Well this came as a bit of a surprise, I wasn’t expecting a jumbo today. It’s just as well that I have plenty of time to spare having got all the household chores out of the way earlier in the week.
I think it is suffice to say that this one is a typical Everyman, only more of it.
Across
1 Argument put by homily erring badly before start of happy carol (4,4,7,2,4)
DING DONG MERRILY ON HIGH – DING DONG (argument) plus an anagram (badly) of HOMILY ERRING followed by H[appy] (start of happy)
14 One seeking attention for problem (5)
POSER – double def.
15 Stone, element not right for sports ground (7)
STADIUM – ST (stone) [r]ADIUM (element not right)
16 Popular stances unusually constant (9)
INCESSANT – IN (popular) plus an anagram (unusually) of STANCES
17 Ruffians fail to enter ranks (7)
ROWDIES – DIE (fail) in (to enter) ROWS (ranks)
18 Fuming smoke with density (8)
INCENSED – INCENSE (smoke) D (density)
19 Discontent in heart of court with king in retreat (6)
UNREST – [co]U[rt] (heart of court) plus R (king) in NEST (retreat)
21 Criticise book about one mass entertainment (9)
PANTOMIME – PAN (criticise) plus TOME (book) around (about) I (one) M (mass)
23 Castle perhaps involved in game (4,3,6)
PASS THE PARCEL – an anagram (involved) of CASTLE PERHAPS
25 Second-hand American edition (4)
USED – US (American) ED (edition)
26 Sweet end of adventure after former misfortune (8)
PASTILLE – [adventur]E (end of adventure) after PAST (former) ILL (misfortune)
28 Fashion centre keeping diamonds in reserve (9)
RETICENCE – an anagram (fashion) of CENTRE around (keeping) ICE (diamonds)
31 Very fine experiment, most delicate (7)
SOFTEST – SO (very) F (fine) TEST (experiment)
32 Remaining to receive kiss, endlessly hopeful (9)
EXPECTANT – EXTANT (remaining) around (to receive) PEC[k] (kiss, endlessly)
35 Public more than content, finally (5)
OVERT – OVER (more than) [conten]T (content, finally)
36 Reported trades in rooms (5)
CELLS – sounds like (reported) ‘sells’ (trades)
37 Abundantly evasive about holy life’s beginning (9)
COPIOUSLY – COY (evasive) around (about) PIOUS (holy) L[ife] (life’s beginning)
38 Insects in place inhabited by saint (7)
LOCUSTS – LOCUS (place) around (inhabited by) ST (saint)
40 Temperature hot in experiment concerning sporting contest (9)
TRIATHLON – T (temperature) H (hot) in TRIAL (experiment) ON (concerning)
42 Party, on reflection, inspector links with anomalies (8)
ODDITIES – DO (party) reversed (on reflection) DI (inspector) TIES (links)
44 Shock in crazy round (4)
STUN – NUTS (crazy) reversed (round)
46 New season encapsulated by gifts and forebodings (13)
PRESENTIMENTS – N (new) TIME (season) in (encapsulated by) PRESENTS (gifts)
48 Superior star receiving top mark for dance (5,4)
BOSSA NOVA – BOSS (superior) NOVA (star) around (receiving) A (top mark)
49 Away with secular spending (6)
OUTLAY – OUT (away) LAY (secular)
51 Levels achieved by man with line in electronic tricks (8)
ECHELONS – HE (man) L (line) in E (electronic) CONS (tricks)
52 Wise guy, eminence around Washington (4-3)
KNOW-ALL – KNOLL (eminence) around WA (Washington)
54 Dog in tea garden out of order (5,4)
GREAT DANE – an anagram (out of order) of TEA GARDEN
55 Distinguished source in field of medicine (7)
EMINENT – MINE (source) in ENT (field of medicine)
56 Farewell notice that is for all to see (5)
ADIEU – AD (notice) IE (that is) U (for all to see)
57 Three to check hint changing world in Christmas story (3,7,2,3,6)
THE CRICKET ON THE HEARTH – an anagram (changing) of THREE TO CHECK HINT followed by EARTH (world)
Down
2 Film, one with ruined fellow fast transformed (3,1,9,4)
IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE – I (one) plus an anagram (transformed) of RUINED FELLOW FAST
3 Group of troops in jail, losing power after scrap, upset (8)
GARRISON – [p]RISON (jail, losing power) after RAG (scrap) reversed (upset)
4 Nomads first regularly coming to fertile spot (5)
OASIS – [n]O[m]A[d]S [f]I[r]S[t] (nomads first regularly)
5 Rock with wild rage, interrupted by fool (7)
GRANITE – an anagram (wild) of RAGE around (interrupted by) NIT (fool)
6 Is firm friend supporting record of bishop? (9)
EPISCOPAL – IS CO (firm) PAL (friend) under (supporting) EP (record)
7 Memories about small incidents outside clubs (13)
REMINISCENCES – RE (about) MINI (small) SCENES (incidents) around (outside) C (clubs)
8 City I select, moving with hesitation (9)
LEICESTER – an anagram (moving) of I SELECT followed by ER (hesitation)
9 Formerly supported by tips of course (4)
ONCE – ON (supported by) C[ours]E (tips of course)
10 Expression of praise from Jericho’s annals (7)
HOSANNA – contained in (from) ‘jericH’OS ANNAls’
11 Scrape / metal frame (5)
GRATE – double def.
12 Start recommendations for engine components (5,5)
SPARK PLUGS – SPARK (start) PLUGS (recommendations)
13 Grandest gallery is located in street (10)
STATELIEST – TATE (gallery) LIES (is located) in ST (street)
20 Support terms of service broken by loftier abstainers (12)
TEETOTALLERS – TEE (support) TOS (terms of service) around (broken by) TALLER (loftier)
22 Incoherent version of ritual I enact (12)
INARTICULATE – an anagram of (version of) RITUAL I ENACT
24 Talker using alias is not broadcast in turn (17)
CONVERSATIONALIST – an anagram (broadcast) of ALIAS IS NOT in CONVERT (turn)
27 Actor appearing in Blithe Spirit (5)
THESP – contained in (appearing in) ‘bliTHE SPirit’
29 Selection from chapter, say, not verse (6)
CHOICE – CH (chapter) [v]OICE (say, not verse)
30 Accommodation supplied by county shortly before appeal (6)
BEDSIT – BEDS (county shortly) IT (appeal)
33 We, for instance, join firmly in declaration (13)
PRONOUNCEMENT – PRONOUN (we, for instance) CEMENT (join firmly)
34 Unknown in a group up to now (2,3)
AS YET – Y (unknown) in A SET (a group)
36 Distressed general got very angry (3,2,5)
CUT UP ROUGH – CUT UP (distressed) ROUGH (general)
39 One delivering gifts without covering actual ground? (5,5)
SANTA CLAUS – SANS (without) around (covering) an anagram (ground) of ACTUAL
41 Mention chap coming up with English test (9)
NAMECHECK – MAN (chap) reversed (coming up) E (English) CHECK (test)
43 Nightmarish working day in post (9)
DYSTOPIAN – an anagram (working) of DAY IN POST
45 View duck on river in country (8)
PANORAMA – O (duck) R (river) in PANAMA (country)
47 Flexible deal rising above habitual action (7)
ELASTIC – SALE (deal) reversed (rising) TIC (habitual action)
48 Beg son with energy to cut tree (7)
BESEECH – S (son) E (energy) in (to cut) BEECH (tree)
50 Effective power in resolute ethos (5)
TEETH – contained in (in) ‘resoluTE ETHos’
52 Drawing omitting small boat (5)
KETCH – [s]KETCH (drawing omitting small)
53 Periodical start of interest in wise men (4)
MAGI – MAG (periodical) I[nterest] (start of interest)
I loved this puzzle! Didn’t quite get the BEDSIT clue(as I am unfamiliar with the county which was supposedly shortened), but everything else parsed out perfectly. And you do learn new things doing puzzles like this. I had never heard of “Ding Dong Merrily On High” or “The Cricket On the Hearth”. Get enough other answers intersecting, and you’ll also figure out the ones you don’t know. My only real complaint is that with the PDF format, I couldn’t solve it the same way as a regular Everyman crossword. Good thing we have more than one Kindle Fire. I was able to focus on the grid and the clues separately. Both this jumbo and the Private Eye jumbo proved to be great challenges. Pity we can’t have them more often than Christmastime! Keep up the good work!
Thanks to Gaufrid. I could not resist downloading an Everyman Jumbo and am happy I did so, I did not know the phrase CUT UP ROUGH but everything else fell into place.
My real difficulty (here and in attempts to download the FT puzzle) is that for whatever reason (my HP printer? Windows 10?) short words or groups of letters are blocked out with a [ ], a process that can be annoying. Am I the only one with this problem? Is there a “cure”?
What a nice surprise to find an Everyman Jumbo written for the festive season.
Also a surprise to find hardly any comments here on what I thought was a delightful crossword.
Perhaps, a majority of solvers tackle puzzles interactively – not willing or able to print off a PDF (the only way to get holf of this crossword). That said, the PDF was a real let-down. The grid was splendid, at the right size too, but the clues were tucked away somewhere at the bottom of the page – extremely small and virtually unreadable. I don’t know whose idea this was but it was a terrible thing to do. Why not putting the clues in two columns on a separate (second) page? Next time, please. And I certainly hope there will be a next time. I read a comment somewhere asking for an Easter Jumbo. I wouldn’t say ‘no’ to that either.
Thanks Gaufrid for your comprehensive blog.
And a belated Happy New Year to all.
I agree about the size of the printed clues. Good job I had my new glasses! Apart from that – this crossword whiled away a very pleasant hour on New Year’s Day …