Independent Sat 11 August

[kettledrum]

15d. Dismiss boxing prizes with missing base and twisted top respectively (8) - - L - T - L - . belittle? I can see a prize (singular) - 'Belt' - & a twisted top - anag of tile, but am not happy with it

14a. Confuse jungle beasts, cutting off their old tails (6) - U - - - E . jumble? Why?

The 4th letter of 14a is the 1st letter of 15d.

[kayakamina]

Kd I think 15d is definitely Belittle...The boxing prizes are Belt and Title

Remove the base from belt (e)and twist the top of Title

[kayakamina]

If the fourth letter is now B can I offer Burble...confuse?

[kettledrum]

Aah! Thank you Kayakamina - that's all clear now. But can you explain why it's jumble - or fumble or any other 'confusing' word?

[kettledrum]

I'd thought of burble too. Why?

[kayakamina]

I'm trying to justify my 'Burble' !

Will ponder it over my coffee

Regards K

[Strix]

Could be Bel(t) without the t and Title(s) anagrammed. A bit round the bushes to me!

Can't work out why Jumble is right but it surely must be - musn't it?!

[kettledrum]

Thanks Strix. I wish I knew !

I see you are new on Answerbank. Welcome! Glad to have you on board.

[kettledrum]

I think I've got it! It is jumble.....jumb(o) + le(o) .

Thank you Kayakamina for trying.

[kayakamina]

Well done KD now I can relax!

[ulysses100]

You have just beaten me to the exposition of jumbo, kettledrum, but you have the same answer that I. reasoned.
I found this crossword very hard to complete this week.

[Christiana]

Just a 'thank goodness' from a silent onlooker, who was also desperately trying to work out why.

[kettledrum]

Thanks everyone for trying on my behalf.

I agree, Ulysses, that it was a harder puzzle than usual this week, but as with JUMBLE, once one's seen daylight one can't see why there was a problem. I hope you are feeling better: I remember having whooping cough extremely badly as a 5 or 6 yr old child. I can't imagine how ghastly it must be to have it at your comparatively advanced age. Is it a case of 'Physician, heal thyself!' or are you not that sort of doctor?

[ulysses100]

Thank you for your best wishes, kettledrum. I am not a physician but a retired dentist. Having whooping cough is one of the worst things that I have ever experienced. I am now into day 12 of bouts of paroxysmal coughing which are worst at night, but last night was the first in a fortnight that I managed to get some sleep. Yesterday I was at such a low ebb that on receiving some flowers from a friend I promptly burst into tears. You feel shattered, depressed, frightful and scared....and hope that this doesn't progress into pneumonia (hence a chest Xray yesterday). However my neighbours say this morning that I look a lot better than of late, so I hope that things are progressing. This phase can last for 2 or 3 weeks, and then you are left with a residual cough that can take months to disappear. What is so frustrating is that there is no treatment ...you just have to ride it out. But I'm getting there..........

[kettledrum]

Oh, I do feel for you! I well remember the residual cough - I used to whoop every winter until into my thirties - which used to alarm any strangers who happened to be around when I did it. And then I discovered garlic!! (The dentist's worst nightmare?) I don't know whether it was coincidence or not, but since then I have never been ill.
I imagine you've lost a lot of weight as I don't suppose you can keep much food down, and if you aren't sleeping properly either, it's no wonder that you broke down yesterday. But it's good to know that your neighbours think you're looking better, and that you've got a hobby that involves no physical exertion. I hope your recovery continues apace, and you're feeling a lot better before the weather turns cold.