Some unusual words, but with 30+ years of crossword solving behind me only one needed checking in the dictionary (42D). Generally the clues were fair, but one or two did not quite work for me, although the solutions were readily apparent.
|
Across |
|
|---|---|
| 1 FIVE-POUND NOTE – START = found, NOTE = register, around I V(ery) EP = short record | |
| 8 SHEFFIELD – SHE = female, FFIELD = sounds like feeled, a possible ungramattical way of saying felt. I’m not sure the wordplay quite works with the double F in the middle | |
| 13 RODEO – RODE = travelled, O = round | |
| 14 RASMUSSEN – (MAN SURE)* around S.S. = ship | |
| 15 STRIVES – R(iver) in ST IVES = Cornish community | |
| 16 FINGERPRINTS – G(allery) in FINER PRINTS = better pictures | |
| 17 PEDESTRIAN – (TRA(i)N SPEED)* | |
| 18 ORACHE – OR = men (see 40A), ACHE = long | |
| 19 LOANABLE – LO = see, ANA = collection of anecdotes, B(ook), LE = the (French) | |
| 21 deliberately omitted – please ask if necessary | |
| 24 TOPGALLANT – TO, P(ower), GALLANT = behaving nicely | |
| 26 BLANDISHMENT – SH = quiet, MEN = chaps, in BLAND = suave (not sure about this), IT(alian) | |
| 29 SUIT – double definition | |
| 30 PERICARP – PERI = fairy, CARP = fish | |
| 31 ATTENDEE – ATTLEE = former PM, with END = death replacing L(iberal) | |
| 34 deliberately omitted – please ask if necessary | |
| 35 FOREGONE – FE = iron, around OREGON = territory of America (see 53A) | |
| 36 SMUT – SMUT(s), referring to Jan Smuts, a non-English Prime Minister | |
| 39 PRETTY-PRETTY – PRETTY = rather, PETTY = small-minded, around R = queen | |
| 40 OTHER RANKS – the central two characters of “fort” are O.R. which is an abbreviation for other ranks (see 18A) | |
| 43 HURRAY – HURRY = waste no time, around A | |
| 44 ARMCHAIR – ARCH AIR = knowing expression, around M(iddlesex) | |
| 45 CAFTAN – CAN = is able to, around AFT = behind | |
| 49 BRIDESMAID – IDES = fateful day, M(ale) in BRAID = hair band | |
| 51 DISAPPROVING – SAP = fluid, in DIP = sink, ROVING = moving around | |
| 53 AMERICA – ERIC = boy, in A MA = a mother | |
| 54 HALLOWEEN – HALLO = greeting, WEE = little, (childre)N | |
| 55 OMEGA – I suppose one could say “O, mega!” to someone or something very large, unless I’m missing something | |
| 56 DISPARAGE – D(aughter), IS, PA = father, RAGE = to be angry | |
| 57 HEARTLESSNESS – double definition | |
| Down | |
| 1 FOREFRONT – EFFORT* around RON = man | |
| 2 VEDANTA – hidden in depraVED ANTAgonists | |
| 3 PROMETHEAN – PRO = for, ME = this writer, THE, AN = articles | |
| 4 UNRIPE – RIP = scoundrel, in UNE = a (feminine, French) | |
| 5 DISCIPLINARY – DISC = record, I, PLINY = Roman writer, around A R = a King | |
| 6 OPUNTIAS – (PATIO SUN)* | |
| 7 ELSE – E(uropean) LSE = school (London School of Economics) | |
| 8 SUNDERLAND – (gangster)S, UNDER = below, LAND = ground | |
| 9 EASTER – (f)EASTER = diner | |
| 10 FIRST-NIGHTER – FIRS = trees, TIGHTER = not spreading so much, around (tow)N | |
| 11 deliberately omitted – please ask if necessary | |
| 12 DISINVESTMENT – DI’S IN VESTMENT = woman’s attired to take Communion | |
| 20 ALLERGEN – ALLER = go (French = across the channel), GEN = information | |
| 22 FIELDSMAN – point is a fieldsman in cricket, which is a summer sport (in England) | |
| 23 deliberately omitted – please ask if necessary | |
| 25 PRIVATEER – PRIER = someone impertinently looking, around VAT = vessel, E(ast) | |
| 27 IN THE RED – IND(ependent) around THERE = that place | |
| 28 ACROSTIC – A CROC = a reptile, around ITS* | |
| 29 SWEEP THE BOARD – double definition, the first mildly cryptic | |
| 32 SEPTUAGESIMA – (US A TIMES PAGE)* | |
| 33 FOSTER-PARENT – (PART OF NESTER)* | |
| 37 BEAR WITH ME – double definition, the first mildly cryptic | |
| 38 TREASONOUS – T(ime), REASON = to be rational, O = nothing, U.S. = unserviceable = useless | |
| 41 SANDGLASS – S AND G = the extremities of SulkinG, LASS = girl | |
| 42 MARIPOSA – PO = river, (flow)S, in MARIA, the plural of mare, seas on the moon | |
| 46 TRIREME – TRI(p) = journey, REME = engineers | |
| 47 IMPALA – I’M PAL = I am someone who is chummy, A | |
| 48 SPONGE – SPONGE(r) = parasite | |
| 50 IDEAS – A SIDE = a team, with AS = when moved to the end | |
| 52 ALPH – ALP = mountain, H(eight) | |
Edited at 2012-02-10 06:36 pm (UTC)
I wasn’t too worried by the wordplay for SHEFFIELD since only one F is actually pronounced (in English, at any rate; though Finns – for example – probably pronounce it Shef-field).
Definitions of bland in Chambers(2011) include “polite, suave” and of suave include “smooth, bland” (from which I suppose one might infer that the two words could be equated to any adjective).
In 55ac, I reckon that the whole clue provides the wordplay, thus overlapping the definition: i.e. you’re saying “O, mega!” to some very large Greek character – could be “omega”, or perhaps Demis Roussos before he went on a diet?