Hello everyone.
Very nice, very gentle, very little else to say. I hope you are feeling chattier than I am, or the poor setter will wonder what a person has to do to get a little feedback round these parts. (Well, clearly the answer is to set a non-prize puzzle, but without prizes earned by doing crosswords how would solvers get the pens and dictionaries they need in order to do crosswords?)
Definitions are underlined in the clues below. In the explanations, quoted indicators are in italics, explicit [deletions] are in square brackets, and I’ve capitalised and emboldened letters which appear in the ANSWER.
| Across | |
| 1 | Setter introduced to fellow performer around country (5,4) |
| COSTA RICA — I (setter) inserted into (introduced to) COSTAR (fellow performer) and CA (around) | |
| 6 | Bone I’m not sure is placed in earth (7) |
| HUMERUS — ER (I’m not sure) is placed in HUMUS (earth) | |
| 10 | Espy sponge, we hear, for oily substance (5) |
| SEBUM — Sounds like (… we hear) SEE (espy) BUM (sponge) | |
| 13 | Problem dyer resolved in bright colour (4-3) |
| RUBY-RED — RUB (problem) + DYER anagrammed (resolved) | |
| 14 | Consumer who’s cutting back leaves island, getting put off (5) |
| DETER — D[i]ETER (consumer who’s cutting back) omits (leaves) I (island) | |
| 15 | Taking off restraint, initially discarded (9) |
| IMITATION — lIMITATION (restraint) without the first letter (initially discarded) | |
| 16 | Be a contestant that keeps the front seats quiet, keen on operas (5,4,3,4,3,4) |
| THROW ONES HAT INTO THE RING — THAT surrounds (keeps) ROW ONE (the front seats) & SH (quiet); we then have INTO (keen on) + THE RING (operas) | |
| 17 | Old organ is musical (6) |
| OLIVER — O (old) + LIVER (organ) | |
| 18 | Changing sides at first, English radical is one joining a party (8) |
| REVELLER — With the initial L changed to R (changing sides at first …), [L]EVELLER (English radical) | |
| 19 | Island in China toured by priest (2,5) |
| LA PALMA — PAL (China, Cockney rhyming slang) inside (toured by) LAMA (priest) | |
| 22 | Make flower from the east something sweet (6,4) |
| BRANDY SNAP — BRAND (make) + PANSY (flower) reversed (from the east) | |
| 23 | Genuine clothing design just for fun? (12) |
| RECREATIONAL — REAL (genuine) around (clothing) CREATION (design) | |
| 27 | Big cheese roll (5) |
| WHEEL — Two definitions, the first such as one might see {the second} down Cooper’s Hill in Gloucester on a Spring Bank Holiday (link) | |
| 29 | Make good old loaf stuffed with last of salami (7) |
| EXPIATE — EX (old) + PATE (loaf) stuffed with the last letter of salamI | |
| 30 | Intrude in resort, breaking lock (8) |
| TRESPASS — SPA (resort) inserted into (breaking) TRESS (lock) | |
| 32 | Bachelor, not so serious a pest (8) |
| BLIGHTER — B (bachelor) + LIGHTER (not so serious) | |
| 34 | Number one reduction on board? (4,3) |
| CREW CUT — The name of this haircut could also mean a CUT in CREW numbers, or a reduction on board | |
| 36 | The French welcome a holiday (5) |
| LEAVE — LE (the, French) + AVE (welcome) | |
| 39 | Mixing drug in major quantity (12) |
| ADULTERATION — E (drug) in ADULT (major) + RATION (quantity) | |
| 41 | Taken on by business, head shows weak quality (10) |
| INFIRMNESS — IN (taken on by) + FIRM (business) + NESS (head) | |
| 44 | The rate excluding board, originally light, increased (7) |
| TREBLED — Initial letters of (… originally) The Rate Excluding Board + LED (light) | |
| 46 | Mother irritated with me, one showing resistance (8) |
| OHMMETER — An anagram (irritated) of MOTHER with ME | |
| 48 | Like a piece of canvas that’s set about (6) |
| ASSAIL — AS (like) + SAIL (a piece of canvas) | |
| 50 | Poet’s accepting prison: he’d battled on, resolved to rest only a little (4,3,6,2,4,4) |
| BURN THE CANDLE AT BOTH ENDS — BURNS (poet) contains THE CAN (prison) and an anagram of (… resolved) HE’D BATTLED ON | |
| 53 | Defensive work by two protecting men on area with better grounds (1,8) |
| A FORTIORI — FORT (defensive work) by II (two) around (protecting) OR (men), next to (on) A (area) | |
| 54 | Princess I see back in a state (5) |
| IDAHO — IDA (princess) + OH (I see) reversed (back) | |
| 55 | In different ways, the writer’s thoughtful (7) |
| PENSIVE — PEN’S (the writer’s) + I’VE (the writer’s) | |
| 56 | Famous sailor one’s often seen on water (5) |
| DRAKE — Double definition | |
| 57 | Intense he-men stripped off after endless run (7) |
| EXTREME — hE–MEn without outer letters (stripped off) goes after all but the last letter of (endless) EXTRa (run) | |
| 58 | Perhaps a rat, namely one getting his own back (9) |
| SCAVENGER — SC (scilicet, namely) + AVENGR (one getting his own back) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Vehicle bearing a quantity of weight (5) |
| CARAT — CART (vehicle) containing (bearing) A | |
| 2 | Constabularies due to revise part of statement (11,6) |
| SUBORDINATE CLAUSE — An anagram of (… to revise) CONSTABULARIES DUE | |
| 3 | Hear a word broadcast, making a point (9) |
| ARROWHEAD — HEAR A WORD anagrammed (broadcast) | |
| 4 | I take sustenance after ten (6) |
| IODINE — DINE (take sustenance) after IO (ten) | |
| 5 | Assistants flee after a fateful day (5-2-4) |
| AIDES-DE-CAMP — DECAMP (flee) after A & IDES (fateful day) | |
| 6 | Trouble perhaps brewing in this? (3,5) |
| HOT WATER — I never know how to categorise (or underline) clues like this: a definition with cryptic indication? A cryptic definition with embedded precise definition? It’s clear what’s going on anyway | |
| 7 | In speech, officer is hawk-like (7) |
| MARTIAL — Homophone of (in speech) MARSHAL (officer) | |
| 8 | Pen triter novel, carrying on to read anew (11) |
| REINTERPRET — PEN TRITER anagrammed (novel) containing (carrying) RE (on) | |
| 9 | Isn’t lilac fancy, just a little bit? (9) |
| SCINTILLA — ISN’T LILAC anagrammed (fancy) | |
| 10 | Unnerve swimmer in drink (5,2) |
| SHAKE UP — HAKE (swimmer) in SUP (drink) | |
| 11 | Russian’s fare home: one pound to go north (5) |
| BLINI — IN (home) + I (one) + LB (pound) all reversed (to go north) | |
| 12 | Crooked angle with a beam causing no issues (10) |
| MANAGEABLE — An anagram of (crooked) ANGLE with A BEAM | |
| 17 | Nothing that’s wrong with London area’s kind of lake (5) |
| OXBOW — O (nothing) + X (that’s wrong) + BOW (London area) | |
| 20 | Obtains ceremonial garb, longing to frame one artwork (9,8) |
| LANDSCAPE PAINTING — LANDS (obtains) + CAPE (ceremonial garb) + PANTNG (longing) around (to frame) I (one) | |
| 21 | Claim a foregone conclusion loudly (6) |
| ASSERT — A + CERT (foregone conclusion), sounds like (loudly) | |
| 24 | Report of small key for a small hole (6) |
| EYELET — Homophone of (report of) ISLET (small key) | |
| 25 | Drive into Antrim pell-mell (5) |
| IMPEL — Hidden in AntrIM PELl-mell | |
| 26 | Mostly awkward round plainsman (6) |
| GAUCHO — Mostly GAUCHe (awkward) + O (round) | |
| 28 | Run in accordance with the rules (5) |
| LEGIT — LEG IT (run) | |
| 31 | Require leads to be taken from excited, naughty dog (6) |
| ENTAIL — First letters of (leads to be taken from) Excited, Naughty + TAIL (dog) | |
| 33 | Thinker, one in shop for famous people (11) |
| RATIONALIST — I (one) in RAT ON (shop) + A LIST (famous people) | |
| 35 | Disputed message with promises of settlement (11) |
| CONTENTIOUS — CONTENT (message) with IOUS (promises of settlement) | |
| 37 | Stand with treacherous type deposing leader (5) |
| EASEL — wEASEL (treacherous type) removing the first letter (deposing leader) | |
| 38 | Tailor adapts robe that’s flimsy (10) |
| PASTEBOARD — Make an anagram of (tailor) ADAPTS ROBE | |
| 40 | Timber‘s free, say, brought back by European (9) |
| RIDGEPOLE — RID (free) + EG (say) reversed (brought back) + POLE (European) | |
| 42 | Beef, perhaps, about wasted cash? It’s unfortunate (9) |
| MISCHANCE — MINCE (beef, perhaps) around (about) an anagram of (wasted) CASH | |
| 43 | Ruler’s elevated emissary is lower in rank (8) |
| RELEGATE — ER (ruler) reversed (elevated) + LEGATE (emissary) | |
| 45 | Stop tinkering with that song! (3,2,2) |
| LET IT BE — Double definition | |
| 47 | Kind of crisis with replacing learner who makes deliveries (7) |
| MIDWIFE — MID[l]IFE (kind of crisis), W (with) replacing L (learner) | |
| 49 | A large bear turned up in game (6) |
| HOOPLA — A, L (large) and POOH (bear) reversed (turned up) | |
| 51 | Tip for tippler: one soft drink and a wine (5) |
| RIOJA — The last letter of (tip for) tippleR + I (one) + OJ (soft drink) + A | |
| 52 | Shepherd‘s farm animal (5) |
| STEER — Two definitions | |
Thanks for the blog, Kitty.
Edited at 2021-02-06 02:09 pm (UTC)
As far as prizes go Kitty, I won a pen from the ST last August and STILL haven’t received anything. Frankly, six months is a ridiculous amount of time to wait, covid etc notwithstanding.
The waiting for 10 days before discussing the answers really cuts into the enjoyment, though. I sent in my answer again, another 70p investment.
NHO SEBUM, and like others was trying to get A POSTERIOR or some such at 53a.
My regular cut is a Number 5, but I haven’t been to the barbers for eight months, so I think gardening shears might be more the implement needed.
COD (tied) LET IT BE and LEG IT