Jumbo 1453

My favourites are 39D for the clever clue construction and 48D for the definition.

ACROSS
1 Opener in Irish county’s team (9)
CORKSCREW – CORKS = Irish county’s, CREW = team

6 Marvellous evening meal down by a piano (5)
SUPER – SUP{p}ER = evening meal

9 Gullible person said to require assistance when distressed (7)
SUCCOUR – sounds like SUCKER = gullible person

13 Confines or rather restricts maiden (5)
AMBIT – A BIT = rather, around M = maiden

14 Leave military formation in radioactive dust cloud (4,3)
FALL OUT – double definition, the second referring to FALLOUT

15 Revolutionary princess rises up behind (2,7)
IN ARREARS – INAR = RANI = princess, reversed, REARS = rises up

16 Vanishing cream consumer? (8,3)
CHESHIRE CAT – cryptic definition. Presumably cream consumer as the cat that got the cream is supposed to be happy, therefore smiling

17 Untimely error a Cornishman corrected (11)
ANACHRONISM – (A CORNISHMAN)*

18 Savage to devour rook and chicken portion (6)
BREAST – BEAST = savage, around R = rook

19 Hard material found in two clubs (8)
IRONWOOD – IRON, WOOD both (golf) clubs

21 Tablet provided with article about fabulous bird (6)
TROCHE – THE = article, around ROC = fabulous bird. Just needed to check which type of tablet this meant for my own edification

25 One mistakenly printed in bold (8)
INTREPID – (PRINTED IN)*

26 Faintest star is this to my knowledge (2,3,2,1,3,3)
AS FAR AS I CAN SEE – double definition

28 Fat politician consumed by booze (5)
AMPLE – ALE = booze, around M.P. = politician

29 Hard work associated with an identifying phrase (6)
SLOGAN – SLOG = hard work, AN

30 Inside spread little money about congregation (10)
CENTREFOLD – CENT = little money, RE = about, FOLD = congregation

33 Noblewoman about ready to reform Republican fantasist (10)
DAYDREAMER – DAME = noblewoman, around READY*, R = Republican

35 Heard musical bouzouki-playing here? (6)
GREECE – sounds like GREASE = musical

36 Oriental verse reporting shrill sound made by dove? (5)
HAIKU – sounds like HIGH = shrill, COO = sound made by dove

38 Serious measure to change unpopular work period (9,5)
GRAVEYARD SHIFT – GRAVE = serious, YARD = measure, SHIFT = change

40 Maybe oil one found in desert to harbour’s east (8)
PORTRAIT – PORT = harbour, RAT = desert, around I = one

42 Scottish fellow coming in shaved bald nut (6)
ALMOND – {b}ALD around MON = Scottish fellow

43 What might get me in post corruptly? (8)
NEPOTISM – (ME IN POST)*

44 Right to support the monarch (6)
PROPER – PROP = support, E.R. = the monarch

47 Chimpanzee, missing first note, so plays fiddle (5,6)
PONZI SCHEME – (CHIMP{a}NZEE, SO)*

50 Say Ransome’s behind bit of capital raised (7,4)
ARTHURS SEAT – ARTHURS = Ransome’s, SEAT = behind

52 Tedious don is with Greek poet wasting hour (9)
WEARISOME – WEAR = don, IS, {h}OME{r}

53 Fruit when cut keeps good colour (7)
PIGMENT – PIMENT{o} = fruit, around G = good

54 Note British Romeo brought to First Lady (5)
BREVE – B = British, R = Romeo, EVE = first lady

55 Knight breaking legs in Cornish village (2,5)
ST AGNES – STAGES = legs, around N = knight

56 Persecuted boffin abandons grand Italian location (5)
TURIN – TURIN{g} = persecuted boffin

57 Harbour man soaked (9)
MARINATED – MARINA = harbour, TED = man

DOWN
1 Fun ignoring odds: score first-class century (5)
CRAIC – even letters in sCoRe, AI = A1 = first-class, C = century

2 Renewed plea about property — try vainly to settle debt (3,5,2,3,4)
ROB PETER TO PAY PAUL – (PLEA ABOUT PROPERTY)*

3 Arrange things on stage and explain situation (3,3,5)
SET THE SCENE – double definition

4 Improvement achieved in Bible class? (6)
REFORM – R.E FORM = Bible class

5 Joker perhaps is match for any character (4,4)
WILD CARD – double definition

6 One making meteoric progress — at Bisley? (8,4)
SHOOTING STAR – double definition

7 Mathematician to say graph needs modification (10)
PYTHAGORAS – (TO SAY GRAPH)*

8 Artist consuming little island dish (5)
RAITA – R.A. = artist, around AIT = small island

9 One can wind up eating this (9)
SPAGHETTI – cryptic definition

10 Bear out box containing Golden Fleece and ring (11)
CORROBORATE – CRATE = box, around OR = golden, ROB = fleece and O = ring

11 Aleppo man in houses of certain Arabs (5)
OMANI – hidden in AleppO MAN In

12 Continue to suppose parking unavailable (6)
RESUME – {p}RESUME = suppose

18 Dressing to conceal equipment constitutes crime (10)
BRIGANDAGE – BANDAGE = dressing, around RIG = equipment

20 Network girl coming north for Circle Line? (8)
DIAMETER – RETE = network, MAID = girl, all reversed

22 Trojan Horse for example making one tense? (10,7)
HISTORICAL PRESENT – double definition

23 Girl’s mother creates oppressive atmosphere (6)
MIASMA – MIAS = girl’s, MA = mother

24 Nut collector close to birch unearthed supply (4-6)
HEAD-HUNTER – {birc}H, UNEARTHED*

27 Sit one Oxbridge staffer in capsized ship (8)
POSEIDON – POSE = sit, I = one, DON = Oxbridge staffer. From the book (and film) The Poseidon Adventure.

31 Vatican right about small shock (6)
TREMOR – ROME = Vatican, RT = right, all reversed

32 Here’s the difference between buying and selling (6,6)
PROFIT MARGIN – (not even very) cryptic definition

34 Right-hand men coming round to impressive speaker (11)
RHETORICIAN – R.H. = right-hand, ERIC, IAN = men, around TO

36 Borscht, on us, prepared as seasonal treat (3,5,3)
HOT CROSS BUN – (BORSCHT ON US). No longer just for Easter – an extended seasonal treat that seems to arrive on shelves in January

37 Counter-agent: Napoleon’s man in England? (10)
SHOPKEEPER – double definition. England as “a nation of shopkeepers” is attributed to Napoleon

39 Daring disco dancing — with au pair? (9)
AUDACIOUS – (DISCO, AU, AU). Cleverly using “au pair” to suggest au twice

41 Distinctive theory about alternative meteorological line (8)
ISOTHERM – ISM = distinctive theory, around OTHER = alternative

45 Leads to instrument found in ship (6)
SPAWNS – S.S. = ship, around PAWN = instrument

46 Spread in book complete (6)
BUTTER – B = book, UTTER = complete

48 One bounds area between two American cities (5)
NYALA – N.Y. = American City, A = area, L.A. = American city

49 Turn out for Louis I in European court (5)
EJECT – E = European, JE = I for Louis (who is presumably French), CT = court

51 Be likely to cross river in general direction (5)
TREND – TEND = be likely to, around R = river