A pleasant solve apart from two or three obscurities that I gave up on and looked up the answers.
Please ask if you require further explanations of anything.
As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions and substitutions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds, containment, reversal and other indicators in square ones]. “Aural wordplay” is in quotation marks. I now use a tilde sign ~ to indicate an insertion point in containment clues. I usually omit all reference to juxtaposition indicators unless there is a specific point that requires clarification.
 Across |
|
| 1 | New dawn breaks very pale in due course (2,3,4) |
| AS AND WHEN – Anagram [new] of DAWN contained by [breaks] AS~HEN (very pale) | |
| 6 | In hearing, summon witness (5) |
| SIGHT – Aural wordplay [in hearing]: “cite” (summon) | |
| 9 | Stand on the pavement to kiss premier (3,4) |
| BUS STOP – BUSS (kiss), TOP (premier) | |
| 13 | Trump now binding university with billions? (5) |
| POTUS – POT~S (billions) containing [binding] U (university) | |
| 14 | Remote ref effectively new troublemaker (7) |
| VARMINT – VAR (remote ref), MINT (effectively new) | |
| 15 | Impressive feature of court holding with truth and right (3,6) |
| WOW FACTOR – WO~O (court) containing [holding] W (with) + FACT (truth), then R (right) | |
| 16 | Turning grass in dock, one creates division (7,4) |
| CURTAIN WALL – LAWN (grass) reversed [turning] contained by [in] CURTAI~L (dock) | |
| 17 | Invisible force teleports GI elsewhere (11) |
| POLTERGEIST – Anagram [elsewhere] of TELEPORTS GI | |
| 18 | Stiffen masonry structure faced with stone (6) |
| STARCH – ST (stone), ARCH (masonry structure) | |
| 19 | Drifters work out what to do with four letters from the 11th (8) |
| PLANKTON – PLAN (work out what to do), K TO N (four letters from the 11th) | |
| 21 | Gangster’s guns passing through Long Island millionaire (6) |
| GATSBY – GATS (gangster’s guns), BY (passing through). ‘The Great’ as in the novel. | |
| 25 | Boss recovered from effects of rude fellow (8) |
| OVERBEAR – OVER (recovered from effects of), BEAR (rude fellow) | |
| 26 | Converting madrasa, bishop’s role with mission (14) |
| AMBASSADORSHIP – Anagram [converting] of MADRASA BISHOP’S | |
| 28 | Queen’s favourite taking part in Charles’s execution? (5) |
| ESSEX – Hidden [taking part] in {Charl}ES’S EX{ecution}. Elizabeth I. | |
| 29 | Likely to drop off fencing equipment to the front yard (6) |
| DROWSY – SWORD (fencing equipment) reversed [to the front], Y (yard) | |
| 30 | Reserve I had to replace centre for variety (10) |
| DIFFIDENCE – DIFFerENCE (variety) with its centre replaced by I’D (I had) becomes DIFFIDENCE | |
| 33 | Tiny bug one step behind rats in retreat (10) |
| TARDIGRADE – DRAT (rats) reversed [in retreat], I (one), GRADE (step). NHO. Used aids. | |
| 35 | Tanker with late British figurehead on front of ship (6) |
| BOWSER – BOWS (front of ship), ER (late British figurehead) | |
| 36 | Church cushion covers measured using feet (5) |
| PACED – PAD (cushion) contains [covers] CE (church) | |
| 38 | Hot meal star wheels outside for Neville, taking veg out first (6,3,5) |
| CHILLI CON CARNE – CHILL (veg out), ICON (star), CAR (wheels), N{evill}E [outside for…] | |
| 40 | Using some radios, uni scientists inverted wave form (8) |
| SINUSOID – Hidden [using some] and reversed [inverted] in {ra}DIOS UNI S{cientists}. NHO. | |
| 42 | Plover’s cry coming from behind that object (6) |
| PEEWIT – WEEP (cry) reversed [coming from behind], IT (that object). The birds are of the same family. | |
| 43 | Curse CEO for one estimate (8) |
| EXECRATE – EXEC (CEO, for one), RATE (estimate) | |
| 44 | Anti-establishment view in this newspaper’s unknown (6) |
| HERESY – HERE’S (in this newspaper’s), Y (unknown) | |
| 47 | A typical COP vacillates, suggesting dire consequences (11) |
| APOCALYPTIC – Anagram [vacillates] of A TYPICAL COP | |
| 50 | Letter Wilde wrote for fun in D Wing taken the wrong way (2,9) |
| DE PROFUNDIS – D, then PRO (for) + FUN, contained by [in] SID~E (wing) reversed [taken the wrong way] | |
| 52 | Croc’s back — strewth, cobber, it’s game over (9) |
| CHECK MATE – {Cro}C [’s back), HECK (strewth), MATE (cobber) | |
| 53 | Undersized model returned hot after some exercise (7) |
| RUNTISH – RUN (some exercise), SIT (model) reversed [returned], H (hot) | |
| 54 | Wavering voter found valuables (5) |
| TROVE – Anagram [wavering] of VOTER | |
| 55 | Naturalist who named Arcida, new order for ark clam (7) |
| LAMARCK – anagram [new order for] ARK CLAM. NHO. | |
| 56 | Expedition eats most of sandwiches, cake etc (5) |
| HASTE – HAS (eats), TE{a}(sandwiches, cake etc) [most of…] | |
| 57 | Weed earl cleared out on estate (9) |
| GROUNDSEL – GROUNDS (estate|), E{ar}L [cleared out] | |
| Down |
|
| 1 | Jelly equally still? (5) |
| ASPIC – AS (equally), PIC (still) | |
| 2 | Help, having bought sweet with a minor defect? (5-5,7) |
| AFTER SALES SERVICE – AFTERS (sweet – pudding), A, LESSER (minor), VICE (defect) | |
| 3 | Abandon taking bath to fight minister’s case (8,3) |
| DISPATCH BOX – DITCH (abandon) containing [taking] SPA (bath), then BOX (fight) | |
| 4 | Answer for European found in port and a cigar (6) |
| HAVANA – A (answer) replaces [for] E (European)in HAVeN (port) to give us HAVAN, then A | |
| 5 | Neither partner has married in the interim, as is customary (8) |
| NORMALLY – NOR (neither) + ALLY (partner) contains [in the interim] M (married) | |
| 6 | Fast driver in MG flipped during prison escape? (8,4) |
| STIRLING MOSS – Anagram flipped] of IN MG contained by [during] STIR (prison) + L~OSS (escape) | |
| 7 | Crew with outfits on start motoring (3,2,5) |
| GET UP STEAM – GET-UPS (outfits), TEAM (crew) | |
| 8 | Dry until spring, mainly (5) |
| TOWEL – TO (until), WEL{l} (spring) [mainly] | |
| 9 | Bandy ball made from wood covered in white and yellow (3-6) |
| BOW-LEGGED – BOWL (ball made from wood), EGGED (covered in white and yellow) | |
| 10 | Second Snickers editor took out to eat (11) |
| SLAUGHTERED – S (second), LAUGHTER (snickers), ED. ‘Took out’ means ‘killed’. ‘To eat’ suggests something being killed for food. | |
| 11 | Pharoah is northerly African (5) |
| TUTSI – TUT (Pharoah), then IS (reversed) [northerly] | |
| 12 | Irrational price appropriate in creative spheres? (6) |
| PIRATE – PI (irrational), RATE (price) | |
| 18 | Donkey’s saddle, harness etc placed under small chimney (10) |
| SMOKESTACK – S (small), MOKE’S (donkey’s), TACK (saddle, harness etc) | |
| 20 | Most foul new fizz is from France (8) |
| NASTIEST – N (new), ASTI (fizz), EST (‘is’ from France) | |
| 22 | Privately consider bloodshed abominable (6,6,5) |
| BEHIND CLOSED DOORS – Anagram [abominable] of CONSIDER BLOODSHED | |
| 23 | Sons notice warm colour turning more blue (6) |
| SADDER – S (sons), AD (notice), then RED (warm colour) reversed [turning] | |
| 24 | See sandwiches are discontinued in Lidl? Very well (10) |
| SPLENDIDLY – SP~Y (see) contains [sandwiches] END (discontinued) itself contained by [in] L~IDL | |
| 27 | Compact prisoner studies echo (8) |
| CONDENSE – CON (prisoner), DENS (studies), E (echo) | |
| 31 | Passionate short film opens with fine hero getting stripped off (6) |
| FERVID – F (fine) {h}ER{o} [getting stripped off], VID (film) [short – abbreviation] | |
| 32 | Reckon mixture of red and cyan figures at a ceilidh? (7,5) |
| COUNTRY DANCE – COUNT (reckon), then anagram [mixture] of RED CYAN. Something that figures at a ceilidh. | |
| 34 | Yankee hit hard in worse Australian fraud (11) |
| ILLYWHACKER – Y (Yankee) + WHACK (hit hard) contained by [in] ILL~ER (worse). NHO. Used aids. | |
| 36 | Yearly benefit American’s behind, performing show stopper? (5,6) |
| PAUSE BUTTON – PA (yearly), USE (benefit), BUTT (American’s behind), ON (performing) | |
| 37 | Youth trained to fight scoundrel had heart, you’d say (5,5) |
| CADET CORPS – CAD (scoundrel), then aural wordplay [you’d say] ET / “ate” (had), CORPS / “core” (heart) | |
| 39 | Clipper shaved Katy’s last bit of hair off (5,4) |
| CUTTY SARK – CUT (shaved) then anagram [off] of KATY’S {hai}R [last bit of…]. It’s a tea-clipper. | |
| 41 | Dogs perhaps upset by high-pitched noise on a walk? (8) |
| STEPPING – PETS (dogs, perhaps) reversed [upset], PING (high-pitched noise) | |
| 45 | Make a pariah lance 100 boils (6) |
| CANCEL – Anagram [boils] of LANCE C (100) | |
| 46 | Second person who heard hail (3-3) |
| YOO-HOO – Aural wordplay [heard]: YOO / “you” (second person), HOO / “who” | |
| 48 | Greek theatre, oh God, in Latin (5) |
| ODEUM – O (oh), DEUM (God in Latin) | |
| 49 | Sufficient power? Little elevator given half of that (5) |
| TEETH – TEE (little elevator – golf), TH{at} [half of…] | |
| 51 | Women’s retail stores expand (5) |
| SWELL – SELL (retail) contains [stores] W (women’s) | |
DNF
Couldn’t get DNK 2d. Couldn’t parse: CHECKMATE, BOW-LEGGGED. DNK BOWSER. I liked SWELL
I know I got at least one red square, I had CURTAIN CALL.
Needed help with PLANKTON, I liked the K to N device.
The “who named Arcida” threw me. How is that supposed to help, I knew of Lamarck, but those letters kept me from writing in the anagram until I have all the checkers. What am I missing here?
NHO moke=donkey
Knew GROUNDSEL from Watership Down. 50th anniversary thus year, and very useful for plants, the Efrafa officers were Campion, Chervil, Groundsel and all are handy for puzzles.
> The “who named Arcida” threw me. How is that supposed to help, I knew of Lamarck, but those letters kept me from writing in the anagram until I have all the checkers. What am I missing here?
I suppose it’s to add a further clue (since he was a famous taxonomist who literally named ‘Arcida’ (ark clams) – see below ref), but I really sympathise with your point since it seems to me only of practical use if one is using reference sources to look up and check who named them or to check that Lamarck is indeed right… since it’s a pretty obscure piece of knowledge to know!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Baptiste_Lamarck#Species_and_other_taxa_named_by_Lamarck
Yup, agree with your summary! ‘Illywhacker’ received a card… a yellow card since the wordplay was a mitigating factor 😏
I managed to get this finished in reasonable time in spite of some strange words and tricky wordplay in places.
We’ve had TARDIGRADE in consecutive jumbos!
I scrawled “very hard, struggled, difficult parsing, too many obscurities” on this one.
Least favourite clues: 33a, 40a, 55a, and especially 34d.
Not sure I had a favourite.
Same as Keriothe, we finished after a bit of a struggle – and noted the repeat of Tardigrade. In fact Moke was also used the previous week in 8d. Surely the crossword editor should have spotted those?
There were a couple of clues (38a and 4d) where we got the answer without fully understanding how. They seem obvious now!
Always alert for creeping Americanisms: ‘snicker’ is US for ‘snigger’. But only a mild offence.
Like Merlin, I admired the ‘A to N’ bit of Plankton. But my favourite was ‘Strewth Cobber …’ for Checkmate.
Failed with a curtain rail! Knew it didn’t quite parse but NHO of curtain wall so that wouldn’t have occurred to me. Shame as I kept plugging away with the other NHO like tardigrade and illywhacker. Thanks to the blogger for his efforts.