Many COD candidates (including some unusually excellent cryptic definitions) but I’ll make specific mention of 48ac, where I loved the “explanation of a Roman numeral”. Which clue floated your own boat the most this time round?
ACROSS
1 Absurd, flaky stuff occurring during depression (7)
COMICAL – MICA [flaky stuff] occurring during COL [depression]
5 Almost fanatic, I’d arranged Palestinian uprising (8)
INTIFADA – (FANATI{c} I’D*) [“arranged”]
9 Maybe friend sharing a ride connected with a joint (6)
CARPAL – or a friend sharing a ride could be your CAR PAL
13 Flustered, Mum heartlessly bent my ear, with alarm splitting eardrum (8,8)
TYMPANIC MEMBRANE – (M{u}M BENT MY EAR*) [“flustered”], with PANIC [alarm] “splitting”
14 Strongly urge taking year off, like at home (6)
ENJOIN – ENJO{y} [like, minus Y = year] + IN [at home]
16 Large? Hardly one place you could fit in! (8)
LILLIPUT – L ILL I PUT [large | hardly | one | place], semi-&lit
17 Hamlet’s location half-forgotten over piece of land (4)
ISLE – reversed ELSI{nore}
18 Exceeded budget, restricted on sets of bowls? (9)
OVERSPENT – PENT [restricted] on OVERS [sets of bowls, in the cricketing sense]
20 Transitory things in the sound of FM age? (8)
EPHEMERA – EPH EM is FM sounded out, plus ERA [ag]e
21 Stone me, once having settled in illegal state (11)
CRIMINALITY – CRIMINY! [stone me, once], having ALIT [settled] in
24 Sailors and soldiers in a spot getting decoration (9)
ADORNMENT – RN + MEN in A DOT
25 Most of the time you’ll see batter going runny (8)
THINNING – TH{e} + INNING [time you’ll see batter]
26 Attack every other occupant of Emmanuel’s (4)
MAUL = {e}M{m}A{n}U{e}L'{s}
29 Sore point? Get over it and be less hurtful! (4,7)
PAIN BARRIER – cryptic def
31 Character that has a hand in controlling? (5,6)
GLOVE PUPPET – cryptic def
33 High hill-dweller reserved copy (11)
ANTICYCLONE – ANT ICY CLONE [hill-dweller | reserved | copy].
36 Overseas version of Brexit could be going unannounced (6,5)
FRENCH LEAVE – as opposed to FRENCH REMAIN
38 Food to fold (4)
TUCK – double def
39 Restaurant with nothing sent back, nothing cut, one initially assumes (8)
PIZZERIA – reversed ZIP [nothing] + ZER{o} [nothing “cut”] + I [one] + A{ssumes}
41 Fine example of wicket in grass that is extremely close (9)
SHOWPIECE – W [wicket] in SHOP [grass] + I.E. [that is] + C{los}E
44 Respected, sanctimonious, keeping out of acting work when name is forgotten (11)
PRESTIGIOUS – PIOUS [sanctimonious], “keeping” RESTI{n}G [out of acting work, minus N = name]
46 Suggestion so popular avoiding universal changes (8)
PROPOSAL – (SO POP{u}LAR*) [“changes”]
48 Being English, Anglicans must accept explanation of a Roman numeral (9)
EXISTENCE – E CE [English | Anglicans] must “accept” X IS TEN [explanation of a Roman numeral!]
49 Every area Chicago encloses (4)
EACH – hidden in {ar}EA CH{icago}
50 After bed, look and notice Santa’s presents, say? (8)
SACKLOAD – after SACK [bed], LO AD [look | notice]
52 Co-ordinated defence system to follow incomplete letter (3,3)
TAI CHI – TAI{l} [to follow, “incomplete”] + CHI [letter]
53 Range of face-to-face animosity? (8,8)
SPITTING DISTANCE – cryptic def
54 Is brave enough to admit having no answers? Smart! (6)
DRESSY – D{a}RES S{a}Y, minus both As = answers
55 French EU cost involved a sweetener (8)
FRUCTOSE – FR + (EU COST*) [“involved”]
56 Consumable product of melting numismatist’s prize? (7)
RAREBIT – or a numismatist would highly value a RARE BIT
DOWN
1 Follower of W Churchill’s not completely taken stock (6)
CATTLE – C ATTLE{e}, as in Clement, Churchill’s successor
2 Unclear pronouncement shortened headland near Swansea (6)
MUMBLE – MUMBLE{s} is the excellently named South Welsh place you’ll need to shorten
3 Russian singer retaining trio and three duos from silent English performer (9)
CHALIAPIN – CHA{r}LI{e} {ch}AP{l}IN
4 Learner that is about certain we’re not getting finished things to don in spare time (11)
LEISUREWEAR – L [learner] + reversed I.E. [that is] + SURE [certain] + WE AR{e}
5 Doctrines from current texts (4)
ISMS – I SMS [current |} texts]
6 Marinates hot stews after removing one Scotch bonnet (3-1-7)
TAM-O-SHANTER – (MAR{i}NATES HOT*) [“stews”]
7 Manage to cover run with persistent pain taking effect over distance (3-8)
FAR-REACHING – FARE [manage] to “cover” R [run] + ACHING [with persistent pain]
8 Pester fellow Scotsman from Tayside city (9)
DUNDONIAN – DUN DON IAN [pester | fellow | Scotsman]
10 One forgets source of electricity in mains supply: alternating current (8)
AMNESIAC – E{lectricity} in (MAINS*) [“supply”] + AC [alternating current]
11 Words for letters that keep Romeo and Juliet apart (8,8)
PHONETIC ALPHABET – cryptic def
12 Line on limits of election got helpfully extended (7)
LENGTHY – L [line] on E{lectio}N G{o}T H{elpfull}Y
15 Challenging behaviour to get rid of husband-to-be, apparently (8)
DEFIANCE – or, iffily, one could DE-FIANCÉ onself
19 Report of addition to forest: be aware it’s difficult to detect (8)
NEUTRINO – homophone of NEW TREE [addition to forest] KNOW [be aware]
22 Singular design stops heater burning bush (3,5)
GAS PLANT – S PLAN [singular | plan] “stops” GAT [heater, as in slang term for a gun]
23 Overall treatment has limited choices in being operated on (8,8)
HOLISTIC MEDICINE – (LIMITED CHOICES IN*) [“operated on”]
27 Inflamed at fringes, the communist possibly had kittens (8)
LITTERED – LIT [inflamed] + T{h}E + RED [communist]
28 Roll off us, roll out of odd parts (4)
FURL – {o}F{f} U{s} R{o}L{l}
30 Prolific scorer from Hearts supporting defender mostly (4)
BACH – H supporting BAC{k}
32 Starts dance where engagement doesn’t require entering union (4,4)
OPEN SHOP – or OPENS HOP [starts | dance]
34 Slavish campanologist primarily doing his job? (8)
CRINGING – C{ampanologist} RINGING
35 Lacking community spirit, warped or cut pieces (11)
EUROSCEPTIC – (OR CUT PIECES*) [“warped”]. A rather specific “community” here…
36 Chilled coffee or cold tea run up into sherry? (11)
FRAPPUCCINO – reversed C CUPPA R [cold | tea | run] “into” FINO [sherry]
37 Confectioner not the first to copy fizz on part of wedding cake? (11)
CHOCOLATIER – {e}CHO [copy, “not the first”] + COLA TIER [fizz | part of wedding cake]
40 Who displays captives without humanity? (9)
ZOOKEEPER – cryptic def, it being the captives not the captor who are “without humanity” here
42 Mischievous person is important for apostle’s higher ecstasy (9)
PRANKSTER – take PETER [apostle] and replace his first [“higher”] E with RANKS [is important]
43 Uncontrollable laughter produced by sewers? (8)
STITCHES – or something made by those who sew
44 Excuse to spread out like a kilt (7)
PLEATED – PLEA TED [excuse | to spread out]
46 Socialise with the exalted King out of Aga’s control? (6)
HOBNOB – an Aga’s control might be a HOB {k}NOB, remove the K = king.
47 Commercial outlet in run-up to Christmas (6)
ADVENT – AD VENT [commercial | outlet]
51 Turn over French article to look for eroticism? (4)
OGLE – reversed GO [turn] + LE [French article]
Certainly this puzzle entertained over the best part of a hour, but I think solver fatigue must have set in as I failed to follow the wordplay with PIZZARIA (Which looks as if it should be) and FRAPUCHINO (which doesn’t).
HOBNOB was clever, and completely wasted on me as one of those entries where you skate lightly over the wordplay.
Thanks Verlaine.
O crimini!
What a nimini-pimini
Story of Rimini!
Do you remember an Inn, Miranda?
Do you remember an Inn?
And the tedding and the spreading
Of the straw for a bedding,
And the fleas that tease in the High Pyrenees
If you go to Google images and enter “gas plant flower”, you get some pink plants. If you enter “burning bush”, you get a load of brilliant red euonymus bushes which seem to suit the name much better. If you enter “gas plant” on its own, you get lots of shiny pipes and cylinders and chimneys, which look much more exciting.