I found this one marginally easier than average though it did contain a couple of words seldom seen in Crosswordland.
FOI 1A, LOI 13A.
Finally a job advert – if anyone would be interested in taking over my blogging slots (Jumbo cryptics with numbers ending in 0 or 5) then please let Jonathan or me know. Any questions, either message me or ask in the comments below.
Definitions are underlined, * = anagram, {} = omission, dd = double definition
| Across | |
| 1 | Eastern country’s occupied by cold rodents (11) |
| CHINCHILLAS – CHINA‘S (Eastern country’s) around CHILL (cold) | |
| 7 | Being terribly sinful, ceded, having no-one else to blame? (4-7) |
| SELF-INDUCED – (SINFUL, CEDED)* | |
| 13 | Like the writer existing with aspirations? Wow! (2,1,4,3,7) |
| AS I LIVE AND BREATHE – AS (Like) + I (the writer) + LIVE AND BREATHE (existing with aspirations), to give a phrase (only listed in ODO, of the usual sources) meaning: “Used to express surprise at encountering someone or something” | |
| 14 | Small statues said to be in old parts of Egypt? (5) |
| NOMES – homophone of GNOMES (Small statues), where a nome is (Chambers): “A province or department, esp in ancient Egypt or modern Greece”. I was familiar with this from appearances in the Mephisto but I don’t think I’ve ever encountered it otherwise. | |
| 15 | Port? Buy it when taking course at Oxford (6) |
| DIEPPE – DIE (Buy it – an informal expression meaning to be killed) + PPE (course at Oxford – Philosophy, Politics, and Economics) | |
| 16 | Country hollow in which a storage chest is buried (8) |
| PAKISTAN – PAN (hollow), around A + KIST (storage chest). Kist is another word I know only from crosswords. | |
| 17 | Worker briefly engaged by woman in Muslim territory (7) |
| KHANATE – HAN{d} (Worker briefly) in KATE (woman) | |
| 19 | About to enter cult, one has to be tight-lipped (9) |
| SECRETIVE – RE (About) in SECT (cult), + I‘VE (one has) | |
| 21 | Best quality regularly associated with one chum (8) |
| ULTIMATE – {q}U{a}L{i}T{y} (quality regularly) + I (one) + MATE (chum) | |
| 23 | English theologian introducing a series of stories (4) |
| EDDA – E (English) + DD (theologian) + A, to give (Chambers): “The name of two Scandinavian books, the Elder Edda, a collection of ancient mythological and heroic songs (9c-11c or earlier), and the Younger or Prose Edda, by Snorri Sturluson (c.1230), mythological stories, poetics and prosody” | |
| 25 | Devices restricting personal freedom in prisons or clubs (5) |
| IRONS – dd | |
| 27 | Character who may offer terms to residents? (6) |
| LETTER – dd, the second mildly cryptic and referring to, say, a landlord | |
| 28 | Aura surrounding Conservative, one knowing what will happen in future? (10) |
| PRESCIENCE – PRESENCE (Aura) around C (Conservative) + I (one) | |
| 30 | Captive in small room in home counties in terminal situation (8) |
| ENSLAVED – LAV (small room) in SE (home counties), all in END (terminal situation). “The smallest room” is a euphemism for the toilet, and lav is a shortened form of the word lavatory – either of these could be the intended LAV = “small room” equivalence. | |
| 31 | Dicky is mad on oratory — it involves listening to many a star (5,9) |
| RADIO ASTRONOMY – (IS MAD ON ORATORY)* | |
| 34 | Gutted economist in action of castigating the abolition of gold standard? (14) |
| DEMONETISATION – E{conomis}T in DEMONISATION (action of castigating) | |
| 35 | Blissful course regularly taken by one female in charge (8) |
| BEATIFIC – BEAT (course regularly taken) + I (one) + F (female) + IC (in charge) | |
| 38 | Expert’s treatise shows what can help a handicapped person (10) |
| PROSTHESIS – PRO‘S (Expert’s) + THESIS (treatise) | |
| 40 | Secret agent, good person in trouble (6) |
| MOLEST – MOLE (Secret agent) + ST (good person) | |
| 41 | Christmas month has gold ornamentation (5) |
| DECOR – DEC (Christmas month) + OR (gold) | |
| 43 | Regular competition — waste of time (4) |
| EVEN – EVEN{t} (competition – waste of time) | |
| 44 | Where fares are lowest always in part of journey (8) |
| STEERAGE – EER (always) in STAGE (part of journey) | |
| 45 | Most superior fellows looking down on a bit of St John’s Wood? (9) |
| OVERLORDS – if one were OVER LORD‘S, then one would be looking down on the famous cricket ground in St John’s Wood | |
| 48 | Lady’s indication — test 75% complete (7) |
| SIGNORA – SIGN (indication) + ORA{l} (test 75% complete) | |
| 49 | Schools with prime requirement for ticking box (3,5) |
| TEA CHEST – TEACHES (Schools) + T{icking} (prime requirement for ticking) | |
| 50 | Go astray, as one type of bird around November (6) |
| WANDER – WADER (one type of bird) around N (November) | |
| 53 | Gas from individual on the east side of Australia (5) |
| OZONE – OZ (Australia) + ONE (individual) | |
| 54 | Novel performance of warder in prison show? (3,4,2,3,5) |
| THE TURN OF THE SCREW – literal interpretation of the title of the Henry James work, as a turn is an act in a show and a screw is a slang term for a warder | |
| 55 | Secretarial skill sorting out thorny pages (11) |
| STENOGRAPHY – (THORNY PAGES)* | |
| 56 | Odour about troublemaker, socialist oblivious to others? (4-7) |
| SELF-CENTRED – SCENT (Odour) about ELF (troublemaker), + RED (socialist) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Secret tribe doomed to come to premature end (11) |
| CLANDESTINE – CLAN (tribe) + DESTINE{d} (doomed to come to premature end) | |
| 2 | This person’s plan to ban a chemical (5) |
| IMIDE – I‘M (This person’s) + IDE{a} (plan to ban a), to give (Chambers): “Any of a class of organic compounds formed from ammonia or a primary amine by replacing two hydrogen atoms by a metal or acid radical” | |
| 3 | Charlie, unconventional character in fast-food outlet (7) |
| CHIPPIE – C (Charlie) + HIPPIE (unconventional character) | |
| 4 | Day when one meets fate, not insignificant! (4) |
| IDES – I (one) + DES{tiny} (fate, not insignificant), and arguably an extended definition | |
| 5 | Property managers providing light over a toilet (4,6) |
| LAND AGENTS – LAND (light) + A + GENTS (toilet) | |
| 6 | Military personnel unessential but in action (14) |
| SUBLIEUTENANTS – (UNESSENTIAL BUT)* | |
| 7 | Place in which to find provider of milk and soft mineral (8) |
| STEATITE – TEAT (provider of milk) in SITE (Place), to give another name for soapstone | |
| 8 | Reveal the French fashion (3,2) |
| LET ON – LE (the French) + TON (fashion) | |
| 9 | Kit ceases to work — things essential for some sporting competitors (3,6) |
| ICE SKATES – (KIT CEASES)* | |
| 10 | Renunciation of study, learner of highest standard being upset (6) |
| DENIAL – DEN (study), + reversal of L (learner) + AI (highest standard) | |
| 11 | COBRA when lacking support gets this military supremo initially (10,7) |
| COMMANDING OFFICER – CO{BRA} (COBRA when lacking support) gives us the initials that, when expanded, give us the answer | |
| 12 | Some French person half cut off at cathedral site, showing hopelessness (11) |
| DESPERATELY – DES (Some French) + PER{son} (person half cut off) + AT + ELY (cathedral site) | |
| 18 | Bound to swallow untruths, most typical of a lass? (8) |
| GIRLIEST – GIRT (Bound) around LIES (untruths) | |
| 20 | Spoil plans — for self-catering facility at Christmas? (4,8,5) |
| COOK SOMEONE’S GOOSE – kind of an extended definition involving a literal interpretation, I suppose, where you would be spoiling someone’s plans for self-catering if you cooked their goose for them. I’m assuming that there are households where goose for Christmas is a thing. | |
| 22 | Holy woman‘s heartless alien from another planet! (6) |
| MARIAN – MAR{t}IAN (heartless alien from another planet), where the answer is an adjective (Chambers): “Relating to the Virgin Mary or to Queen Mary (Tudor or Stuart)” | |
| 24 | Final bit of letter I sent off offered a smart reply (8) |
| RIPOSTED – {lette}R (Final bit of letter) + I + POSTED (sent off) | |
| 26 | Get stuck in street with any number jammed in an entrance (8) |
| STAGNATE – ST (street) + N (any number) in A GATE (an entrance) | |
| 29 | Suppress the employees or fail to take action? (3,2,4,5) |
| SIT ON ONE’S HANDS – literal interpretation | |
| 32 | Attempts outside to dispose of written agreements (8) |
| TREATIES – TRIES (Attempts) around EAT (to dispose of) | |
| 33 | Aim revealed by creature with venom and anger (6) |
| ASPIRE – ASP (creature with venom) + IRE (anger) | |
| 34 | So is spender suffering mental problems? (11) |
| DEPRESSIONS – (SO IS SPENDER)* | |
| 36 | Port’s rough and ready, we hear? Bottle stoppers may have been this (11) |
| CORKSCREWED – CORK‘S (Port’s) + homophone of CRUDE (rough and ready) | |
| 37 | Feel so rum, distraught after end of affair — and maybe this? (10) |
| REMORSEFUL – {affai}R (end of affair) + (FEEL SO RUM)* | |
| 39 | Remover of spear carrier, short performer on stage? (9) |
| EXTRACTOR – EXTR{a} (spear carrier, short) + ACTOR (performer on stage). A spear carrier is (Chambers): “1. An actor in a minor non-speaking role, 2. A minor participant” | |
| 42 | A few lines in newspaper on fellow enthralling a country (8) |
| PARAGUAY – PARA (A few lies in newspaper) + GUY (fellow) around A | |
| 46 | Affair’s trouble, after upsetting one child? (7) |
| LIAISON – reversal of AIL (trouble), + I (one) + SON (child) | |
| 47 | Manage without, because of self-esteem (6) |
| FOREGO – FOR (because of) + EGO (self-esteem) | |
| 49 | Hint about group of countries in affiliation (3-2) |
| TIE-UP – TIP (Hint) around EU (group of countries) | |
| 51 | Some are rude about Renaissance painter (5) |
| DURER – hidden reversed in aRE RUDe | |
| 52 | Smart bird getting bottom pinched (4) |
| CHIC – CHIC{k} (bird getting bottom pinched) | |
42dn: lines not lies, a Freudian slip if ever I saw one ..
Ong’ara,
Kenya.