7)

Answer: ABSTAIN (i.e. “choose not to drink”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “after collapse”) of SAT placed “in” A and BIN (i.e. “wine store”), like so: A-B(STA)IN. Nicely worked.

48. Goddess to protect party associated with NEC – that’s the narrative (8)

Answer: ANECDOTE (i.e. “narrative”). Solution is ATE (i.e. Greek “goddess” of mischief) wrapped around or “protecting” DO (i.e. “party”) once it has been placed on or after or “associated with” NEC, like so: A(NEC-DO)TE. I’ve been punishing the use of Greek mythology, and today is no different (although ATE is quite often found in cryptic crosswords).

50. Let shadow cabinet prove corrupt – anxious waiting has no effect (1,7,3,5,5)

Answer: A WATCHED POT NEVER BOILS (i.e. proverb illustrating “anxious waiting has no effect”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “corrupt”) of LET SHADOW CABINET PROVE.

51. News boss indeed entering marshy land sees Arab fighters? (8)

Answer: FEDAYEEN (i.e. “Arab fighters”, especially ones involved in the conflict against Israel. Not sure if that’s the setter nailing his colours to the mast there.) Solution is ED (i.e. “news boss”, short for an editor) and AYE (i.e. “indeed”) both placed in or “entering” FEN (i.e. “marshy land”), like so: F(ED-AYE)EN. One worked out from the wordplay for me, perhaps unsurprisingly.

52. An eminent Florentine’s unhurried pace? (7)

Answer: ANDANTE (i.e. “unhurried pace” in musical lingo). Solution is AN followed by DANTE Alighieri (i.e. “eminent Florentine” – good grief, could you not have just called him a poet?). Dante is well-known so I won’t apply a demerit there, but musical lingo is ten-a-penny in Times crosswords, so here comes angry Beethoven…

53. Bear in river following death (6)

Answer: ENDURE (i.e. “bear”). Solution is URE (i.e. Yorkshire “river”) placed after or “following” END (i.e. “death”), like so: END-URE.

Down clues

2. Offence taken: Greek character quite expressing it (5)

Answer: PIQUE (i.e. “offence taken”). Solution is PI (i.e. “Greek character”, specifically the sixteenth letter of the Greek alphabet) followed by QUITE once the IT has been removed or “expressed”, like so: PI-QUE.

3. Duck, upon removing tail, is around right weight (11)

Answer: AVOIRDUPOIS (i.e. “weight”, specifically one “in which the pound (lb) equals 16 ounces (oz)” (Chambers) and one widely used in English-speaking countries). Solution is AVOID (i.e. “duck”), UPON with its last letter removed (indicated by “removing tail”) and IS. This is all then wrapped “around” R (a recognised abbreviation of “right”), like so: AVOI(R)D-UPO-IS. I’ll admit I’ve never heard the word before, so you can imagine the swearing that spouted forth over here.

4. Groom on time as horse moves? (8)

Answer: DRESSAGE (i.e. “horse moves”). Solution is DRESS (i.e. “groom”) followed by AGE (i.e. “time”).

5. Studies concerned with first note from the sign (5)

Answer: READS (i.e. “studies”). Solution is RE (i.e. “concerned with” – think email replies) followed by A (i.e. “first [musical] note”) and DS (i.e. “from the sign” – apparently this is a recognised abbreviation of “dal segno”, musical lingo instructing a performer to return to a specific point). Wait, what was that? Musical lingo again? Good grief, setter, what are you like? Here’s angry Beethoven again.

6. Spooner’s tide guide that reduces deposits on estate? (7)

Answer: MUDFLAP (i.e. “that reduces deposits on estate” car). Solution is a “Spoonerism” of FLOOD MAP (i.e. “tide guide”). Nicely done.

7. Dispirited? Practical lesson one’s put into action (11)

Answer: DEMORALISED (i.e. “dispirited”). Solution is MORAL (i.e. “practical lesson”) and I’S (i.e. “[Roman numeral] one’s”) both placed “into” DEED (i.e. “action”), like so: DE(MORAL-I’S)ED.

8. Present time, or at some time after noon (5)

Answer: NONCE (i.e. “present time”). Solution is ONCE (i.e. “at some time”) placed “after” N (a recognised abbreviation of “noon”), like so: N-ONCE.

9. Some guts needed to help win Test in England (9)

Answer: INTESTINE (i.e. “some guts”). “Some” also indicates the solution has been hidden in the clue, like so: W(IN TEST IN E)NGLAND. I think “needed to help” is there solely to make the clue scan.

10. Key locks office (5)

Answer: CHAIR (i.e. “office”). Solution is C (i.e. musical “key”) followed by HAIR (i.e. “locks” or tresses).

11. Doctor Evadne rued nothing – made determined effort (11)

Answer: ENDEAVOURED (i.e. “made determined effort”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “doctor”) of EVADNE RUED and O (i.e. “nothing”).

12. Problem with battle order (7)

Answer: SUMMONS (i.e. court “order”). Solution is SUM (i.e. mathematical “problem”) followed by MONS (i.e. “battle” of the First World War popular with crossword setters).

18. Theodoric, perhaps ridiculously short, having to go back inside (9)

Answer: OSTROGOTH (i.e. “Theodoric, perhaps”, referring to Theodoric the Great, leader of the Ostrogoths. No, me neither). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “ridiculously”) of SHORT wrapped around or “having…inside” TO GO once this has been reversed (indicated by “back”), like so: OSTR(OG-OT)H. Oh, this very much qualifies for a History Today demerit!

19. Snakes concealed in ideal state as Roman leaves (7)

Answer: OPHIDIA (i.e. “snakes” – literally all of them). Solution is HID (i.e. “concealed”) placed “in” UTOPIA (i.e. “ideal state”) once the UT has been removed (indicated by “as Roman leaves” – the Latin for “as” being UT), like so: OP(HID)IA. Latin can always get stuffed for my money. Have another demerit.

21. Indecisive People’s Princess, meeting the syndicate (9)

Answer: DITHERING (i.e. “indecisive”). Solution is DI (i.e. “People’s Princess”) followed by THE and RING (i.e. “syndicate”).

22. Spirit died, endlessly blessed in churchyard (4,4)

Answer: GOD’S ACRE (i.e. “churchyard”). Solution is GO (i.e. “spirit” or va-va-voom) followed by D (a recognised abbreviation of “died”) and SACRED (i.e. “blessed”) once its last letter has been removed (indicated by “endlessly”), like so: GO-D-SACRE.

25. Church medic visiting animal to restore to good condition (9)

Answer: CATHEDRAL (i.e. “church”). Solution is DR (i.e. “medic”, short for doctor) placed in or “visiting” CAT (i.e. “animal”) and HEAL (i.e. “to restore to good condition”), like so: CAT-HE(DR)AL.

27. Harsh one with no heart maybe brought up a name (9)

Answer: DRACONIAN (i.e. “harsh”). Solution is I (i.e. “[Roman numeral] one”), NO and CARD (i.e. “heart maybe” – other playing card suits are available) all reversed (indicated by “brought up” – this being a down clue). This is all then followed by A and N (a recognised abbreviation of “name”), like so: (DRAC-ON-I)-A-N. My copy of the Jumbo also had some trash text after this clue: “avoiding repetition of”. These Jumbos can be difficult enough at the best of times without such shenanigans confusing everything!

28. Penny possibly closing the show devours rook and turtle part (8)

Answer: PLASTRON (i.e. “turtle part”). Solution is P (a recognised abbreviation of a “penny”) followed by LAST ON (i.e. “possibly closing the show”) once wrapped around or “devouring” R (a recognised abbreviation of “rook” used in chess), like so: P-(LAST-(R)-ON). You must forgive me if I lack intimate knowledge of a turtle’s anatomy. Good grief.

31. Elemental form is uppermost in Phoebe’s heart (7)

Answer: ISOTOPE (i.e. “elemental form”). Solution is IS followed by TOP (i.e. “uppermost”) once placed “in” OE (i.e. “PhOEbe’s heart”), like so: IS-O(TOP)E.

33. A small horse gypsies reared under substantial illusion (4,7)

Answer: FATA MORGANA (i.e. “illusion” – over to Chambers again: “a striking kind of mirage seen most often in the Strait of Messina”, the kind that can make it look like a ship is floating some distance above the horizon). Solution is A, NAG (i.e. “small horse”) and ROMA (i.e. “gypsies”) all reversed (indicated by “reared” – this being a down clue) and placed after or “under” – down clue again – FAT (i.e. “substantial”), like so: FAT-(AMOR-GAN-A). One eventually nailed by the wordplay, but it took a fair few intersecting letters to help get it.

34. Electra and Priscilla are so unsympathetic (4-7)

Answer: COLD-HEARTED (i.e. “unsympathetic”). Clue plays on how C (a recognised abbreviation of “COLD” used on water taps) is at the HEART of “EleCtra” and “PrisCilla”.

35. Two things hair stylist did as arranged (3,3,5)

Answer: CUT AND DRIED. Solution satisfies “two things hair stylist did” and “as arranged” or decided in advance.

37. Section’s second district in French city (9)

Answer: CAESAREAN (i.e. “section”, commonly referred to as a C-section). Solution is S (a recognised abbreviation of “second”) and AREA (i.e. “district”) both placed “in” CAEN (i.e. “French city”). Never heard of CAEN, but it looks nice. It’s French, though, of course, and we should know by now that Times setters nurse semis for all things French. Have a meme…

40. Maiden in a high-pitched voice, quavering lyrically (8)

Answer: ATREMBLE (i.e. “quavering lyrically”). Solution is M (a recognised abbreviation of “maiden”) placed “in” A and TREBLE (i.e. “high-pitched voice”), like so: A-TRE(M)BLE.

42. Old Tuareg sullied in scandal (7)

Answer: OUTRAGE (i.e. “scandal”). Solution is O (a recognised abbreviation of “old”) followed by an anagram (indicated by “sullied”) of TUAREG.

43. Large insect regularly nearing light (7)

Answer: LANTERN (i.e. “light”). Solution is L (a recognised abbreviation of “large”) followed by ANT (i.e. “insect”) and ERN (i.e. “regularly nearing”, i.e. every other letter of NEARING).

45. Philosopher’s topless fellow outside clubs (5)

Answer: John LOCKE (i.e. English “philosopher” of the seventeenth century). Solution is BLOKE (i.e. “fellow”) with the first letter removed (indicated by “topless”) and the remainder wrapped “outside” of C (a recognised abbreviation of “clubs” used in some card games), like so: LO(C)KE. Philosophers are a magnet for Times setters, much like composers. Have a demerit.

47. One among parrots ascending displays reddish-brown shade (5)

Answer: SEPIA (i.e. “reddish-brown shade”). Solution is I (i.e. “[Roman numeral] one”) placed in or “among” APES (i.e. “parrots” or imitates) once reversed (indicated by “ascending” – this being a down clue), like so: SEP(I)A.

48. Alpine ridge periodically observed in fair weather (5)

Answer: ARÊTE (i.e. “alpine ridge”). “Periodically observed in” indicates the solution is derived from every other letter of FAIR WEATHER. Easy only if you know it.

49. Boomerang was tested again? Shocking weapon (5)

Answer: TASER (i.e. “shocking weapon”). Solution is RE-SAT (i.e. “was tested again”) reversed or “boomeranged”.