Hi everyone.
This was a DNF for me, due to needing electronic help in the vicinity of sockdologer, and I was hardly speedy up until then. I don’t think I can entirely put that down to solving last thing at night while falling asleep, but if you all found it easy then I might try!
A few of my parsings could probably use refinement, as in places I dithered in deciding the most accurate breakdown. I suppose I could blame that on writing this up in a similarly sleepy nocturnal condition to when I solved it, with a dash of last-minuteness! Anyway, input welcome.
I found much to like, including the neat surface of 24a (EXEAT), the ALPHABETICAL words in 13d, and the lovely FLUFFY 46d, and no mistake. 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 | Not as many contracts for navigator in the past (6) |
| TASMAN — NoT AS MANy contracts to reveal the navigator who gave his name to the Tasman Sea and Tasmania | |
| 4 | Newly baked buns close to Weihnachten: a German institution! (10) |
| BUNDESBANK — An anagram of (newly) BAKED BUNS with the last letter of (close to) WeihnachteN | |
| 10 | Symbol of bear seen by millions (5) |
| TOTEM — TOTE (bear) is seen by M millions | |
| 14 | Girl clips rail exercising (9) |
| PRISCILLA — CLIPS RAIL is anagrammed (exercising) | |
| 15 | A number of just people excluded from company? (4,3,6) |
| ONLY THE LONELY — The number is a song. JUST (only) THE LONELY (people excluded from company) | |
| 16 | Want to take in film with female: a recent catch? (3,4) |
| WET FISH — WISH (want) containing (to take in) ET (film) with F (female). I was slightly surprised to find the dictionary entry with this meaning, but it is there meaning fresh (i.e. not frozen or dried) fish | |
| 17 | Port to progress slowly with age (7) |
| INCHEON — INCH (to progress slowly) + EON (age) gives a port in South Korea. I had to wait for the final checking letter to decide between this and INCHERA … | |
| 18 | One making mistake: he’s put his foot in it? (7) |
| SLIPPER — Two definitions, the first whimsical, the second rather unusually put | |
| 19 | With passion, elected representative repeated lines of poetry (1,8,1,8) |
| I REMEMBER, I REMEMBER — IRE (passion) + MEMBER (elected representative) repeated to give lines from (and the title of) this poem by Thomas Hood | |
| 21 | From a piece of furniture, article’s removed (2,2) |
| AS OF — A SOF[a] (piece of furniture) in which A (article) is removed | |
| 24 | Pass out from worry (5) |
| EXEAT — EX (out from) + EAT (worry) | |
| 26 | Leaves here couple on golf course for picking up? (3,5) |
| TEA CADDY — Homophones of (for picking up?) a couple of things which would be found on a golf course: TEE and CADDIE | |
| 27 | Grey exterior to tower that is becoming darker (8) |
| GLOOMIER — GR (grey), which is around (exterior to) LOOM (tower) and IE (that is) | |
| 29 | Prayer leader embracing wife with an expression of disbelief (2,1,8) |
| I’M A DUTCHMAN — IMAM (prayer leader) around (embracing) DUTCH (wife, cockney rhyming slang) + AN | |
| 30 | Boss, after row, one getting on with staff (4,7) |
| LINE MANAGER — After LINE (row), we have AGER (one getting on) next to (with) MAN (staff) | |
| 32 | Reporters of contests involving sailors and boxer (11) |
| JOURNALISTS — JOUSTS (contests) containing (involving) RN (sailors) and ALI (boxer) | |
| 35 | What spectacularly sparks love affair and also large splits (5,6) |
| ROMAN CANDLE — ROMANCE (love affair), which AND (also) plus L (large) goes inside (splits) | |
| 37 | Where US driver pulls in — and remains in pole position (4,4) |
| REST STOP — RESTS (remains) + TOP (in pole position) | |
| 39 | Sword that is needed by impressionist, to cut (8) |
| SCIMITAR — SC (that is: scilicet (Latin), namely) + IMITA[to]R (impressionist) with TO removed (cut) | |
| 40 | Note is the writer’s — mostly the writer’s (5) |
| MINIM — MINe (the writer’s: belonging to the writer) without the last letter (mostly) + I’M (the writer’s: the writer is) | |
| 43 | You must not assume this at the outset (4) |
| DON’T — DON (assume) + This, first letter of (at the outset) | |
| 44 | Rage, and split with the Foundation, as McCarthy did? (3,4,5,3,3) |
| SEE REDS UNDER THE BED — SEE RED (rage) + SUNDER (split) + THE + BED (foundation) | |
| 47 | Host outside departs in vain for key (6,1) |
| MIDDLE C — MC (host) around (outside) D (departs) in IDLE (vain) | |
| 48 | Stole or cape to wear if held out (7) |
| FILCHED — C (cape) inside (to wear) an anagram of (… out) IF HELD | |
| 50 | City of Prague I fancy (7) |
| PERUGIA — PRAGUE I anagrammed (fancy) | |
| 51 | Proposal for an evening out? (3,2,8) |
| LAW OF AVERAGES — A cryptic definition, where evening out means becoming even or flattening out | |
| 52 | Difficulty at end of term making entrance (9) |
| SPELLBIND — BIND (difficulty) after (at end of) SPELL (term) | |
| 53 | Case of Arneis for one to try (5) |
| ASSAY — The outer letters (case) of ArneiS + SAY (for one) | |
| 54 | Ill-disposed to prisoner being taken in again (10) |
| RESORPTION — An anagram of (ill-disposed) TO PRISONER | |
| 55 | Rubber of bridge players put in unusual on reflection (6) |
| ERASER — S and E (bridge players) inserted into RARE (unusual) reversed (on reflection) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Work in office perhaps, kind laid on with ceremony (9) |
| TYPEWRITE — TYPE (kind) preceding (laid on, in a down entry) W (with) + RITE (ceremony) | |
| 2 | Remote country doctors alienate NHS (5,6) |
| SAINT HELENA — An anagram of (doctors) ALIENATE NHS. I can only make sense of the anagram indicator if it can be said that the answer anagrams the fodder | |
| 3 | Ace writer gets credit (7) |
| ASCRIBE — A (ace) + SCRIBE (writer) | |
| 5 | Taste something in rum amiss (5) |
| UMAMI — This taste is something found in rUM AMIss | |
| 6 | What’s released from flies that’s sweet, leading to death, mostly (4,7) |
| DROP CURTAIN — DROP (sweet) + CURTAINs (death) without the last letter (mostly). The flies is the area in a theatre from which the scenery is controlled | |
| 7 | Pirate left to cross sea with a lesser prize? (6,5) |
| SILVER MEDAL — SILVER (pirate, Long John Silver) and L (left) around (to cross) MED (sea) with A | |
| 8 | Too many beginning to unilaterally agitate for independence (8) |
| AUTONOMY — TOO MANY and the first letter of Unilaterally are anagrammed (agitate) | |
| 9 | Seek new, unusual lines for organ part (4-5) |
| KNEE-SWELL — SEEK NEW anagrammed (unusual) + LL (lines). A lever worked by an organist’s knee | |
| 10 | Cheap brace, a metal mouthpiece (3-3) |
| TWO-BIT — TWO (brace) + BIT (a metal mouthpiece) | |
| 11 | Unlawful attendance in lycée’s very short-lived (11) |
| TRESPASSING — TRÉS (in lycée’s very) + PASSING (short-lived) | |
| 12 | Dignitary dressing right (5) |
| MAYOR — MAYO (dressing) + R (right) | |
| 13 | What order’s observed in abbey (or almost) (12) |
| ALPHABETICAL — A cryptic definition – the words “abbey” and “almost” both have their letters in ALPHABETICAL order | |
| 20 | Back in need of nurse — and doctor on the way (8) |
| REARMOST — REAR (nurse) + MO (doctor) + ST (way) | |
| 22 | Wood producer not oddly seen off in retort, ever (3,4) |
| FIR TREE — Even letters only of (not oddly seen) oFf In ReToRt, EvEr | |
| 23 | Method of delivery of bullet with gun (5-3) |
| ROUND-ARM — ROUND (bullet) with ARM (gun) | |
| 25 | Being tense when instructed to speak out by Head (8) |
| TAUTNESS — TAUT, a homophone of (… to speak out loud) TAUGHT (instructed), by NESS (head) | |
| 28 | A button on the end, one coupled with zip? (8) |
| ANIMATED — A + the last letter of (… on the end) buttonN + I (one) + MATED (coupled) | |
| 29 | Used to hold jack so unable to play? (7) |
| INJURED — INURED (used) around (to hold) J (jack) | |
| 31 | Joel was one awfully hard prep monitor! (5,7) |
| MINOR PROPHET — An anagram of (awfully) H (hard) with PREP MONITOR | |
| 33 | At college hospital, doctor has varying fortunes (3,3,5) |
| UPS AND DOWNS — UP (at college) + SAN (hospital) + DD (doctor: Doctor of Divinity) + OWNS (has) | |
| 34 | American stunner to perform in hit record with Queen (11) |
| SOCKDOLOGER — DO (to perform) in SOCK (hit) and LOG (record) with ER (queen) | |
| 35 | After drink, our Henry needs a rest, they say (6,3,2) |
| RUMOUR HAS IT — After RUM (drink), OUR + H (henry) + A + SIT (rest) | |
| 36 | Guide’s begun to manoeuvre vehicles on beach (4,7) |
| DUNE BUGGIES — GUIDE‘S BEGUN anagrammed (to manoeuvre) | |
| 38 | A dozen balls to hold in clubs in Bury (9) |
| OVERCOVER — OVER and OVER (a dozen balls: two overs) containing (to hold) C (clubs) | |
| 41 | Brummie maybe in dark turning up with lighter? (9) |
| MIDLANDER — DIM (dark) reversed (turning) + LANDER (lighter? – If land=light, then presumably a lander could be a lighter) | |
| 42 | As we used to say, you favour writing, music, sculpture etc (3,5) |
| ART FORMS — Archaic way of saying (as we used to say) ART FOR (you favour) + MS (manuscript, writing) | |
| 45 | Irish sportsperson eclipsing fourth rate track athlete (7) |
| HURDLER — HURLER (Irish sportsperson: a player of hurling, an Irish stick-and-ball sport) around (eclipsing) D (forth-rate) | |
| 46 | Having a nap on top of yardarm is mistake (6) |
| FLUFFY — Preceding (on, in a down entry) the first letter (top) of Yardarm is FLUFF (mistake) | |
| 47 | Old singer, close to stardom, rising up to it (5) |
| MELBA — The last letter of (close to) stardoM plus the reversal of (rising) ABLE (up to it) | |
| 49 | Lively music, remarkably taken from Revelation (5) |
| DISCO — VERY (remarkably) is taken from DISCO[very] (revelation) | |
Edited at 2022-02-19 03:10 am (UTC)
Not that the jumbo prizes are really worth having, at least having won twice already.
Kitty the title needs changing, it is jumbo 1540 not 1535
I don’t bother with prizes, or even the leaderboard, and that means I am relatively relaxed when I do that kind of thing anyway.
All that effort gone to waste … that sums up most of my life!
Title amended – thanks.
Edited at 2022-02-19 11:02 am (UTC)
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INCHEON looked very unlikely, and “port” anywhere in the whole wide world was hardly a generous definition. For all I knew, INCHEON is a fine old ruby from Portugal. At least the wordplay and the crossers left no room for error.
I somehow recalled SOCKDOLOGER,, but was grateful to the wordplay for the spelling.
I liked ALPHABETCAL: adding “or almost” was very conducive to penny dropping.