Just under the hour for me, so medium difficulty I would suggest. A couple of leaps of faith with EUPHORBIA and MICRODOT, but nothing too controversial as I recall. Unless you want to get into a debate about whether Neanderthals were people, which I don't.
Compliments to the setter as usual. I particularly liked the clues for INTROITS and METAL. Some lovely surfaces as well, involving naughty girls, furious feminists and badly behaved nurses. Come to think of it there's also a beautiful woman (or two), a wife on a mattress, a mother-to-be, an Iron Maiden and an incredibly fit fighting nun, so it would seem that all tastes are catered for.
Anyway, down to business. Clues are in blue, with definitions underlined. Anagrinds are bolded and italicised.
Compliments to the setter as usual. I particularly liked the clues for INTROITS and METAL. Some lovely surfaces as well, involving naughty girls, furious feminists and badly behaved nurses. Come to think of it there's also a beautiful woman (or two), a wife on a mattress, a mother-to-be, an Iron Maiden and an incredibly fit fighting nun, so it would seem that all tastes are catered for.
Anyway, down to business. Clues are in blue, with definitions underlined. Anagrinds are bolded and italicised.
| Across | |
| 1 | Large bird in rollercoaster (3,6) |
| BIG DIPPER - BIG (large) + DIPPER (bird) | |
| 6 | Continental scholar is puncturing hypocrisy on a Friday (10) |
| AFRICANIST - A + FRI (Friday) + IS inside CANT (hypocrisy) | |
| 12 | Flashtype of coffee (7) |
| INSTANT - Double definition | |
| 13 | Twenty-eight countries fear being invaded by river plant (9) |
| EUPHORBIA - EU (European Union, made up of 28 countries) + R (river) inside PHOBIA (fear) Will that be twenty-seven later this year? What's it gonna be guys? | |
| 14 | Collect fool's confession? (5) |
| AMASS - AM ASS An odd confession, but we are dealing with a fool here. | |
| 16 | Item on desk, perhaps dear (6,6) |
| LETTER OPENER - eg Dear Prudence | |
| 17 | Rebel lad on Nauru smuggling drug (10) |
| BELLADONNA - Hidden, quite nicely, in reBEL LAD ON NAuru Nauru is one of two places where Australia conducts state-sanctioned human rights abuses. The other is PNG, but they told us this week where to stick it. | |
| 19 | City insiders struggle with it, wondering who one is (8,6) |
| IDENTITY CRISIS - (CITY INSIDERS IT)* | |
| 22 | Enterprise perhaps leads with it (8) |
| STARSHIP - STARS (leads) + HIP (with it) Not a Trekky myself, but it seems like good harmless fun. | |
| 24 | Mapmakers move Channel port (6) |
| OSTEND - OS (Ordnance Survey, British mapmakers) + TEND (move) | |
| 25 | Bloke is gutted after female stops saying she's pregnant (6-2-2) |
| MOTHER-TO-BE - HER (female) inside MOTTO (saying) + BE (BlokE, gutted) | |
| 26 | Sixty minutes with one beautiful woman (5) |
| HOURI - HOUR (sixty minutes) + I (one) Did you hear about our Sixty Minutes crew's recent shenanigans in Beirut? Don't look it up, it's just embarrassing. | |
| 29 | Outspokenly commend setting (4) |
| SITE - Homophone (outspokenly) of CITE (commend) | |
| 30 | Cockney’s searched for round fruit straight from freezer (8) |
| UNTHAWED - UNTED (Cockney for hunted (searched for)) around HAW (fruit) | |
| 32 | High-spirited cows briefly invading hospital department (9) |
| EBULLIENT - BULLIE (bullies (cows) briefly) inside ENT (hospital department) | |
| 34 | Cash and clothes from the east for Roman poet (9) |
| LUCRETIUS - LUCRE (cash) + TIUS (suit (clothes) reversed (from the east)) | |
| 35 | Most irritable artist draws between times (8) |
| RATTIEST - RA (artist) + TIES (draws) between TT (times) | |
| 36 | Cease tantrum right away! (4) |
| STOP - STROP (tantrum) without the R (right) | |
| 39 | Beat extremely thuggish boy (5) |
| THROB - TH (extremely ThuggisH) + ROB (boy) | |
| 40 | Mostly unrestricted, then restricts access to surgical procedures (10) |
| OPERATIONS - OPE (mostly open (unrestricted)) + RATIONS (restricts access to) | |
| 42 | Quiver, losing heart in large measure (6) |
| TREBLE - TREMBLE (quiver) losing M (its heart, or middle letter) | |
| 44 | With leaders away, stop the navy becoming administratively overburdened (3-5) |
| TOP-HEAVY - TOP HE AVY ("stop the navy" without leading letter of each word) | |
| 46 | Aroused serene dentist's curiosity (14) |
| INTERESTEDNESS - (SERENE DENTIST'S)* | |
| 48 | Correct Internet Protocol policy on record (10) |
| DISCIPLINE - DISC (record) + IP (Internet Protocol) + LINE (policy) | |
| 49 | Naughty girl sang hymn in Cockney argot (7,5) |
| RHYMING SLANG - (GIRL SANG HYMN)* Actually this might be COD. Lovely anagram, smooth surface. Great clue. | |
| 53 | Group of soldiers beginning to show muscle (5) |
| SQUAD - S (beginning to "Show") + QUAD (muscle) | |
| 54 | Reconciled, people finally start reparations (9) |
| ATONEMENT - AT ONE (reconciled) + MEN (people) + T (finally "starT") | |
| 55 | Feminist of furious fire, with degree of proficiency in karate (7) |
| FRIEDAN - (FIRE)* + DAN (degree of proficiency in karate) | |
| 56 | Wilful crime reported on main road (10) |
| HEADSTRONG - HEAD (main) + ST (road) + RONG (homophone (reported) for wrong (crime)) | |
| 57 | Royals are working for just over 52 weeks (5,4) |
| SOLAR YEAR - (ROYALS ARE)* 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds, from memory. And Wikipedia. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Bloke's bottom bitten by top dog (5) |
| BESET - E (bottom of "blokE") inside BEST (top) | |
| 2 | Individual beneath most solemn memorial (10) |
| GRAVESTONE - GRAVEST (most solemn) + ONE (individual) | |
| 3 | Hymns I ultimately learn just for love of it (8) |
| INTROITS - I + NTR (ultimately "learN jusT foR") + O (zero (love)) + ITS (of it) | |
| 4 | Annoy class in gym the day before (5) |
| PEEVE - PE (class in gym) + EVE (the day before) | |
| 5 | Assistant nurses behave badly, coming back for refill (9) |
| REPLENISH - SIN (behave badly) inside HELPER (assistant) all reversed (coming back) | |
| 6 | Version of Bible it hurts to acknowledge (4) |
| AVOW - AV (version of Bible) + OW (it hurts) | |
| 7 | Teased wife on mattress (6) |
| RIBBED - RIB (wife) + BED (mattress) | |
| 8 | Emily's sister has endless apple dessert (9,5) |
| CHARLOTTE RUSSE - CHARLOTTE (sister of Emily Bronte) + RUSSE (endless russet (apple)) Emily Bronte has the distinction of writing the worst novel I've ever read. | |
| 9 | Old peopleswimming near Shetland (12) |
| NEANDERTHALS - (NEAR SHETLAND)* Swimming near Shetland? No wonder they didn't last. | |
| 10 | Firm barista uncharitably crosses (7) |
| STAUNCH - hidden in bariSTA UNCHaritably | |
| 11 | Residence over the pond containing nothing very unpleasant (10) |
| VILLAINOUS - VILLA (residence) + IN US (over the pond) containing O (nothing) | |
| 15 | Waving to spaniel and Siamese cat (4-5) |
| SEAL-POINT - (TO SPANIEL)* I hate cats. There, I said it. Fortunately no-one reads the Jumbo blog. | |
| 18 | One involved in Middle Common Room furore about LSD tablet (8) |
| MICRODOT - I (one) in MCR (Middle Common Room) + ODOT (to-do (furore) reversed (about)) Don't think these ever made it to my little country town, but just to be safe we all got dragged into the local theatre to learn about this evil from an American film called "LSD - Insight or Insanity?" I was about eight years old. Now THAT was a trip. | |
| 20 | Retired people repressing panic in vehicle (6,3) |
| ESTATE CAR - STATE (panic) in ECAR (race (people) reversed (retired)) | |
| 21 | On-line security measure (7,3) |
| CLOTHES PEG - Cryptic definition | |
| 23 | Rivers perhaps happen to go west, north and north east (10) |
| COMEDIENNE - COME (happen) + DIE (go west) + N (north) + NE (north east) Joan Rivers, a fairly recent entry to Times crossword eligibility. Or does that rule not apply to the Jumbo? | |
| 27 | Posh, well-groomed, talented, and disgusting when dining (9) |
| UNEATABLE - U (posh) + NEAT (well-groomed) + ABLE (talented) | |
| 28 | Vatican lost nun, incrediblyfit fighter (14) |
| ANTICONVULSANT - (VATICAN LOST NUN)* Fit fighter. Good one. | |
| 31 | Slap raised lump on skin without soreness (8) |
| WARPAINT - PAIN (soreness) inside WART (raised lump on skin) | |
| 33 | Foolish complaint about the French heeded (6-6) |
| FEEBLE-MINDED - FEEB (beef (complaint) reversed (about)) + LE ("the" in French) + MINDED (heeded) | |
| 34 | Questionable adult site in regions north and south (9) |
| LATITUDES - (ADULT SITE)* | |
| 37 | A chap tailing smooth PR person (5,5) |
| PRESS AGENT - PRESS (smooth) + A + GENT (chap) | |
| 38 | I presented complexdecree in advance (10) |
| PREDESTINE - (I PRESENTED)* | |
| 41 | Aircrew periodically leaves frozen wastes (3,6) |
| ICE SHEETS - ICE (aIr CrEw periodically) + SHEETS (leaves) | |
| 43 | Put up withchampion (5,3) |
| STAND FOR - Double definition | |
| 45 | Father Time drilling fine grassland (7) |
| PASTURE - PA (father) + T (time) in SURE (fine) | |
| 47 | Entirely enthused by Toronto's outskirts (2,4) |
| IN TOTO - INTO (enthused by) + TO (outskirts of TorontO) | |
| 50 | Perhaps Iron Maiden and others (5) |
| METAL - M (maiden) + ET AL (others) And an &LIT to boot. Lovely clue. | |
| 51 | French marshal falling out of Channel Island tree (5) |
| ALDER - ALDERNEY (Channel Island) without NEY (French marshal) | |
| 52 | Diving bird cropped up as feature of icy waters (4) |
| BERG - GREBe (bird), cropped and reversed (diving) | |