Bank Holiday Monday Times Jumbo 1029

An appropriate theme for the April 1st Jumbo, with plenty of fools among the answers (SIMPLETON, AIRHEAD, BERK, CLOT, CHUMP, BUFFOON, DUNCE, CLOWN and DUMMY), and ALL FOOLS’ DAY appearing at 57ac. I didn’t encounter any especially obscure answers, and solved this in 19 minutes.

As usual, * indicates an anagram.

Across
1	BACK-STABBER – BACKS, + ABBE in haTRed*
7	CORRUPTIBLE – (or be culprit)*
13	SIMPLETON – I + MP + LET, in SON
14	AIRHEAD – AIR + HEAD
15	RIFLE – (el + fire), reversed
16	APHIDS – spa, reversed, around HID
17	IMITABLE – I’M ABLE around IT
18	RANSOME – RAN + SOME
20	UMBRELLA ORGANISATION – (mourns a global inertia)*
23	RETRACT – freighT, after carter (reversed)
24	SADDEST – ADDErS in ST
26	SKIMMER – hidden in Kipling’S KIM MERcifully
28	BERK – matE, in B + R + K
29	MNEMONIC – MEMO around N, + NICe
32	MISHANDLE – MILE, around SAND around H
35	SPORTS CAR – SPORT SCAR
36	EGOISTIC – E + GO + I + STICk
37	CLOT – CLOTh
39	LATERAN – (NE altar)*
41	MARINER – MINER around A R
44	PRIMARY – PRIORY, with MA replacing O
45	PUT TWO AND TWO TOGETHER – double definition
49	AGELONG – A GEL ON Girl
50	DAEMONIC – (once maid)*. I much prefer this spelling of the word
51	HELPER – wHELP, + ER (Elizabeth Regina, a well-known corgi breeder!)
53	CHUMP – CHUM + P
54	OSMOSIS – cOSMOS IS
55	VALUELESS – (AS levels)* around U
56	CHLOROPHYLL – (porch l holly)*
57	ALL FOOLS’ DAY – ALL FOOLS + DAY

Down
1	BISCAY – AY (certainly) after B IS C
2	COME HOME TO ROOST – double definition (“tweeters” here indicates birds)
3	SALAD CREAM – SCREAM around A LAD
4	ALTO – middle letters of Walton, the composer
5	BY NO MEANS – (money)* in BANS
6	REACTOR – REAR around C TO
7	CEREBRATE – CELEBRATE, with R replacing the L
8	REEVE – RE + EVE
9	UNDERPASS – I wasn’t 100% certain about this, but I think that UNDER-PASS would be a politically-correct (PC) way of saying “fail”
10	TYRANNICIDAL – (Cinna tardily)*
11	BUFFOON – BUFF + O ON
12	EYELET – sounds like “islet”, defined by “inch”
19	PLATONIC – alp (reversed), + TONIC
21	ISTHMUS – IS THUS around M
22	URGENTLY – sURLY around aGENT
23	ROBUSTLY – ROB US, + alternate letters of TELLY
25	DUNCE – DUN over CratE
27	MIDDLE-AGE SPREAD – MIDDLE AGES + P + READ
30	MARIMBA – Mine Bauxite, in MARIA
31	CLOWN – C + LOW + deceptioN
33	SLIPPAGE – SLIP + PAGE
34	STORM TROOPER – (sort promoter)*
38	LITTLE NELL – sounds like “little knell”
40	NEWSGROUP – (grown-ups)* around E
42	REDRESSAL – RED + RE, + lass (reversed)
43	RETRIEVAL – (irrelevant)*
45	PREQUEL – QU in P REEL
46	WOODSIA – initial letters of ‘wilt on our dry savannah in Africa’
47	CALCIC – AL in CC, + mICa
48	BRASSY – BRA + SupportS + Y
50	DUMMY – mud (reversed), over MYanmar
52	ALSO – hidden in nationAL SOvereignty</s>