Found this quite enjoyable to write up the parsings for, thank you setter! While I quite enjoyed the image and classical credentials of A CHILL EEL, my COD (another point against 41ac – an EEL cannot really be a COD) was 11dn, both for being a very good word and also the creativity of “visitor with another singular”. Good stuff.
How’d the rest of you fare?
1 Shock viewpoint presented by Judge (6)
JANGLE – ANGLE presented by J
5 Pinch place, returning to see some bowling (7)
TOPSPIN – reversed NIP SPOT
9 Shocked I get offer, nothing less — this? (4,4)
FREE GIFT – (I GET {o}FFER*), semi-&lit
13 Failing to match boasts, mount horse around stall awkwardly (3,5,3,2,8)
ALL MOUTH AND NO TROUSERS – (MOUNT HORSE AROUND STALL*)
14 Bird with territory ultimately capable of expansion? (8)
STRETCHY – STRETCH [bird, as in prison time] + {territor}Y
15 Boat journey, not quiet with engineers! (7)
TRIREME – TRI{p} + REME (the ever-popular Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers)
16 Recalled work to celebrate taking a stance? (6)
POSING – reversed OP + SING
17 Easy to get to account, else head of bank is distressed (10)
ACCESSIBLE – ACC + (ELSE B{ank} IS*)
20 Start eating — to ingest excitedly will involve food (3,5,4)
GET STUCK INTO – (TO INGEST*) will “involve” TUCK
23 Very satisfied with return of trees (4)
SMUG – reversed GUMS
24 Get on top of those not wanted by market (8)
OUTSMART – OUTS [those not wanted] by MART
26 French fiend holding in Parisian? That can be disproved (8)
DENIABLE – DIABLE “holding” EN
29 Mere outline’s developed for dramatic show (3,2,7)
SON ET LUMIERE – (MERE OUTLINE’S*)
30 Fully appreciating approach involved in bringing up? (10)
EMPATHETIC – PATH “involved” in EMETIC
32 Praise I applied to place in remark (10)
COMPLIMENT – I applied to PL, in COMMENT
34 Come across appropriate attachment to jacket (6,6)
BREAST POCKET – BREAST [come across] + POCKET [appropriate, as in “trouser”]
36 Marine creature I brought in on a regular basis, without love (3,5)
SEA SNAIL – I “brought in” SEAS{o}NAL
38 I’d headed back into Biblical land, coming from part of America (8)
CANADIAN – reversed I’D in CANAAN
39 Dam displacing English river insect (4)
MOTH – MOTH{e}{r} [dam, minus E and R]
41 Quiet energy suppressed by a cold fish is a weakness (8,4)
ACHILLES HEEL – SH E “suppressed” by A CHILL EEL
43 Frenchman, say, embracing person seen in flat (4-1-5)
PIED-A-TERRE – PIERRE “embracing” DATE [person seen]
44 Composer, irrational to abandon carnival city (6)
DELIUS – DELI{rio}US [irrational, minus RIO]
46 Worker on strike for payment (7)
HANDOUT – HAND OUT [worker | on strike]
48 Drink after broadcast involving hard confrontation (8)
SHOWDOWN – DOWN [drink, as in swallow] after SOW [broadcast] “involving” H
50 Approximate location of return address? (2,3,4,2,2,8)
ON THE BACK OF AN ENVELOPE – double def
51 Famous lover caught entering path leading to area of land (8)
LANCELOT – C “entering” LANE, leading to LOT
52 Happen to be behind comic, mostly — reading about me? (3,4)
DAN DARE – ARE [happen to be] behind DAND{y}, semi-&lit. I must stress that Dan Dare, renowned Pilot of the Future, graced the pages of The Eagle, and not a mere funny paper like the Dandy, which was more Desperate Dan territory.
53 Stone slipping into line making a quiet sound (6)
RUSTLE – ST “slipping into” RULE
DOWN
2 Craftiness keeping old man estranged (5)
APART – ART “keeping” PA
3 Bird of prey alleged gone, having flown (6,5)
GOLDEN EAGLE – (ALLEGED GONE*)
4 Action against evil spirit — head of church has six more dancing around (8)
EXORCISM – C{hurch} has (SIX MORE*) around
5 Crumpled Times wrapping a last piece of crockery (5)
TATTY – T T T [(three) times] “wrapping” A, plus {crocker}Y
6 Gas power leading to shock? (7)
PRATTLE – P leading to RATTLE
7 Student following course getting an E is source of flaming disaster (7,4)
PUDDING LANE – L following PUDDING, getting AN E. Famous location where Terileptils started the Great Fire of London, in 1982 Doctor Who adventure “The Visitation”.
8 Marriage, some say, almost immediately raised energy (5)
NOOSE – reversed SOON, plus E. Bit harsh!
9 Excited and honoured to welcome King and soldiers (9)
FERMENTED – FETED to “welcome” R + MEN
10 Picked up confusion about Queen’s outfit (5)
EQUIP – reversed PIE “about” QU
11 Reckoning visitor with another singular friend will embrace one (11)
GUESSTIMATE – GUESST – visitor, with two S-for-singulars + MATE, will “embrace” I
12 Fixed trawler accessory in area of ocean (7)
FASTNET – FAST NET [fixed | trawler accessory]
18 Military leader to turn up, bringing in modern troops (9)
COMMODORE – COME [to turn up], bringing in MOD O.R.
19 Stranger’s last to go after British city-dweller (7)
BRUMMIE – RUMMIE{r}, after B
21 Expression of ownership, like a lord claiming river (5,4)
TITLE DEED – TITLED [like a lord] “claiming” DEE
22 Elevated single drum in church is a memorial (8)
CENOTAPH – reversed ONE + TAP in CH
25 Speculation story about Conservative will be something worth seeing (9)
SPECTACLE – SPEC TALE “about” C
27 City allowed to import summer desserts with support of Queen (9)
LEICESTER – LET, to “import” ICES, supported by E.R.
28 Drained a couple of Lakes, considering everything (3,2,3)
ALL IN ALL – ALL IN [drained] + A L L
31 Cost of delivering naval officer on coach (7)
POSTAGE – P.O. [petty officer] on STAGE
33 I almost failed to climb street in photo, favouring the downward direction? (11)
PESSIMISTIC – reversed I MISSE{d} + ST, in PIC
34 Rabbit found elf dancing, a jolly figure (6,2,3)
BUNDLE OF FUN – BUN [rabbit] + (FOUND ELF*)
35 Concise committee very good about conclusion (11)
COMPENDIOUS – COM. + PIOUS “about” END
37 Try to enter small room with opening barred and give up (4,5)
LOSE HEART – HEAR [try (a case)] to “enter” {c}LOSET
40 Hacker, perhaps, regrets getting upset about a program (8)
SABOTEUR – reversed RUES “about” A BOT
42 Historic Italian city mostly best around Monday (7)
CREMONA – CREA{m} “around” MON. Isn’t it funny that this best could be as in CREAM of the crop, or as in CREAMING/besting someone by giving them a good thrashing?
43 Potential energy I observed in fish and plant (7)
PETUNIA – PE + I in TUNA
45 Hum a few lines, omitting start of oratorio (5)
SMELL – S{o}ME + L L
47 Twisted, dropping head, being without cover (5)
NAKED – {s}NAKED
48 Reason bridge team is participating in match (5)
SENSE – N + S [North and South, bridge partners], “participating” in SEE [match, e.g. in poker]
49 Roll with slope (5)
WHEEL – W HEEL
Strangely I can’t see it in Collins or Lexico, though. Must be in Chambers ..
Edited at 2020-05-25 06:32 am (UTC)
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/pi
A word that has become familiar to me from these things.
Edited at 2020-05-25 12:00 pm (UTC)
13ac is interesting. That is the phrase my old granny used to use, but apparently “All mouth and trousers” is more common. I vaguely remember a discussion hereabouts on the subject, years ago.