Not too difficult, but every time I look at 24D I get annoyed as one part of the wordplay is incorrect. I know the location well and the error is glaring to me.
There also seems to be a slight error in 4D where the tense of one word seems incorrect to me – I am not sure whether the newspaper version had the same error as I did not pick it up at the time when I was solving.
Apologies for any typing errors – it is the end of a long week.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 BUDAPEST – BEST = top, around U = posh and DAP = PAD = flat (reversed) | |
| 5 JAMMED – hidden reversed in muD EMMA Just | |
| 9 AMAZING – A, MA = parent, ZING = energy | |
| 14 CONSIDERATE – CONS = Conservatives = politicians, IRATE = angry, around initial letters of Daily Express | |
| 15 COMPLAISANT – COMPLAINT = beef, around S.A. = South America | |
| 16 HEELS – (w)HEELS) = car | |
| 17 PICASSO – PIC = miniature picture, AS = say, SO = very | |
| 18 CATHERINE – CE = this in French, around(g)ATHERIN(g) = meeting | |
| 19 SURGEON – SUR(e) = accurate, GEN = information, around O = blood group | |
| 20 GROSVENOR SQUARE – GR(ey), O(ld), SVEN = Scandinavian, O.R. = soldiers, SQUARE = unfashionable | |
| 22 SODA SIPHON – SOHO = West End area, around D(aughter), A, SIP = tot, then N(ew | |
| 23 SLOOPS S(ea)S around LOOP = circular route | |
| 25 IBIS – I(sland), BIS = again | |
| 28 MISAPPROPRIATE – M(edicine), IS, APPROPRIATE = suitable | |
| 30 MALIGNER – ME around ALIGN = dress, R(ight) | |
| 32 SWAPPING – S(outh), WAPPING = London district | |
| 34 INCONSISTENTLY – INSISTENTLY = doggedly, around CON = trickster | |
| 37 FOOT – TOO = excessively, F(ussy), all reversed | |
| 38 RENNES – REES = SEER = prophet, reversed around N,N = news | |
| 39 FRANCHISEE – F(ish), RANCH = farm, I, SEE = spot | |
| 43 IN THE ALTOGETHER – ((f)REE NIGHT AT HOTEL)* | |
| 45 SARDINE – SAR(k) = Channel Island, DINE = eat | |
| 47 HOLD WATER – (WORLD HEAT)* | |
| 49 HIPSTER – HIT = top-selling record, around P(iano) and S(ax) | |
| 51 AGORA – hidden in ChicAGO RArely | |
| 52 GRAND VIZIER – G.R. AND E.R. = kings George and Edward, around VIZ = namely and I = one | |
| 53 ALLOPATHIST – ALL = everyone, OP = surgery, AT HIS (trea)T(ment) | |
| 54 NIOBEAN – NAN = grandmother, around I = one and O.B.E. = honour | |
| 55 EASTER – (Jun)E, RATES* | |
| 56 ASSAILED – A, S.S. = sailing vessel (although SS more commonly represents Steam Ship), AILED = foundered | |
| Down | |
| 1 BACCHUS – sounds like BACK US = give us support | |
| 2 DONKEY RIDES – (INDEED YORKS)* | |
| 3 PRIESTESS – PRIES = is nosy, TESS = woman | |
| 4 SLEEPING PARTNER – SLEEPING = out, PARTNER = RENT RAP = hire charge (not charged!) reversed | |
| 6 AVERSION – A V(olume), SENIOR* | |
| 7 MACROEVOLUTION – MAC REVOLUTION = Scottish uprising?, around O = circle | |
| 8 DEMICANTON – DEMON = evil spirit, around I CAN’T = I’m deprived of power | |
| 9 ALL-STAR – ALTAR = table, around initials of Leslie Sands | |
| 10 ABIDE – A = article, then ED(itor) and I B(elieve) all reversed | |
| 11 IMAGINATION – I’M A G.I. = I serve in US, NATION = state | |
| 12 GETS EVEN – G.E. = E.G = say, reversed, T(ime), SEVEN = early in the morning | |
| 13 MARC – CR(e)AM = pick, reversed | |
| 20 GLOOPY – G(ood), LOOPY = like fruitcake | |
| 21 QUININE – QUI(d) = 75p (three quarters of a pound), NINE = quite a few | |
| 22 SAMOSA – S.O.S. = we require help, around AM(erican), A | |
| 24 STARS AND STRIPES – STARES = looks, around SAND STRIP = Chesil Beach. This is simply incorrect as Chesil beach is not at all sandy and is a famous shingle beach in Dorset(Chesil means gravel or shingle), and I think the setter has been a bit lazy. Chesil could easily have been replaced by Bondi or Miami or simply omitted and the clue would have worked better | |
| 26 VIENNESE WHIRLS – double definition – the first cryptic as Austrian implies Viennese and dervish-like implies whirling | |
| 27 GROYNE – GR(eek), ONE = individual, around (cit)Y | |
| 29 PIPETTE – P(enny), I PETTE(d) = I snogged | |
| 31 USURER – UR = city of old, around SURE = confident | |
| 33 AMONTILLADO – A, MON(day) = day, TILL = before, A DO = a party | |
| 35 TESTIMONIAL – (LIONS TEAM)* around TI(me) | |
| 36 ON YOUR BIKE – (KRONE, I BUY, O)* where the last O = nothing | |
| 40 HERBAL TEA – HER BALE = woman’s package, around (pu)T, then A | |
| 41 MICHIGAN – CHI = Athenian character, in MIG = plane, A, N(orthern) | |
| 42 SHIPMATE – SH = quietly, I P.M. = one p.m. = lunchtime, ATE = tucked in | |
| 44 LATVIAN – VALIANT* | |
| 46 EXALTED – EX = old lover, (h)ALTED = checked | |
| 48 WEDGE – WED = married, alternate letters in GlEe | |
| 50 TELL – TELL(y) = box | |
As usual there were a few unknowns to construct from wordplay in here for me, including NIOBEAN and ALLOPATHIST, which just means ‘doctor’.
Edited at 2016-11-12 02:37 pm (UTC)