Slightly more challenging this time, I reckoned – took me a little over half an hour, though admittedly late at night. It featured two answers that I don’t believe I’ve come across before: NOCTURN (not to be confused with nocturne), and THROUGH-COMPOSED.
As ever, * indicates an anagram.
Across |
1 |
POLICE STATE – POLE, containing I (symbol for electric current/amperage) + C, + STATE |
7 |
FIREBOMBING – (From Big Ben I)* |
13 |
SKYROCKET – ROCK in SKYE, + concerT |
14 |
ESTONIA – ETON outside S, + AI (capital, i.e. excellent) reversed |
15 |
CLASS – Cold + LASSi – lassi is a yogurt-based drink originating in India |
16 |
APOGEE – gemstone eg opal, reversed |
17 |
SUDANESE – SUE containing DANES |
18 |
KRISHNA – (I shrank)*. The “From” in the clue seemed superfluous to me – I wonder if it would have worked better as “God, I shrank, trembling”? |
20 |
IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE – slightly unusual clue, which I’ve broken down as Husband, “in the middle of” NOW and HERE |
23 |
TANGIER – double definition |
24 |
DRASTIC – Doctrine, + (racist)* |
26 |
NECKTIE – NECK (slang term for audacity) + TIE (match in the sporting sense) |
28 |
SASH – Son + ASH |
29 |
PIPE RACK – (are p) reversed, in PICK. A churchwarden is an old style of pipe. |
32 |
UNCLEARLY – CLass in UNEARLY (“un-early” could mean “late” – nice idea!) |
35 |
TAIL LIGHT – L in AIL, in TIGHT |
36 |
SPLENDID – SP + LEN + DID. “Wicked” here has the contemporary meaning of “very good”, hence SPLENDID |
37 |
HUGE – (enough)* |
39 |
BOER WAR – raw, + European in rob, all reversed |
41 |
ASTAIRE – ASTI around Are, + RE |
44 |
BROTHEL – BROTH + mEaLs. “Stews” is an old term for a brothel |
45 |
CHARACTER RECOGNITION – CHARACTER (defined by “case”, as in “he’s a case!”) + RECOGNITION |
49 |
HANGDOG – HANG + DO + G |
50 |
FAIR PLAY – FAIR, + L in PAY |
51 |
ELAPSE – pale (reversed), + S + E (South and East, two opponents in the game of bridge) |
53 |
SHELL – HELL after S |
54 |
AVARICE – A VICE around A Miser
|
55 |
INTRINSIC – IN + TRaIN + SIC |
56 |
DILAPIDATED – (i pal I’d), reversed, + DATED |
57 |
SPELLBINDER – SPELL, + ER (= Elizabeth Regina), around BIND |
Down |
1 |
PASCAL – P + A + Scale
|
2 |
LAY DOWN ONE’S LIFE – (Fellow done in say)* |
3 |
CHOKE CHAIN – CHOKE, + A in CHIN. “Rover” refers to a dog, not the make of car |
4 |
SIKH – sounds like seek |
5 |
ASTOUNDED – AS + T + bOUNDED |
6 |
EYEBALL – alternate letters of sexy deb, +BALL |
7 |
FITTED OUT – FIT + TED + OUT |
8 |
RANGE – stRANGE |
9 |
BLACK SWAN – LACKS W in BAN |
10 |
MACHINE SCREW – (came wrench is)* |
11 |
IVANHOE – I’VE, around alternate letters of sainthood |
12 |
GASBAG – AS B in GAG |
19 |
SMARTING – RAM (random-access memory; reversed) in STING |
21 |
NOCTURN – NOC (sounds like knock), + TURN. I hadn’t previously come across this term, which refers to on of the divisions of Matins |
22 |
VERY WELL – VERY + WELL |
23 |
TEST TUBE – TEST, + TUBE (UK slang for television) |
25 |
ADAMS – SA (reversed) around DAM |
27 |
THROUGH-COMPOSED – THROUGH, + COMPOSED (defined by “together”) |
30 |
EXTRACT – EX + TRACT |
31 |
KULFI – FLUKe, reversed, + I |
33 |
CRIBBING – CRIB + BINGo
|
34 |
SLOW HANDCLAP – LOW HAND C in SLAP |
38 |
TORTELLINI – (in little)*, around OR |
40 |
REARGUARD – REAR (to raise; defined by “look after”), + drug (reversed) around A. I wasn’t happy with “conservative faction” as the definition of REARGUARD |
42 |
TERRIFIED – (where vat)*. I + F, in (retired)* |
43 |
EVOCATIVE – E + VOCATIVE |
45 |
CONCEAL – CO (commanding officer), + (lance)* |
46 |
EXPRESS – EX + PRESS (to iron clothing, defined by “smooth”) |
47 |
CHASED – sounds like chaste |
48 |
FENCER – FENCE + R |
50 |
FEAST – hidden in caFE A STeak
|
52 |
ET AL – late (reversed) |
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