Quite a slow start but I speeded up and finished over two sessions. There’s a mini-theme with Robinson Crusoe, Defoe, Friday and a number of other nautical references which may be intended to be part of it.
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 | Uncompromising doctor offered less breadth (5) |
| RIGID – RIG (doctor), {b}ID (offered) [less breadth – b] | |
| 4 | Putting wrong weapon in to load warplane (10) |
| MISWORDING – SWORD (weapon) + IN contained by [to load] MI~G (warplane) | |
| 9 | Small number with dog left time to get home (6) |
| CURFEW – CUR (dog), FEW (small number). ‘Left’ indicates the position of CUR. | |
| 14 | Aims often in this when running? (9) |
| MANIFESTO – Anagram [running] of AIMS OFTEN. The definition is cryptic with reference to running as a candidate for election. | |
| 15 | Scottish steps eroded, several concrete reportedly (9,4) |
| EIGHTSOME REEL – Aural wordplay [reportedly]: EIGHT / “ate” (eroded), SOME (several), REEL / “real” (concrete) | |
| 16 | Serious art making money? (7) |
| EARNEST – Jocularly, if thou art making money, thou EARNEST | |
| 17 | Name in opera, one gathers (9) |
| TOSCANINI – TOSCA (opera) ~ I (one) contains [gathers] N (name) + IN. &lit. The conductor (1867-1957) would have conducted a fair few operas in his time. &lit. |
|
| 18 | Small group of birds keeps out of harm’s way (5) |
| SAVES – S (small), AVES (group of birds) | |
| 19 | Foul was Peter Shilton wasting time at the end — hardly a penalty (4,2,3,5) |
| SLAP ON THE WRIST – Anagram [foul] of WAS PET{e}R SHILTON [wasting time at the end]. He was a goalkeeper. | |
| 22 | Extravagant display of euphorbia around lake (7) |
| SPLURGE – SP~URGE (euphorbia – plant) containing [around] L (lake} | |
| 25 | Defendant unhappy with right to make fresh start (10) |
| RESPONDENT – {d}ESPONDENT (unhappy) makes a fresh start with R (right) | |
| 27 | Guys test compass when cycling, becoming separated (12) |
| ESTRANGEMENT – MEN (guys) + T/EST + RANGE (compass) [when cycling] | |
| 30 | Speculative works kept back by prolific songwriter (3-2) |
| SCI-FI – Hidden and reversed [kept back] by {prol}IFIC S{ongwriter} | |
| 31 | Some on the Danube swimming even in case of sewage (8) |
| VIENNESE – Anagram [swimming] of EVEN IN, then S{ewag}E [case of…] | |
| 32 | Angry spot in your ear swells in two directions (5,3) |
| CROSS SEA – CROSS (angry), then aural wordplay [in your ear] SEA / “see” (spot). Collins: a sea with a choppy surface produced by the intersection of waves from different storms. | |
| 35 | First smell meat left on bar uncovered (5,3) |
| ABOVE ALL – {b}A{r} [uncovered], BO (smell – body odour), VEAL (meat}, L (left) | |
| 36 | Feet ahead, rowing crew wait to hear (8) |
| FOREPAWS – Aural wordplay [to hear]: FORE / “four” (rowing crew) + PAWS / “pause” (wait) | |
| 37 | Great Lakes’ fish company stores can be found west of Chicago (5) |
| CISCO – C~O (company) contains [stores] IS (can be found) + C{hicago} [west of…]. Cisco is a freshwater fish so I assume it may be found in other lakes. | |
| 39 | Good time is something to consider, opine hosts (12) |
| SATISFACTORY – SA~Y (opine) contains [hosts] T (time) + IS + FACTOR (something to consider) | |
| 41 | Read an outrageous column which boosts circulation (10) |
| ADRENALINE – Anagram [outrageous] of READ AN, then LINE (column) | |
| 43 | Piece coming through from an overanxious Russian oligarch (7) |
| ROMANOV – Hidden in [piece coming through] {f}ROM AN OV{eranxious} | |
| 45 | Living on notice in guesthouse without qualification (5,3,6) |
| BREAD AND BUTTER – RE (on) + AD (notice) contained by [in] B~ AND B (guesthouse), UTTER (without qualification). The guest house is normally written B&B which stands for ‘Bed and Breakfast’. | |
| 48 | Reduced drug dose returned to trial (5) |
| PILOT – PIL{l} (drug dose) [reduced], then TO reversed [returned] | |
| 49 | Easily convinced doctor sure could! (9) |
| CREDULOUS – Anagram [doctor] of SURE COULD | |
| 51 | Farmer hurried fruit on trees, losing half (7) |
| RANCHER – RAN (hurried), CHER{ries} (fruit on trees) [losing half] | |
| 53 | Class temp with flex emptied the pine dresser, finally (6,7) |
| SUPPLY TEACHER – SUPPLY (with flex), T{h}E [emptied], ACHE (pine), {dresse}R [finally] | |
| 54 | Articulate animal? Trained parrot, d’oh (9) |
| ARTHROPOD – Anagram [trained] of PARROT D’OH | |
| 55 | Women’s shelter keeps male chromosome score (6) |
| TWENTY – T~ENT (shelter) contains [keeps] W (women’s), Y (male chromosome) | |
| 56 | Film director’s knowledge and short career prove marketable (3,7) |
| KEN RUSSELL – KEN (knowledge), RUS{h} (career) [short], SELL (prove marketable) | |
| 57 | Like a riddle, say, heard in its entirety (5) |
| HOLEY – Aural wordplay [heard]: HOLEY / “wholly” (in its entirety). Riddle as in a sieve. | |
| Down |
|
|---|---|
| 1 | Beating player, down the first large glass (6) |
| RUMMER – {d}RUMMER (beating player) [down – lose – the first] | |
| 2 | Armies’ legions marshalled — by him? (13) |
| GENERALISSIMO – Anagram [marshalled] of ARMIES LEGIONS | |
| 3 | Writer fed up with novel every so often (5) |
| DEFOE – FED (reversed) [up], {n}O{v}E{l} [every so often] | |
| 4 | Tommy’s dish of eggs, nearly half flipped (4,3) |
| MESS TIN – NITS (eggs), SEM{i} (half) [nearly] reversed [flipped]. ‘Tommy’ is a private in the British army. | |
| 5 | British grandmaster replaced missing pieces (5-7) |
| SHORT-CHANGED – SHORT (British chess grandmaster – Nigel), CHANGED (replaced). ‘Pieces’ refers to coins here as in a penny piece. | |
| 6 | Sets of balls have scattered on top (8) |
| OVERSOWN – OVERS (sets of balls – cricket), OWN (have) | |
| 7 | Trail parent in unwavering line (5) |
| DOGMA – DOG (trail), MA (parent) | |
| 8 | Part of UK tending to tweet idiocies (10) |
| NITWITTERY – NI (part of UK – Northern Ireland), TWITTERY (tending to tweet – jocular) | |
| 10 | Practical article you abridged to do with stretching (7) |
| UTENSIL – U (you), TENSIL{e} (to do with stretching) [abridged] | |
| 11 | Force retreat across English lines without structure (4,5) |
| FREE VERSE – F (force), RE~VERSE (retreat) containing [across] E (English) | |
| 12 | Father of 30 healthy sons? (5) |
| WELLS – WELL (healthy), S (sons). H.G. Wells. 30ac being ‘sci-fi’. | |
| 13 | Sailor washed up mug, one Connor uses at sea (8,6) |
| ROBINSON CRUSOE – ROB (mug), I (one) then anagram [at sea] of CONNOR USES | |
| 20 | Suspect character back in Soho Square between pub and empty shops (9) |
| PHONINESS – {Soh}O [back] + NINE (square) contained by [between] PH (public house) ~ S{hop}S [empty] | |
| 21 | Unusual tidiness maintained (8) |
| INSISTED – Anagram [unusual] of TIDINESS | |
| 23 | Man in field almost cutting from side to side (5,5) |
| EXTRA COVER – EXTRAC{t} (cutting) [almost], OVER (from side to side). More cricket. | |
| 24 | Old man breaking lock and turning over residence? (10) |
| TRESPASSER – PA (old man) contained by [breaking] TRES~S (lock) then RES (residence) reversed [turning over]. &lit. | |
| 26 | Opposition speaker was up and down California during election (6,8) |
| DEVILS ADVOCATE – LIVED (was) reversed [up], SAD (down), then CA (California) contained by [during] VO~TE (election) | |
| 28 | America’s far right? (4,5) |
| EAST COAST – Cryptic. Looking at a map of the country. | |
| 29 | Not straying at uni, say (2,6) |
| ON COURSE – Two meanings | |
| 33 | Well-painted room is covered with new cheap tiles, unfortunately (7,6) |
| SISTINE CHAPEL – IS contained [covered with] anagram [unfortunately] of N (new) CHEAP TILES | |
| 34 | Winning big game, European getting off on it? (7,5) |
| LANDING STAGE – LANDING (winning), STAG (big game), E (European) | |
| 38 | Another nearby horse shot behind screens upset me (10) |
| STABLEMATE – STAB (shot) + L~ATE (behind) contains [screens] ME reversed [upset] | |
| 40 | Issue lifting large part of church using widely-spaced frames (4-5) |
| TIME-LAPSE – EMIT (issue) reversed [lifting], then L (large), APSE (part of church). A photographic technique. | |
| 42 | Old vases with a record player on shelves (8) |
| ADJOURNS – A, DJ (record player – disc jockey), O (old), URNS (vases) | |
| 44 | Brief memo set up fundraising programme, saving hours (7) |
| NOTELET – TELET{h}ON (fundraising programme) [saving hours] reversed [set up] | |
| 46 | Bishop using speech about saint in school for detention (7) |
| BORSTAL – B (Bishop), OR~AL (using speech) containing [about] ST (saint) | |
| 47 | Period certainly finishing fine and free (6) |
| FRIDAY – F (fine), RID (free), AY (certainly) | |
| 48 | Upright walls I take for granted (5) |
| POSIT – POS~T (upright) contains [walls] I | |
| 50 | Show the people we are nearly arrived (5) |
| USHER – US (the people we are), HER{e} (arrived) [nearly] | |
| 52 | Bridge player that was inaccurate with hearts, holding king (5) |
| NORTH – NO~T (that was inaccurate) + H (hearts) containing [holding] R (king) | |