Hello everyone. I left this until the eleventh hour – almost literally – so have been somewhat briefer than usual. This would mean I have a proper time for a change, but unfortunately I managed to DNF by doing a couple of things too incredibly silly to mention. Oh, well, I will admit that I invented the word DOCEANT for 14a (I will not confess what I entered into the crossing 5d!) …
If my sleepy state is to blame for my brain fail, then the puzzle must have been on the gentle side, as it took me 54 minutes. I did very much enjoy it, particularly the more than usual flavour of science/maths. Not that there has to be much scientific content in a crossword for it to me more than usual! So many thanks to the setter for making my hurried solvage and bloggage much more fun than it might have been!
Fun and games with reverse cluing always goes down well with me, so FLAGRANCE and CUT A LONG STORY SHORT get a mention, as well as BUTTERFINGERED.
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 | Go to enlist jockeys surrounding horse race expert (11) |
| ETHNOLOGIST — GO TO ENLIST is anagrammed (jockeys) around (surrounding) H (horse) | |
| 7 | A benefit, with view to invest around developmental stage (11) |
| ADOLESCENCE — A + DOLE (benefit) with SCENE (view) containing (to invest) C (circa, around) | |
| 13 | Get lost in Amerindian territory’s westernmost part (3,2) |
| HOP IT — HOPI (Amerindian) + Territory’s leftmost letter (westernmost part) | |
| 14 | Abnormal beginnings of delirium tremens, drinking water (7) |
| DEVIANT — Initial letters (beginnings) of Delirium Tremens around (drinking) EVIAN (water) | |
| 15 | Outrageous quality of criminal across the Channel, it’s suggested? (9) |
| FLAGRANCE — LAG (criminal) in FRANCE (across the Channel, it’s suggested?) | |
| 16 | Converted barn unfortunately bagging zero profit (4-5) |
| BORN-AGAIN — An anagram of (… unfortunately) BARN enclosing (bagging) O (zero) + GAIN (profit) | |
| 17 | One makes request flexibly, mostly? It’s beyond me (10) |
| SUPPLICANT — SUPPLy (flexibly) without the last letter (mostly) + I CAN’T (it’s beyond me) | |
| 20 | Rang about Republican getting provoked (7) |
| TROLLED — TOLLED (rang) around (about) R (Republican) | |
| 22 | Shady way of working from the east, I sense (7) |
| OMINOUS — MO (way of working) reversed (from the east) + I + NOUS (sense) | |
| 24 | Clean frames using computers to make image (7) |
| PICTURE — PURE (clean) goes around (frames) ICT (using computers) | |
| 25 | In power lighting once again, it’s lacking (8) |
| REIGNING — RE–IGN[it]ING (lighting once again) without IT (it’s lacking) | |
| 26 | No cooler aboard vessel, touring delta in uncertain venture (1,4,2,3,4) |
| A SHOT IN THE DARK — AS HOT (no cooler) + IN THE ARK (aboard vessel) going around (touring) D (delta) | |
| 28 | Crooks in a car dropping back on motorway (5) |
| MAFIA — A and FIAt (car) removing the last letter (dropping back) next to (on) M (motorway) | |
| 29 | Taps in bathrooms turned for group under water (6) |
| SCHOOL — CH (taps – cold and hot) in LOOS (bathrooms) reversed (turned) | |
| 30 | Brought down personnel blocking public grant (10) |
| OVERTHROWN — HR (personnel) inside (blocking) OVERT (public) and OWN (grant, as in admit) | |
| 33 | Foolishly ennoble any wife at court (4,6) |
| ANNE BOLEYN — An anagram of (foolishly) ENNOBLE ANY | |
| 35 | Jack getting together with Elizabeth’s sister (6) |
| ABBESS — AB (Jack) + BESS (Elizabeth) | |
| 37 | Publication with The Times is for enchanting fellow (5) |
| MAGUS — MAG (publication) + US (The Times) | |
| 39 | Likely to drop billions, say, implicated in crime (14) |
| BUTTERFINGERED — B (billions) + UTTER (say) + FINGERED (implicated in crime) | |
| 41 | We’re told superior room is suitable for priests (8) |
| HIERATIC — This sounds like (we’re told) HIGHER (superior) + ATTIC (room) | |
| 44 | Not as engaging setter working for one with pride (7) |
| LIONESS — LESS (not as) containing (engaging) I (setter) and ON (working) | |
| 45 | One who throws out European champion (7) |
| EVICTOR — E (European) + VICTOR (champion) | |
| 46 | Winger to tip over, getting hold of small right back (7) |
| KESTREL — KEEL (to tip over) around (getting hold of) S (small) and RT (right) reversed (back) | |
| 47 | Appoint entertaining quartet, as the case may be (10) |
| NOMINATIVE — NOMINATE (appoint) surrounding (entertaining) IV (quartet) | |
| 49 | An evil is ultimately forgiven – it could be this one? (6,3) |
| VENIAL SIN — AN EVIL IS + the last letter of (ultimately) forgiveN could be anagrammed to give this non-mortal sin | |
| 53 | Supply fashionable and French fabric (9) |
| STOCKINET — STOCK (supply) + IN (fashionable) + ET (and, French) | |
| 54 | Clear a bishop found with crack (7) |
| ABSOLVE — A + B (bishop) + SOLVE (crack) | |
| 55 | Rubbish military decoration initially five times greater (5) |
| DROSS — cROSS (military decoration) with the first letter changed from C to D (initially five times greater – in Roman numerals) | |
| 56 | Bachelor’s serious kind of crime in Washington? (5-6) |
| FIRST-DEGREE — A Bachelor’s [degree] is a FIRST DEGREE (not hyphenated) and FIRST-DEGREE [murder] is a serious kind of crime in the US | |
| 57 | Man picked up drink for hotel employee (5,6) |
| NIGHT PORTER — A homophone of (… picked up) KNIGHT (man) + PORTER (drink) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Boxer hit out, punched by one in shower (9) |
| EXHIBITOR — BOXER HIT anagrammed (out) with the insertion of (punched by) I (one) | |
| 2 | Cosh, say, with excessive force and fake fervour (10,8) |
| HYPERBOLIC FUNCTION — HYPERBOLIC (excessive) + F (force) + UNCTION (fake fervour) | |
| 3 | East German capital erected in ancient Roman port (5) |
| OSTIA — OST (east, German) + AI (A1, capital) reversed (erected) | |
| 4 | Diverse articles coming from curious object in beach (4,3,4) |
| ODDS AND ENDS — ODD (curious) + END (object) in SANDS (beach) | |
| 5 | Bell, perhaps gold, under cool air (8) |
| INVENTOR — OR (gold) under IN (cool) and VENT (air) | |
| 6 | Tutors lacking current goal in broadcast (12) |
| TRANSMISSION — TRA[i]NS (tutors) without I (lacking current) + MISSION (goal) | |
| 7 | Particle, not ion, with part spinning round (10) |
| ANTIPROTON — An anagram of (… spinning around) NOT ION with PART | |
| 8 | Tripe found by ancient king on line (5) |
| OFFAL — OFFA (ancient king) on L (line) | |
| 9 | A romance tip spread around, one ruling out bondage? (11) |
| EMANCIPATOR — A ROMANCE TIP anagrammed (spread around) | |
| 10 | Record lasting lifetime, but only the covers (9) |
| CHRONICLE — CHRONIC (lasting) + LifetimE, but just the outer letters (only the covers) | |
| 11 | Lacking class, like New Yorker’s behaviour? (3-1) |
| NON-U — The American spelling of behaviour lacks the U | |
| 12 | Something that happens briefly in flat (4) |
| EVEN — EVENt (something that happens) without the last letter (briefly) | |
| 18 | Get to the point that may make saga sag? (3,1,4,5,5) |
| CUT A LONG STORY SHORT — If you remove the last letter from “saga”, and thus CUT A LONG STORY SHORT, it becomes “sag” | |
| 19 | What gardener does without knowledge in time off (8) |
| WEEKENDS — WEEDS (what gardener does) around (without) KEN (knowledge) | |
| 21 | Old-fashioned script politician keeps close (6,1) |
| LINEAR B — LIB (politician) contains (keeps) NEAR (close) | |
| 23 | More than one domestic goes AWOL around six (8) |
| SKIVVIES — SKIVES (goes AWOL) around VI (six) | |
| 27 | Asian bread eaten by socialist born in US capital (8) |
| CHEYENNE — YEN (Asian bread) inside (eaten by) CHE (socialist) and NÉ (born) | |
| 28 | Tiring complaint where one sees dancers mince (8) |
| MEATBALL — ME (tiring complaint) + AT BALL (where one sees dancers) | |
| 31 | Contact sport breaking philosopher’s bone (7) |
| HUMERUS — RU (contact sport) inserted into (breaking) HUME’S (philosopher’s) | |
| 32 | Don’t protest so much about perfect example (6,6) |
| OBJECT LESSON — OBJECT LESS (don’t protest so much) + ON (about) | |
| 34 | After sentence, con abandons morality for zoology? (4,7) |
| LIFE SCIENCE — After LIFE (sentence), CON leaves (abandons) [con]SCIENCE (morality) | |
| 36 | Possible pet to shove among group of extremists (5,6) |
| STICK INSECT — STICK (to shove) + IN (among) + SECT (group of extremists) | |
| 38 | Run over India and China is sensible (10) |
| LEGITIMATE — LEG IT (run) + I (India) + MATE (China) | |
| 40 | I heard hit film is one that grips the viewer (3,6) |
| EYE SOCKET — EYE, a homophone of (… heard) I + SOCK (hit) + ET (film) | |
| 42 | Criminal in cooler’s one appropriating territory (9) |
| COLONISER — An anagram of (criminal) IN COOLER’S | |
| 43 | Composer’s brought in to good account of American abroad? (8) |
| TRAVELOG — RAVEL (composer) is put inside (brought in) TO + G (good), with the definition accounting for the American spelling | |
| 48 | Tail of sea bird moving around (5) |
| ASTIR — The last letter (tail) of seA + STIR (bird) | |
| 50 | Car wheel is sound (5) |
| AUDIO — AUDI (car) + O (wheel) | |
| 51 | A hand almost raised? Pull the other one (2,2) |
| AS IF — A + FISt (hand) minus its last letter (almost) and reversed (raised) | |
| 52 | Show derision before king, one wanting culture (4) |
| BOOR — BOO (show derision) before R (king) | |
Edited at 2022-03-26 10:11 am (UTC)
In this case I suspect Z is right, and I/we have missed quite the Nina ..