Crikey, these come around quickly when you have a couple of bank holidays in quick succession so I’m afraid you’ve got me again.
So here we have another puzzle with a bit of a popular music undercurrent, deliberate or otherwise. I’ll point out the references as we go through.
This wasn’t too taxing, taking about 40 minutes all told, but I did need to cheat to get my LOI, ALIQUOT. First in was LAM as my eye was drawn to the 3-letter light.
Clues are in blue with the definition undelined. Anagram indicators are in bold italics.
Notation:
DD: Double definition
CD: Cryptic definition
DDCDH: DD/CD hybrid where a straight definition is combined with a cryptic hint.
&Lit: “all in one” where the entire clue is both definition and wordplay.
(fodder)* denotes an anagram of the letters in the brackets.
Rounded brackets are also used to add further clarity
Squiggly brackets {} indicate parts of a word not used
Deletions are struck out
Square brackets [] expand an abbreviation or shortening like N[orth]
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Across |
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1 |
Light rain: Jack sheltering in hollow that’s welcoming (10) |
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HOSPITABLE – SPIT and A[ble] S[eaman] sheltering in HOLE |
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6 |
Ignorant group is taken in by hacker (4,3,5) |
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NONE THE WISER – NONET, then IS in HEWER. Album by The Rifles, one of my favourite bands. |
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14 |
Animal has tail at first, one to cut back (7) |
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POLECAT – teversal of T{ail}, ACE, LOP |
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15 |
Source of wealth around old church of a distant epoch (7) |
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MIOCENE – MINE around O[ld] C[hurch] [of] E[ngland] |
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16 |
Emperor carrying on with unknown character — that’s anything but love? (3-4) |
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NON-ZERO – NERO around ON, Z |
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17 |
Mock a noted conclusion (4) |
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CODA – COD, A. Patchy Led Zeppelin album of outtakes. |
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18 |
Discussion involving Tory — amazing (6) |
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CONFAB – CON[servative] FAB[ulous]. One of those words that “normal” people (i.e. not us) say wrong (“conflab”). |
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20 |
Attentive chap from East Timor? (8) |
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DILIGENT – A gentleman from Dili, the capital of East Timor (no, me neither) would be a DILI GENT. |
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24 |
Now partner has ruined everything, after happening to cause upset (5,1,7,2,3,5) |
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THROW A SPANNER IN THE WORKS – |
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25 |
Girl has put short stockings on — hallelujah! (7) |
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HOSANNA – HOS |
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26 |
Friend a nuisance in European city (8) |
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BUDAPEST – BUD, A, PEST |
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27 |
In a fine spray deodorant initially contained (6) |
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AMIDST – A MIST around D{eodorant}. One of those pesky hard to spot definitions. |
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29 |
Thickness not diminished, roughly about right (5,9) |
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THIRD DIMENSION – (not diminished)* around R[ight] |
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31 |
Pernicious lady about to steal fella’s heart (8) |
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DAMNABLE – DAME around NAB {fe}L{la} |
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34 |
Interesting it’s coming together (8) |
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ENGAGING – DD |
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36 |
Turning scarlet, the sour dessert (9,5) |
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CHARLOTTE RUSSE – (scarlet the sour)* |
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39 |
About to marry deadwood (6) |
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REFUSE – RE, FUSE |
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41 |
Stairs including an opening (8) |
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FANLIGHT – AN in FLIGHT |
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43 |
Anxious over cracks in heater returning (7) |
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NERVOUS – (over)* in a reversal of SUN |
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46 |
Having saved little US cash, silly granddad, he wed nan, getting severely punished (6,5,3,9) |
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HANGED DRAWN AND QUARTERED – (granddad he wed nan)* around QUARTER. The statutory penalty for high treason, but only for men. Women got off lightly and were burned at the stake. |
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47 |
Quibble darling? Move well back! (8) |
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PETTIFOG – PET (darling in the North East for instance) then a reversal of GO FIT |
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48 |
State having twisted story, journalist going into it (6) |
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SWEDEN – ED[itor] in NEWS reversed |
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49 |
Suspect image for recollection, provided in terrible case (1-3) |
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E-FIT – reversal of IF in T{erribl}E |
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53 |
Equal measure in a tumbler originally containing reduced drink (7) |
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ALIQUOT – A T{umbler} around LIQUO |
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54 |
Mineral container one returned, awaiting delivery (2,5) |
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IN UTERO – reversal of ORE, TUN, I and Nirvana’s final studio album. |
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56 |
Finally abandoning south for north, then a southern US city (7) |
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ATLANTA – AT LAST A with S[outh] replaced by N[orth]. Double bluff from the setter – an experienced solver’s spidey senses would normally tell them that “southern US city” meant S then a Northern, Western or Eastern US City, or even SUS and a city elsewhere in t’world. |
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57 |
Drink in exciting bars, say? (3,9) |
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HOT CHOCOLATE – HOT, CHOCOLATE, pretty naff “soul” band. |
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58 |
Sweet wine no great shakes? (10) |
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AFTERSHOCK – AFTERS, HOCK. Is this a chestnut yet? |
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Down |
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1 |
After trip, stop game (9) |
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HOPSCOTCH – HOP (presumably as in hopping across the channel to buy some cheap lager) + SCOTCH |
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2 |
Saucy thing beginning to strip — a boy doing otherwise? (5,8) |
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SALAD DRESSING – S{trip}, A LAD DRESSING (i.e. not stripping) |
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3 |
Island, a short distance (4) |
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INCH – DD |
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4 |
Sat on Titanic so agitated, prepare for a battle! (6,8) |
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ACTION STATIONS – (sat on Titanic so)*. I think that’s one of the things my talking Action Man used to say. |
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5 |
In Nepal, a meteor hit (3) |
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LAM – hidden |
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7 |
Original ode’s first up for poet (4) |
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OWEN – reversal of NEW O{de}. Wilfred presumably, unless Michael has started writing football sonnets. |
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8 |
One seeing English tree, it overlooking cape (10) |
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EYEWITNESS – E[nglish], YEW, IT, NESS |
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9 |
Party bringing leaders of neighbouring nations into prominence (3,5) |
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HEN NIGHT – N{eighbouring} N{ations} in HEIGHT |
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10 |
Extraordinary female made up new word where Arabic spoken (6,5) |
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WONDER WOMAN – (new word)* + OMAN |
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11 |
Protected pigs ultimately led there to be slaughtered (9) |
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SHELTERED – {pig}S + (led there)* |
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12 |
Little jumper, fine top (4) |
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ROOF – ROO, F[ine] |
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13 |
Together in neatly arranged houses (8) |
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COMBINED – IN “housed by” COMBED |
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19 |
Lit up at dinnertime, darling goes in to eat (8) |
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FLAMBEED – LAMB in FEED |
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21 |
Identical daughter gets hold of bandage finally for wound (6) |
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TWINED – TWIN D[aughter] around {bandag}E |
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22 |
Inspired by rock, style of music to perform — that’s for dropouts? (4,4) |
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TRAP DOOR – TOR around RAP, DO |
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23 |
Weariest when travelling, in a kind of way (2,2,4) |
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AS IT WERE – (weariest)* |
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28 |
Mean knock? (7,7) |
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BATTING AVERAGE – Cricketing CD. A knock is an innings and a mean is an average. |
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29 |
Ecclesiastical governors the chief enemy in conclusion (8) |
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THEARCHY -THE ARCH {enem}Y |
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30 |
English town succeeded before the French city (2,6) |
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ST HELENS – S[ucceeded], THE LENS |
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32 |
Singer ending in club like so, for enjoyable party (5,8) |
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BASSO PROFUNDO – {clu}B, AS, SO, PRO, FUN, DO |
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33 |
Match fit, perhaps, though no start in store (8) |
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BOUTIQUE – BOUT, |
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35 |
Essay on wheat, book totally factual (6,5) |
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GOSPEL TRUTH – GO, SPELT, RUTH |
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37 |
Curiosity — artist needs it to read between the lines? (6) |
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RARITY – R[oyal] A[cademician] then IT in R[ailwa]Y |
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38 |
Hot stuff, with nothing in court case being vulgar (10) |
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LAVATORIAL – LAVA then O in TRIAL |
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40 |
Details I infer scattered around page on book (4,5) |
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FINE PRINT – (I infer)* around P[age] then N[ew] T[estament] |
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42 |
Criminal comedian admitting beaten, finally (8) |
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GANGSTER – GAGSTER around {beate}N |
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44 |
Distract team with song (9) |
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SIDETRACK – SIDE, TRACK. I recently bought a Bluetooth turntable so some of my old vinyl is getting an airing again. |
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45 |
A bit of water and a second, neither quite finding sea (8) |
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ADRIATIC – A DRI{p} A TIC{k}. Nice one. |
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50 |
Dish — or pot? (4) |
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HASH – DD. Corned beef or weed madam? |
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51 |
Sculptor’s piece in pieces! (4) |
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BUST – DD |
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52 |
Something more luxurious, cut (4) |
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PLUS – PLUS |
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55 |
A female with nothing up top? (3) |
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OAF – A F[emale] under O, &Lit |
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Ong’ara,
Nairobi.