I’ll nominate 15ac as Clue of the Day just because it’s so short and neat. Embarrassing Admission of the Day goes to the fact that I initially entered SHINE ON HARVEYS MOON for 19ac because I only knew the 80s sitcom and not the original song.
A genuine achievement to make cluing so many things look so effortless in any case and I am rather in awe of the setter. Sincere thanks for another superb puzzle!
1 Shrub of note with instant appeal (6)
MIMOSA – MI [note] with MO SA [instant | appeal]
4 Treaty recognised quietly to have stopped bellicose deed? (6,4)
WARSAW PACT – SAW P [recognised | quietly] “to have stopped” WAR ACT [bellicose deed?]
10 Veil at first is quickly tucked inside collar (5)
NIQAB – I{s} Q{uickly}, “tucked inside” NAB [collar]
14 Legal tussles with club: one may have blown it (5-4)
BUGLE-CALL – (LEGAL + CLUB*) [“…tussles with…”]
15 This looks secure (6,7)
BEAUTY CONTEST – cryptic definition. Clue needs to be re-read as “Victory in this is secured by one’s looks”.
16 Escape from hospital, maybe, heading off to shelter? (7)
LEEWARD – {f}LEE WARD [escape from hospital, maybe; losing its first letter]
17 Contained by which restraint on western ambassador? (7)
WHEREIN – REIN [restraint] on W H.E. [western | ambassador]
18 Get shot of escort after worry (3,4)
EAT LEAD – LEAD [escort] after EAT [worry]
19 Soho environment has corrupted a number (5,2,7,4)
SHINE ON HARVEST MOON – (SOHO ENVIRONMENT HAS*) [“corrupted”]
21 Half the characters in the garden do dig (4)
BARB – BARB{ecue} – take half the characters of a “garden do”, as in a party in a garden.
24 “Physician heal thyself” inferred instruction here? (5)
DRILL – If the physician needs to heal himself, then the doctor is ill, equals DR ILL
26 Proceeding smoothly and evenly, judge back observing cases (8)
SEGUEING – reversed {j}U{d}G{e} “cased” by SEEING [observing]
27 For example, knight’s uniform (2,1,5)
OF A PIECE – a knight is a piece, so “a knight’s” is “of (belonging to) a piece”.
29 Space craft following girl and family: I’m serious! (6,5)
JOKING APART – GAP ART [space | craft] following JO [girl] and KIN [family]
30 Group of fans of United, 21, rarely on time (7,4)
TRIBUTE BAND – (UNITED BARB*) [“rarely”], on T [time]
32 Make fun when Charlie, entering briefly to prepare for karaoke? (4,3,4)
TAKE THE MICK – C [Charlie], entering TAKE THE MIK{e} [“briefly”, to prepare for karaoke]
35 On tour, the French boast new sporting achievement (6,5)
TRIPLE CROWN – On TRIP [tour], LE CROW N [the French | boast | new]
37 Studies end of ancient cutting wearing glasses (8)
INSPECTS – {ancien}T “cutting” IN SPECS [wearing | glasses]
39 Plane, before descent, to remain low (8)
FLATLINE – FLAT [plane] before LINE [descent]
40 Gather — as people attending shows (5)
PLEAT – hidden in {peo}PLE AT{tending}
43 High school year (4)
GAMY – GAM Y [school | year]
44 Metal strip of lead and gold to put on fast (9,9)
LIGHTNING CONDUCTOR – CONDUCT [lead] and OR [gold], to put on LIGHTNING [fast]
47 Inferior stuff that is hard to fix (7)
SCHLOCK – SC H LOCK [that is | hard | to fix]
48 Philosopher’s inclination to overact (7)
BENTHAM – BENT HAM [inclination | to overact]
50 Spanish girl’s holding a hundred and one in reserve (7)
ICINESS – INES’S [Spanish girl’s] “holding” CI [one hundred and one]
51 Everyone is in trim, behold, with a lightweight figure (13)
PARALLELOGRAM – ALL [everyone] is in PARE LO [trim | behold] with GRAM [a light weight]
52 How long one can last as a spinster? (5,4)
SHELF LIFE – cryptic definition. If a spinster is someone “on the shelf”…
53 Alien you discovered in small, unknown spacecraft (5)
SOYUZ – (YOU*) [“alien”] discovered in S Z [small | unknown]
54 I’m obliged to lead eleven reindeer partner hired (4-6)
TAXI-DANCER – TA [I’m obliged], to lead XI DANCER [eleven | reindeer]
55 Left party after recalling youth’s song (6)
BALLAD – reversed LAB [left party] + LAD [youth]
DOWN
1 Pack I told stories about has finally got going (9)
MOBILISED – MOB I LIED [pack | I | told stories] about {ha}S
2 What’s recycled etc in making material for printing (8,3)
MAGNETIC INK – (ETC IN MAKING*) [“recycled”]
3 Transsexual attention-seeker appearing in market (7)
SHEMALE – HEM [attention-seeking interjection] appearing in SALE [market]
5 Permit needed for rearing two llamas (5)
ALLOW – hidden reversed in {t}WO LLA{mas}
6 Defers, ultimately, but is never outrageously fawning (11)
SUBSERVIENT – ({defer}S BUT IS NEVER*) [“outrageously”]
7 Our side declares upcoming strike something binding (7,4)
WEAVERS KNOT – WE AVERS [our side | declares] + reversed TONK [“upcoming” strike]
8 My aunt loves freely being able to do as she wishes (8)
AUTONOMY – (MY AUNT O O*) [“freely”]
9 Like things you’ve done, perhaps, to be criticised (6,3)
TICKED OFF – double definition. Things on a to-do list may be ticked off as they’re done.
10 A number in female side upset about goal (6)
NINETY – reversed YIN [female side “upset”] about NET [goal]
11 Hit with rubber article after short pursuit (3,4,4)
QUE SERA SERA – ERASER A [rubber | article] after QUES{t} [“short” pursuit]
12 Heard how fish hook may be suspended (5)
BATED – homophone of BAITED [“heard”, how fish hook may be]. Hopefully none of us here is one of those people who writes “with baited breath”, as that’s wrong unless you’re talking about a cat with its mouth open and cheese on its tongue.
13 Lumbering beast close to large jetty (7,5)
LANDING STAGE – LANDING STAG [lumbering | beast] + {larg}E
20 Method of preparing a film classification, promoting the end (2,6)
AU GRATIN – A U RATING [a film classification], moving the last letter up a little
22 Man’s intention to get a husky coat? (7)
BRENDAN – END [intention] to get a coat of BRAN, which is husk-y
23 Busy clock-watching? (5,3)
SPEED COP – cryptic definition. Recall that a “busy” is an informal word for an officer of the law, and that a “clock” can be a measurer not just of time but of things such as speed…
25 Spin out of control, finally, subsequently holding our tongue (8)
LENGTHEN – {contro}L + THEN [subsequently], “holding” ENG [our tongue]
28 Recording I find, not over after thirty seconds? (8)
MINIDISC – I DISC{over} [I | find, minus OVER] + MIN{ute}
29 Going outside, when cooler keeping dry at home (7)
JUTTING – JUG [cooler] “keeping” TT IN [dry | at home]
31 The Irish wind up Nepalis: lie abysmally (7,5)
UILLEAN PIPES – (UP NEPALIS LIE*) [“abysmally”]
33 Request to be bussed from scene of battle (4,2,5)
KISS ME HARDY – cryptic definition, hinging mainly on reading “bussed” as “kissed” and not “transported”.
34 Spirit bordering on excellent — and port (11)
KALININGRAD – KA LINING [spirit | bordering] on RAD [excellent]
35 Mummy’s mild rebuke, cross, having the last word (11)
TUTANKHAMEN – TUT ANKH [mild rebuke | cross], having AMEN [last word]
36 On descent from plain, chap on horse suffering (4,3,4)
OVER THE HILL – OVERT HE [plain | chap] on H ILL [horse | suffering]
38 Most demanding strain on one entering exam (9)
TRICKIEST – RICK [strain] on I [one] entering TEST [exam]
41 Carelessly trash duke’s ornamental fastening (5,4)
TURKS HEAD – (TRASH DUKE*) [“carelessly”]
42 Thanks for including ME city, and part of another (3,5)
THE BRONX – TX [thanks] including HEBRON [Middle East city]
45 Break asunder to find its translation (2,5)
UT INFRA – separate “asunder” into “as under”, and translate into the Latin phrase.
46 Composer of regulation, not the first to feature in Dickens (6)
BOULEZ – {r}ULE [regulation, losing its first letter] to feature in BOZ [Dickens]
47 Groups of thirty days? (5)
SEPTS – thirty days hath September.
49 Shot that would be collected placed in ad (5)
MASSE – reverse cryptic; if you placed MASSE in AD you’d get AMASSED [collected]
Does anyone think that the OED is as bad as accused? I personally have stuck with Chambers 12 for a while now.
And if it updates so often, aren’t purchasers left with an outdated model rather quickly?
I can cut and paste the article to here if anyone so requires.
Once again please accept my apologies if I’m out of line here.
Quote
It is a pity the OED doesn’t spend more effort making their dictionaries consistent and that they contain words that are a regular part of everyday English rather than looking for words that are probably fleeting in current vocabulary.
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I bought the SOED some time ago and there are so many missing words. Bobcat for instance doesn’t appear. Foxglove does not appear either yet if you lookup digitalis foxglove is used in the entry. The dictionary isn’t even consistent. How can you have words used in a dictionary that don’t even have an entry.
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I can only imagine that the OED is worse given that it has little more than half the entries of the SOED. Rubbish dictionary.
Unquote
Personally, I think the day of the printed dictionary is nearly done .. I do have the current (13th) edition of Chambers but otherwise use online versions, including the full OED which is available to all members of Kent County Library and most other library users too I believe.
A great puzzle
Although I do enjoy the ones that flow like water too
Edited at 2018-10-06 07:41 am (UTC)