I didn’t find this one particularly difficult though I did spend a while trying to parse my LOI 52A, which seemed to have come from a different puzzle entirely. I enjoyed some of the definitions, in particular those in 45A and 33D, snorted at the un-Times-like 4D, and raised an eyebrow (in a minor fashion) at the quartet of random people’s names. Thanks, setter, for an entertaining puzzle.
Definitions are underlined, anagram = *, omission = {}, double definition = dd, cryptic definition = cd
| Across | |
| 1 | Engaging in local tour, turned ahead to progress slowly in Crosby? (3-8) |
| PUB-CRAWLING – reversal of UP (ahead), + CRAWL (to progress slowly) in BING (Crosby? – a reference to the late singer of, among others, White Christmas), with a deceptive definition | |
| 7 | Here one may find shops are opened by scoundrel (6) |
| ARCADE – CAD (scoundrel) in ARE | |
| 10 | Swedish-American star almost in dress (4) |
| GARB – GARB{o} (Swedish-American star almost) | |
| 14 | Principal director brings in northern chap to make money abroad (7) |
| CENTIMO – CEO (Principal director), around N (northern) + TIM (chap), to give the coin used in Venezuela among others | |
| 15 | Men, splitting apart, strangely maintaining correspondence (3,4) |
| PRO RATA – OR (Men) in APART* | |
| 16 | Spectacular performance where learner breaks cover (7) |
| BLINDER – L (learner) in BINDER (cover) | |
| 17 | Endeavour by arrangement to have superb small pianos (7,6) |
| CONCERT GRANDS – CONCERT (Endeavour by arrangement) + GRAND (superb) + S (small) | |
| 18 | Diver in vehicle test on craft circling lake (9) |
| GUILLEMOT – GUILE (craft) around L (lake), + MOT (vehicle test) | |
| 19 | Republican, accompanied by venomous types, speaks hoarsely (5) |
| RASPS – R (Republican) + ASPS (venomous types) | |
| 21 | Fuel the very thing needed in an ancient Balkan location (10) |
| ANTHRACITE – IT (the very thing) in AN + THRACE (ancient Balkan location) to give a type of coal | |
| 23 | Brutish sort, throwing back thin plate (6) |
| ANIMAL – reversal of LAMINA (thin plate) | |
| 25 | Artist in decline — could depression cause this? (8) |
| RAINFALL – RA (Artist) + IN + FALL (decline), with the definition referring to a meteorological depression | |
| 26 | Man’s excellent knowledge about British regiment in border area (6-8) |
| ALSACE-LORRAINE – AL’S (Man’s) + ACE (excellent) + LORE (knowledge), about RA (British regiment) + IN | |
| 29 | Element turning stomach in clergyman losing work (7) |
| BISMUTH – reversal of TUM (stomach), in BISH{op} (clergyman losing work) | |
| 30 | Likely to notice retainer having departed? (9) |
| OBSERVANT – OB (died – from the Latin obit) + SERVANT (retainer) | |
| 31 | Lived in luxury endlessly in Datchet’s outskirts (5) |
| DWELT – WEL{l} (in luxury endlessly, e.g. in a phrase such as “he’s living well”) in D{atche}T (Datchet’s outskirts). Datchet is a village near Windsor, if you’re interested. | |
| 32 | Try hard to catch glimpse of Romeo — stick around (5) |
| CRANE – R (Romeo) in CANE (stick). Interesting to see a clue where the definition is so long. | |
| 34 | Vessel having rope at bow in tangle (9) |
| POWERBOAT – (ROPE AT BOW)* | |
| 37 | Exile concerned with stale atmosphere vacated enclosure (7) |
| REFUGEE – RE (concerned with) + FUG (stale atmosphere) + E{nclosur}E (vacated enclosure) | |
| 39 | Nurse working after pains located around sick body part (8,6) |
| ACHILLES TENDON – ACHES (pains) around ILL (sick), + TEND (Nurse) + ON (working) | |
| 41 | Secret meeting with Tory and Liberal inside underground chamber (8) |
| CONCLAVE – CON (Tory) + CAVE (underground chamber) around L (Liberal) | |
| 43 | Have riches perhaps in a vault (6) |
| ABOUND – A + BOUND (vault) | |
| 44 | Doing well in Duke of Milan’s university (10) |
| PROSPEROUS – U (university) in PROSPERO’S (Duke of Milan’s – a reference to the character in The Tempest) | |
| 45 | Saw things in Société Ethnologique? (5) |
| TEETH – hidden in SociéTE ETHnologique, with a nicely deceptive definition | |
| 48 | Musical flourish modified signals at party (9) |
| GLISSANDO – SIGNALS* + DO (party), to give (Chambers): “The effect produced by sliding the finger along keyboard or strings” | |
| 49 | Happy home deity to constrain old ghosts (2,4,7) |
| IN GOOD SPIRITS – IN (home) + GOD (deity) around O (old), + SPIRITS (ghosts) | |
| 51 | European move abroad to unseat good foreign government (7) |
| EMIRATE – E (European) + MI{g}RATE (move abroad to unseat good) | |
| 52 | Barker grabbing little Mexican food (7) |
| TOSTADA – TOSA (Barker) around TAD (little), where a tosa is (Chambers): “(in full Japanese tosa) a heavily built, smooth-haired dog, the adult of which weighs approx 7 stone, bred for fighting” and a tostada is (Chambers): “A tortilla fried until crisp and served with a savoury topping of e.g. beans, minced meat and vegetables” | |
| 53 | Eastern sea creature shedding tail in Spring (7) |
| EMANATE – E (Eastern) + MANATE{e} (sea creature shedding tail) | |
| 54 | Cosmetic procedure for legendary friar (4) |
| TUCK – dd, the second referring to the character from the Robin Hood legends | |
| 55 | Strict at all times in case of sabotage (6) |
| SEVERE – EVER (at all times) in S{abotag}E (case of sabotage) | |
| 56 | Closer minders so upset with order to protect stronghold (11) |
| DOORKEEPERS – (SO + ORDER)* about KEEP (stronghold) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Leading vehicle has to compete with top retracted (4,3) |
| PACE CAR – reversal of RACE (compete) + CAP (top), to give (Chambers): “A car that sets the pace in a warm-up lap of a motor race but does not take part in the race” | |
| 2 | Potential trouble coming from deranged relatives son supports (6,5) |
| BANANA SKINS – BANANAS (deranged) + KIN (relatives) + S (son) | |
| 3 | God is here ultimately to provide uplift (5) |
| RAISE – RA (God – the ancient Egyptian sun-god) + IS + {her}E (here ultimately) | |
| 4 | Whale epithet also adapted for this football chant? (3,3,3,3,4) |
| WHO ATE ALL THE PIES – (WHALE EPITHET ALSO)*, to give a chant aimed at someone who is overweight, be they a player, official, or other supporter. Possibly not the easiest answer to come up with if you aren’t already familiar with it. | |
| 5 | The writer’s regret about old city’s corrupt constituent (8) |
| IMPURITY – I’M (The writer’s) + PITY (regret) about UR (old city) | |
| 6 | Draws line under reason for basic principles (6,5) |
| GROUND RULES – GROUND (reason) + RULES (Draws line) | |
| 7 | Gather tea’s brought up in the morning (5) |
| AMASS – ASSAM (tea) with the AM (in the morning) brought to the top | |
| 8 | Demand huge amount to power our planet? (6,3,5) |
| CHARGE THE EARTH – literal interpretation | |
| 9 | Style shown by Labour’s leader in European city (6) |
| DUBLIN – DUB (Style, as a verb) + L{abour} (Labour’s leader) + IN | |
| 11 | Jogger encountered on the Champs-Elysees? (4-7) |
| AIDE-MEMOIRE – cd, requiring you to think of a French expression meaning something to help jog your memory, rather than someone out for a run in Paris | |
| 12 | Regressive boy wrecked last old reformatory (7) |
| BORSTAL – reversal of ROB (boy), + LAST*, to give (Chambers): “Formerly, an establishment for the detention of young adult delinquents, now replaced by a range of more or less similar detention systems” | |
| 13 | One going aloft in ship under the wind (8) |
| AIRLINER – AIR (the wind) + LINER (ship) | |
| 20 | Almost endure consuming American spread (7) |
| SUFFUSE – SUFFE{r} (Almost endure) around US (American) | |
| 22 | A bit of a laugh with one in credit control meeting (5) |
| CHAIR – HA (A bit of a laugh) + I (one), in CR (credit) | |
| 24 | Worker at lodge stores wood and food (11,5) |
| PORTERHOUSE STEAK – PORTER (Worker at lodge) + HOUSES (stores) + TEAK (wood) | |
| 25 | Novel touching and useless because without chapter (7) |
| REBECCA – RE (touching) + BECA{use} (useless because) around C (chapter) | |
| 27 | Too much here to be taken out of context — remember? (7) |
| EXTREME – hidden in contEXT — REMEmber | |
| 28 | Trouble with heart? Here’s comfort in retirement! (3-5,6) |
| HOT-WATER BOTTLE – HOT WATER (Trouble) + BOTTLE (heart, in the sense of courage) | |
| 31 | Loss expert acting as receiver for chemical company (7) |
| DEFICIT – DEFT (expert) around (acting as receiver for) ICI (chemical company, which ceased operations in 2008) | |
| 33 | Admitting nothing in crash, I paid out for the other driver (11) |
| APHRODISIAC – (CRASH + I + PAID)* around O (nothing), with an amusing definition making use of the fact that “the other” is an informal term for sexual relations | |
| 35 | Large American trucks transporting new phones (5) |
| RINGS – RIGS (Large American trucks) around N (new) | |
| 36 | Cautious taking dangerous bends (2,4,5) |
| ON ONE’S GUARD – ON (taking – as in medicines) + DANGEROUS* | |
| 38 | Serious in backing learned person to become an idol (6,5) |
| GRAVEN IMAGE – GRAVE (Serious) + reversal of IN, + MAGE (learned person) | |
| 40 | No sailor alights on isle (8) |
| LANDSMAN – LANDS (alights) + MAN (isle), to give (Chambers): “A man with no seafaring experience” | |
| 42 | Mountain pass on ring road constructed in state (8) |
| COLORADO – COL (Mountain pass) + O (ring) + ROAD* | |
| 43 | Add to men relieving us in some 31 days? (7) |
| AUGMENT – AUGusT (some 31 days) with the “us” replaced by MEN | |
| 46 | Society girl pursuing house party organiser (7) |
| HOSTESS – HO (house) + S (Society) + TESS (girl) | |
| 47 | Belong essentially out there? On the contrary! (6) |
| INHERE – if something isn’t out there, then it is IN HERE. Possibly a verb that we see more often in its adjectival form “inherent”. | |
| 49 | Children that may be taken where there’s disagreement? (5) |
| ISSUE – dd, the second referring to the expression “to take issue with” | |
| 50 | Absurd and mad to toss away shilling (5) |
| INANE – IN{s}ANE (mad to toss away shilling) | |
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