I seem to have fallen into a pattern with the Jumbos, where the easier ones take just over half an hour, and the harder ones take about an hour. This one took 32:54, so you do the maths.
Here's how I parsed it...
Clues are reproduced in blue, with the definition underlined. Anagram indicators are bolded and italicised. Then there's the answer IN BOLD, followed by the parsing of the wordplay. (ABC)* means 'anagram of ABC'.
Here's how I parsed it...
Clues are reproduced in blue, with the definition underlined. Anagram indicators are bolded and italicised. Then there's the answer IN BOLD, followed by the parsing of the wordplay. (ABC)* means 'anagram of ABC'.
| Across | |
| 1 | Flower seeds lie everywhere with cutting (9) |
| EDELWEISS - (SEEDS LIE)* "cut" by W (with) | |
| 6 | Stands up to repeat tests holding spades (7) |
| RESISTS - RESITS (repeat tests) holding S (spades) | |
| 10 | Iraqi city graduates meet gunmen (5) |
| BASRA - BAS (graduates) + RA (gunmen, Royal Artillery) | |
| 13 | They illuminate a hundred and fifty tablets (7) |
| CANDLES - C (a hundred) + AND + L (fifty) + E'S (tablets) | |
| 14 | Dish sitting among 40 violinists (7) |
| RAVIOLI - Hidden in orchestRA VIOLInists Hmmm, an indirect hidden. That's a new one on me. 40 refers to the answer at 40dn, ORCHESTRA. | |
| 15 | Rock typemad genius found round rear of volcano (7) |
| IGNEOUS - (GENIUS)* round O (rear of volcanO) | |
| 16 | Undisclosed shareholder hides one pistol for sleuth (7,12) |
| PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR - PRIVATE (undisclosed) + I (one) + GAT (pistol) in INVESTOR (shareholder) | |
| 17 | Cyst disappeared, but not completely (3) |
| WEN - WENt (disappeared) nor completely | |
| 18 | Minister the writer’s to bring round (6) |
| REVIVE - REV (minister) + I'VE (the writer's) | |
| 20 | Party chief’s field of activity (6) |
| DOMAIN - DO (party) + MAIN (chief) | |
| 21 | A European retaining bachelor in charge of gymnastic feats (9) |
| ACROBATIC - A + CROAT (European) retaining B (bachelor) + IC (in charge) | |
| 23 | Working class in Channel Islands, I’m thinking, forms union (10) |
| CONSORTIUM - ON (working) + SORT (class) in CI (Channel Islands) + UM (I'm thinking) | |
| 25 | Husband quitting slum to fetch woman for party (3-8) |
| GET-TOGETHER - H (husband) "quitting" GhETTO (slum) + GET HER (fetch woman) | |
| 29 | Leading man in a commercial (5) |
| AHEAD - HE (man) in A + AD (commercial) | |
| 30 | Runs right after conservationists in fashionable society (8) |
| CONTROLS - R (right) after NT (National Trust, conservationists) in COOL (fashionable) + S (society) | |
| 31 | Innocent changed colour crossing English river (4-4) |
| DEWY-EYED - DYED (changed colour) "crossing" E (English) + WYE (river) | |
| 34 | This stupid guy hosting one person from Panama, say (8) |
| ISTHMIAN - (THIS)* + MAN (person) "hosting" I (one) | |
| 36 | Ran into Morecambe inhaling oxygen very fast (8) |
| METEORIC - MET (ran into) + ERIC (Morecambe) "inhaling" O (oxygen) | |
| 37 | It's played bluegrass and new jazz, only at first (5) |
| BANJO - Initial letters (at first) of Bluegrass And New Jazz Only | |
| 39 | Press cover term famously used by Churchill (4,7) |
| IRON CURTAIN - IRON (press) + CURTAIN (cover) | |
| 41 | Maybe London's top coptrains boss in US? (10) |
| YARDMASTER - Double definition In America the yardmaster is the person in charge of the rail yard, or the "trains" boss. | |
| 43 | Extremely coy fool runs working precursor of LHC (9) |
| CYCLOTRON - CY (extremely CoY) + CLOT (fool) + R (runs) + ON (working) We're talking about particle accelerators here. | |
| 45 | My goodness, look round — now we must be getting on (3,3) |
| OLD AGE - EGAD (my goodness) + LO (look) reversed (round) Anyone ever actually heard someone say "egad"? | |
| 47 | Passes on the Spanish fuel (6) |
| DIESEL - DIES (passes on) + EL ("the" in Spanish) | |
| 49 | Shelter fish heading back (3) |
| LEE - EEL (fish) reversed (heading back) | |
| 50 | Model is incontestably safe — worth evaluating (4-7,8) |
| COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS - (IS INCONTESTABLY SAFE)* Worth evaluating meaning evaluating of worth. | |
| 52 | Old copper’s protecting best swimmer (7) |
| OCTOPUS - O (old) + CU'S (copper's) "protecting" TOP (best) | |
| 53 | Actor, one filling half of August and November (7) |
| USTINOV - I (one) "filling" UST (half of augUST) and NOV (November) | |
| 54 | Eluding rocks, take to the drink? (7) |
| INDULGE - (ELUDING)* | |
| 55 | Old money smuggled into football club (5) |
| FRANC - RAN (smuggled) in FC (football club) | |
| 56 | Two articles about permit for sportsman (7) |
| ATHLETE - A + THE (two articles) "about" LET (permit) | |
| 57 | Fabulous, singular blue and yellow card (9) |
| STORYBOOK - S (singular) + TORY (blue) + BOOK (yellow card) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Francesca personally entertains those taking flight (8) |
| ESCAPERS - Hidden in (entertained by) francESCA PERSonally | |
| 2 | In most of night in Paris, showing listlessness (5) |
| ENNUI - EN (French for "in") + NUI (most of NUIT, French for "night) | |
| 3 | We lived with lads, troubled but sensible (4-7) |
| WELL-ADVISED - (WE LIVED + LADS)* | |
| 4 | Section of Foot square-bashing accurately (6) |
| INSTEP - IN STEP (square-bashing accurately, meaning marching correctly) | |
| 5 | Greens? What’s known by expert well in advance (6,6) |
| SPRING ONIONS - ONIONS (what's known by expert) with SPRING (well) in advance | |
| 6 | I compete in Rolls-Royce, reaching a place on the Med (7) |
| RIVIERA - I + VIE (compete) in RR (Rolls-Royce) + A | |
| 7 | Filming group of golf spectators, perhaps, getting target practice here (8,7) |
| SHOOTING GALLERY - SHOOTING (filming) + GALLERY (group of golf spectators, perhaps) | |
| 8 | Superficial repairs? Small ruler has lots (4,6) |
| SKIN GRAFTS - S (small) + KING (ruler) + RAFTS (lots) | |
| 9 | One using sieve to cover new brandy glass (7) |
| SNIFTER - SIFTER (one using sieve) "to cover" N (new) | |
| 10 | Bar broken by criminal carrying this out? (4,7) |
| BANK ROBBERY - (BAR BROKEN BY)* | |
| 11 | School incorporates finest temple timepiece (9) |
| STOPWATCH - SCH (school) "incorporates" TOP (finest) + WAT (temple) | |
| 12 | As magazine has article left out, one chapter added (7) |
| ARSENIC - ARSENal (magazine) has A (article) + L (left) out + I (one) + C (chapter) As is the chemical symbol for arsenic. | |
| 19 | Numbers five and ten fast and aggressive (7) |
| VIOLENT - V (number five) + IO (number ten) + LENT (fast) | |
| 22 | Give weapon to cleaner guarding one seat (8) |
| ARMCHAIR - ARM (give weapon to) + CHAR (cleaner) "guarding" I (one) | |
| 24 | Queen: "Inter one at a time in different places" (5,10) |
| MARIE ANTOINETTE - (INTER ONE AT A TIME)* | |
| 26 | Emotionalbeat (8) |
| OVERCOME - Double definition | |
| 27 | Very passionate, touching short loincloth (3-3) |
| RED-HOT - RE (touching) + DHOT [short DHOTI (loincloth)] | |
| 28 | Volunteers having success on one island (6) |
| TAHITI - TA (volunteers) + HIT (success) + I (one) | |
| 32 | Try to obtain vote against rebelling Union troops (7) |
| YANKEES - SEEK (try to obtain) + NAY (vote against) reversed (rebelling) | |
| 33 | Private goes off to secure Republican dues (12) |
| PREROGATIVES - (PRIVATE GOES)* to "secure" R (Republican) | |
| 35 | Tiny bug abnormally large policeman stuck in centre of barricade (11) |
| MICROSCOPIC - MIC (bug) + OS (abnormally large) + COP (policeman) in RIC (centre of barRICade) | |
| 37 | In Gulf, like cultivated French celebration (8,3) |
| BASTILLE DAY - AS (like) + TILLED (cultivated) in BAY (gulf) | |
| 38 | I ban turps, which is odd on hard applicator such as this (10) |
| PAINTBRUSH - (I BAN TURPS)* + H (hard) | |
| 40 | Soldiers box artist and players in pit (9) |
| ORCHESTRA - OR (soldiers) + CHEST (box) + RA (artist) | |
| 42 | Pest's dropping smart son light kiss (8) |
| FLYSPECK - FLY (smart) + S (son) + PECK (light kiss) | |
| 43 | Ring — then again: females cancel (4,3) |
| CALL OFF - CALL (ring) + O (ring) + FF (females) | |
| 44 | Head off angry tailless marine mammal here perhaps? (4,3) |
| ROSS SEA - ROSS [head off cROSS (angry)] + SEA [tailless SEAl (mammal)] | |
| 46 | Weaponry, possibly, about to be moved out of respect (7) |
| DEFENCE - RE (about) to be moved out of DEFEreNCE (respect) | |
| 48 | Jones the architect conceals source of dark colour (6) |
| INDIGO - INIGO (Inigo Jones, the architect) "conceals" D (source of Dark) | |
| 51 | Leaders of soldiers always like volley of concentrated fire (5) |
| SALVO - Initial letters (leaders) of Soldiers Always Like Volley Of | |