Sorry, forgot about this & just off for the w/e. Report will be added on Monday, but chat here first if you wish.
Solving time: 19:03
A pretty speedy puzzle, so I’m surprised by the number of clues I decided to include.
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | IN=modern(C.O.,HER),E.N.T. |
| 6 | WARE=beware (Collins),HOUSEMAN=(A.E.) “Housman” |
| 15 | P(ROSA)IC |
| 16 | EDUC(a)TOR – if you have listened to old-school teachers banging on about “educare” = Lat. for “to lead out”, this clue is a doddle |
| 18 | F=following(1’S),CAL |
| 20 | STITCHER – ITCH in rest* |
| 25 | EX-=old,AMINE=compound |
| 27 | PORT,I,A – there are two Portia’s in Shakespeare – this one and the heroine in The Merchant of Venice |
| 31 | (tragi)C,LEAR,CUT – Lear is of course a “tragic king”, but for this clue’s cryptic reading, he’s just “king” |
| 34 | PART=member,ERRE(d) – more on parterres here |
| 36 | V.I.(C.E.)P.,RESIDENCY |
| 46 | GET ONE’S |
| 47 | S(LIM(I)ES)T. |
| 48 | BISECT = “by sect” |
| 49 | CAT=queen (female cat),O |
| 53 | SE(AGU(e))LL |
| 54 | IMMERSE – R for N swap in ‘immense’ |
| 56 | O,CARIN’,A |
| 58 | C,ROSS=explorer,BEN=male,C.H.=Companion (of Honour) – “cross benches” are those in the Lords perpendicular to the main benches, and are occupied by independents |
| Down | |
| 1 | IMMINENCE = (mice,men,in)* |
| 2 | CONCERT MASTER = (romant(i)c secret)* – outside Britain, where he or she is the “leader”, the leader of (a) the first violins and (b) the orchestra as a whole, is the “concert master” |
| 4 | RUNNING REPAIRS = “fixing, by the way” (as they’re normally done at the roadside) – RE=about, in RUNNING PAIRS = athletic couples |
| 8 | ESCUTCHEON = (scene, touch)* |
| 9 | OVERT(I’M),E |
| 10 | SOUTH DAKOTA = S.D. = initials for “Second Democrat” |
| 11 | MOTORBOAT – reversal of ROT in (boom)*,then hAlTs = “at intervals halts” – untangling the wordplay (in particular, ignoring the “at” in the clue when “at” is all that’s left to explain in the answer) seems harder than solving |
| 12 | N(A,R)Y |
| 13 | COLLARED – check out collared in the dictionary for the two creatures |
| 19 | CLOISTER = (to relics)* – both an ambulatory and a cloister are structures for walking around |
| 21 | FIN(IT as in playground games)E |
| 22 | ST.,A TABLE |
| 23 | STEAL = bargain (noun),THY |
| 29 | A,M.P.,E,RAGE |
| 32 | CONTAMI = (M=mass,action)*,NATION |
| 33 | PRO=Golf coach,TESTS |
| 35 | EX-,P(END)IT,URE |
| 38 | PIANISSIMO = pp = centre of pippin |
| 40 | C(I.T.)Y,STATE |
| 42 | OVENBIRD – def (yes, there is such a bird) and cryptic def |
| 45 | O/S,SIC(k)LES |
| 50 | (Cr.)ISIS |
| 52 | BARB(a R.A.) |
Well, really! 😉