Real time solve video is at https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1236347579, but after a Magpie puzzle. so around 42 minutes in.
Definitions underlined in italics, (ABC)* indicating anagram of ABC, {} deletions and [] other indicators.
Across
1 Flap of avian’s wings captured by photo (5)
PANIC – A{via}N “captured by” PIC
4 Removed inedible parts of fish, putting in pinch of dill, and plunged in hot water (7)
SCALDED – SCALED, “putting in” D{ill}
8 Snake shredded salmon in wetland (9)
BOOMSLANG – (SALMON*) in BOG
13 Soviet city tending to ignore a radical (9)
LENINGRAD – LE{a}NING + RAD
14 With this you will find medicine most effective, not suffering at all (4,9)
ZERO TOLERANCE – double def. The more tolerance you have for a drug, the less effect it starts to have; and if you have a zero tolerance policy towards something, you don’t suffer it at all
15 Old flame, generous type (7)
EXAMPLE – EX [old flame] + AMPLE
16 Leaderless group’s OK to make return journey (7)
ODYSSEY – {b}ODY’S + reversed YES
17 Is mother following Virginia’s nervous disorder? (7)
VAPOURS – POURS (the tea) following VA
18 Booking essential in advance for middle-of-the-road locale (7,11)
CENTRAL RESERVATION – RESERVATION [booking] with CENTRAL [essential] in advance of that
21 Part of cruise missile housing unit (4)
SEMI – hidden in {crui}SE MI{ssile}
23 Expose a fruit tree, trimming end around hives (9)
URTICARIA – AIR A CITRU{s}, reversed
25 Assurance supported by quite a few pints (6)
GALLON – GALL [assurance] + ON [supported by, as in “the book is on the table”]
26 Illegal act to west of key peninsula (6)
CRIMEA – CRIME to the west/left of A
28 Very keen, doubling the score (6-6)
TWENTY-TWENTY – TWENTY [score] * 2. Very keen as in eyesight
30 Donkeys’ fur that may be valued (10)
ASSESSABLE – ASSES’ SABLE
33 Formal restraint — a peck? (3,7)
DRY MEASURE – DRY [formal] + MEASURE [restraint]
34 Department of Defense head once struggling to contain resistance is figure with Pentagon on side? (12)
DODECAHEDRON – D.O.D. + (HEAD ONCE*) “containing” R. Each face of a dodecahedron is a pentagon, as all D&D players kno
37 Device to catch trespassers falls short, it’s said repeatedly (6)
MANTRA – MANTRA{p}
39 Satisfied with what’s useful for bricklayer’s technique (6)
METHOD – MET [satisfied] with HOD
40 Florida’s shaken by new shark warning? (6,3)
DORSAL FIN – (FLORIDA’S*) + N(ew)
42 Verbally expresses regret about trick (4)
RUSE – homophone of RUES
43 Long-established and generally accepted as Chair? (4,2,3,9)
PART OF THE FURNITURE – play on the literal and metonymic meanings of “chair”
46 Neglected what could make play pay? (4,3)
LEFT OUT – reverse cryptic: if you take the L(eft) out of PLAY, you’re left with PAY
47 Solitary saint coming in to write this again? (7)
RECLUSE – S “coming in to” RE-CLUE
48 Overlay with gold and even out (7)
PLATEAU – PLATE with AU
50 Trial audience audibly yawning? (8,5)
SOUNDING BOARD – homophone of SOUNDING BORED
51 Foodie finding new oral gratification ultimately in larva! (3,6)
BON VIVANT – N(ew) VIVA {gratificatio}N in BOT
52 Only one of this pair will emerge from secret meeting taking seconds (9)
DUELLISTS – cryptic def. A duel is a secret meeting with seconds, that only one duellist walks away from
53 Looked for provision in favour of elderly (7)
FORAGED – FOR [in favour of] AGED
54 Clear article on reflection’s got great depth (5)
NADIR – reversed RID AN [clear | article]
Down
1 Election meeting rejecting queen — expect a reaction when this is raised! (6,5)
POLLEN COUNT – POLL ENCOUNT{er}. An allergic reaction, that is
2 Contradictory responses from Bonn after expulsion of eastern spy (5)
NINJA – N{e}IN + JA, German for no + yes
3 Conservative illegally recording another, ringing chap who suspects a plot? (10,6)
CONSPIRACY THEORY – CONS + PIRACY + TORY “ringing” HE
4 Fantastic county’s tailender getting out on a half-century (7)
SURREAL – SURRE{y} on A L [50]
5 Stars with old city lawyer in Hollywood? (9)
ANDROMEDA – AND ROME D.A. [American lawyer]
6 Swimming teams in water sport taking lead in honours — the pinnacle of success (5,7)
DIZZY HEIGHTS – DIZZY EIGHTS “taking” H{onours}
7 Delivery is walloped with contempt (10)
DERISIVELY – (DELIVERY IS*)
8 Non-drinker coming in to purchase snack (5)
BUTTY – TT into BUY
9 Hobbit turning up having lost head is disappearing from sight in obscurity (8)
OBLIVION – reversed {b}ILBO + V{is}ION
10 Hole, namely source of oil (6)
SCRAPE – SC(ilicet) RAPE
11 A North American outwardly amused, cracking up to a tedious degree (2,7)
AD NAUSEAM – A + NA inside (AMUSED*)
12 Shot of visitor touring southern India and China (11)
GUESSTIMATE – GUEST “touring” S + I(ndia) + MATE [china]
19 Try oven out a bit (3,4)
NOT VERY – (TRY OVEN*)
20 Comedy film for kids, something digital? (7)
TOOTSIE – 1982 Dustin Hoffman movie, double def with baby talk for “toe”
22 Questioning the job of a ballot scrutineer? (5-11)
CROSS-EXAMINATION – A scrutineer looks at the ballots to examine where people have marked their crosses
24 Check over notes on principles of string theory (6)
RETEST – RE and TE [2nd and 7th notes of the scale] + S{tring} T{heory}. Are those principles or principals?
27 Marry again in resort (6)
REPAIR – or RE-PAIR
29 Advance payment you deserve no longer, perhaps (7)
EARNEST – in the old days, “thou earnest” = “thou deservest”
31 Zoonotic disease — one of chickens came home to roost, might one say? (4,3)
BIRD FLU – homophone of BIRD FLEW
32 Spurn leftover joint? (4,8)
COLD SHOULDER – double def with a meaty shoulder
33 Dispirited protest assembled around 50 (11)
DEMORALISED – DEMO RAISED around L
35 Remark that’s inappropriate and awfully risqué to nun (3,8)
NON SEQUITUR – (RISQUE TO NUN*)
36 Material that’s fine, but not on rubbish singer (10)
CHIFFCHAFF – CHIFF{on} + CHAFF
38 Instrument of tuneless, unending jangling (4,5)
NOSE FLUTE – (OF TUNELES{s}*)
40 No good climbing bit of wall for sack of salt? (6,3)
DUFFEL BAG – DUFF + reversed GABLE. Salt as in sailor
41 Seaside town is blessed with container with gas on outskirts (8)
HASTINGS – HAS [is blessed with] + TIN + G{a}S
44 Rent, having space for parking developed (7)
RIPENED – RIP{p->EN}ED
45 Verse taken out of Decameron deleted (6)
RONDEL – hidden in {decame}RON DEL{eyed}
47 Enigma dealing with U-Boat surfacing (5)
REBUS – RE [dealing with] + reversed SUB(marine)
49 Antelope’s rump pierced by flea regularly (5)
ELAND – END “pierced” by {f}L{e}A
I don’t understand 3dn. Surely the word ‘who’ means the answer has to be CONSPIRACY THEORIST?
Edited at 2021-12-20 06:27 pm (UTC)