ACROSS
1 Exhausted, American journalist on horseback (4,2)
USED UP – US ED UP [American | journalist | on horseback]
5 Opening large part of church (7)
CHANCEL – CHANCE L [opening | large]
9 Fly in food sent back? Do nothing (8)
STAGNATE – GNAT in reversed EATS
13 Song always associated with religious magazine (3,5,3,10)
ALL ALONG THE WATCHTOWER – ALL ALONG [always] + THE WATCHTOWER [JW magazine]
14 To co-operate, take part in a game prior to social function (4,4)
PLAY BALL – PLAY [take part in a game] + BALL [social function]
15 Given the wrong role in film netting endless money (7)
MISCAST – MIST [film] “netting” CAS{h}
16 Bad storm skirting North Carolina (6)
RANCID – RAID [storm] “skirting” NC
17 British chieftain‘s time in capital, mostly, note, with us (10)
CARACTACUS – T in CARACA{s} + C [(musical) note] + US
20 Ostensibly promote excitement by winning flight (4,8)
KICK UPSTAIRS – KICK UP STAIRS [excitement | winning | flight]
23 Briefly examine item of jewellery (4)
STUD – STUD{y}
24 Measure of paper covering AGM’s awkward situation (8)
QUAGMIRE – QUIRE “covering” AGM
26 Fresh buns – adjust heat to brown? (8)
SUNBATHE – (BUNS*) + (HEAT*)
29 Lends farmer a clapped out old warhorse (8,4)
FLANDERS MARE – (LENDS FARMER A*). Not to be confused with Anne of Cleves
30 A head entertaining lecturer in Rhode Island, a Scot (10)
ABERDONIAN – A BEAN “entertaining” DON “in” RI, a nice matryoshka clue
32 Few ordered in England originally, being ostentatiously modern! (10)
NEWFANGLED – (FEW*) in (ENGLAND*)
34 Inhalant supplied to order? (6,6)
FRIAR’S BALSAM – A cryptic definition of tincture of benzoin: the “order” here is to suggest an order of friars.
36 Faculty I refer to in speech (8)
EYESIGHT – homophone of I CITE
38 Learned line to utter repeatedly (8)
LITERATE – L ITERATE [line | to utter repeatedly]
39 Ballerina finally retiring, becoming pale (4)
ASHY – {ballerin}A SHY
41 Here, rest assured (4,2,4,2)
TAKE IT FROM ME – double def; handing someone something, or assuring them of its veracity
43 Bother involving religious instruction given by cunning old bishop’s assistant (10)
ARCHPRIEST – PEST “involving” R.I., by ARCH [cunning]
44 Fool can in turn with comedian (6)
NITWIT – reversed TIN + WIT
46 Show former partner and husband small piece about island (7)
EXHIBIT – EX + H(usband) + BIT, “about” I
48 Study including data about European rat (8)
RENEGADE – READ “including” reversed GEN, plus E(uropean)
50 Poet‘s literary colleagues do, upset about poem’s ending (6,6,9)
SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE – (LITERARY COLLEAGUES DO*), “about” {poe}M
51 Fifteen from Ireland — some settle in sterling (8)
LEINSTER – rugby side hidden in {sett}LE IN STER{ling}
52 Seeing that on, this must be genuine (7)
SINCERE – SINCE RE [seeing that | on]
53 Fast, agent crossing river to the west (6)
SPEEDY – SPY “crossing” reversed DEE
DOWN
2 Delay beginning to seem unlikely (5)
STALL – S{eem} TALL
3 Child’s toy with red and navy floppy hat (5,6)
DOLLY VARDEN – DOLL plus (RED + NAVY*). A flat straw hat trimmed with flowers and ribbons named after a character in Barnaby Rudge. N.B. do not try to wear a Dolly Varden trout on your head
4 Friend, old singer, in a place in California (4,4)
PALO ALTO – PAL O ALTO
5 Waterway with biblical town on left (5)
CANAL – CANA [biblical town of wedding feast fame] + L(eft)
6 Employed by us, now and again? (2,5)
AT TIMES – the setter’s colleagues also (work) AT (the) TIMES
7 What may be brought with a Stilton? Check — see if keen, being curious (6,5)
CHEESE KNIFE – CH + (SEE IF KEEN*)
8 Pounds carried by monk’s beast of burden (5)
LLAMA – L “carried by’ LAMA
9 Weird curses involving wrecked tea clippers (9)
SECATEURS – (CURSES*) “involving” (TEA*)
10 Change flag when heading off (5)
ALTER – {f}ALTER
11 From time to time was successful, turned up with a profit (3,3,5)
NOW AND AGAIN – reversed WON + A GAIN
12 Row involving stray dog (7)
TERRIER – TIER “involving” ERR
18 Big guns, hostile placed in middle of major road (9)
ARTILLERY – ILL in ARTERY
19 Brief local authority by telephone (7)
COUNSEL – homophone of COUNCIL
21 Gallant French actor and singer (9)
CHEVALIER – double def with Maurice
22 Swimmers also not good climbing on board ship (4,4)
SAND DABS – AND [also] + reversed BAD, “on board” SS
25 After fine, slate major championship (5,4)
GRAND SLAM – after GRAND [fine], SLAM [slate]
27 Senior teacher having pains causes problems (9)
HEADACHES – HEAD having ACHES
28 Names within top party (3,5)
HEN NIGHT – N N “within” HEIGHT
31 Unreliable quote about a bishop coming over (7)
ERRATIC – CITE about A R(ight) R(everend), the whole reversed
33 Angler: he was in form spinning (11)
FISHERWOMAN – (HE WAS IN FORM*)
34 Plump, her tanned literary sleuth (6,5)
FATHER BROWN – FAT [plump] + HER BROWN
35 Advanced up cliff (7-4)
LEADING-EDGE – LEADING [up] + EDGE [cliff]
37 Fairly good hotel in a street in resort, close to pier (5-4)
THREE-STAR – H in (A STREET*) + {pie}R
40 Outraged at university, current members (2,2,4)
UP IN ARMS – UP [at university] + IN [current] + ARMS [members]
42 Leader in another paper under discussion (2,5)
AT ISSUE – A{nother} + TISSUE [paper]
43 Item the Parisian found under lorry (7)
ARTICLE – LE [the, in French] under ARTIC
45 Pay for another nurse (5)
TREAT – double def
47 Former US president in state of confusion, they say (5)
HAYES – Rutherford Birchard, homophone of HAZE
48 Bohemian poet‘s anger about Keats, primarily (5)
RILKE – RILE “about” K{eats}
49 Fear about being caught by the old man (5)
DREAD – RE [about] “caught” by DAD
“Flanders Mare” is what Henry VIII called wife no. 4, Anne of Cleves. Rather unkindly.. on edit, I see V has already mentioned it, sorry
Edited at 2021-03-06 11:41 am (UTC)
My query was FLANDERS MARE, which I promptly associated with Anne of Cleves rather than some form of warhorse, but I see history has deceived me. The warhorse is the original thing, and Anne was not so described in her lifetime.
I’m not precisely sure where Flanders began and finished in those days but Anne was born in Dusseldorf
A couple of other unknowns but nothing that was difficult to figure out, even the cryptic definition for FRIAR’S BALSAM.
Nice Jimi Hendrix earworm now. Said Dylan: ‘strange how when I sing it, I always feel it’s a tribute to him in some kind of way’.
Edited at 2021-03-06 01:11 pm (UTC)