A themed delight from Guy that I was asked to blog this evening.
Sorry for the delay in blogging this puzzle. I only picked it up this evening and it took a couple of hours to solve and blog.
The preamble to the puzzle said:
8 solutions give 5 objects a hero finds.The first letters of their clues in order suggest two other objects of his, to go at 1A.
The first letters of the relevant clues spell out BOTH ARMS, and the solution to 1A comprises two arms.
I’ve highlighted the objects sought by our hero Indiana Jones in the grid above.
Thanks, Guy.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | PISTOL-WHIP |
Club with heater (6-4)
|
| Cryptic definition, “heater” being a slang word for a pistol | ||
| 7 | LOWER CHAMBER |
Blow me, Archer roaming the House of Commons? (5,7)
|
| *(blow me archer) [anag:roaming] | ||
| 13 | LYING |
Perfectly ingenuous, hiding the opposite? (5)
|
| (hiding) in “perfectLY INGenious” | ||
| 14 | UMPIRES |
Men in white coats not initially sure PM is barmy (7)
|
| *(ure mp is) [anag:barmy] where URE is [not initially] (s)URE
Cricket umpires traditionally wear white coats. |
||
| 15 | DOLLOPED |
Newspaper article on Barbie, say, served as scoop (8)
|
| OP ED (“newspaper article”) on DOLL (“Barbie, say”) | ||
| 16 | ARK OF THE COVENANT |
Box misshapen Noah and fat vet reckon (3,2,3,8)
|
| *(noah fat vet reckon) [anag:misshapen] | ||
| 17 | GADGET |
Good influence on punter to buy useful device (6)
|
| G (good) + AD (“influence on punter”) + GET (“to buy”) | ||
| 18 | DRIFT |
Diamonds crack in piled-up heap (5)
|
| D (diamonds) + RIFT (“crack”) | ||
| 20 | LOGICAL |
Sound from nearby pub drawing soldier in (7)
|
| LOCAL (“nearby pub”) drawing GI (American “soldier”) in | ||
| 21 | HEADLESS |
Were poorer hosts English, like Charles I ultimately? (8)
|
| HAD LESS (“were poorer”) hosts E (English) | ||
| 23 | TANG |
Smack tiny pest from behind (4)
|
| <=GNAT (“tiny pest”, from behind) | ||
| 25 | LINOCUT |
Eg Simba having twisted tail, stop filming picture (7)
|
| LI(on) (“eg Simba”) having twisted tail becomes LI(NO) + CUT (“stop filming”) | ||
| 27 | SQUALIDEST |
Son with a hat in search for object most foul (10)
|
| S (son) + with A + LID (“hat”) in QUEST (“search for object”) | ||
| 28 | TEACH-IN |
Educational forum drink punch (5-2)
|
| TEA (“drink”) + CHIN (“punch”) | ||
| 30 | ARCHIMEDES |
Old mathematician agreed to wear funny ears (10)
|
| CHIMED (“agreed”) to wear *(ears) [anag:funny] | ||
| 32 | DIAL |
Timer display showing seconds in odd disjointed way, alas (4)
|
| [showing second (letter)s in) (o)D(d) (d)I(sjointed) (w)A(y) (a)L(as) | ||
| 35 | NAVY |
Service vehicle reversed back on motorway (4)
|
| <=VAN (“vehicle”, reversed) + [back on] (motorwa)Y | ||
| 36 | SURINAMESE |
South American one nominates to crack safe (10)
|
| I (one) + NAMES (“nominates”) to crack SURE (“safe”) | ||
| 38 | PRAYERS |
Grace and Gloria perhaps are spry cooks (7)
|
| *(are spry) [anag:cooks] | ||
| 40 | HISTORICAL |
Learner on chariot is trained using old records (10)
|
| L (leaner) on *(chariot is) [anag:trained] | ||
| 43 | TESSERA |
Tile among spares setter returned (7)
|
| Hidden backwards [among… returned] in “spARES SETter” | ||
| 44 | SOLO |
Piece for one smuggler who looks like 55/56? (4)
|
| Double definition, the second referring to Han SOLO, played by Harrison Ford (the actor who played Indiana Jones) in the Star Wars franchise. | ||
| 45 | STALLION |
Mount that’s lofty in Jerusalem (8)
|
| TALL (“lofty”) in SION (“Jerusalem”) | ||
| 46 | SANKARA |
Hindu philosopher holed airbag in odd places (7)
|
| SANK (“holed” a golf ball) + A(i)R(b)A(g) [in odd places]
Adi Sankara was an 8th century Indian Vedic scholar. |
||
| 48 | STONE |
Amethyst possibly quite a few pounds (5)
|
| Couble definition | ||
| 50 | LEASED |
Happy to lose piano taken by tenants (6)
|
| (p)LEASED to lose P (piano, in music notation) | ||
| 52 | PROMENADE CONCERT |
Stand-up performance for soldiers a month before regiment evacuated (9,7)
|
| PRO (“for”) + MEN (“soldiers”) + A + Dec. (December, “month”) + ONCE (“before”) + R(egimen)T [evacuated] | ||
| 54 | DOCUSOAP |
Diminutive miner and pensioner on US reality TV show (8)
|
| DOC (one of the Seven Dwarves, so “diminutive miner”) + OAP (old age “pensioner”) on US | ||
| 55/56 | INDIANA JONES |
Comprehending jumbo’s introduction, state my name (7,5)
|
| INDIANA (“state”) + ONE’S (“my”) comprehending J(umbo) [‘s introduction]
The clue also refers to the introductory preamble and Indiana Jones is the theme of the puzzle. |
||
| 57 | APPLE STRUDEL |
Pastry gangster eats very quietly in case, having bad manners (5,7)
|
| AL (Capone, so “gangster”) eats PP (pianissimo, so “very quiet” in music notation) + LEST (“in case”) + RUDE (“having bad manners”) | ||
| 58 | COME TO STAY |
Infrequent orbiter, East German agreed, now here permanently (4,2,4)
|
| COMET (“infrequent orbiter”) + OST (“east” in “German”) + AY (“agreed”) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 2 | ILL-BRED |
William cycled around looking very hot, not properly trained (3-4)
|
| BILL (“William”) cycled becomes ILL-B + RED (“looking very hot”) | ||
| 3 | TAILORING |
Making changes to suit dog and seal (9)
|
| TAIL (“dog”) + O-RING (“seal”) | ||
| 4 | LEGIT |
Real fly on foot (5)
|
| LEG IT (“fly on foot”) | ||
| 5 | HOUSE PLANT |
Employ strategy to cut tropical aspidistra, perhaps (5,5)
|
| USE (“employ”) + PLAN (“strategy”) to cut HOT (“tropical”) | ||
| 6 | POP SONG |
Two generations of men, good number (3,4)
|
| POP + SON (“two generations of men”) + G (good) | ||
| 7 | LARGE SCOTCH |
Georgia’s bed in pine, a double (5,6)
|
| GE’s (Georgia’s) + COT (“bed”) in LARCH (“pine”) | ||
| 8 | WASSAIL |
Drink heavily with idiot and get sick (7)
|
| W (with) + ASS (“idiot”) and AIL (“get sick”) | ||
| 9 | RIDE TO HOUNDS |
Hunt foxes on dud horse — it bucks (4,2,6)
|
| *(on dud horse it) [anag:bucks] | ||
| 10 | HOLY GRAIL |
Reputedly magic cup landlady emptied in corner bar (4,5)
|
| L(andlad)Y [emptied] in HOG (“corner”, as in “corner the market”) + RAIL (“bar”) | ||
| 11 | MOOED |
Second largest dictionary sounded bullish (5)
|
| MO (“second”) + OED (Oxford English Dictionary, so “largest dictionary”) | ||
| 12 | ELEVENSES |
The Spanish still see us after leaving EU — that’s refreshing (9)
|
| EL (“the” in “Spanish”) + EVEN (“still”) + SE(e u)S with EU leaving | ||
| 19 | TELLIES |
Fib having dumped extra 50 boxes (7)
|
| TEL(l) LIES (“fib”, having dumped extra L (50)) | ||
| 22 | LADY DAY |
Anniversary for Mary, Sir Robin’s wife? (4,3)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 24 | ARENA |
Stage part for Karen Allen (5)
|
| Hidden in [part for] “lAREN Allen” | ||
| 26 | CORONAL |
Garland performing in pink (7)
|
| ON (“performing”) in CORAL (“pink”) | ||
| 27 | SAMOSAS |
Indian parcels then turned up in Assam, surprisingly (7)
|
| <=SO (“then”, turned up) in *(assam) [anag:surprisingly] | ||
| 29 | CRYSTAL |
Mineral, typically salt spread beneath blubber (7)
|
| *(salt) [anag:spread] beneath CRY | ||
| 31 | SURPASS |
Overtake on French road through Alps? (7)
|
| SUR (“on” in “French”) + PASS (“road through Alps?”) | ||
| 33 | APRIL |
Pair in trouble weeks after making fools of people (5)
|
| Pr. (pair) in AIL (“trouble”)
April is the first four weeks after April Fools’ Day |
||
| 34 | TRACING PAPER |
Thin sheet revealing figure beneath? (7,5)
|
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 37 | MATINEE IDOL |
Mother can fish — inside, I cook famous dish (7,4)
|
| MA (“mother”) + TIN (“can”) + EEL (“fish”) with I DO (“I cook”) inside | ||
| 39 | SEWAGE FARM |
Waste outfit? Stitch fine sleeve after years (6,4)
|
| SEW (“stitch”) + F (fine) + ARM (“sleeve”) after AGE (“years”) | ||
| 41 | IN THE LOOP |
Visiting ladies perhaps Penny kept informed (2,3,4)
|
| IN THE LOO (“visiting ladies perhaps”) + P (penny) | ||
| 42 | RAINDROPS |
Shower parts painter’s masking in GP surgery (9)
|
| RA’S (member of Royal Society’s, so “painter’s”) masking IN + DR (doctor, so “GP”) + OP (operation, so “surgery”) | ||
| 44 | SNOW CONES |
Cups of ice for American currently filling cakes for cream tea (4,5)
|
| NOW (“currently”) filling SCONES (“cakes for cream tea”) | ||
| 46 | STORIED |
Novel editor’s provided with narrative (7)
|
| *(editors) [anag:novel] | ||
| 47 | ARAMAIC |
I tucked into Caramac, stripping top off tongue (7)
|
| I tucked into (c)ARAMAC [stripping top (letter) off] | ||
| 49 | EURASIA |
US area wrongly including India — that’s mixing continents (7)
|
| *(us area) [anag:wrongly] including I (India)
I is not India in Chambers, OED or Collins, though. |
||
| 51 | SKULL |
Sneak around briefly, beginning to lose head (5)
|
| SKUL(k) (“sneak around”, briefly) + [beginning to] L(ose) | ||
| 53 | OBJET |
Attractive artefact Belloc’s left aboard old plane (5)
|
| B(elloc) [‘s left] aboard O (old) + JET (“plane”) |
Thanks Loonapick. In 42d I think you mean Royal Academy rather than Royal Society.
I really must pay more attention. Although the “theme” (when there is one) is printed in bold type, I never notice it. Am I alone in being so careless?
I very much enjoyed this puzzle. Although I knew nothing at all about Indiana Jones films (except that there were several of them) I did not find it difficult to guess which words were in point for the theme once the grid was filled in. The only entry I needed to check using an online reference source was 46A where, in my ignorance of the name of the philosopher, I was faced with the choice of SUNKARA and SANKARA, as the wordplay did not distinguish between the two possibilities.
Just one quibble: “extra” in 19D seems unnecessary – in my view, the clue would have worked better without it.
FT Jumbos are always a delight. (Possibly the only good thing about bank holidays in the UK.)
Is this Guy’s first jumbo grid? In any case, it was a blast. I think I’ve only seen one of the Indiana Jones films but that didn’t really deter me from completing the solve but for one: SANKARA.
Generally, I thought it was fairly clued and it kept me happily occupied over the long weekend.
TANG, PRAYERS and LEGIT were favourites though the most enjoyable aspect was hunting down the theme and added message as per the instructions. Funnily enough, though, neither BOTH ARMS nor the definition helped me secure PISTOL WHIP, which I derived from the crossers and was one of my last answers.
Wish we had more Bank Holidays!
Thanks for the entertainment, Guy, and Loonapick for a mammoth blog.
Agree with Rudolf that extra seems extra in 19D.
EURASIA
Alfa, Bravo….Hotel, India…
Thanks Guy & loonapick.
Just looking in out of curiosity, but with regard to 49dn, Collins 2023 p 994, Chambers 2016 p 774, and ODE 2010 p 889 all have the connection I=India, but it is under the headword India, not under the headword I. This seems right to me, because in this case it is not the letter I that is short for the name India, but the word India that stands for the letter I.
Following on from previous comments – I went with Sunkara as ‘sunk a putt’ is a thing I think, and everything I looked up said Sunkara rather than Sankara. When I solved this clue I didn’t know it was related to one of the Indiana Jones items – now looking that up it refers to Sankara stones. Just another instance of crosswords using alternative spellings.
I also looked here to parse APRIL and establish what all the Indiana Jones references were.
Always love a Jumbo.
Thanks Guy and loonapick.
I thought this puzzle was tremendous. Perfect for the bank holiday. Just the right level of difficulty and none of the “ completely impossible to solve from the cryptic bit” clues beloved by a few FT letters
Congratulations, Guy.
And thanks for an excellent blog