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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Note that lifts the spirits? (5)
Answer: TONIC. Solution satisfies a musical “note” and also something “that lifts the spirits”.
- 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.
- 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.
- Scary job of Mohawk maker? (4-7)
Answer: HAIR-RAISING. Solution satisfies “scary” and, playfully, “job of Mohawk maker”.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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”.
- 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.
- Ecclesiastical figure (8)
Answer: CARDINAL. Solution satisfies the clue as whole, but also refers to numbers or “figures”.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
- 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.
- 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”).
- 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).
- 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.
- 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”).
- 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.
- 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
- 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”.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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”).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Form of enumeration, one going up (11)
Answer: MOUNTAINEER (i.e. “one going up”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “form of”) of ENUMERATION.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Full, but approximate (8)
Answer: THOROUGH (i.e. “full”). Solution is THO (i.e. “but” informally) followed by ROUGH (i.e. “approximate”).
- Barely touch on graze (7,3,7)
Answer: SCRATCH THE SURFACE. Solution satisfies “barely touch” and to “graze” or abrade.
- 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).
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Finish and go too far? (5,3,4)
Answer: CROSS THE LINE. Solution satisfies “finish” and “go too far”.
- 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.
- A song you all murdered – likewise! (11)
Answer: ANALOGOUSLY (i.e. “likewise”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “murdered”) of A SONG YOU ALL.
- 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.
- 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.
- Pig bothering a bird, owl (4,4)
Answer: WILD BOAR (i.e. “pig”). Solution is an anagram (indicated by “bothering”) of A BIRD OWL.
- 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.
- 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.
- Turn around a country (5)
Answer: SPAIN (i.e. “country”). Solution is SPIN (i.e. “turn”) wrapped “around” A, like so: SP(A)IN.
- 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.
- 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.
Lucian Poll's Web Ramblings 
Hi Lucian. Thanks for this, and many apologies for the long silence from this end. I still read all your Times Jumbo posts, and I’m really sorry that you’re giving up. That said, I can’t say I blame you.
Just one comment: in your explanation of 27d you mention “Roderick Ransom”. It’s actually “Roderick Random” (no, I haven’t read it either). But I think this is one case where you can blame the dreaded autocorrect.
Take care, and stay safe. SB
Thank you for the blog. Worst of this week’s annoying obscurities was Smollett. Seriously no one in the entire world has heard of him. This dreadful answer was closely followed by arioso, Amati, rishi and, ref 29a, I hate ‘it’ being used to indicate the letters ‘sa’, this doesn’t exist in the real world.
I’ve spent much of my life in pubs and never seen a pickled egg being eaten in one. Only place I’ve seen them is in jars in chip shops.
Favourites were 30a and 41d.
Yes, Smollett was unnecessarily obscure – perhaps the setter is scrabbling around to avoid Will and Chas, having been stung by your write ups. He (assuming it’s a chap) allowed himself an Oliver Twist but as that’s on TV several times a year, it’s hardly out of most folks cultural radar.
Glad to see Ian, Richie, Jon, Ian again and Roger feature again. I could do without Duranis cropping up – good god we’ll be having to pay attention to Swifties soon, but maybe the setter good mine Frank Zappa and Genesis for some rich material.
Thanks Lucian, as ever.
We got Annexe without seeing ‘nee’ as ‘obligation unfulfilled’. Still having to squint a bit to see that connection!
Clearly you can’t please everyone – I’d heard of Smollett and thought most people would have heard of Rishi, Oliver Twist and Nessun Dorma. But Amati was more of a stretch.
I did like Pause Button and also Rugby Team.
Hi Lucian,
I haven’t written in before as I felt there was nothing I could add to the words of wisdom already posted, but I didn’t want to leave it too late to thank you for your informative and entertaining Jumbo blog which I have enjoyed since discovering your website. As a speaker of French and Spanish and lockdown student of Latin who typically spends over an hour on the Jumbo, I’m glad of any help from foreign language clues, but I appreciate that you can have too much of a good thing! Among my favourite clues are 58A from 27/4/24 (Ruminated) and 41D from 22/6/24 (Coincide), and I love it when a crossword makes me smile or laugh. At the risk of invoking the Holy Grail meme, then, I would like to say “Merci mille fois” for taking the time to share your insight and observations, and I wish you all the best.
Petty Sewer (my brother’s nickname for me – adapted from the French (sorry again!) Petite Soeur – and in the sense of 21D, 8/6/24 of course)
Dear Mr Poll
I have used your blog time and time again to explain some of the most tenuous clues in the Times.
in last week’s Jumbo Cryptic the clue
Answer
How do you get that from that clue?
Hi Andy. Visual Display Unit is relatively archaic name for a computer “monitor”. The abbreviation or “initials”, VDU, is hidden in the clue – STRO(UD V)EHICLE, while “takes north” indicates the letters have been reversed, being a down clue. Thanks for dropping by! – LP
It’s always so obvious when you see it. Yes I know about monitors and VDUs I bought an Acorn Electron with a VDU in 1984 and the only game I could play on it was Elite.
I too shall be sorry to see the hiatus in your posts but also understand your reasons.