A reasonably straightforward Jumbo that triggered one too many Times crossword clichés for my liking, so we’re now down to 4 Jumbos to go.

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

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

LP

The case for the prosecution

Across clues

1. Delight at confined bears (9)

Answer: CAPTIVATE (i.e. “delight”). Solution is CAPTIVE (i.e. “confined”) wrapped around or “bearing” AT, like so: CAPTIV(AT)E.

6. Wood shaving redder initially? (5)

Answer: OSIER (i.e. “wood”, specifically a willow). Solution is ROSIER (i.e. “redder”) with the first letter or “initial” “shaved” off.

9. Nocturnal grazers try and cut back (7)

Answer: WOMBATS (i.e. “nocturnal grazers”). Solution is STAB (i.e. an attempt or “try”) and MOW (i.e. “cut”) all reversed (indicated by “back”), like so: WOM-BATS.

13. Note that lifts the spirits? (5)

Answer: TONIC. Solution satisfies a musical “note” and also something “that lifts the spirits”.

14. Whole business report written by that woman (7)

Answer: SHEBANG (i.e. “whole business”). Solution is BANG (i.e. “report” or backfire) placed “by” or after SHE (i.e. “that woman”), like so: SHE-BANG.

15. Match catching alight at last – fire! (9)

Answer: STIMULATE (i.e. “fire” up). Solution is SIMULATE (i.e. copy or “match”) wrapped around or “catching” T (i.e. “alight at last”, i.e. the last letter of “alight”), like so: S(T)IMULATE.

16. Scary job of Mohawk maker? (4-7)

Answer: HAIR-RAISING. Solution satisfies “scary” and, playfully, “job of Mohawk maker”.

17. Bit of lemon served with duck meat, novel! (6,5)

Answer: OLIVER TWIST (i.e. “novel” by Charles Dickens). Solution is TWIST (i.e. “bit of lemon”) placed after or “with” O (i.e. “duck” – a zero score in cricket) followed by LIVER (i.e. “meat”), like so: (O-LIVER)-TWIST. As I’ve said before I do like Dickens but the near universal adherence of Times setters including classic novels in Jumbos and only classic novels bores me now. Demerit time.

18. Type of delivery to Alps proving slippery! (6)

Answer: POSTAL (i.e. “type of delivery”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “proving slippery”) of TO ALPS.

19. Reddish brown, something cheesy? (8)

Answer: CHESTNUT. Solution satisfies “reddish brown” and “something cheesy”, in this case a stale joke or cliché, as in the phrase “that old chestnut”.

21. A pop song thus sung (6)

Answer: ARIOSO. The solution satisfies the clue as a whole, being “in the melodious manner of an aria, or between an aria and recitative” (Chambers), but also comprises A followed by RIO (i.e. “pop song” by Duran Duran) and SO (i.e. “thus”). While it’s nice to see something from the hit parade within living memory, musical lingo appears in Jumbos nearly every damned week and, like classic novels, it’s really boring now. Have an angry Beethoven.

25. Ecclesiastical figure (8)

Answer: CARDINAL. Solution satisfies the clue as whole, but also refers to numbers or “figures”.

26. Sharp, raising arm almost immediately? (5,2,3,4)

Answer: QUICK ON THE DRAW. Solution satisfies “sharp” or prompt in response, and also playfully “raising arm almost immediately”, taking “arm” to be a gun.

28. Bodily cavity, pulmonary organ almost filled by yours truly (5)

Answer: LUMEN (i.e. “bodily cavity” – a new one on me). Solution is LUNG (i.e. “pulmonary organ”) with the last letter removed (indicated by “almost”) and the remainder wrapped around or “filled by” ME (i.e. “yours truly” from the point of view of the setter), like so: LU(ME)N.

29. Filled snack: bit into double servings of it (6)

Answer: SAMOSA (i.e. “filled snack”). Solution is MO (i.e. “bit” or short period of time) placed “into” SA and SA (i.e. “double servings of it” – SA being a recognised abbreviation of “sex appeal” I’ve only ever seen used in cryptic crosswords; “it” meanwhile is another way of describing sex appeal), like so: SA-(MO)-SA.

30. Strong wire for rebuilding in Berlin, say? (10)

Answer: SONGWRITER (i.e. Irving “Berlin, say” – other songwriters are available). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “for rebuilding”) of STRONG WIRE.

33. A band of colour? (4,6)

Answer: DEEP PURPLE. Solution satisfies “a band” and also a “colour”. When this solution appeared last May the clue was “Band of rock found in sea? Elaborate!” I also couldn’t resist dropping in a YouTube video back then, so here’s another:

35. Kid given detention by lecturer, monster! (6)

Answer: DRAGON (i.e. “monster”). Solution is RAG (i.e. to “kid” or ridicule) placed in or “detained by” DON (i.e. “lecturer”), like so: D(RAG)ON.

36. Plug broken by Greek character, little pest (5)

Answer: APHID (i.e. “little pest”). Solution is AD (i.e. “plug”, short for advertisement) wrapped around or “broken by” PHI (i.e. “Greek character”, specifically the twenty-first letter of the Greek alphabet), like so: A(PHI)D.

38. Die, or come back from the dead? (4,2,3,5)

Answer: GIVE UP THE GHOST, i.e. “die”. I guess the solution also playfully satisfies “come back from the dead”, maybe with “come back from” tenuously meaning GIVE UP but I’m not really feeling it.

40. A run embraced by numbers of New Yorkers on – this? (8)

Answer: MARATHON. Solution satisfies the clue as a whole, but also comprises A and R (a recognised abbreviation of “run” used in a number of ball games) both placed in or “embraced by” MATH (i.e. “numbers of New Yorkers”, as in how Americans refer to mathematics as “math”) and followed by ON, like so: M(A-R)ATH-ON. Nicely worked.

42. An obligation unfulfilled with ten accommodated in extra building (6)

Answer: ANNEXE (i.e. “extra building”). Solution is AN followed by NEED (i.e. “obligation”) once its last letter has been removed (indicated by “unfulfilled”) and the remainder wrapped around or “accommodating” X (i.e. “ten” expressed as a Roman numeral), like so: AN-NE(X)E.

43. Smash art, until split (4,4)

Answer: TURN TAIL (i.e. “split” or run away). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “smash”) of ART UNTIL.

44. Chicken wraps back in Kansas for dessert! (6)

Answer: MOUSSE (i.e. “dessert”). Solution is MOUSE (i.e. “chicken”, both descriptive of a timid or scared person) “wrapped” around S (i.e. “back in Kansas”, i.e. the last letter of “Kansas”), like so: MOUS(S)E.

47. Opera about English ship, and German aria (6,5)

Answer: NESSUN DORMA (i.e. “aria” from Giacomo Puccini’s opera Turandot – footie fans of a certain age will remember its use in TV coverage of the 1990 FIFA World Cup held in Italy). Solution is NORMA (i.e. “opera” by Vincenzo Bellini) wrapped “about” E (a recognised abbreviation of “English”), SS (i.e. “ship”, specifically a recognised abbreviation of a steamship) and UND (i.e. “and German”, i.e. the German for “and”), like so: N(E-SS-UND)ORMA. Crikey, which demerit to apply here? We’ve got a foreign language (though the Times is hardly alone in using UND in this way), we’ve got arias, we’ve got operas. It’s like this clue was trying to fill the Times crossword cliché bingo card all on its own!

50. Add revenue fraudulently, accepting zero made an effort (11)

Answer: ENDEAVOURED (i.e. “made an effort”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “fraudulently”) of ADD REVENUE wrapped around or “accepting” O (i.e. “zero”), like so: ENDEAV(O)URED.

52. Cold gas, natural (9)

Answer: HEARTLESS (i.e. “cold”). Solution is HE (i.e. “gas”, in this case the chemical symbol of helium) followed by ARTLESS (i.e. “natural”).

53. Naked folk I observed on holiday in African capital (7)

Answer: TRIPOLI (i.e. “African capital”, specifically that of Libya). Solution is OL (i.e. “naked folk”, i.e. the word “folk” with its first and last letters removed) and I both placed “on” or after TRIP (i.e. “holiday”), like so: TRIP-(OL-I).

54. Lover, one captured by pen in poetry? (5)

Answer: SWAIN (i.e. “lover”). Solution is I (i.e. “[Roman numeral] one”) placed in or “captured by” SWAN (i.e. “pen in poetry”, a “pen” is a female swan – the “in poetry” part seems unnecessary to me), like so: SWA(I)N.

55. Turner fan joins faction (4,3)

Answer: WING NUT (i.e. a “turner”). Solution is NUT (i.e. “fan” or enthusiast) placed after or “joining” WING (i.e. “faction”).

56. Short selection from shorter selection (5)

Answer: TERSE (i.e. “short” or impatient). “Selection from” indicates the solution has been hidden in the clue, like so: SHOR(TER SE)LECTION.

57. Wasps for example near meal, thousand on carpet (5,4)

Answer: RUGBY TEAM (i.e. “Wasps for example”). Solution is BY (i.e. “near”), TEA (i.e. “meal”) and M (a “thousand” as a Roman numeral) all placed “on” or after RUG (i.e. “carpet”), like so: RUG-(BY-TEA-M).

Down clues

1. Hear song (5)

Answer: CATCH. Solution satisfies “hear” and “song” – over to Chambers again: “a round for three or more voices, often deriving comic effect from the interweaving of the words”.

2. Windfall, change in the air? (7,4,6)

Answer: PENNIES FROM HEAVEN (i.e. “windfall”). The remainder of the clue plays on PENNIES being loose “change”. You get the idea.

3. Form relationships primarily visiting old people from South America? (11)

Answer: INCARNATION (i.e. “form”). Solution is R (i.e. “relationships primarily”, i.e. the first letter of “relationships”) placed in or “visiting” INCA NATION (i.e. descriptive of “old people from South America”), like so: INCA-(R)-NATION.

4. Let oneself down while climbing, say, fib about underlying muscles (6)

Answer: ABSEIL (i.e. “let oneself down while climbing, say”). Solution is LIE (i.e. “fib”) reversed (indicated by “about”) and placed “under” – this being a down clue – ABS (i.e. “muscles”, abdominals), like so: ABS-EIL.

5. Immeasurably vacuous, he gets ridiculed for observation (8)

Answer: EYESIGHT (i.e. “observation”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “ridiculed”) of IY (i.e. “immeasurably vacuous”, i.e. the word “immeasurably” with all its middle letters removed) and HE GETS.

6. Drink nothing and stretch before game (6,6)

Answer: ORANGE SQUASH (i.e. “drink”). Solution is O (i.e. “nothing”) followed by RANGE (i.e. “stretch”) and SQUASH (i.e. a ball “game”).

7. Doing well at a decent prison? (2,4,4)

Answer: IN GOOD NICK. Solution satisfies “doing well” and “at a decent prison” – NICK being a slang word for a prison.

8. Teacher shown up, good day for wise guy (5)

Answer: RISHI (i.e. “wise guy” or sage, from the Sanskrit). Solution is SIR (i.e. “teacher”) reversed or “shown up” – this being a down clue – followed by HI (i.e. “good day”, both greetings), like so: RIS-HI.

9. Fish a bit wet, I suspect, hard to slice through (9)

Answer: WHITEBAIT (i.e. “fish”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “suspect”) of A BIT WET I all wrapped around or “sliced through” by H (a recognised abbreviation of “hard” used in grading pencils), like so: W(H)ITEBAIT.

10. Form of enumeration, one going up (11)

Answer: MOUNTAINEER (i.e. “one going up”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “form of”) of ENUMERATION.

11. Raised in Detroit, a marvellous family of violinists (5)

Answer: AMATI (i.e. “family of violinists”). “In” indicates the solution has been hidden in the clue, while “raised” indicates the solution has been reversed – this being a down clue – like so: DETRO(IT A MA)RVELLOUS. The wordplay was reasonably obvious but this still warrants a Who’s Who demerit.

12. Cold and wet, shelter found in home on farm (6)

Answer: SLEETY (i.e. “cold and wet”). Solution is LEE (i.e. “shelter”) placed “in” STY (i.e. pig’s “home on farm”), like so: S(LEE)TY.

18. Something consumed in pub, Humpty Dumpty likely to fall off wall? (7,3)

Answer: PICKLED EGG (i.e. “something consumed in pub”, though quite why is anyone’s guess when you’ve got crisps, dry roasted peanuts, pork scratchings – literally anything else. I mean literally. Even beermats are more appetising. Yuck). The remainder of the clue plays on how a drunk or PICKLED “Humpty Dumpty”, an EGG in the nursery rhyme, is quite “likely to fall off wall”. You get the idea.

20. Full, but approximate (8)

Answer: THOROUGH (i.e. “full”). Solution is THO (i.e. “but” informally) followed by ROUGH (i.e. “approximate”).

22. Barely touch on graze (7,3,7)

Answer: SCRATCH THE SURFACE. Solution satisfies “barely touch” and to “graze” or abrade.

23. King is monarch having succeeded a German emperor (6)

Answer: KAISER (i.e. “German emperor”). Solution is K (a recognised abbreviation of “king” used in chess) followed by IS and ER (i.e. “monarch”, specifically Elizabeth Regina) once these latter two have first been placed after or “succeeding” A, like so: K-A-(IS-ER).

24. Some cutting-edge steps taken? (5,5)

Answer: SWORD DANCE. Solution satisfies the clue as a whole, taking a SWORD to be a “cutting-edge” and “steps” to be a DANCE.

27. Scottish novelist whose beastly home visited by girlfriend (8)

Answer: Tobias SMOLLETT (i.e. “Scottish novelist”). Solution is SETT (i.e. “beastly home”, in this case that of a badger) wrapped around or “visited by” MOLL (i.e. “girlfriend”), like so: S(MOLL)ETT. Come on, you know Tobias Smollett, don’t you? No? He wrote The Adventures of Roderick Ransom. Still no? Well how about The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle instead? Hmm. Okay, what about The Adventures of Ferdinand Count Fathom, oh forget it have a demerit.

31. Warm when placed, say, upside down (6)

Answer: GENIAL (i.e. “warm”). Solution is LAIN (i.e. “placed”) and EG (i.e. “say” or for example, after the Latin exempli gratia) all reversed (indicated by “upside down” – this being a down clue), like so: GE-NIAL.

32. Finish and go too far? (5,3,4)

Answer: CROSS THE LINE. Solution satisfies “finish” and “go too far”.

34. In a stew, put beans out in freezer? (5,6)

Answer: PAUSE BUTTON (i.e. video or music “freezer” – nicely disguised). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “in a stew”) of PUT BEANS OUT.

36. A song you all murdered – likewise! (11)

Answer: ANALOGOUSLY (i.e. “likewise”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “murdered”) of A SONG YOU ALL.

37. Later the beam will be split by axe, finally (10)

Answer: THEREAFTER (i.e. “later”). Solution is THE and RAFTER (i.e. “beam”) wrapped around or “split by” E (i.e. “axe, finally”, i.e. the last letter of “axe”), like so: THE-R(E)AFTER.

39. Runs and boundary I observed in cricket match, most stylish (9)

Answer: TRENDIEST (i.e. “most stylish”). Solution is R (a recognised abbreviation of “runs” already covered earlier), END (i.e. “boundary”) and I placed “in” TEST (i.e. “cricket match”), like so: T(R-END-I)EST.

41. Pig bothering a bird, owl (4,4)

Answer: WILD BOAR (i.e. “pig”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “bothering”) of A BIRD OWL.

45. Nevertheless, a hostel has opened today (6)

Answer: ANYHOW (i.e. “nevertheless”). Solution is A followed by YH (i.e. “hostel”, I guess this is a recognised abbreviation of a Youth Hostel, but Chambers doesn’t carry it) once first placed in or “opening” NOW (i.e. “today”), like so: A-N(YH)OW.

46. Wide rivet passed through muzzle (6)

Answer: GAPING (i.e. “wide”). Solution is PIN (i.e. “rivet”) placed in or “passed through” GAG (i.e. “muzzle”), like so: GA(PIN)G.

48. Turn around a country (5)

Answer: SPAIN (i.e. “country”). Solution is SPIN (i.e. “turn”) wrapped “around” A, like so: SP(A)IN.

49. One having stopped others, here’s another test (5)

Answer: RESIT (i.e. “another test”). Solution is I (i.e. “[Roman numeral] one”) placed in or “stopping” REST (i.e. “others”), like so: RES(I)T.

51. Material obtained via excavation, brought up (5)

Answer: DENIM (i.e. “material”). Solution is MINED (i.e. “obtained by excavation”) reversed or “brought up” – this being a down clue.

The faint stench of Billy Shakespeare kills off another decent Jumbo. Ho hum. 5 Jumbos to go.

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 given you solver’s cramp then you might find my Just For Fun page of use, where you’ll find links to solutions for hundreds of the things.

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

LP

The case for the prosecution

Across clues

1. Air-conditioning extremely welcomed by right-minded; so hot right now! (3,3,4)

Answer: ALL THE RAGE (i.e. “so hot right now”). Solution is AG (i.e. “air-conditioning extremely”, i.e. the first and last letters of “air-conditioning”) placed in or “welcomed by” ALL THERE (i.e. “right-minded” or sane), like so: ALL-THER(AG)E.

6. Tortuously agonise with clue involving hours seated here? (6,6)

Answer: CHAISE LONGUE (i.e. “seated here”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “tortuously”) of AGONISE and CLUE wrapped around or “involving” H (a recognised abbreviation of “hours”), like so: C(H)AISELONGUE.

14. Host Kent, certain to lose both openers (9)

Answer: ENTERTAIN (i.e. to “host”). Solution is KENT and CERTAIN once the initial letters of both have been removed (indicated by “to lose both openers”), like so: ENT-ERTAIN.

15. Old croupier eventually cut deck (5)

Answer: ORLOP (i.e. a “deck” on a ship – the lowest apparently). Solution is O (a recognised abbreviation of “old”) followed by R (i.e. “croupier eventually”, i.e. the last letter of “croupier”) and LOP (i.e. to “cut”).

16. Flower arranging embargo introduced by Swedish institution (7)

Answer: IKEBANA (i.e. the Japanese art of “flower arranging”). Solution is BAN (i.e. “embargo”) placed in or “introduced by” IKEA (i.e. “Swedish institution”), like so: IKE(BAN)A.

17. NYC village meme guarding against British standard (9,4,4)

Answer: GREENWICH MEAN TIME (i.e. “British standard”). Solution is GREENWICH (i.e. “NYC village”) followed by MEME once wrapped around or “guarding” ANTI (i.e. “against”), like so: GREENWICH-ME(ANTI)ME.

18. Junior officer expected to be out of uniform with whip round (5)

Answer: CADET (i.e. “junior officer”). Solution is DUE (i.e. “expected”) with the U removed (indicated by “out of uniform” – U being “uniform” in the phonetic alphabet) and the remainder placed in or having “round” it CAT (i.e. “whip”, short for a cat-o-nine-tails), like so: CA(DE)T.

19. Function in November completely rejected meat (7)

Answer: VENISON (i.e. “meat”). Solution is SINE (i.e. trigonometric “function”) placed “in” NOV (short for “November”) and the whole reversed (indicated by “completely rejected”), like so: V(ENIS)ON.

21. Deaden the sound of animal going about very loudly (6)

Answer: MUFFLE (i.e. “deaden the sound”). Solution is MULE (i.e. “animal”) wrapped “about” FF (i.e. “very loudly”, i.e. a recognised abbreviation of “fortissimo” in musical lingo), like so: MU(FF)LE.

22. Second comics, with covers going cheap (8)

Answer: ECONOMIC (i.e. “cheap”). Solution is SECOND COMICS with the first and last letters of each word removed (indicated by “with covers going”), like so: ECON-OMIC.

24. David briefly returns to visit granny (she’s from Reno) (7)

Answer: NEVADAN (i.e. “she’s from Reno”). Solution is DAVE (i.e. “David briefly”) reversed or “returning” and placed in or “visiting” NAN (i.e. “granny”), like so: N(EVAD)AN.

26. One should be able to complete a sentence (8)

Answer: PRISONER. Solution satisfies the clue as a whole. I’m not getting much else from this one, but I could be missing something clever.

27. Party is boring, stuffiest atmosphere (6)

Answer: FIESTA (i.e. “party”). “Is boring” indicates the solution has been hidden in the clue, like so: STUF(FIEST A)TMOSPHERE.

30. Reserve chicken, 14lb (11)

Answer: YELLOWSTONE (i.e. nature “reserve” in the US). Solution is YELLOW (i.e. cowardly or “chicken”) followed by STONE (i.e. “14lb” of weight).

32. Fighter for the Union betrays chap bored by combat (4,7)

Answer: SHOP STEWARD (i.e. “fighter for the union”). Solution is SHOPS (i.e. “betrays”) followed by TED (i.e. “chap’s” name) once wrapped around or “bored by” WAR (i.e. “combat”), like so: SHOPS-TE(WAR)D.

33. Popular single ticket at the back coach allowance includes (11)

Answer: CHARTBUSTER (i.e. “popular single”). Solution is T (i.e. “ticket at the back”, i.e. the last letter of “ticket”) and BUS (i.e. “coach”) both placed in or “included” by CHARTER (i.e. “allowance”), like so: CHAR(T-BUS)TER.

35. Artificially westernised Muscat? (7,4)

Answer: DESSERT WINE (i.e. “Muscat”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “artificially”) of WESTERNISED.

37. Murky tragedy Times covers (6)

Answer: BLEARY (i.e. “murky”). Solution is King LEAR (i.e. “tragedy” – yes, another week and another setter that simply has to include history’s only playwright in their Jumbo. I’m beginning to wonder if the RSC has dirt on Times setters. Either way, this is an instant kill as you should know by now) placed in or “covered by” BY (i.e. multiplied or “times”, ignoring the misleading capitalisation), like so: B(LEAR)Y.

38. City bank’s head runs commercial vehicle company (8)

Answer: BRADFORD (i.e. “city”). Solution is B (i.e. “bank’s head”, i.e. the first letter of “bank”) followed by R (a recognised abbreviation of “runs” used in a number of ball games), then AD (i.e. “commercial” or advertisement) and FORD (i.e. “vehicle company”).

39. For the Stasi, the East German blocks file (7)

Answer: DOSSIER (i.e. “file”). Solution is DER (i.e. “for the Stasi, the”, i.e. the German for “the” – the Stasi was the secret police force of the old East Germany) wrapped around or “blocking” OSSI (i.e. “East German” – specifically “a citizen of the former German Democratic Republic (East Germany) before reunification with the Federal Republic in 1990” (Chambers)), like so: D(OSSI)ER. I’d often do my Alf Garnett act whenever there’s a whiff of foreign languages being used in a clue, but this was excellent. Well played, setter.

42. Perhaps neon light initially probing one’s bag when travelling (5,3)

Answer: NOBLE GAS (i.e. “perhaps neon” – other noble gases are available). Solution is L (i.e. “light initially”, i.e. the first letter of “light”) placed in or “probing” an anagram (indicated by “travelling”) of ONE’S BAG, like so: NOB(L)EGAS.

44. Kinky feature that’s designed for swingers who can’t go straight? (6)

Answer: DOGLEG. Solution satisfies “kinky feature” or sharp bend, and also “that’s designed for swingers who can’t go straight”, referring to a golf hole with a bent fairway. Golfers “swing” golf clubs, you get the idea, etc etc.

46. Smear mark on graph in school (7)

Answer: SPLOTCH (i.e. “smear”). Solution is PLOT (i.e. “mark on graph”) placed “in” SCH (a recognised abbreviation of “school”), like so: S(PLOT)CH.

48. Left Bank absorbs artisan (5)

Answer: TILER (i.e. “artisan”). Solution is L (a recognised abbreviation of “left”) placed in or “absorbed” by TIER (i.e. “bank” – ignoring the misleading capitalisation), like so: TI(L)ER.

49. Proposed Pope’s in-depth quote needs editing (6,3,8)

Answer: POPPED THE QUESTION (i.e. “proposed” to be married). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “needs editing”) of POPE’S IN-DEPTH QUOTE.

51. Public viewing opportunity accessible 24h (4,3)

Answer: OPEN DAY (i.e. “public viewing opportunity”). Solution is OPEN (i.e. “accessible”) followed by DAY (i.e. “24h”).

52. Leaders of African Cooperation Council raise additional capital (5)

Answer: ACCRA (i.e. “capital” city of Ghana). “Leaders of” indicates the solution is derived from the first letters of “African Cooperation Council Raise Additional”.

53. Wife of Perseus & Italian city lawyer (9)

Answer: ANDROMEDA (i.e. “wife of Perseus”). Solution is AND (i.e. “&”) followed by ROME (i.e. “Italian city”) and DA (i.e. “lawyer”, specifically a District Attorney). Greek mythology is often a turn-off for me, so have a demerit.

54. Mad Hatter unsure where to dig for gold? (8,4)

Answer: TREASURE HUNT (i.e. “where to dig for gold”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “mad”) of HATTER UNSURE.

55. Hidden area – diaries regularly written here (10)

Answer: SECRETAIRE (i.e. “written here”, a writing desk). Solution is SECRET (i.e. “hidden”) followed by A (a recognised abbreviation of “area”) and IRE (i.e. “diaries written regularly”, i.e. every other letter of DIARIES).

Down clues

1. Community of Yerevan bang out of order (11)

Answer: ABERGAVENNY (a town in Wales, i.e. “community”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “out of order”) of YEREVAN BANG.

2. Ignited high explosive fluid (5)

Answer: LITHE (i.e. “fluid”). Solution is LIT (i.e. “ignited”) followed by HE (a recognised abbreviation of “high explosive”).

3. Uncompromising, like a rhinoceros? (4-5)

Answer: HARD-NOSED. Solution satisfies “uncompromising” and, playfully, “like a rhinoceros”.

4. Change formation, getting finally stuck into Madrid at home (7)

Answer: REALIGN (i.e. “change formation”). Solution is G (i.e. “getting finally”, i.e. the last letter of “getting”) placed or “stuck into” REAL (i.e. “Madrid”, footie team) and IN (i.e. “at home”), like so: REAL-I(G)N.

5. Medway town banning sick material (7)

Answer: GINGHAM (i.e. fabric or “material”). Solution is GILLINGHAM (i.e. “Medway town”) with the ILL removed (indicated by “banning sick”).

7. Holds small beer, drunk around noon no less! (4,7)

Answer: HALF NELSONS (i.e. wrestling “holds”). Solution is HALF (i.e. “small beer”) followed by N (a recognised abbreviation of “noon”) once placed in or having “around” it an anagram (indicated by “drunk”) of NO LESS, like so: HALF-NELSO(N)S.

8. Spoil one married couple (6)

Answer: IMPAIR (i.e. “spoil”). Solution is I (i.e. “[Roman numeral] one”) followed by M (a recognised abbreviation of “married”) and PAIR (i.e. “couple”).

9. Fame of rap artist spending second million as soon as losing love (8)

Answer: EMINENCE (i.e. “fame”). Solution is EMINEM (i.e. “rap artist” – yay, some modern day stuff) with the second M removed (indicated by “spending second million” – M being a recognised abbreviation of “million”) and the remainder followed by ONCE (i.e. “as soon as”) once the O has been removed (indicated by “losing love” – “love” being a zero score in tennis), like so: EMINE-NCE.

10. Liberal forced vote in November, being a bit cocky (13)

Answer: OVERCONFIDENT (i.e. “a bit cocky”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “liberal”) of FORCED VOTE IN and N (“November” in the phonetic alphabet).

11. $1000 before noon, for old matriarch (7)

Answer: GRANDAM (i.e. “old matriarch”). Solution is GRAND (i.e. “$1000”) followed by AM (i.e. “before noon”).

12. One might secure a bundle, at a stretch (7,4)

Answer: ELASTIC BAND. Solution satisfies the clue as a whole, given they’re “stretchy” and are used to wrap things into “bundles”.

13. Government department which became vital during lockdown? (4,6)

Answer: HOME OFFICE. Solution satisfies “government department” and “which became vital during lockdown” during the covid-19 pandemic, at least for some.

20. Commercial vehicle going over Scotland emptied site in Faslane say (5,4)

Answer: NAVAL BASE (i.e. “Faslane say”). Solution is VAN (i.e. “commercial vehicle”) reversed (indicated by “going over”) and followed by ALBA (i.e. “Scotland” to the Scottish) and SE (i.e. “emptied site”, i.e. the word “site” with its middle letters removed), like so: NAV-ALBA-SE.

23. Key English river dredged at last, decontaminated (8)

Answer: DELOUSED (i.e. “decontaminated”). Solution is DEL (i.e. “key” on a computer keyboard, short for “delete”) followed by OUSE (i.e. “English river”) and D (i.e. “dredged at last”, i.e. the last letter of “dredged”).

25. Blow-out meal – Henry breaks refusal to drink (4-2)

Answer: NOSH-UP (i.e. “blow-out meal”). Solution is H (a recognised abbreviation of “Henry”, a unit of measurement) placed in or “breaking” NO SUP (i.e. “refusal to drink”), like so: NO-S(H)UP.

26. Professional players shun key universal officials (8)

Answer: PROCTORS (i.e. “university officials”). Solution is PRO (short for “professionals”) followed by ACTORS (i.e. “players”) once the A has been removed (indicated by “shun [musical] key”), like so: PRO-CTORS.

28. Hardliner accommodated in borstal in Istanbul (9)

Answer: STALINIST (i.e. “hardliner”). “Accommodated in” indicates the solution has been hidden in the clue, like so: BOR(STAL IN IST)ANBUL.

29. Airless, exhausted, cold, finish climb (6)

Answer: ASCEND (i.e. “climb”). Solution is AS (i.e. “airless, exhausted”, i.e. the word “airless” with its middle letters removed) followed by C (a recognised abbreviation of “cold” used on water taps) and END (i.e. “finish”).

31. Wandering tribe rehoused in remote islands (5,8)

Answer: OUTER HEBRIDES (i.e. “remote islands” of Scotland). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “wandering”) of TRIBE REHOUSED.

33. Letters supporting case for a senior government role (7,4)

Answer: CABINET POST (i.e. “senior government role”). Solution is POST (i.e. mail or “letters”) placed after or “supporting” – this being a down clue – CABINET (i.e. “case”).

34. Once aboard, I reset navigation aid (5,6)

Answer: RADIO BEACON (i.e. “navigation aid”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “reset”) of ONCE ABOARD I.

35. Roman head of new artificial intelligence comms business I’d set up (10)

Answer: DIOCLETIAN (i.e. “Roman head” or emperor). Solution is N (a recognised abbreviation of “new”) followed by AI (a recognised abbreviation of “artificial intelligence”), then TELCO (i.e. “comms business”, short for telecommunications company) and I’D all reversed (indicated by “set up” – this being a down clue), like so: D’I-OCLET-IA-N.

36. Our home space with less common exposed crockery (11)

Answer: EARTHENWARE (i.e. “crockery”). Solution is planet EARTH (i.e. “our home”) followed by EN (i.e. printing terminology for a “space”, one being half the width of a letter m), then W (a recognised abbreviation of “with”) and RARER (i.e. “less common”) once its first and last letters have been removed (indicated by “exposed”), like so: EARTH-EN-W-ARE.

40. According to Spooner, Big Oil firm sought to make a negative bet (4,5)

Answer: SELL SHORT (i.e. “make a negative bet” – the practice involves borrowing shares to sell in the hope of later buying them back at a lower price). Solution is a “Spoonerism” of SHELL (i.e. “Big Oil firm”) and SOUGHT.

41. Thanks! Kiss dad, your common source of revenue! (8)

Answer: TAXPAYER (i.e. “source of revenue” for governments, and oh boy do we know it!) Solution is TA (informal expression of “thanks”) followed by X (i.e. “kiss”), then PA (i.e. “dad”) and YER (i.e. “your common”, an informal expression of “your”).

43. Have faith in credit (7)

Answer: BELIEVE. Solution satisfies “have faith in” and “credit”.

45. Rank nurse cuts pineapple (7)

Answer: GRENADE (i.e. “pineapple”, military slang thereof). Solution is GRADE (i.e. “rank”) wrapped around or being “cut” by EN (i.e. “nurse”, specifically an Enrolled Nurse), like so: GR(EN)ADE.

46. Dug under half of shed producing tremor (7)

Answer: SHUDDER (i.e. “tremor”). Solution is UDDER (i.e. “dug” – a variant meaning of dug is an udder or woman’s breast) placed “under” – this being a down clue – SH (i.e. the first “half of shed”), like so: SH-UDDER.

47. Headline band covering upcoming album (6)

Answer: SPLASH (i.e. newspaper “headline”). Solution is SASH (i.e. “band”) wrapped around or “covering” LP (i.e. “album”, a Long Play record) once this has been reversed (indicated by “upcoming” – this being a down clue), like so: S(LP)ASH.

50. Decorate 50 per cent of nice old Brits (5)

Answer: ICENI (i.e. “old Brits” led by Queen Boudicca). Solution is ICE (i.e. “decorate” a cake) followed by NI (i.e. “50 per cent of nice”, specifically the first 50 per cent).

A toughie this week but a fairly dull one thanks to so many tired Times crossword clichés. It reminded me exactly why I’m winding down these posts. I mean, the case for the prosecution this week runs as nearly as long as the rest of the post. All this means there are now 6 Jumbos to go.

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 you’ve given up on a recent Jumbo then you might find my Just For Fun page of use, where you’ll find links to solutions for hundreds of the things.

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

LP

The case for the prosecution

Across clues

1. Orpheus finally coming to Stygian realm – in Ray-Bans? (6)

Answer: SHADES (i.e. “Ray-Bans”, both referencing sunglasses). Solution is S (i.e. “Orpheus finally”, i.e. the last letter of “Orpheus”) followed by HADES (i.e. “Stygian realm”). I’d usually slap a classics demerit on this one, but this was quite wittily done.

5. Your writer writes in crimson – not green (7)

Answer: RIPENED (i.e. “not green”). Solution is I PEN (i.e. “your writer writes” from the point of view of the setter) all placed “in” RED (i.e. “crimson”), like so: R(I-PEN)ED.

9. Distinct character’s island god embracing holy work (8)

Answer: IDENTITY (i.e. “distinct character”). Solution is I (a recognised abbreviation of “island”) and DEITY (i.e. “god”) wrapped around or “embracing” NT (i.e. “holy work”, specifically the New Testament of The Bible), like so: I-DE(NT)ITY.

13. Old mark used in complex cash agreement with China for currency control (8,4,9)

Answer: EXCHANGE RATE MECHANISM (i.e. “currency control”). Solution is EX (i.e. “old” or former) and M (a recognised abbreviation of “mark”, the former currency of Germany) all wrapped around or having “in” an anagram (indicated by “complex”) of CASH AGREEMENT and CHINA, like so: EX(CHANGERATEMECHANIS)M.

14. Literary composition on page – very small piece? (8)

Answer: PARTICLE (i.e. “very small piece”). Solution is ARTICLE (i.e. “literary composition”) placed “on” or after P (a recognised abbreviation of “page”), like so: P-ARTICLE.

15. Bone from three in the reckoning? (7)

Answer: STERNUM (i.e. “bone”). Solution is TERN (i.e. a set of “three”, a variant meaning of the word) placed “in” SUM (i.e. “reckoning”), like so: S(TERN)UM.

16. Duck, then another ancient Briton saves for cat (6)

Answer: OCELOT (i.e. species of “cat”). Solution is O (i.e. “duck”, a zero score) followed by “another” O once placed in or “saved” by CELT (i.e. “ancient Briton”), like so: O-CEL(O)T.

17. Means to wipe material linked with online pest (6,4)

Answer: TOILET ROLL (i.e. “means to wipe”). Solution is TOILE (i.e. a kind of cotton “material”) followed by TROLL (i.e. “online pest”). One I remembered from a previous puzzle, which made this a little easier.

20. In the cooking dad was all for this culinary classic (7,5)

Answer: WALDORF SALAD (i.e. “culinary classic”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “in the cooking”) of DAD WAS ALL FOR.

23. Murphy from south meeting reflective Unionists (4)

Answer: SPUD (i.e. “Murphy”, both slang words for a potato). Solution is S (a recognised abbreviation of “south”) followed by DUP (i.e. “Unionists”, specifically the Democratic Unionist Party) once reversed (indicated by “reflective”), like so: S-PUD.

24. Airport dispute dogging former PM (8)

Answer: HEATHROW (i.e. “airport”). Solution is ROW (i.e. “dispute”) placed after or “dogging” Edward HEATH (i.e. “former PM”), like so: HEATH-ROW. Ol’ Teddy is always being used in cryptic crosswords, but The Times aren’t exactly alone in this regard so no demerit.

26. Ring through often on such personal extensions? (8)

Answer: EARLOBES. Solution satisfies the clue as a whole, taking “ring” to be an earring.

29. Isn’t that Tatum FBI agent’s arrested? Or Craven? (5-7)

Answer: FAINT-HEARTED (i.e. “craven” – ignoring the misleading capitalisation). Solution is AIN’T HE ART (i.e. “isn’t that Tatum”, referring to Art Tatum, An American jazz pianist. No, me neither) placed in or “arrested by” FED (i.e. slang for an “FBI agent”), like so: F(AIN’T-HE-ART)ED. Definitely worthy of a Who’s Who demerit.

30. Appearance of fast current – no going back (10)

Answer: EXPRESSION (i.e. “appearance”). Solution is EXPRESS (i.e. “fast”) followed by I (a recognised abbreviation of an electrical “current” used in physics) and NO once reversed (indicated by “going back”), like so: EXPRESS-I-ON.

32. Comedy at last in two sections provides amusing turn (5,5)

Answer: PARTY PIECE (i.e. “amusing turn”). Solution is Y (i.e. “comedy at last”, i.e. the last letter of “comedy”) placed “in” between PART and PIECE (i.e. “two sections”), like so: PART-(Y)-PIECE.

34. Reward – our men earn it corruptly (12)

Answer: REMUNERATION (i.e. “reward”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “corruptly”) of OUR MEN EARN IT.

36. Revealing source, legendary Swiss thanks the French (8)

Answer: TELLTALE (i.e. a “revealing source”). Solution is William TELL (i.e. “legendary Swiss”) followed by TA (i.e. “thanks”) and LE (i.e. “the French”, i.e. the French for “the”).

38. Engineer’s instrument is one that’s not working (8)

Answer: ORGANISE (i.e. to “engineer”). Solution is ORGAN (i.e. musical “instrument”) followed by IS and ONE once the ON has been removed (indicated by “that’s not working”), like so: ORGAN-IS-E.

39. Said to be in power shower (4)

Answer: RAIN (i.e. “shower”). Solution is a homophone (indicated by “said”) of REIGN (i.e. “to be in power”).

41. One standing in for royal pair, earnest man discharging seconds (6,6)

Answer: PRINCE REGENT (i.e. “one standing in for royal”). Solution is PR (a recognised abbreviation of “pair”) followed by SINCERE GENT (i.e. “earnest man”) once the S has been removed (indicated by “discharging seconds” – S being a recognised abbreviation of “seconds”), like so: PR-(INCERE-GENT).

43. Free hotel in secure enclosure close to town? That’s an old chestnut! (10)

Answer: COPENHAGEN (i.e. “that’s an old chestnut” – this is referring to the Duke of Wellington’s horse which he rode at the Battle of Waterloo, described as “a dark chestnut with two white heels”). Solution is OPEN (i.e. “free”) and H (“hotel” in the phonetic alphabet) both placed “in” CAGE (i.e. “secure enclosure”) and followed by N (i.e. “close to town”, i.e. the last letter of “town”, like so: C(OPEN-H)AGE-N. Come on, how many people are going to know this? Definitely worthy of a History Today demerit.

44. American inventor’s instinct about protecting little girl (6)

Answer: Thomas EDISON (i.e. “American inventor”). Solution is NOSE (i.e. “instinct”) reversed (indicated by “about”) and wrapped around or “protecting” DI (i.e. “little girl”, i.e. a shortened form of DIANA), like so: E(DI)SON. I’ll hang fire on the Who’s Who demerit as Edison is rather well known.

46. Fireplace feature inlaid with nickel and stone (7)

Answer: GRANITE (i.e. “stone”). Solution is GRATE (i.e. “fireplace feature”) wrapped around or “inlaid with” NI (chemical symbol of “nickel”), like so: GRA(NI)TE.

48. Branch specialised in launching carpeting line (8)

Answer: ROCKETRY (i.e. “branch specialised in launching”). Solution is ROCKET (i.e. “carpeting”, both meaning a right ticking-off) followed by RY (i.e. “line”, specifically a recognised abbreviation of a railway).

50. Male in great metropolis accommodates writer following fire in research centre (6,6,9)

Answer: ATOMIC ENERGY AUTHORITY (i.e. “research centre”). Solution is TOM (i.e. “male” cat, also a bloke’s name) placed “in” AI (i.e. “great” or excellent, i.e. A1 with the 1 replaced by its Roman numeral equivalent) and CITY (i.e. “metropolis”). This is then wrapped around or “accommodating” AUTHOR (i.e. “writer”) once placed after or “following” ENERGY (i.e. “fire”), like so: A(TOM)I-C(ENERGY-AUTHOR)ITY.

51. Unbeatable on new wicket that turns, covered loosely (8)

Answer: BESTREWN (i.e. “covered loosely”). Solution is BEST (i.e. “unbeatable”) and RE (i.e. “on” or regarding – think email replies) followed by N (a recognised abbreviation of “new”) and W (ditto “wicket”, used in cricket) once these latter two have been reversed (indicated by “that turns”), like so: BEST-RE-(W-N).

52. Ray and Henry escaping village near Tokyo once (7)

Answer: TORPEDO (i.e. a type of “ray”, as in the fish). Solution is THORP (i.e. another word for a “village”) with the H removed (indicated by “Henry escaping” – H being a recognised abbreviation of “Henry”, a unit of measurement) and the remainder followed or placed “near” EDO (i.e. “Tokyo once”, i.e. the former name of Tokyo), like so: TORP-EDO. Probably the toughest clue of the lot. It’s tempting to slap a History Today on this one, but I do have a begrudging respect for the misdirection at play here.

53. Onegin, for one, in central Greece throttling upper-class dope (6)

Answer: EUGENE (i.e. “Onegin, for one”, after the novel in verse by Alexander Pushkin. Other Eugenes are available, though perhaps none so fitting a dull Times crossword cliché). Solution is EE (i.e. “central Greece”, i.e. the middle letters of “Greece”) wrapped around or “throttling” U (a recognised abbreviation of the “upper-class”) and GEN (i.e. info or “dope”), like so: E(U-GEN)E.

Down clues

2. Why we don’t start with an ascendant animal? (5)

Answer: HYENA (i.e. “animal”). Solution is WHY WE with the first letters of each removed (indicated by “don’t start”). This is then followed by AN reversed (indicated by “ascendant” – this being a down clue), like so: (HY-E)-NA.

3. Dance technique never succeeded with fellow in plant (11)

Answer: DICOTYLEDON (i.e. “plant” group). Solution is DISCO (i.e. “dance”) and STYLE (i.e. “technique”) with the S removed from both (indicated by “never succeeded” – S being a recognised abbreviation of “succeeded”) and the remainders followed by DON (i.e. “fellow”), like so: DICO-TYLE-DON. You can imagine the amount of effing and blinding this one elicited once it dropped.

4. Tom perhaps in Ascot agitated, somewhat abrupt in bars? (8)

Answer: STACCATO (i.e. “somewhat abrupt in [musical] bars”). Solution is CAT (i.e. “tom, perhaps”, a male thereof) placed “in” an anagram (indicated by “agitated”) of ASCOT, like so: STAC(CAT)O. You know the drill. Musical lingo is always, always, ALWAYS in Jumbos, and Beethoven continues to be angry about it.

5. Mischievous journey up Parisian street is entertaining (5)

Answer: ROGUE (i.e. “mischievous”). Solution is GO (i.e. “journey”) reversed (indicated by “up” – this being a down clue – and placed in or “entertained” by RUE (i.e. “Parisian street”, i.e. the French for “street”), like so: R(OG)UE. I know “rue” is fairly common knowledge, but I’m still deploying the meme.

6. Country girl in Reading? (7)

Answer: PERUSAL (i.e. “reading”, ignoring the misleading capitalisation). Solution is PERU (i.e. “country”) followed by SAL (i.e. a “girl’s” name).

7. Woman’s experience after capture is hell (11)

Answer: NETHERWORLD (i.e. “hell”). Solution is HER WORLD (i.e. “woman’s experience”) placed “after” NET (i.e. to “capture”), like so: NET-(HER-WORLD).

8. Twinkling in private room reveals Screwtape, say (5)

Answer: DEMON (i.e. “Screwtape, say” – apparently this is after a satirical novel by C S Lewis, a new one on me). Solution is MO (i.e. a moment or “twinkling” or short period of time) placed “in” DEN (i.e. “private room”), like so: DE(MO)N.

9. Trouble means covering for government department (9)

Answer: INCOMMODE (i.e. to “trouble”). Solution is INCOME (i.e. “means”) wrapped around or “covering” MOD (i.e. “government department”, specifically the Ministry of Defence), like so: INCOM(MOD)E.

10. Inspiration displayed by punter at Oaks (5)

Answer: ERATO (i.e. “inspiration”, one of the nine Muses of Greek mythology). “Displayed by” indicates the solution has been hidden in the clue, like so: PUNT(ER AT O)AKS. Greek mythology is always going to attract a demerit from me.

11. Flash damaged a port initially set for obsolete browser? (11)

Answer: TRICERATOPS (i.e. “obsolete browser”, a browser being an animal that feeds on young twigs and shoots. We’ve seen this usage of “browser” quite a few times in recent Jumbos. Are setters all copycats or is there some newsletter going round between them all?

12. Having rolled a lofty pitch, test results in draw (7)

Answer: TOMBOLA (i.e. game of chance or “draw”). Solution is A, LOB (i.e. “lofty pitch”) and MOT (i.e. motoring “test”) all reversed (indicated by “rolled”), like so: TOM-BOL-A.

18. Gold leaf walls in Chinese family home (9)

Answer: ORPHANAGE (i.e. “home”). Solution is OR (i.e. “gold” in heraldry) followed by PAGE (i.e. “leaf” of a book) once wrapped around or “walling in” HAN (i.e. “Chinese family” or dynasty), like so: OR-P(HAN)AGE.

19. Love goddess hosting a function (7)

Answer: OPERATE (i.e. “function”). Solution is O (i.e. “love”, a zero score in tennis) and ATE (i.e. Green “goddess” of mischief) all wrapped around or “hosting” PER (i.e. “a”, as in there being fourteen pounds a stone), like so: O-(PER)-ATE. You see Ate all the time in Jumbos, and again we’re dipping into Greek mythology so have a demerit.

21. More vulgar chap appropriating grand language (3,6)

Answer: LOW GERMAN (i.e. “language” – I’d like to think the only difference between this and High German is you’d say the latter in a squeaky voice, but I suspect I’m wrong). Solution is LOWER (i.e. “more vulgar”) and MAN (i.e. “chap”) all wrapped around or “appropriating” G (a recognised abbreviation of “grand”), like so: LOW(G)ER-MAN.

22. Voluntarily avoids having worries about planet (8)

Answer: FORBEARS (i.e. “voluntarily avoids”). Solution is FEARS (i.e. “worries”) wrapped “about” ORB (i.e. “planet”), like so: F(ORB)EARS.

25. Othello for example right – heartless loser crushed (5,4)

Answer: TITLE ROLE (i.e. “Othello for example”). Solution is TITLE (i.e. “for example right”, as in titles such as Right Honourable) followed by an anagram (indicated by “crushed”) of LOSER once the middle letter has been removed (indicated by “heartless”). Oh look, another Times setter that simply can’t help themselves when it comes to crowbarring history’s only playwright into their Jumbo. Seriously, how many other title roles could the setter have chosen from? Good grief. This was heading for cliché city to begin with but this is an instant kill.

27. With online scam over, tightwad endlessly cut spending (9)

Answer: ECONOMISE (i.e. “cut spending”). Solution is E-CON (i.e. playfully an “online scam”) followed by O (a recognised abbreviation of “over” used in cricket) and MISER (i.e. “tightwad”) once its last letter has been removed (indicated by “endlessly”), like so: E-CON-O-MISE.

28. Hearty pie and mash prepared – time to tuck in (8)

Answer: SHIPMATE (i.e. “hearty”, an old form of address thereof). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “prepared”) of PIE and MASH once wrapped around or “tucking in” T (a recognised abbreviation of “time”), like so: SHIPMA(T)E.

31. Dutchman’s pipe in long drain (7)

Answer: PINESAP (i.e. “Dutchman’s pipe” – plants, predictably). Solution is PINE (i.e. “long” or yearn for) followed by SAP (i.e. to “drain”). The wordplay was easier than verifying the solution. Some assert both Pinesap and Dutchman’s pipe are examples of Monotropa hypopitys and definitely not Atrisolochia; Chambers, meanwhile, insists a Dutchman’s Pipe is an Aristolochia. I’ll let the experts argue it out among themselves. I literally couldn’t care.

33. Bent investigator? (6,5)

Answer: TALENT SCOUT. Solution satisfies the clue as a whole, taking TALENT to mean “disposition” (Chambers) rather than a natural ability. Should I issue demerits for diving too deep into the definitions? A bit late now, I suppose. Meanwhile, this is a repeat from about four months ago in grid 1674, where the clue on that occasion was “person hunting for a certain gift”.

34. Conservative having to fix pain, taking hour outside (5-6)

Answer: RIGHT-WINGER (i.e. “Conservative”). Solution is RIG (i.e. “to fix”) followed by TWINGE (i.e. “pain”) with HR (a recognised abbreviation of “hour”) placed “outside” of it, like so: RIG-H(TWINGE)R.

35. Hostile Republican consumed in obsession (11)

Answer: THREATENING (i.e. “hostile”). Solution is R (a recognised abbreviation of “Republican”) and EATEN (i.e. “consumed”) both placed in or “consumed” by THING (i.e. “obsession”, as in having a thing about someone), like so: TH(R-EATEN)ING.

37. Ivy for one always the ingenue? (9)

Answer: EVERGREEN (i.e. “ivy for one” – other evergreen varieties are available). Solution is EVER (i.e. “always”) followed by GREEN (descriptive of “the ingenue”, i.e. an innocent or naïve person).

40. A relative skipping one grips point in narrative (8)

Answer: ANECDOTE (i.e. “narrative”). Solution is A and NIECE (i.e. “relative”) once the I has been removed (indicated by “skipping [Roman numeral] one”). This is then all wrapped around or “gripping” DOT (i.e. “point”), like so: A-NEC(DOT)E.

42. Beam in relief having risen in rank (7)

Answer: RADIATE (i.e. “beam”). Solution is AID (i.e. “relief”) reversed (indicated by “having risen” – this being a down clue) and placed “in” RATE (i.e. to “rank”), like so: RA(DIA)TE.

43. Burn body of old woman found in Minoan’s island (7)

Answer: CREMATE (i.e. “burn”). Solution is MA (i.e. “old woman”, both informal names for one’s mother) placed “in” CRETE (i.e. “Minoan’s island”), like so: CRE(MA)TE.

45. Interference with signal in northern French department? (5)

Answer: NOISE (i.e. “interference with signal”). Solution is N (a recognised abbreviation of “northern”) followed by OISE (i.e. “French department” – a department being a region of France). Ah, let’s get my favourite meme out again.

47. Native Alaskan beer presented without head (5)

Answer: ALEUT (i.e. “native Alaskan”). Solution is ALE (i.e. “beer”) followed by PUT (i.e. “presented”) once the first letter has been removed (indicated by “without head”), like so: ALE-UT. If you want proof that this week’s setter is being deliberately awkward, consider how many proper words – you know, the kind you might actually find in a dictionary – fit the letters A-E-T. All demerits this week are well-earned. This is one setter I’m not going to miss when I’m done.

48. Relationship over with call for sailor’s attention? (5)

Answer: RATIO (i.e. “relationship” between two or more measurements). Solution is OI, TAR! (i.e. “call for sailor’s attention”) all reversed (indicated by “over”), like so: RAT-IO. Another recent repeat, literally appearing in last week’s grid. But you try telling Times puzzle editors that.

49. Material about to be ignored in youngster’s drawer (5)

Answer: RAYON (i.e. “material”). Solution is CRAYON (i.e. “youngster’s drawer”) with the C removed (indicated by “about to be ignored” – a recognised abbreviation of “circa” being C).