I don’t keep a record of my solving times for the Jumbo, but this was surely my quickest at just 24:30 on the clock. For once there were (to me) no unknown words or General Knowledge apart from the author at 50A and the definition at 52A, which must have helped. Nearly all the ticks on my copy are against down clues… 12D was my favourite, but I also liked the big group of stars at 20A, 22D with its hint of another politican and the homophone at 26D. Thanks-you generous setter. How did everyone else get on?
Definitions underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc, deletions and [] other indicators.
| Across | |
| 1 | French nobleman‘s quickly comprehending company minutes (7) |
| VICOMTE – VITE (quickly in french) outside [comprehending] CO (company) M (minutes). | |
| 5 | Precise account by parish priest’s assistant (8) |
| ACCURATE – AC (account) CURATE (parish priest’s assitant). | |
| 9 | Absolutely correct, boy receiving trophy (4-2) |
| SPOT-ON – SON (boy) outside [receiving] POT (trophy) | |
| 13 | Don’t rate computer services at all? There’s no need to apologise (5,7,2,2) |
| THINK NOTHING OF IT – THINK NOTHING OF (Don’t rate… at all) IT (computer services). | |
| 14 | Old flat-bottomed boat goes on heading for Malta’s capital city (6) |
| MOSCOW – O (old) SCOW (flat-bottomed boat) after [heading for] Malta. Not Malta’s capital city, of course. | |
| 16 | The Song of Hiawatha, say, and English film by US writer, male (4,4) |
| EPIC POEM – E (English) PIC (film) POE (US writer) M (male). | |
| 17 | Heard offspring give up (4) |
| CEDE – Sounds like [heard] SEED (offspring). | |
| 18 | Say he, for instance, gets church backing (9) |
| PRONOUNCE – PRONOUN (he, for instance) with CE (church) after [backing]. | |
| 20 | Believer in destiny in big group of stars, perhaps (8) |
| FATALIST – FAT (big) A-LIST (group of stars). I like it! | |
| 21 | Berths here for the rest of the travellers? (8,3) |
| SLEEPING CAR – Cryptic definition. | |
| 24 | Able to remember a lot of information about sacramental wine I have (9) |
| RETENTIVE – RE (about) TENT (sacramental wine) I’VE (I have). | |
| 25 | Conventional scholar (8) |
| ACADEMIC – Double definition. | |
| 26 | Crack in ground, we’re told (4) |
| FLAW – Sounds like [we’re told] FLOOR (ground). | |
| 29 | Support me at an inn, playing before church (11) |
| MAINTENANCE – (me at an inn)* [playing] CE (church). | |
| 31 | Old cat of Eliot’s in another book? (11) |
| DEUTERONOMY – Double definition, the former, Old Deutoronomy, being one of TS Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, and the other one of the books of the Old Testament. | |
| 33 | Wasteful tramp runs out after more (11) |
|
EXTRAVAGANT – VAG |
|
| 36 | Personal souvenirs from Iberia and Malmo, mixed up (11) |
| MEMORABILIA – (Iberia … Malmo)* [mixed up]. | |
| 38 | Toy boy losing face — Joy too, both being rejected (2-2) |
| YO-YO – bOY and jOY [losing face] reversed [all being rejected] -> YO-YO. | |
| 39 | Figure blocking female in lift (8) |
| HEIGHTEN – EIGHT (figure) inside [blocking] HEN (female). | |
| 41 | Figure reportedly shattered by outlook (9) |
| RECTANGLE – Sounds like [reportedly] WRECKED [by] ANGLE (outlook) | |
| 44 | Suitable lift (11) |
| APPROPRIATE – Double definition. Second as in “trouser”. | |
| 45 | Religious studies: love journal delving into the unknown (8) |
| THEOLOGY – O (love) LOG (journal) inside [delving into] THE Y (unknown). | |
| 48 | Finished feeding a group left behind (9) |
| ABANDONED – DONE (finished) inside [feeding] A BAND (group). | |
| 49 | Comfort stop, not the first (4) |
| EASE – cEASE (stop) [not the first]. | |
| 50 | George, a writer from Maine, close to glamour girl (8) |
| MEREDITH – ME (Maine) [close to] glamouR EDITH (girl). George Meredith was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature 7 times! Never heard of him, I’m afraid… or read any of his books. Are they any good? | |
| 52 | Cavalryman arresting a mosstrooper (6) |
| RAIDER – RIDER (cavalryman) [arresting] A. A new word on me… a mosstropper is “A marauder who operated in the mosses, or bogs, of the border between England and Scotland in the 17th century”. | |
| 53 | Who’s Who set we want, desperately, for a film (3,3,4,3,3) |
| HOW THE WEST WAS WON – (who’s who set we want)* [desperately]. | |
| 54 | Grub shown in periodical taken (6) |
| MAGGOT – MAG (periodical) GOT (taken). | |
| 55 | What a guard may have to support small family (8) |
| BEARSKIN – BEAR (support) S (small) KIN (family). | |
| 56 | Vessel departs, having to crawl entering rivers (7) |
| DREDGER – D (departs) EDGE (crawl) [entering] R R (rivers). | |
| Down | |
| 1 | To scrutinise dictionary may be forbidden (6) |
| VETOED – VET (scrutinise) O.E.D. (Oxford English Dictionary). | |
| 2 | Mostly warm to each other round fashionable private hospital (6) |
| CLINIC – CLICk (warm to each other) [mostly] [round] IN (fashionable). | |
| 3 | Spell out type found on prairie (4,5) |
| MAKE PLAIN – MAKE (type) [on] PLAIN (prairie). | |
| 4 | Not including one allotment in clearing (11) |
| EXONERATION – EX (not including) ONE RATION (allotment). | |
| 5 | Suffer mental anguish in hospital visiting one (4) |
| ACHE – H (hospital) [visiting] ACE (one). Not sure why we need “menatl” in the clue. | |
| 6 | Focus on money put in box (11) |
| CONCENTRATE – ON CENT (money) [put on] CRATE. | |
| 7 | I, in part of Greece, put down state (5,6) |
| RHODE ISLAND – I [in] RHODES (part of Greece) LAND [put down]. | |
| 8 | Epilogue of story listened to by bishop? (9) |
| TAILPIECE – TAIL sounds like [listened to] TALE [by] PIECE (bishop). | |
| 10 | Far-reaching, expert discovered (8) |
| PROFOUND – PRO (expert) FOUND (discovered). | |
| 11 | Licence: he got call, unhappily for institute (9,7) |
| TECHNICAL COLLEGE – (licence he got call)* [unhappily]. | |
| 12 | When resolutions were made? Were any broken? (3,4) |
| NEW YEAR – (were any)* [broken]. Lovely surface. | |
| 15 | Sea creature having little power or balance (8) |
| PORPOISE – P (little power) OR POISE (balance). | |
| 19 | Husband going over part of Europe that includes Northern Ireland (8) |
| HIBERNIA – H (husband) above [going over] IBERIA (part of Europe) [that includes] N (Northern). | |
| 22 | Not false, lines about politician’s foolish talk (8) |
| TRUMPERY – TRUE (not false) RY (railway; lines) [about] MP (politician). That’s a bit cheeky of our setter. Politican’s foolish talk indeed! A spoonful of Clorox, anyone? | |
| 23 | In actual fact, dance show’s reaching a climax (8,8) |
| STRICTLY SPEAKING – STRICTLY’S (dance show’s) PEAKING (reaching a climax). | |
| 27 | Consider more passable, say, for traveller (8) |
| WAYFARER – Sunds like [say] WEIGH (consider) FAIRER (more passable). | |
| 28 | Egg dessert, unfinished (4) |
| BOMB – BOMBe [unfinished]. We had EGG for a grenade recently, I think. | |
| 30 | Carriage split up (4) |
| TRAP – PART (split) [up] -> TRAP. | |
| 32 | Demanding higher prices at college fair (8) |
| UPMARKET – UP (at college) MARKET (fair). | |
| 34 | Be taken in by utter rogue (8) |
| ABERRANT – BE inside [taken in by] ARRANT (utter). | |
| 35 | Precisely how rent should be paid? (2,3,6) |
| TO THE LETTER – Double definition, second cryptic. | |
| 36 | Fast food item: very small and pale, we hear (6,5) |
| MINUTE STEAK – MINUTE (very small) STEAK sounds like STAKE (pale). | |
| 37 | Called to mind religious education and prayer with editor (11) |
| RECOLLECTED – RE (religious education) COLLECT (prayer) ED (editor). | |
| 40 | Organised manoeuvres, impressive (9) |
| GRANDIOSE – (organised)* [manoeuvres]. | |
| 42 | Total amount of silver Greek, for example, put away (9) |
| AGGREGATE – AG (chemical symbol for silver) GR (Greek) EG (for example) ATE (put away). | |
| 43 | So long, as well, endless strips of pasta consumed (6-2) |
|
TOODLE-OO – TOO (as well) outside [consumed] |
|
| 44 | What can make user sure? (7) |
| ANAGRAM – “Sure” is an ANAGRAM of “user”. | |
| 46 | Large piece for VIP (6) |
| BIGWIG – BIG (large) WIG ((hair-)piece). | |
| 47 | Mouse star? (6) |
| SHINER – Double definition. The first a reference to a black eye. I did want the answer to this to be MINNIE, but no. | |
| 51 | Study occupied by a senior official at college (4) |
| DEAN – DEN (study) outside [occupied by] A. | |
Edited at 2020-05-16 07:21 am (UTC)