An enjoyable puzzle on the gentle side difficulty-wise I’d say in respect of 1356. 45 minutes all done, dusted and understood.
First in was RELOCATES and last was TESSELLATE, due to it looking like it had too many esses or ells and to my not seeing the wordplay immediately.
Clues are in blue with the definition underlined. Different brackets mean different things:
Square to expand a standard crossword abbreviation: L[eft]
Wiggly to denote letters not used:{afterthough}T
Rounded followed by a * to indicate anagram fodder: (forded)*
Rounded to add clarification: cool (as in trendy)
Anagram indicators in bold italics: supply
Deletions are denoted by strikeout
CD = cryptic definition, DD = double definition, I guess other stuff is spelled out for you.
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Across |
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1 |
So Electra, being displaced, settles elsewhere (9) |
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RELOCATES – (so Electra)* |
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6 |
Tories inform country to snub new stars (13) |
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CONSTELLATION – CONS, TELL, |
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13 |
Net profit finally extracted to void margins (5) |
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TULLE – T, |
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14 |
Bulbous item — suddenly reveal one held between legs (6,5) |
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SPRING ONION – SPRING then I in ON, ON (cricket side) |
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15 |
Take courage from sniper eliminating Guam’s leader (5) |
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UNMAN – |
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16 |
Restraint shown by landlord in fraudulent scheme (5,6) |
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CHAIN LETTER – CHAIN, LETTER |
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17 |
Breathtaking idea? (11) |
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INSPIRATION – CD |
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18 |
Wages vote taken round Scottish town (7) |
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PAYROLL – POLL round AYR |
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20 |
Means to cut film after opening (7) |
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HATCHET – E.T. after HATCH |
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21 |
Likeable chap becomes swing pioneer (7) |
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GOODMAN – GOOD, MAN for one of the quintet of famous Bennys, the others being Benny Hill, Benny from Frankie & Benny’s, Benny from Crossroads and Benny from Top Cat. I wonder which one Elton John’s Benny & the Jets was about. Probably the Crossroads one. |
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23 |
Noteworthy vicomte, perhaps round bend, needs year to deliver hymn (1,3,2,4,2,7) |
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I VOW TO THEE MY COUNTRY – (noteworthy vicomte)* around U then Y[ear] |
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27 |
Little booze from non-drinker getting round in (3) |
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TOT – O in TT (teetotaller) |
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28 |
Good Scots side sets standard (6) |
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GUIDON – GUID, ON (cricket again). A guidon is a heraldic flag. |
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29 |
One ancient ruler the other king backed (6) |
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XERXES – SEX REX reversed |
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31 |
How long it takes to cook in can (5,4) |
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DOING TIME – DD, the second referring to being incarcerated at Her Majesty’s pleasure, the first being a cryptic hint |
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34 |
Blue joke appearing first warrants severe action (9) |
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CRACKDOWN – DOWN preceded by CRACK |
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35 |
Stand in science class to give answer (6) |
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RETORT – DD, I think a similar clue came up in a recent daily puzzle |
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36 |
Prescribed treatment unfinished we hear (6) |
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COURSE – sounds like COARSE |
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39 |
Church no longer involved with conspicuously virile chairman (3) |
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MAO – MA |
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40 |
Book, given hype, outsold historic novel (3,3,9,4) |
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THE OLD CURIOSITY SHOP – (hype outsold historic)* a very clever anagram. |
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42 |
Outrageous incident follows outside broadcast (7) |
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OBSCENE – SCENE after O.B. |
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43 |
Enlightened state houses five in north country area (7) |
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NIRVANA – V in N[orth], IRAN, A[rea] |
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45 |
Score after six balls exceed allotted time (7) |
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OVERRUN – RUN after OVER, a very crickety clue. |
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47 |
Fragrant stuff poet brought round, wife slicing potato (6,5) |
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TOILET WATER – ELIOT reversed then W[ife] in TATER |
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49 |
Sewer, new one, made ridiculously large inside (11) |
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NEEDLEWOMAN – (new one made)* around L[arge] |
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51 |
Terry for one feels lie-in occasionally needed (5) |
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ELLEN – {f}E{e}L{s}L{i}E{i}N. A British actress from way way back. |
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52 |
Hero outside left understanding or seeking profitable partnership (4-7) |
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GOLD-DIGGING – GOD around L[eft] then DIGGING, you dig? |
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53 |
City revolutionary the writer cripples? (5) |
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MIAMI – I MAIM reversed |
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54 |
Edict that binds you and me? (13) |
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PRONOUNCEMENT – PRONOUN CEMENT. Ho ho. |
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55 |
Worker, way back, engaging volunteers before delivery (9) |
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ANTENATAL – ANT then a reversal of T[erritorial] A[rmy] in LANE. We usually get an indication that the T.A. is an old name for the Army Reserve. |
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Down |
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1 |
Restriction of authority conversing about an investigator (4-7) |
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RATE-CAPPING – RAPPING around TEC. This is the practice whereby central government restricts spending by local authorities. |
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2 |
Certainly no song for a wake (7) |
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LULLABY – CD |
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3 |
Quite attentive to personal hygiene (5) |
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CLEAN – DD. I reckon terms like quite mad and clean off his rocker display the required equivalence of clean and quite. |
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4 |
Cover with mosaic put up to promote Greek goddess (10) |
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TESSELLATE – SET reversed, SELL, ATE (the Greek goddess of mischief, delusion, ruin and folly) (insert own Theresa May joke here) |
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5 |
Porridge makes good person strain so as to be sick (7) |
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STRETCH – ST (saint), RETCH. We’re back in the can again. |
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6 |
Real party animal, one often stirs the muck (8,5) |
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CONCRETE MIXER – CONCRETE, MIXER. Is concrete muck? |
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7 |
Old age impaired one settled here in Rome (9) |
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NEOLITHIC – (one)*, LIT, HIC |
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8 |
Three card players in silly feminine attire (7) |
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TWINSET – N[orth], S[outh], E[ast] in TWIT. Usually accompanied by PEARLS. |
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9 |
Runway, one seen between flights, ahead of take-off? (7,5) |
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LANDING STRIP – CD, saucily suggestive of some on-stair disrobing ahead of a two-in-a-bed romp |
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10 |
Admiring area in appropriate manner, circling a hill (9) |
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ADULATORY – A[rea] then DULY around A TOR |
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11 |
A storage unit with two round feet? (5) |
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IAMBI – A MB (megabyte) inside I, I |
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12 |
Musical comedy number upset one tenant (2,2,7) |
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NO NO NANETTE – NO., (one tenant)* |
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19 |
Forecast unlikely to require insight? (7) |
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OUTLOOK – CD, punning on in sight / out look. |
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22 |
Leading lady in protest accepting short audition (9) |
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MATRIARCH – MARCH around TRIA{l} |
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24 |
As some layers, over six, on Greek island that ships uranium (9) |
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OVIPAROUS – O[ver}, VI, PAROS around U[ranium]. Egg layers. Strange surface reading. |
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25 |
Relentless non-resident wanting vote (7) |
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ETERNAL – E{x}TERNAL |
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26 |
Open about amount of work experience (7) |
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UNDERGO – UNDO around ERG |
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30 |
Dissolute Dan, guy with a thirst in time to slake it? (8,5) |
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SATURDAY NIGHT – (Dan guy a thirst)*. There’s Elton again, maybe there’s a theme. |
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32 |
My line used in Shakespearean theatre (5,2) |
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GLORY BE – RY (railway) in GLOBE |
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33 |
Transport insured with Korean money to carry silver (7,5) |
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COVERED WAGON – COVERED, AG in WON |
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34 |
Old politician, East German, in vulgar and degrading place (7,4) |
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COMPOST HEAP – O[ld], MP, OST all in CHEAP. Compost Corner! |
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37 |
Old plane into spins becoming ever faster (11) |
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EXPONENTIAL – EX, (plane into)* |
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38 |
Flame puts one group in dangerous situation (5,5) |
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PILOT LIGHT – I LOT in PLIGHT |
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40 |
Hot tureen needs stir in addition to that (9) |
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THEREUNTO – (hot tureen)* |
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41 |
Explosive case of vehicle appearing over crest (9) |
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CARTRIDGE – CART on RIDGE |
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43 |
Female not true after having rebuffed Brown (7) |
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NATALIE – A LIE after TAN reversed |
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44 |
Minute man flanked by two aces in republic? (7) |
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AMERICA – M[inute] ERIC in A[ce] A[ce]. Oddly some way from being the first republic I thought of. |
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46 |
Ruling that Frenchman must come in for good rest (7) |
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REMNANT – M[onsieur] repalcing G[ood] in REGNANT |
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48 |
Current despondency interminable in White House (5) |
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IGLOO – I GLOO |
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50 |
Ladies obtained in marriage with an embrace for me (5) |
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WOMEN – WON around ME |
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Thanks blogger and setter, very pleasant indeed.