Hello all, I hope you enjoyed the bank holiday. What bank holiday? I hear you say. Yes, two weeks can be a long time, especially in crosswordland.
I wouldn’t win any prizes for time with this one, which I attacked intermittently, but was just glad to get it all sorted without aids. I didn’t manage to pick out favourite clues either: just too much to choose from for your chronically indecisive blogger. I did enjoy it though – thanks 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 | Other folk on holiday, horribly loud, won’t do what’s expected (5,3,5) |
| BREAK THE MOULD — THEM (other folk) by (on) BREAK (holiday) followed by an anagram of (horribly) LOUD | |
| 8 | Cross-dressing athlete on wheels? (4,5) |
| DRAG RACER — A DRAG RACER could be someone racing in drag. I think that “wheels?” is the definition (by example) – of the vehicle – as the whole doesn’t really work as a cryptic definition | |
| 13 | Digger scratching left elbow (5) |
| SHOVE — SHOVE[l] (digger) removing (scratching) L (left) | |
| 14 | Sweet dish from junk sale ultimately in poor state (5,6) |
| BAKED ALASKA — The last letters of (… ultimately) junK salE in BAD (poor) ALASKA (state) | |
| 15 | Outlaw seizing Irish kid elsewhere in UK (5) |
| BAIRN — BAN (outlaw) around (seizing) IR (Irish) | |
| 16 | Sid injured in mishap at sea here, perhaps (9) |
| AMIDSHIPS — SID anagrammed (injured) is in MISHAP anagrammed (at sea) | |
| 17 | Post taken on by medieval knight? (4) |
| MAIL — A medieval knight might wear MAIL armour | |
| 18 | Capital to invest in hospital priest (8) |
| HELSINKI — SINK (to invest) in H (hospital) plus ELI (priest) | |
| 20 | Tailless beast contrarily eats primarily unripe fruit (6) |
| GUAVAS — SAVAGe (beast) missing the last letter (tailless) in reverse (contrarily) goes around (eats) the first letter of (primarily) Unripe | |
| 21 | Parish flag maybe showing how well off we are (8,2,6) |
| STANDARD OF LIVING — A whimsical definition plus a straight one | |
| 24 | Shift spade over, as nosey parker may (9) |
| EAVESDROP — Make an anagram of (shift) SPADE OVER | |
| 26 | Bird‘s down (7) |
| SWALLOW — Two definitions | |
| 27 | Cant from Trojan leader on ancient ship (5) |
| ARGOT — The first letter (leader) of Trojan next to (on) ARGO (ancient ship) | |
| 29 | Man after rent set out to see him, possibly (6,6) |
| TENANT FARMER — MAN AFTER RENT anagrammed (set out) | |
| 31 | Staff I’m canvassing for continue standing (5,2,3) |
| STICK IT OUT — STICK (staff) + I TOUT (I’m canvassing for) | |
| 33 | Masking handle that is holding comparatively little (10) |
| NAMELESSLY — NAMELY (that is) containing (holding) LESS (comparatively little) | |
| 35 | Complete cast for broadcast provided with initial transport (5,7) |
| CARRY THROUGH — THROUGH, a homophone of (… for broadcast) THREW (cast) preceded by (with initial) CAR and RY (transport) | |
| 38 | River delta opening in America (5) |
| INDUS — D (delta) inserted into (opening) IN and US (America) | |
| 39 | Wavering doctor bound to break it (2,5) |
| IN DOUBT — Make an anagram of (doctor) BOUND; this is to go inside (to break) IT | |
| 40 | Slickest gambler cleared out with minimal formality (9) |
| GREASIEST — GambleR without the middle letters (cleared out) + EASIEST (minimal formality) | |
| 42 | Where, it seems, Our Mutual Friend is not to be published (7,9) |
| BETWEEN OURSELVES — Another pair of definitions, one creative and one normal | |
| 44 | Fully occupied ground disheartened builder (6) |
| BURIED — An anagram of (ground) BUI[l]DER without the middle letter (disheartened …) | |
| 47 | Unexpected benefit from air trip (8) |
| WINDFALL — WIND (air) + FALL (trip) | |
| 49 | Vitality unknown in middle of fight (4) |
| ZING — Z (unknown) + IN + the middle of fiGht | |
| 50 | Like daughter perhaps turning to arrange flower mum brought in? (9) |
| GIRLISHLY — The reversal of (turning) RIG (to arrange) + LILY (flower) with SH (mum) inserted (brought in) | |
| 52 | Island deporting last of rebels in unfriendly fashion (5) |
| ICILY — [s]ICILY (island) removing (deporting) the last letter of rebelS | |
| 53 | Medium, with veil, pipes up here in church (5,6) |
| ORGAN SCREEN — ORGAN (medium) + SCREEN (veil) | |
| 54 | Male dons fit to walk, slowly (5) |
| AMBLE — M (male) goes inside (dons) ABLE (fit) | |
| 55 | Improve on dope, ecstasy on most occasions (9) |
| GENERALLY — RALLY (improve) next to (on) GEN (dope) and E (ecstasy) | |
| 56 | Local restorer renovated thrilling succession of cars (6,7) |
| ROLLER COASTER — LOCAL RESTORER anagrammed (renovated) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Set sequins in armband, acquiring uncanny ability (9) |
| BESPANGLE — BANGLE (armband) with the inclusion of (acquiring) ESP (uncanny ability) | |
| 2 | Cut up about old citizen returning fancy goods (7) |
| EXOTICA — AXE (cut) in reverse (up) around (about) O (old) and CIT (citizen) reversed (returning) | |
| 3 | Monitors shot youngster tailing guard (5,4,2) |
| KEEPS TABS ON — STAB (shot) and SON (youngster) following (trailing) KEEP (guard) | |
| 4 | Ferret sank its teeth into inhabitant of hole (6) |
| HOBBIT — HOB (ferret) + BIT (sank its teeth into) | |
| 5 | Model plugging cosmetics isn’t truthful (5,2,2) |
| MAKES IT UP — SIT (model) inside (plugging) MAKE–UP (cosmetics) | |
| 6 | Cop pursuing a French car took off at the same rate (12) |
| UNDIMINISHED — DI (cop) following (pursuing) UN (a, French) + MINI (car) + SHED (took off) | |
| 7 | Spiritual leaders in trouble after youth mounted a short service (5,5) |
| DALAI LAMAS — AIL after LAD (youth) reversed (mounted) + A + MASs (short service) | |
| 8 | Drop Scotch spirit and run (4) |
| DASH — A quadruple definition | |
| 9 | Novel term for loo if a WC toilet seat’s broken (1,4,2,3,6) |
| A TALE OF TWO CITIES — The last letter of (term for) loO plus IF A WC TOILET SEAT is anagrammed (broken) | |
| 10 | Couturier’s final awards for grand attire (5) |
| ROBES — CouturieR’s last letter (final) + OBES (awards) | |
| 11 | Drink that intoxicates one after another in song (7) |
| CHIANTI — I (one) after I (another [one]) in CHANT (song) | |
| 12 | Product from sewer that may handicap jogger? (7,6) |
| RUNNING STITCH — A STITCH when RUNNING might slow down a jogger | |
| 19 | Devotee‘s union vow for the future? (8) |
| IDOLATER — I DO (union vow) … LATER (for the future) | |
| 22 | National from Quebec joining militant force on island (5) |
| IRAQI — Q (Quebec) next to (joining) IRA, followed by (on) I (island) | |
| 23 | Trained birds you might catch, in wilful disregard of rules (12,4) |
| PROFESSIONAL FOUL — PROFESSIONAL (trained) + FOUL, a homophone of (… you might catch) FOWL (birds) | |
| 25 | Baleful case of vile fiend raised (7) |
| VENOMED — The outer letters (case) of VilE + DEMON (fiend) reversed (raised) | |
| 28 | Drop high ball with slippery glue coating (7) |
| GLOBULE — LOB (high ball) with an anagram of (slippery) GLUE around (coating) | |
| 29 | Catch up, wanting desperately to cover cup game (6,7) |
| TENPIN BOWLING — NET (catch) reversed (up) + PINING (wanting desperately) around (to cover) BOWL (cup) | |
| 30 | Standard question in audition banned (5,3) |
| RULED OUT — RULE (standard) + DOUT, which sounds like (… in audition) DOUBT (question) | |
| 32 | Speaker’s demonstrated old sound, using unnecessary words (12) |
| TAUTOLOGICAL — TAUT, a homophone of (speaker’s) TAUGHT (demonstrated) + O (old) + LOGICAL (sound) | |
| 34 | Key hanging on length of cotton thread (5) |
| LISLE — ISLE (key) on L (length) | |
| 36 | Order CIA just read settled matter (3,8) |
| RES JUDICATA — Make an anagram of (order) CIA JUST READ | |
| 37 | Examiner‘s child with unusual clothing snatches it back (10) |
| QUESTIONER — SON (child) with QUEER (unusual) around (clothing) contains (snatches) IT in reverse (back) | |
| 40 | Person of advanced years fools fliers (4,5) |
| GREY GEESE — GREY (person of advanced years) + GEESE (fools) | |
| 41 | Child’s favourite bed close to cot, ready to be moved (5,4) |
| TEDDY BEAR — An anagram of (…to be moved) BED, the last letter of (close to) coT and READY | |
| 43 | Rigidity is recurrent in part of joint (7) |
| TENSION — IS reversed (recurrent) in TENON (part of joint) | |
| 45 | Live in trendy manner (7) |
| INHABIT — IN (trendy) + HABIT (manner) | |
| 46 | Tranquil stretch of Medicine River flowing north (6) |
| IRENIC — The answer is a part of (stretch of) MediCINE RIver in reverse (flowing north) | |
| 48 | Hall for accommodating the elderly (5) |
| FOYER — FOR containing (accommodating) YE (the elderly) | |
| 51 | Menacing sergeant major leaves looking complacent (4) |
| UGLY — SM (sergeant major) leaves [sm]UGLY (looking complacent) | |
I biffed RES JUDICATA, which was my only unknown.
Almost 50 minutes of Bank Holiday pleasure. Thanks Kitty, and setter.