Times Cryptic Jumbo No 1412 – 30th November

Author   johninterredPosted on Categories Jumbo Cryptic

I thought this a nice middle-of-the-road Jumbo with plenty of straightforward clues to get you going and then a few that needed more effort. Only one unknown for me, the word “mahlstick” in the clue for 18A, so no obscurities to hold me up. Indeed, when I got to the Down clues, numbers 1-11 all went in at the first reading. I was all but finished in 35 minutes, but then held up at the end by having SLIDE instead of SIDLE as the (perfectly plausible, I contend) answer to 54A, making CABOODLE my LOI after nearly 10 minutes of headscratching. Some neat wordplay (e.g 30A, 6D, 31D and, my COD, 49D) raised a few wry smiles. Thank-you setter. How did everyone else get on? What were your favourites?

Definitions underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc, deletions and [] other indicators.

Across
1 City Road swathed in mist after morning (9)
AMSTERDAM – RD (road) [swathed in] STEAM (mist) [after] AM (morning).
6 Doctor saw no end of torment? Just a little (7)
MODICUM – MO (medical orderly; doctor) DICtUM (saw; saying) without [no] the [end of] tormenT.
10 Verse in artistic gathering releasing new attack (5)
SALVO – V (verse) [in]  SALOn (artistic gathering) [releasing new], i.e. without the N.
13 Impassive fathers having suppressed energy, note (4-3)
DEAD-PAN – DAD and PA (fathers) outside [having suppressed] E (energy), N (note).
14 Hair preparation used by hairdresser in secret (5)
RINSE – Hidden in [used by] hairdresseR IN SEcret.
15 Temporary accommodation? Local heading off unsure (9)
TENTATIVE – Yet another letter deletion… TENT (temporary accommodation) nATIVE (local) [heading off].
16 Late view of main activity offering only a brief connection (5,4,4,2,3,5)
SHIPS THAT PASS IN THE NIGHT – Double definition, first cryptic.
17 Match was recalled as an up-and-down affair (6)
SEESAW – SEE (match; as in poker betting) WAS  reversed [recalled] -> SAW
18 Idle worker without a mahlstick? (4-4)
FREE-HAND – Well the wordplay is clear enough: FREE (idle) – HAND (worker), but what is a mahlstick, I wondered? I had to look it up.. “a light stick with a padded leather ball at one end, held against work by a painter or signwriter to support and steady the brush hand.”.
19 Satisfied after strike brought about a Parisian rampage (3,4)
RUN AMOK – Not Run Riot as I thought initially, but couldn’t get to work. It’s OK (satisfied) [after] RAM (strike) [brough about] UN (a in french; i.e. Parisian).
22 Outrageous location of circus banner? (4-3-3)
OVER-THE-TOP – Double definition, second mildly cryptic.
23 Shop entices — deals being outrageous (12)
DELICATESSEN – Our first anagram. (entices deals)* [being outrageous].
27 What you’d expect of a non-level playing-field (5)
PITCH – A sort of semi-&lit double definition with “playing-field” doing double duty (I think). If the field is not level it would have a PITCH from one end to the other (or one side to another). I’m sure someone will correct me if there’s a better way to parse it.
29 Try to get rid of small bird (7)
GOSLING – GO (a try) SLING (get rid of).
30 Party line given by newspaper carried by timid folk in the House? (8)
DOMICILE – DO (party) and L (line) after [given by] I (newspaper) inside MICE (timid folk).
32 Big concert followed by capers, mostly (8)
GIGANTIC – GIG (concert) [followed by] ANTICs (capers) [mostly].
34 Head of information succeeding in capturing account with some uncertainty (7)
INEXACT – [Head of] Information and NEXT (succeeding; following) [capturing] AC (account).
36 Mostly in the dark about copper’s position (5)
LOCUS – {Mostly] LOSt [about] CU (chemical symbol for copper).
39 Start up suddenly after vermin appearing in a South Australian city (5,7)
ALICE SPRINGS – No. Not a South Australian city…. SPRING (start up suddenly) [after] LICE (vermin) all [in] A S (South).
41 Evenly-matched situation ahead of game? One’s up for the attack? (10)
DRAWBRIDGE – DRAW (evenly-matched situation) [ahead of] BRIDGE (game).
44 Trips? Unconscious after woozy state, we hear (4,3)
DAYS OUT – OUT (unconscious) [after] DAZE (woozy state) [we hear] -> DAYS.
46 Extravagant time tucking into source of booze? (8)
OPERATIC – ERA (time) [tucking into] OPTIC (source of booze; the dispenser of  a measure of spirits from a bottle in a bar).
48 Coach seat initially reserved, occupied by husband (6)
SCHOOL – Seat [initially] COOL (reserved) outside [occupied by] H (husband)
50 Town academies, often disturbed with noise, getting similar treatment (1,5,2,4,3,8)
A TASTE OF ONES OWN MEDICINE – Only our second anagram. (Town academies, often … noise)* [disturbed]
53 The people vote, beset by hard claims for attention (3,6)
HOI POLLOI – POLL inside [beset by] H (hard) OI OI (two claims for attention).
54 Line occupying edge to edge (5)
SIDLE – L (line) [occupying] SIDE.
55 Taking a position but abandoning street — it’s very wet (7)
POURING – POstURING (taking a position) without [abandoning] the ST (street).
56 Sail fixed after ambassador’s boarded (5)
SHEET – SET (fixed) outside HE (His Excellency; ambassador) [boarded].
57 Recalled one joining European train (7)
RETINUE – UNITER (one joining) reversed [recalled] -> RETINU E (European).
58 Protects latest from mole, controversially — stamping this on document? (3-6)
TOP-SECRET – (Protects + e)* [last from] molE, [controversially].
Down
1 Some Europeans having day later in South American area (5)
ANDES – {Having day later] mean move the D for day in DANES (some europeans) -> ANDES.
2 What’s still shocking? (6,11)
STATIC ELECTRICITY – Cryptic definition.
3 By the way, NASA sent shot round Pluto at first (2,7)
EN PASSANT – (NASA sent)* [shot] [around] Pluto [at first].
4 Not clear about horse boat (6)
DINGHY – DINGY (not clear) about H (horse).
5 Deserving suitor more free to embrace one (11)
MERITORIOUS – (suitor more)* [free] outside [to embrace] I (one).
6 Old woman less dishevelled: she’s always looking for a chap? (3-5)
MAN-EATER – MA (old woman) NEATER (less dishevelled).
7 Pace picked up, with each occupying certain trenches? (4-3)
DEEP-SEA –  SPEED (pace) reversed [picked up] -> DEEPS [with] EA (each).
8 Decided what flowers to be pressed should be? (3,3,5)
CUT AND DRIED – Double definition, second cryptic.
9 Wild behaviour involving a lot of agitation in part of China (9)
MANCHURIA – MANIA (wild behaviour) [involving] [a lot of] CHURn (agitation).
10 Quiet name adopted by nameless river (7)
SHANNON – SH (quiet) and N (name) inside [adopted by] ANON (nameless).
11 Telling stories, very brief, without introduction (5)
LYING – fLYING (very brief; as in a visit) [without introduction].
12 Getting the better of blatant forgery, handing out fine (10)
OVERTAKING – OVERT (blatent) fAKING (forgery) [handing out], i.e. removing the F (fine).
17 Small workers’ organisation in news story (5)
SCOOP – S (small) CO-OP (workers’ organisation).
20 Compiled and misfired, getting confused about a grammatical solecism (9,8)
MISPLACED MODIFIER – (compiled… misfired)* [getting confused] [about] A.
21 Hard cube — and one of its dimensions? (6)
HEIGHT – H (hard) EIGHT (2 cubed).
24 Picked up box containing silver bird (small) (6)
EAGLET – TELE (tv; box) reversed [picked up] -> ELET [containing) AG (chemical symbol for silver).
25 Times correspondent, initially taken in by evasive type, to do very well (5)
EXCEL – X (times) Correspondent [initially] taken in by EEL (evasive type; slippery type).
26 Martian mission, very fancy, heading off (6)
VIKING – V (very) lIKING (fancy, the noun) [heading off].
28 Afterlife mostly an upward movement? (5)
HEAVE – HEAVEn (afterlife) [mostly].
31 French word applied to personal musical style (6)
MOTOWN – MOT (french for word) OWN (personal).
33 Disco hit with pro dancing? One specialising in footwork (11)
CHIROPODIST – (Disco hit … pro)* [dancing].
35 German train crashed in start of trial (11)
ARRAIGNMENT – (German train)* [crashed].
37 Period charm (5)
SPELL – Double definition
38 Alexander’s in possession of eight German beach vehicles (4,6)
SAND YACHTS – SANDY’S (Alexander’s) outside [in possession of] ACHT (eight in German).
40 Bestseller — or a range? (3-6)
POT-BOILER – Double definition, second cryptic.
42 Integrity? Full assurance requires two characters swapping places (9)
RECTITUDE – Full assurance is CERTITUDE. Swap the two characters R and C.
43 Crowd loves Democrat appearing in subscriber channels (8)
CABOODLE – O O (loves) D (Demoncrate) [appearing in] CABLE (subscriber channels).
45 Frontier station intray won’t contain it (7)
OUTPOST – Double definition, second cryptic.
47 American thinker: this writer elevated individual not wanting power (7)
EMERSON – ME (this write) [elevated] -> EM pERSON (individual) without the [not wanting] P (power).
49 Stop going to bed and peek? (4,2)
KEEP UP – A reverse cryptic… how do you clue peek?
51 A cut of meat, quick (5)
ALIVE – A LIVEr (meat) [cut].
52 A number picked up article about serving American (5)
EIGHT – THE (article) [about] GI (serving American) [picked up] -> EIGHT.

5 comments on “Times Cryptic Jumbo No 1412 – 30th November”

  1. Never figured out OPERATIC–forgot about the OPTIC–and wouldn’t have thought of it as a definiendum for ‘extravagant’, although I now see that it is given as such in ODE. I figured 24d had to be EAGLET, but could make nothing of ELET/TELE, never having seen ‘tele’, only ‘telly’. Similarly, I figured it had to be GOSLING, though I didn’t know SLING in that sense (and don’t find it in ODE). I actually biffed 16ac from the S_I_S/_ _ _ T/… without reading the whole clue. A POT-BOILER is not necessarily a best-seller, nor of course is a best-seller necessarily a pot-boiler. I liked 6ac.
    1. Hmm, you are quite right Kevin, I couldn’t see it in either ODO or Collins.. which greatly surprises me because it is in very common use hereabouts .. as in “Where’s yesterday’s newspaper?” “It’s been slung” or “I’ve been meaning to sling it but it’s still on the table” etc ..
      1. How odd. I never thought to look it up as it’s common parlance for me too. Chambers doesn’t have that meaning either, although it does have toss, which I use in the same sense.

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