A very nicely constructed puzzle with some good surfaces and non-obvious definitions. I found this one harder – and more enjoyable – than average.
Definitions are underlined, * = anagram, {} = omission
| Across | |
| 1 | Person blaming a junkie inhaling Charlie twice (7) |
| ACCUSER – A + USER (junkie) around CC (Charlie twice) | |
| 5 | Criticism which goes over actors’ heads? (7) |
| REPROOF – rep is short for repertory theatre, so a REP ROOF would go over the actors’ heads | |
| 9 | Given reminder about point one’s ruled out of match (3-4) |
| CUP-TIED – CUED (Given reminder), around PT (point) + I (one). A (British?) term generally referring to the situation where a player who has appeared in a (usually knock-out) competition for one team can’t subsequently appear in that competition for a different team in the same season. The intention is to prevent, say, a cup-finalist signing (perhaps just on loan) all the best players whose teams have already been knocked out. | |
| 13 | Terror maybe strikes Italy’s leader during visit (11) |
| RAPSCALLION – RAPS (strikes), + I (Italy’s leader) in CALL ON (visit) | |
| 14 | Teed off with one’s shot being superior (6-5) |
| TOFFEE-NOSED – (TEED OFF + ONE’S)* | |
| 15 | Greek in school partially confesses to iconoclasm (5) |
| STOIC – hidden in confesseS TO IConoclasm | |
| 16 | Waterway swamps isle by a coastal area (7) |
| RIVIERA – RIVER (Waterway) around I (isle), + A | |
| 17 | Structure that’s half round border, one requiring vehicle (9) |
| HEMICYCLE – HEM (border) + I (one) + CYCLE (vehicle). Not a word I knew. | |
| 18 | Catalans try this option, revolutionary separatists (8,8,5) |
| SCOTTISH NATIONAL PARTY – (CATALANS TRY THIS OPTION)* A clue and answer pleasingly combining two groups who are agitating for independence. | |
| 23 | Electrician’s work is almost disaster after nitrogen escapes (8) |
| EARTHING – {n}EAR THING (almost disaster after nitrogen (N) escapes) | |
| 25 | Metalwork in upper-class bathroom around dressing room (6) |
| ORMOLU – reversal (around) of U (upper-class) + LOO (bathroom), around (dressing) RM (room). Chambers: “Gilt or bronzed metallic ware”. I had thought that this word was a fairly frequent visitor to Crosswordland, but this seems to be only the second time it has appeared in a Times puzzle in the last six years. I wonder where I’ve seen it – it’s not like I subscribe to Metalworkers Monthly. | |
| 27 | Occult bits of online film ending in séance (7) |
| ECLIPSE – E-CLIPS (bits of online film) + {seanc}E (ending in seance). Perhaps not the most common meaning of occult – Chambers has: “To obscure, esp by occultation (astronomy)” and, for occultation, “A concealing, esp of one of the heavenly bodies by another”. | |
| 30 | Official computing overhaul (5) |
| REFIT – REF (Official, i.e. referee) + IT (computing) | |
| 32 | Solid gold’s put inside handle (4,3) |
| SORT OUT – STOUT (Solid) around OR (gold) | |
| 33 | Close with tango beat where people dance (9) |
| NIGHTCLUB – NIGH (Close) + T (tango, i.e. as in the NATO alphabet) + CLUB (beat) | |
| 35 | On the airwaves, Nick ruled out drummers (5,4) |
| STEEL BAND – homophone of STEAL (Nick) BANNED (ruled out) | |
| 36 | Maybe gridlock that is overwhelming motorway to go by (7) |
| IMPASSE – IE (that is), around M (motorway) + PASS (to go by) | |
| 37 | What will happen aboard the 11.13? (5) |
| EVENT – hidden in elEVEN Thirteen | |
| 38 | Reveal criminal has drunk hotel port (2,5) |
| LE HAVRE – REVEAL* around H (hotel) | |
| 40 | Like the serpent entrapping Eve, ultimately? (6) |
| SNEAKY – kind of an &lit, with SNAKY (Like the serpent) around {Ev}E (Eve, ultimately) | |
| 41 | Recipient of wholly outrageous coat of ermine (8) |
| ALLOTTEE – ALL (wholly) + OTT (outrageous) + E{rmin}E (coat of ermine) | |
| 44 | Ideas about grand scam to try on currency? A number will win here (10,4,7) |
| EUROVISION SONG CONTEST – EURO (currency) + VISIONS (Ideas) + ON (about) + G (grand) + CON (scam) + TEST (to try), with “number” to be read in the sense of a song. You can’t knock a six part charade. | |
| 48 | If a riot erupts, soldiers must be brought in with more reason (1,8) |
| A FORTIORI – (IF A RIOT)* around OR (soldiers) | |
| 50 | Queen’s killer to arrest — might this cover one’s tracks? (7) |
| ASPHALT – ASP (Queen’s killer, i.e. the snake which Cleopatra supposedly used to aid her suicide) + HALT (to arrest), and a clever definition | |
| 53 | Nothing left-leaning nobleman’s penned is drivel (5) |
| DROOL – reversal of LORD (nobleman) around O (Nothing) | |
| 54 | Setting down awful fish (11) |
| CHRONICLING – CHRONIC (awful) + LING (fish) | |
| 55 | African kidnapping sailor is opposed to authority (11) |
| LIBERTARIAN – LIBERIAN (African) around TAR (sailor) | |
| 56 | Spot whales perhaps eating delta’s bit of vegetation (7) |
| SEEDPOD – SEE (Spot) + POD (whales perhaps) around D (delta) | |
| 57 | Tell informer to knock a thousand off price (7) |
| NARRATE – NAR{k} (informer to knock a thousand (K) off) + RATE (price) | |
| 58 | Nag wife to leave after brief show of affection (7) |
| HENPECK – {w}HEN (wife to leave after) + PECK (brief show of affection) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Tense peer, the last to be promoted (6) |
| AORIST – ARISTO, with the O moving up several places. Chambers: “A tense, esp in Greek, expressing simple past time, with no implications of continuance, repetition or the like” | |
| 2 | Very good business leads for having great supply? (7) |
| COPIOUS – CO (business) + PIOUS (Very good) | |
| 3 | Dismiss group in church presenting coarse material (9) |
| SACKCLOTH – SACK (Dismiss), + LOT (group) in CH (church) | |
| 4 | Device to measure radius mathematician’s topped (5) |
| RULER – R (radius) + {E}ULER (mathematician’s topped) | |
| 5 | Seek further profits from check clothing (8) |
| REINVEST – REIN (check) + VEST (clothing) | |
| 6 | Shut up group of Christians making change? (5) |
| PENCE – PEN (Shut up) + CE (group of Christians) | |
| 7 | Wrong clothing seaman rejected to survive (7) |
| OUTLAST – OUT (Wrong) around reversal of SALT (seaman) | |
| 8 | Dominant figure in newspaper is subversive (5,9) |
| FIFTH COLUMNIST – FIFTH (Dominant, in a musical sense) + COLUMNIST (figure in newspaper). I knew the meaning of this expression but not the origin. Wikipedia: “Emilio Mola, a Nationalist general during the Spanish Civil War, told a journalist in 1936 that as his four columns of troops approached Madrid, a “fifth column” (Spanish: Quinta columna) of supporters inside the city would support him and undermine the Republican government from within.” | |
| 9 | Bother to store many sheets with pottery (9) |
| CREAMWARE – CARE (Bother), around REAM (many sheets) + W (with). Chambers: “A type of earthenware first produced in the 18c, having a cream-coloured glaze”. Not a word I knew. | |
| 10 | A tip from newspaper cutting still creates much unease (5) |
| PANIC – A + N{ewspaper} (tip from newspaper), in PIC (still) | |
| 11 | It deters pest during school dance, in which piano is fast (6,9) |
| INSECT REPELLENT – IN (during) + SECT (school), + P (piano) in REEL (dance), + LENT (fast) | |
| 12 | Duty free from centre includes more rum, making you unsteady (7) |
| DODDERY – D{ut}Y (Duty free from centre) around ODDER (more rum) | |
| 19 | Land fish that’s caught in ship in odd places (7) |
| TUNISIA – TUNA (fish) around I{n} S{h}I{p} (in ship in odd places) | |
| 20 | Unpredictable reactions to drug (9) |
| NARCOTISE – REACTIONS* | |
| 21 | Where colours are spread without obstacle (7) |
| PALETTE – PATE (spread) around LET (obstacle) | |
| 22 | Aspire to move between sides as retaliation (8) |
| REPRISAL – ASPIRE* in RL (sides, i.e. Right and Left) | |
| 24 | Source of help welcoming student for further education? (9,6) |
| REFRESHER COURSE – RECOURSE (Source of help) around FRESHER (student) | |
| 26 | UK’s open to changes, to be frank (9) |
| OUTSPOKEN – (UK’S OPEN TO)* | |
| 28 | Tiring complaint about drink being sour (8) |
| EMBITTER – reversal of ME (Tiring complaint, i.e. Myalgic Encephalomyelitis), + BITTER (drink) | |
| 29 | Inclination to insult boring part of speech (14) |
| PREDISPOSITION – DIS (to insult) inside (boring, in the sense of digging in to) PREPOSITION (part of speech) | |
| 31 | Sex serving man going around Mediterranean city (3,4) |
| TEL AVIV – reversal of VI (Sex, i.e. the Latin for six) + VALET (serving man) | |
| 34 | Foreign government gets new leader, a trouble-maker (7) |
| GREMLIN – {k}REMLIN (Foreign government) with the K changing to a G (gets new leader) | |
| 39 | Installed candle-holder, drilling final piece (9) |
| ENSCONCED – SCONCE (candle-holder) in (drilling) END (final piece) | |
| 42 | Part of match without a winner having incurred obligations (9) |
| OVERDRAWN – OVER (Part of match, i.e. a set of usually six balls in a game of cricket) + DRAWN (without a winner) | |
| 43 | Scratch cards vacuously rejected by mob (8) |
| SCRABBLE – reversal of C{ard}S, + RABBLE (mob) | |
| 44 | Erstwhile chief Saint for Orthodox clergymen (7) |
| EXARCHS – EX (Erstwhile) + ARCH (chief) + S (saint). Chambers: “A metropolitan bishop (Orthodox church)”, also “A bishop ranking between a patriarch and a metropolitan bishop (Orthodox church)”. Rang a vague bell but I was glad the wordplay seemed unambiguous. | |
| 45 | Move confidently, putting raw eggs in a salad (7) |
| SWAGGER – (RAW EGGS)* An unusual anagrind (“in a salad”), but Chambers has as one of its definitions of salad: “A diverse or confused mixture” | |
| 46 | Utter anything, up north, to turn cheat on (3-4) |
| TWO-TIME – reversal of EMIT (Utter) + OWT (anything, up north, i.e. a northern word for “anything”) | |
| 47 | Speed of light beam’s taken in for scientist (6) |
| PLANCK – PLANK (beam) around C (Speed of light) | |
| 49 | Joke books from down under going quickly (3-2) |
| TON-UP – reversal of PUN (Joke) + OT (books), to give (Chambers): “(orig of a motorcyclist) travelling or having travelled at more than 100mph” | |
| 51 | Take rapid steps to get ex-president back from America (5) |
| POLKA – POLK (ex-president, i.e. James K. Polk, 11th POTUS) + {Americ}A (back from America) | |
| 52 | Chapter in scripture for a source of illumination (5) |
| TORCH – TORaH (scripture) but with the A replaced by C (Chapter) | |
Edited at 2017-06-24 12:21 am (UTC)
ONG’ARA,
NAIROBI.