Jumbo puzzle for Christmas 2025
Phew! I had an intense weekend solving and blogging both the regular puzzle by Mudd and this Christmas jumb0 by Julius. I had a tough time completing the bottom-left quadrant in this crossword, especially solving 32 (THE LOST BOYS) and 40a (TO ONES SHAME). 34 (ELDRITCH), 40d (TINAMOU) and 41a (BASIL MINT) were all new to me but came easily enough. My favourites are 28 (AIR TRANSPORT), 33 (DUTY-FREE SHOP) and 48 (MYOCARDIAL INFARCTIONS). I do not completely understand the workings of 32 (THE LOST BOYS).
Thanks to Julius. And thanks to BC for his help. And best wishes of the season to all.
| ACROSS | ||
| 1 | PROBED |
Having investigated, poke around empty base (6)
|
| B[as]E in (around) PROD (poke) | ||
| 5 | CELEBES |
A-listers touring eastern Sulawesi (7)
|
| E (eastern) in (touring) CELEBS (A-listers) | ||
| 9 | MYSTICAL |
Sacredly secret, reportedly feel absence of light touch (8)
|
| Homophone (reportedly) of “miss tickle” (feel absence of light touch) | ||
| 13 | THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER |
Rap Slade’s tenth banger hit featuring intro from Noddy — a song everyone knows (3,4-8,6)
|
| N[oddy] in (featuring) anagram (hit) of RAP SLADES TENTH BANGER | ||
| 14 | LOADINGS |
Burdens boy carries over in grammar school (8)
|
| O (over) in (carries) LAD (boy) + IN (in) + GS (grammar school) | ||
| 15 | OLYMPIA |
Pay limo to go round sacred site (7)
|
| Anagram (to go round) of PAY LIMO | ||
| 16 | LOTION |
Fortune, number one revolutionary skin cream (6)
|
| LOT (fortune) + NO I (number one) backwards (revolutionary) | ||
| 17 | ROAST BEEF |
Speak proudly of bank, according to Spooner a symbol of old England (5,4)
|
| Spoonerism of “boast reef” | ||
| 19 | ACTS THE FOOL |
Horses around and plays a tarot card (4,3,4)
|
| ACTS (plays) + THE FOOL (a tarot card) | ||
| 22 | LANK |
Thin article penned by Laura Kuenssberg initially (4)
|
| AN (article) in (penned by) L[aura] K[uenssberg] with a nod to the BBC’s fine journalist | ||
| 23 | ISTANBUL |
City of Tulsa bin collection (8)
|
| Anagram (collection) of TULSA BIN | ||
| 25 | REBUKING |
Censuring Erebus, boundless ruler (8)
|
| [e]REBU[s] + KING (ruler) | ||
| 28 | AIR TRANSPORT |
Train parrots to fly — it’s the quickest way to travel (3,9)
|
| Anagram (to fly) of TRAIN PARROTS | ||
| 29 | PLAID CYMRU |
‘Tartan Charlie’ rejected my group, regularly expelled Nats (5,5)
|
| PLAID (tartan) + C (Charlie) + MY (my) backwards (rejected) + [g]R[o]U[p] with the definition referring to Nationalists | ||
| 31 | WASTE PAPER |
Stuff for recycling appears wet when recycled (5,5)
|
| Anagram (when recycled) of APPEARS WET | ||
| 33 | DUTY-FREE SHOP |
Where retail therapy isn’t a taxing experience? (4-4,4)
|
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 35 | REMEDIED |
Passed after mechanical engineers carried out repairs (8)
|
| REME (mechanical engineers) + DIED (passed) | ||
| 37 | PUSSY-CAT |
A lovely, gentle person Stacy’s supporting partly after retiring (5-3)
|
| Reverse (after retiring) hidden words (partly) | ||
| 38 | IDEA |
Operatic princess harbouring base thought (4)
|
| E (base) in (harbouring) IDA (operatic princess) | ||
| 40 | TO ONES SHAME |
MENSA? He’s too daft, mortifyingly (2,4,5)
|
| Anagram (daft) of MENSA HES TO | ||
| 41 | BASIL MINT |
Baltis I’m cooking, featuring northern aromatic herb (5,4)
|
| N (northern) in (featuring) anagram (cooking) of BALTIS IM | ||
| 42 | UNSTOP |
Take the cork out of popguns to practice (6)
|
| Hidden word (out of) | ||
| 44 | ELASTIN |
One from Germany rounding final stretch thanks to this? (7)
|
| LAST (final) in (rounding) EIN (one from Germany) | ||
| 46 | BY RIGHTS |
Year in sunny south equitably (2,6)
|
| Y (year) in (in) BRIGHT (sunny) + S (south) | ||
| 48 | MYOCARDIAL INFARCTIONS |
In family doctor’s: ‘Arnica cured heart attacks!’ (10,11)
|
| Anagram (cured) of IN FAMILY DOCTORS ARNICA | ||
| 49 | RUBS IT IN |
Gloats when applying 16? (4,2,2)
|
| Double definition with the second referring to 16a (LOTION) | ||
| 50 | ELECTRA |
Choose artist who’s known for complex work (7)
|
| ELECT (choose) + RA (artist).. Google AI tells me that The Electra complex, coined by Carl Jung, is a psychoanalytic concept describing a young girl’s unconscious desire for her father and rivalry with her mother, serving as the female counterpart to Freud’s Oedipus complex, occurring during the phallic stage (ages 3-6) as part of psychosexual development where she sees the mother as a rival for the father’s love and attention. | ||
| 51 | HARLEM |
Left in seraglio somewhere in NYC (6)
|
| L (left) in (in) HAREM (seraglio) | ||
| DOWN | ||
| 2 | RATIO |
Helping to leave ultimately broken relationship (5)
|
| RATIO[n] (helping to leave ultimately broken) | ||
| 3 | BREADBASKET |
Stomach cereal from this region (11)
|
| Double definition with the first referring to the slang usage of ‘breadbasket’ to mean stomach | ||
| 4 | DETONATE |
Set off northbound, arrival time jotted down (8)
|
| ETA (arrival time) + NOTED (jotted down) all backwards (northboung) | ||
| 5 | CYRUS |
Persian emperor upset Treasury chief somewhat (5)
|
| Reverse (upset) hidden word (somewhat) | ||
| 6 | LOPS OFF |
Cuts away leaves as 7 might when lacking energy? (4,3)
|
| LOP[e]S OFF (as 7 might when lacking energy) | ||
| 7 | BUNNY RABBIT |
Tubby bairn excitedly cuddling new pet (5,6)
|
| N (new) in (cuddling) anagram (excitedly) of TUBBY BAIRN | ||
| 8 | SHLEP |
Quiet album containing echo — such a drag (5)
|
| SH (quiet) + E (echo) in (containing) LP (album) | ||
| 9 | MAD HATTER |
Cross dresser perhaps who sat at table with 7? (3,6)
|
| MAD (cross) + HATTER (dresser perhaps) | ||
| 10 | SNARL |
Heads of State negotiating another really large tangle (5)
|
| S[tate] N[egotiating] A[nother] R[eally] L[arge] | ||
| 11 | IGNITION KEY |
Escort: ‘You’ll need this to turn me on’ (8,3)
|
| Cryptic definition presumably referencing a Ford Escort | ||
| 12 | AIR-COOL |
Chill at home with draughts (3-4)
|
| Cryptic definition? | ||
| 17 | REANIMATE |
Bring back to life one friend following near disaster (9)
|
| Anagram (disaster) of NEAR + I (one) + MATE (friend) | ||
| 18 | EASES UP |
Relaxes after popping tablets into each drink (5,2)
|
| E E (tablets) inserted into (after popping into) AS (each) + SUP (drink) | ||
| 20 | TELEPATHY |
Upsetting unknown hospital recording allowed thought transference (9)
|
| Y (unknown) + H (hospital) + TAPE (recording) + LET (allowed) all backwards (upsetting) | ||
| 21 | EMBEDDED |
Inserted into a document as pussy-cat is here? (8)
|
| Double definition | ||
| 24 | APOCRYPHA |
Hidden books at Poe crypt had endings removed (9)
|
| Anagram (removed) of A[t] PO[e] CRYP[t] HA[d] | ||
| 26 | NARROWEST |
Smallest calibre weapon found in den (9)
|
| ARROW (weapon) in (found in) NEST (den) | ||
| 27 | SAMPHIRE |
County taking measure of current growth around the coast (8)
|
| AMP (measure of current) in (taking) SHIRE (county) | ||
| 30 | AFFRAYS |
An expression shouted out in brawls? (7)
|
| Homophone (shouted out) of “a phrase” (an expression) | ||
| 32 | THE LOST BOYS |
Lads from Barry on the phone who need a satnav? (3,4,4)
|
| I assume this is a homophone (“on the phone”) but I do not see how. | ||
| 33 | DESSERT WINE |
We residents go out for a drink (7,4)
|
| Anagram (go out) of WE RESIDENTS | ||
| 34 | SLIDING DOOR |
This entrance is completely unhinged (7,4)
|
| Cryptic definition | ||
| 36 | DESCEND ON |
Arrive unexpectedly, start of dramatic key last leg (7,2)
|
| D[ramatic] + ESC (key) + END (last) + ON (leg, as in cricket) | ||
| 39 | ELDRITCH |
Uncanny desire to support the Spanish doctor (8)
|
| EL (the Spanish) + DR (doctor) + ITCH (desire); ‘Eldritch’ is a new word to me. | ||
| 40 | TINAMOU |
Lost in amour, embracing S American bird (7)
|
| Hidden word (embracing) | ||
| 41 | BENEFIT |
A provision of the state: space suit trousers (7)
|
| EN (space) in (trousers) BEFIT (suit) | ||
| 43 | PLANT |
Part of Zeppelin factory? (5)
|
| Double definition with the first referring to Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin | ||
| 45 | ADAGE |
Saw adult daughter grow up (5)
|
| A (adult) + D (daughter) + AGE (grow up) | ||
| 46 | BURKA |
Women’s garment, item of underwear fitted with United Kingdom components (5)
|
| U and K in (fitted with) BRA (item of underwear) | ||
| 47 | TASTE |
Liking experience (5)
|
| Double definition |
Thanks Pete and Julius.
This was an extremely pleasant solve in one long sitting!
The two long ones helped; liked several clues – neat and precise.
Lovely puzzle. The Lost Boys (32A) are in Peter Pan (J M Barrie). There is a long Nina, going all the way round.
Thanks, Julius. I missed the Nina, and also failed on REMEDIED and SAMPHIRE. My bad. Happy holidays.
Bagpuss @#2,
wow, missed the nina. Good spot.