Hi all. I left this until the last minute, and with post-work bleariness setting in am not feeling chatty. I found it a Jumbo of medium difficulty, though I didn’t quite manage to finish without recourse to aids, having a mental block with the Native American in 45d. Actually I’m pretty happy with that, as there are a few of other places I could easily have fallen short. 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. For clarity, I omit most link words and some juxtaposition indicators.
| Across | |
| 1 | Restraint of article covered by feature (5) |
| CHAIN — A (article) in (covered by) CHIN (feature) | |
| 4 | Makes alterations to speed up current measures (7) |
| REVAMPS — REV (speed up) + AMPS (current measures) | |
| 8 | Composer in peril goes mad (9) |
| PERGOLESI — PERIL GOES anagrammed (mad) | |
| 13 | Queen‘s responsibility to force back men (4,5) |
| MARY TUDOR — DUTY (responsibility) and RAM (to force) reversed (back) + OR (men) | |
| 14 | Gathering technique in racing, and a problem with it? (7,6) |
| RUNNING STITCH — RUNNING (racing) + STITCH (a problem with it [racing]?) | |
| 15 | Country eggs faced with American fungus (7) |
| MOLDOVA — OVA (eggs) next to (faced with) MOLD (American [spelling of] fungus) | |
| 16 | Metal I deliver; I am shielding uranium (7) |
| IRIDIUM — I + RID (deliver) + I’M (I am) around (shielding) U (uranium) | |
| 17 | Apprentice, one paid in sterling? (7) |
| LEARNER — An L EARNER could be an earner of L (pounds sterling) | |
| 18 | Grotesque to be wholly dissatisfied with the planet (4,7,2,5) |
| LIKE NOTHING ON EARTH — What I would call a definition plus alternative interpretation of the answer, though that’s not as pithy as “double definition” | |
| 21 | Flag officer chasing limited intelligence (4) |
| WILT — LT (officer) after (chasing) all but the last letter of (limited) WIt (intelligence) | |
| 23 | To settle the furore, time for some music (5-4) |
| THREE-FOUR — An anagram of (to settle) THE FURORE | |
| 25 | Maybe father’s missing annual payment (6) |
| RENTAL — [pa]RENTAL (maybe father’s) without (missing) PA (annual) | |
| 26 | Associate lout with upper-class type (6) |
| HOBNOB — HOB (lout) with NOB (upper-class type) | |
| 28 | Mark stores one’s address (12) |
| APOSTROPHISE — APOSTROPHE (mark) contains (stores) I’S (one’s) | |
| 30 | Is concerned in resentment of rogue’s adventures (10) |
| PICARESQUE — CARES (is concerned) in PIQUE (resentment) | |
| 33 | Poem from Perth in translation: avoid (3,7) |
| THE PRELUDE — PERTH anagrammed (in translation) + ELUDE (avoid) | |
| 34 | In which rebels are resisting furiously? (6,6) |
| EASTER RISING — An anagram of (in which rebels … furiously) ARE RESISTING | |
| 37 | Father punching a fairy in brawl (6) |
| AFFRAY — FR (father) inside (punching) A FAY (a fairy) | |
| 39 | Carpenter’s mate recalling almost unquestionable rule (6) |
| WALRUS — The reversal of (recalling) all but the last letter of (almost) SURe (unquestionable) and LAW (rule). The definition refers to the Lewis Carroll poem | |
| 40 | Love guide‘s more composed speaking, with skill taking us back (4,5) |
| KAMA SUTRA — CALMER (more composed), homophone (speaking), together with ART (skill) and US reversed (back) | |
| 42 | Type that’s deficient, lacking height (4) |
| SORT — S[h]ORT (deficient) lacking H (height) | |
| 43 | Leave cathedral precincts — time to reveal oneself (4,3,2,3,6) |
| COME OUT OF THE CLOSET — COME OUT OF THE CLOSE (leave cathedral precincts) + T (time) | |
| 46 | Revered figure honoured at last in poem we wrote (3,4) |
| OUR LADY — The last letter of (… at last) honoureD in OUR LAY (poem we wrote) | |
| 47 | A little blue scarf, divine one stored away (7) |
| SADDISH — SASH (scarf) with DD (divine) and I (one) inside (stored away) | |
| 48 | Where treasure may be found at royal city (7) |
| CHESTER — CHEST (where treasure may be) + ER (royal) | |
| 50 | Crisis rarely experienced by habitual liar? (6,2,5) |
| MOMENT OF TRUTH — A habitual liar would presumably have few truthful moments | |
| 51 | Beautiful boy is dodgy, seen by drugs officer (9) |
| NARCISSUS — IS + SUS (dodgy) by NARC (drugs officer) | |
| 52 | Swimmer on river crazy to knock back port (9) |
| ROTTERDAM — OTTER (swimmer) next to (on) R (river) + MAD (crazy) reversed (to knock back) | |
| 53 | Having made definite opening in railings, followed round (7) |
| ENSURED — The first letter of (opening in) Railways with ENSUED (followed) round it | |
| 54 | A month back, a lack of fertiliser (5) |
| GUANO — AUG (a month) reversed (back) + NO (a lack of) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | I came to meal drunk, though not on this (8,3) |
| CAMOMILE TEA — I CAME TO MEAL anagrammed (drunk), with the definition referencing the rest of the clue and the fact that it would be hard to get drunk on a non-alcoholic drink | |
| 2 | Heading off from Med island, left such a fool (5) |
| APRIL — The first letter is removed from (heading off from) [c]APRI (Med island) + L (left) | |
| 3 | Hard to deceive, but still awaiting delivery? (3,4,9) |
| NOT BORN YESTERDAY — This could mean still to be born | |
| 4 | One that’s left service; time for a new plan (7) |
| REDRAFT — RED (one that’s left) + RAF (service) + T (time) | |
| 5 | Auditor saves shillings for linesman (9) |
| VERSIFIER — VERIFIER (auditor) contains (saves) S (shillings) | |
| 6 | What may be needed for wedding, or for widow (not uniform) (7,5) |
| MORNING DRESS — A widow might need MO[u]RNING DRESS; remove the U (not uniform) | |
| 7 | Dismissing first of batsmen after error, his knock shortened (3-7) |
| SIN-BINNING — The first letter of Batsmen after SIN (error) + INNINGs (his [the batsman’s] knock) without the last letter (shortened) | |
| 8 | Proper to capture a besieged king (5) |
| PRIAM — PRIM (proper) containing (to capture) A | |
| 9 | Condition requiring a measure of gravity, in actual fact? (8) |
| REGALITY — G (a measure of gravity) in REALITY (actual fact) | |
| 10 | Format with parts swapped creates expense (6) |
| OUTLAY — LAYOUT (format) with the first and last parts swapped | |
| 11 | Is it built without nerves? (9) |
| EXTENSION — EX (without) TENSION (nerves) | |
| 12 | Available to leave in that ship, perhaps, I board (11) |
| INHERITABLE — IN HER (in that ship, perhaps) + I + TABLE (board) | |
| 19 | Sing-song raises spirit with fine energy (7) |
| KARAOKE — ARAK (spirit) + OK (fine) + E (energy) | |
| 20 | Foreign expert almost mad, in a way (7) |
| ARABIST — Almost RABId (mad) inserted in A + ST (way) | |
| 22 | Pretty girls apparently cut flower (4-4-8) |
| LOVE-LIES-BLEEDING — LOVELIES (pretty girls) BLEEDING (apparently cut) | |
| 24 | Actor also overwhelmed by shout of applause (6) |
| O’TOOLE — TOO (also) surrounded by (overwhelmed by) OLÉ (shout of applause) | |
| 27 | Lotion always found in second city (3,3) |
| BAY RUM — AY (always) in BRUM (second city: Birmingham, second city of the UK) | |
| 29 | Thready pulses? Have a drink (7) |
| HYDRATE — THREADY is anagrammed (pulses) | |
| 31 | Passing peaceful, America (7) |
| QUIETUS — QUIET (peaceful) + US (America) | |
| 32 | Such as the Cinderella story: makes fun of her stoic suffering … (4-2-6) |
| RAGS-TO-RICHES — RAGS (makes fun of) + HER STOIC anagrammed (suffering) | |
| 33 | … missing one, practises former role of her fairy godmother? (11) |
| TRANSFORMER — Without (missing) I (one), TRA[i]NS (practises) + FORMER (former!) | |
| 35 | Using mortar repaired car (4,7) |
| GRAN TURISMO — USING MOTOR anagrammed (repaired) | |
| 36 | Basic procedure, putting bullet in Luger to be fired (6,4) |
| GROUND RULE — ROUND (bullet) in an anagram of (… to be fired) LUGER | |
| 38 | Completely uninvolved in the computer business? On the contrary (3,4,2) |
| FAR FROM IT — Another definition plus an alternative interpretation: far away from Information Technology | |
| 40 | To encourage taking on equipment, installing new military commander (9) |
| KITCHENER — CHEER (to encourage) following (taking on, in a down entry) KIT (equipment), with the insertion of (installing) N (new) | |
| 41 | Christmas decoration basic, some say, for palace (8) |
| HOLYROOD — HOLLY (Christmas decoration) plus RUDE (basic), sounds like (some say) | |
| 44 | In death, heart wanted again (7) |
| ENCORED — In END (death), CORE (heart) | |
| 45 | Native American moneylender? (6) |
| PAWNEE — A PAWNEE could perhaps be the opposite of a PAWNER | |
| 47 | High tension, oppressed by total quiet (5) |
| SHTUM — HT (high tension) inside (oppressed by) SUM (total) | |
| 49 | Opera to study briefly (5) |
| TOSCA — TO + SCAn (study) briefly | |
I’d be hard put to come up with another example of QUIETUS other than “with a bare bodkin”. I knew THE PRELUDE as a terribly famous poem without knowing anything else about it. And the address meaning of APOSTROPHISE I learned in this parish a few years ago when I think I complained about it.