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Not as grim as last week but still some horrible obscurities. What's worst about them is that the clues are anagrams, which you cannot possibly solve if you've never heard of the answer. Last week an anagram produced the answer Et In Arcadia Ego, this week we've got:

2d Great chap frantically securing ends of uncut thermoplastic (5-6).

The parsing makes it obvious that this is an anagram of 'great chap' and 'ut' but unless you know much about thermoplastics you've got no way of solving it apart from sticking the letters into an anagram solver, which sucks the joy out of the crossword.

It was used in early golf balls, superseding feather-stuffed ones. "Featheries" were thus replaced by "gutties".

StrangelyBrown, I know nothing about thermoplastics and I didn't use an anagram solver. The crossing letters were enough to get me to the odd-looking word which rang a very distant bell. I then checked it in Chambers.

I think both of you are correct but also that Malone clearly does not realise that (s)he is a form of advanced anagram solver that most of us don't have access to!

Tango, thanks. I think we all have words - often buried deep in our minds - that we might have encountered only once or twice, and maybe even decades ago.

I've enjoyed this Jumbo far more than last week's piledriver, but need help fully parsing these:-
40 Across - "Traps detective swigging the hard stuff" - is this DRUMS?
12 Down - "Composition of French art, for example" ESSAY
45 Down - "Girl with note on central European province" GALICIA

40a - Detective = DS around/"traps" RUM (Hatd stuff)

12d - French "(though) ART" = (il) ES + SAY (Foe example)

Actually, 12d is probably (Tu) ES + .....

45d - The only way I can get this to work is if it's Girl = ALICIA after/"on" G Note.

Thanks, Brendan - was trying with "gal" for girl in Galicia for ages!