Hello everybody. For the third time in a row my blogging day fell on the Saturday before a bank holiday; this time, however, there is a special occasion to mark — and marked it is with a theme. It was a bit of a beast which I did not quite finish off without aids but did enjoy the wrestle. I perhaps got a little cranky in a couple of places due to lack of knowledge, but when trying to identify my top clues I found too many to list. Plus I very much enjoyed the MD clues. So a big thanks to the setter!
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. Link words are generally omitted for clarity.
| Across | |
| 1 | MD treated November malady right (8) |
| MARYLAND — An anagram of (treated) N (November) MALADY R (right) | |
| 5 | MD treated Sue in exercises not properly appreciated (14) |
| UNDERESTIMATED — MD TREATED SUE IN is anagrammed (exercises) | |
| 13 | Game taking up half the golf course? (8) |
| NINEPINS — There are NINE PINS on half a golf course, a whole one having eighteen holes. A pin is the rod of a golf flag | |
| 14 | Ace pilot’s claims (8) |
| PROTESTS — PRO (ace) + TEST (pilot) + ‘S | |
| 15 | Pig‘s blood — extra gallon included (5) |
| GORGE — GORE (blood) with an extra G (gallon) included | |
| 17 | Trouble with composer ending on wrong note? (5) |
| GRIEF — GRIEg (composer) ending with F instead of G (ending on wrong note?) | |
| 18 | Like the element of chance in roulette usually: hoping, initially, and spinning! (9) |
| SULPHURIC — First letters of (… initially) Chance In Roulette Usually Hoping + PLUS (and), all reversed (spinning) | |
| 19 | One’s to change position in favour? Hardly (3,4) |
| ILL TURN — I’LL (one’s) + TURN (to change position) | |
| 20 | Refuse to take a punt? (3,5,4,1,9) |
| NOT TOUCH WITH A BARGEPOLE — A cryptic definition | |
| 23 | Puff? Keep doing so! (6) |
| DRAGON — To DRAG ON would be to keep puffing | |
| 25 | Drink of choice, quietly pushed forward (6) |
| POTION — OPTION (choice) with P (quietly) pushed forward to the beginning of the word | |
| 27 | Musical work‘s intricate movement heard, with which film closed (9) |
| RIGOLETTO — WRIGGLE (intricate movement), sound-alike (heard) + ET (film) + TO (closed) | |
| 30 | Bring up and greet guitar oddball (11) |
| REGURGITATE — GREET GUITAR, anagram (oddball) | |
| 31 | Rock band, Indiana one, with track evoking memories (11) |
| REMINISCENT — REM (rock band) + IN (Indiana) + I (one) + SCENT (track) | |
| 33 | 10? Do stick that number in vase! (11) |
| CONURBATION — CON (do) + BAT (stick) and IO (that number — 10) in URN (vase) | |
| 36 | Unstable element in short making the case for Mossad? (11) |
| MENDELEVIUM — The element’s symbol (in short), Md, gives the outer letters of (case for) M{ossa}d | |
| 38 | One making eyes at Luis or Charlie, playfully (9) |
| OCULARIST — AT LUIS OR C (Charlie), anagrammed (playfully) | |
| 40 | Rough bits apparently swapped by carpenter? (6) |
| CHOPPY — CH[i]PPY (carpenter) with I changed to O (bits apparently swapped: the binary bits 0 and 1) | |
| 41 | Keen to absorb tip on jam-making, turning over notes from the WI? (6) |
| REGGAE — EAGER (keen) going around (to absorb) the last letter of (tip on) jam-makinG, reversed (turning over) | |
| 43 | MD is American with VC: I however must come first (3,8,4,7) |
| ONE THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED — US (American) + AND (with) + FIVE (V) + HUNDRED (C); ONE (I) + THO (‘tho, however) must come first | |
| 48 | MD eggs on flash lord (7) |
| MOLDOVA — OVA (eggs) next to (on) MO (flash) and LD (lord) | |
| 50 | MD with health agency programme (6,3) |
| DOCTOR WHO — DOCTOR (MD) with WHO (health agency) | |
| 51 | Helping of duck put together (2,3) |
| OF USE — O (duck) + FUSE (put together) | |
| 52 | Partner once visiting cooked like intelligent home help (5) |
| ALEXA — EX (partner once) inside (visiting) À LA (cooked like) | |
| 53 | I perform myself, mostly, sort of light opera (8) |
| IDOMENEO — I + DO (perform) + ME (myself) + all but the last letter of (mostly) NEOn (sort of light) | |
| 54 | Bird I couldn’t catch that circles small island (8) |
| WHINCHAT — WHAT (I couldn’t catch that) goes around (circles) INCH (small island) | |
| 55 | Physicist has female track lookout with new satellite receiver (5,9) |
| HENRY CAVENDISH — HEN (female) + RY (track) + CAVE (lookout, school slang from the Latin) + N (new) + DISH (satellite receiver) | |
| 56 | A little lamb‘s tail cut by champion dog (8) |
| NOISETTE — NO I (champion) SETTEr (dog) with the late letter removed (tail cut) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | MD‘s staff opposed to grand female minister (8,8) |
| MANAGING DIRECTOR — MAN (staff) + AGIN (opposed to) + G (grand) + DI (female) + RECTOR (minister) | |
| 2 | One needs to manage with corruption about to be rampant (3,4) |
| RUN RIOT — I (one) goes inside (needs … about) RUN (to manage) with ROT (corruption) | |
| 3 | To drink nothing fine before ten, say: then it’s Victor’s round (3,2,6) |
| LAP OF HONOUR — LAP (to drink) + O (nothing) + F (fine) before HONOUR (ten, say, in bridge) | |
| 4 | Old model unchosen, surprisingly (8) |
| NONESUCH — UNCHOSEN anagrammed (surprisingly) | |
| 6 | Viking’s neighbour‘s horse: turn it loose (5,6) |
| NORTH UTSIRE — HORSE TURN IT anagrammed (loose) | |
| 7 | Diverting person from harbour: here he’s abandoned, upset (11) |
| ENTERTAINER — ENTERTAIN (harbour) + [he]RE without HE (he‘s abandoned), reversed (upset) | |
| 8 | Like pie, perhaps with tea, consuming one here? (4,5) |
| EASY CHAIR — EASY (like pie, perhaps) with CHAR (tea) consuming I (one). (I admit to inconsistency in underlining of semi-&lits, but try to go with whatever seems to indicate the definition most clearly) | |
| 9 | What oenophiles may hold in reserve: smart! (7) |
| TASTING — TA (reserve, army reserve) + STING (smart) | |
| 10 | City‘s simple logo: a cuckoo (11) |
| MEGALOPOLIS — SIMPLE LOGO A anagrammed (cuckoo) | |
| 11 | British channel picked up in European port (5) |
| TURKU — UK (British) + RUT (channel) reversed (picked up) | |
| 12 | Girl’s teacher fitting extra lesson in, finally flipping (6) |
| DUENNA — DUE (fitting) + last letters of (… finally) extrA lessoN iN, reversed (flipping) | |
| 16 | Far from Fleet Street’s original base (4) |
| SLOW — Street’s initial letter (original) + LOW (base) | |
| 21 | Allow note to surround inscription (9) |
| LETTERING — LET (allow) + TE (note) + RING (to surround) | |
| 22 | Weaver with cold heart in the position of a crank (6,4,6) |
| BOTTOM DEAD CENTRE — BOTTOM (weaver, In A Midsummer Night’s Dream) with DEAD (cold) + CENTRE (heart) | |
| 24 | No question “lingua” can be rendered as “tongue” (9) |
| ALGONQUIN — NO, Q (question) and LINGUA can be anagrammed (rendered) to give the answer | |
| 26 | Browser and peripherals missing from notebook: a pity (5) |
| OKAPI — Outer letters are removed (peripherals missing) from noteboOK A PIty | |
| 28 | Jets and Sharks, say, crossing East River (6) |
| GANGES — GANGS (Jets and Sharks, say) around (crossing) E (East) | |
| 29 | I act on instinct, turning up for festival (6) |
| DIWALI — I + LAW (act) + ID (instinct), all reversed (turning up) | |
| 32 | Football team facing pressure to act responsibly (3,2) |
| MAN UP — MAN U (Football team) + P (pressure) | |
| 34 | Conservative fighting in back alley (East End) (11) |
| REACTIONARY — ACTION (fighting) in REAR (back) + the last letter (East End) of alleY | |
| 35 | Precise place for exhibiting Thatcher’s material and religious beliefs (6,5) |
| NICENE CREED — NICE (precise) + NEC (place for exhibiting) + REED (thatcher’s material) | |
| 36 | To expose posterior, Franc drops bloomers (11) |
| MOONFLOWERS — MOON (to expose posterior) + F (franc) + LOWERS + (drops) | |
| 37 | All leave is cancelled after six men, note, use catapults (6,5) |
| EXEUNT OMNES — IS removed (cancelled) after [si]X MEN NOTE USE is anagrammed (catapults) | |
| 39 | Assessed (vehicle) outside of the standard range (4-5) |
| TEST-DROVE — Outer letters of (outside of) ThE + STD (standard) + ROVE (range) | |
| 42 | I’m surprised to find illicit liqueur on board kid’s train (4-4) |
| CHOO-CHOO — COO (I’m surprised) with HOOCH (illicit liqueur) inside (on board) | |
| 44 | Unusual wind removing walls from local urinal (7) |
| OCARINA — We need to be taking the external letters from (removing walls from) lOCAl uRINAl | |
| 45 | Against concealing reaction to pain, swears (4) |
| VOWS — VS (against) around (concealing) OW (reaction to pain) | |
| 46 | Accept hardships hurt? I go crazy (5,2) |
| ROUGH IT — HURT I GO anagrammed (crazy) | |
| 47 | MD when visiting English hospital is one after blood much earlier (2,4) |
| EM DASH — MD and AS (when) inside (visiting) E (English) and H (hospital). There’s one of these after “blood” much earlier — in the clue for 15a | |
| 49 | That is popular with lazybones, primarily? (3-2) |
| LIE-IN — IE (that is) + IN (popular), next to (with) the first letter of (… primarily) Lazybones | |
Failed to fully parse 40ac, the chippy choppy, so thanks for that, Kitty.
Nice to see Henry Cavendish put in an appearance, and BDC which reminded me of my father’s efforts in decoking an engine in one of our early cars
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