Times Cryptic Jumbo 1551 – call for the RFDS or an ambo

I thought this was mostly straightforward, especially for a bank holiday, with most of the unusual words very fairly clued.  I got a little bogged down in the SE corner where the long clues that would have really opened things up were a bit tricky.

First in was DECAHEDRON and last was CONTEMPORISING.

If any of my explanations don’t make sense then feel free to ask for further elucidation.

I’ll be on a short break in Paris when this blog hits the screens so might not be able to field comments straight away.

The technical stuff:

Clues are in blue with the definition undelined.  Anagram indicators are in bold italics.

Notation:

DD: Double definition

CD: Cryptic definition

DDCDH: DD/CD hybrid where a straight definition is combined with a cryptic hint.

&Lit: “all in one” where the entire clue is both definition and wordplay.

(fodder)* denotes an anagram of the letters in the brackets.

Rounded brackets are also used to add further clarity

Squiggly brackets {} indicate parts of a word not used

Deletions are struck out

Square brackets [] expand an abbreviation or shortening like CO[mpany]

Across
1	Solid shape of Cheddar one chopped up (10)
	DECAHEDRON – (cheddar one)*
6	Bring East and West together maybe to achieve financial viability (4,4,4)
	MAKE ENDS MEET – DDCDH
14	Footballers, grumblers abandoning hotel (7)
	WINGERS – WHINGERS with H[otel] removed
15	Share accommodation with husband, not much company to begin with (7)
	COHABIT – H[usband], A Bit, all after CO[mpany]
16	Warning light at the back of church room (7)
	CHAMBER – AMBER after CH[urch]
17	Rain sees gathering retreating (4)
	TEEM – MEET reversed
18	Wreath with unusual name covering notice (6)
	ANADEM – (name)* around AD[vertisement]
20	Writer penning a miserable article somewhere in California (8)
	PASADENA – PEN around A SAD, A
24	Hate the sound of revenge? No, resolved to be realistic (4,4,4,2,3,6)
	HAVE ONES FEET ON THE GROUND – (hate the sound of revenge no)*.  Disclaimer: I haven’t checked the anagram fodder.
25	More irritable artist close to portrait row (7)
	RATTIER – R[oyal] A[cademician], {portrai}T, TIER
26	Trophy one had to hold small yellow spittoon (8)
	CUSPIDOR – CUP I’D around S[mall], OR (yellow in heraldry)
27	Bright and bouncy? Not yours truly in the morning! (6)
	AGLEAM – AGiLE, A.M.  Slight confusion when I tried to put something inside A.M.
29	Bit of a state (4,2,3,5)
	COIN OF THE REALM – CD
31	Agreement opposing religious document (8)
	CONTRACT – CON, TRACT
34	Quietly showing initiative, providing legal statement (8)
	PLEADING – P[iano], LEADING.  I think this works with “providing” being either a link word (my Chambers app indicates that pleadings, plural, are the statements of parties in a lawsuit) or part of the (verbal) definition.
36	Health problem — is it sore throat possibly? (14)
	OSTEOARTHRITIS – (is it sore throat)*.  Disclaimer: I haven’t checked the anagram fodder.
39	Author‘s old set of books in prominent position (6)
	CAPOTE – O[ld] T[estament] in CAPE
41	Insects in season win out against arachnids (8)
	TERMITES – winTER, MITES
43	What farmer harvests — fellow getting top award? (7)
	MANGOLD – MAN, GOLD.  A variety of beet cultivated as cattle food.
46	A saint isn’t a saint to blurt out ”I hold traditional Catholic belief” (23)
	TRANSUBSTANTIATIONALIST – (a saint isn’t a saint to blurt)*.  Disclaimer: I haven’t checked the anagram fodder.  Funny word.  It looks like it should be trans-sub… rather than trans-ub or tran-sub.  Someone who believes that, in the consecration of the elements of the Eucharist, the bread and wine actually turn into Christ’s body and blood.
47	I took food, having arrived earlier, turning waste away? (8)
	EMACIATE – I ATE after a reversal of CAME
48	Music-maker spilled oil in French wine (6)
	VIOLIN – (oil)* in VIN.  I did check the anagram fodder for this one.
49	Important Indian seen as unharmonious on reflection (4)
	RAJA – AJAR reversed.  AJAR can mean jarring / out of tune as well as slightly open, which makes sense, although it’s noted as archaic in my Chambers app.
53	Getting rid of time to celebrate (7)
	ERASING – ERA, SING
54	One area to the east of one country and another (7)
	NIGERIA – I A[rea] after NIGER
56	In a very cold region with no hint of sun? Yes and no! (7)
	IBERIAN –  I wasn’t really sure how much of this clue to underline.  I started out with all of it but plumped for just the “no!” at the end.  The rest, obvs, is sIBERIAN.
57	One who may be up for a job in the medical profession (6,6)
	FLYING DOCTOR – CD
58	Put in the correct position in resting place, cheered up (10)
	BRIGHTENED – RIGHTEN in BED

Down
1	Bird with irritation when grasped by performer (9)
	DOWITCHER – W[ith] ITCH in DOER.  It’s a sandpiper
2	Rare voices not messed about with in music school? (13)
	CONSERVATOIRE – (rare voices not)*.  A French work colleague was both puzzled and impressed when I told her we were having a conservatoire built onto the back of the house.
3	German philosopher, no good — a baddie (4)
	HEEL – HEgEL.  He’s in the Monty Python song so we all know him.
4	Criminal in dirtiest gang is collapsing (14)
	DISINTEGRATING – (in dirtiest gang)*
5	Monster some sailor caught (3)
	ORC – hidden
7	First maiden to be chucked off dance platform (4)
	AMBO – mAMBO
8	Family of lover no longer having grip (10)
	EXTRACTION – EX, TRACTION
9	Winks from Conservative arts donor in rising scandal (8)
	NICTATES – C[onservative], TATE in SIN reversed
10	Great fights erupting — an unwelcome experience in the theatre (5,6)
	STAGE FRIGHT – (great fights)*
11	Medic in time certain to find an opening (9)
	EMBRASURE – M[edicinae] B[accalaureus] in ERA SURE
12	Weed in derelict area (4)
	TARE – hidden.  I didn’t know this meaning.
13	Fizzy drink in cold picnic baskets (8)
	CHAMPERS – C[old], HAMPERS
19	Weighed down by imperfection, journalist left the country (8)
	DEFECTED – DEFECT on ED[itor]
21	Party child loses footing — one to fall over? (6)
	DOMINO – DO, MINOr
22	What’s said to be pleasant meadow for a refreshing drink? (5,3)
	ROSIE LEE – Sounds like ROSY LEA.  CRS for tea.
23	Poem about tiny people, members of a tribe (8)
	EDOMITES – ODE reversed, MITE
28	Study music speed increasing, getting with it? (14)
	CONTEMPORISING – Slight panic when I thought I’d need to bring to mind one of those pesky Italian music notation words (accelerando in this case or stringendo), but in fact it’s CON (study), TEMPO RISING
29	Size of a large conurbation? There’s an upper limit (8)
	CAPACITY – A CITY with CAP above it.
30	Legal entitlement this person in senate renegotiated (8)
	EASEMENT – ME in (senate)*
32	Writer, Italian heretic who brooks no opposition? (13)
	AUTHORITARIAN – AUTHOR, IT[alian] ARIAN.  I always panic when I see HERETIC in a clue as I think I don’t know any, but then it’s usually ARIAN.
33	Voice of a Liberal in loud row (8)
	FALSETTO -A L[iberal] in F[orte] SET-TO.
35	Hatred of English assessment — a time I get kept in by lecturer? (11)
	DETESTATION – E[nglish] TEST A T[ime] I in DON
37	Method at bottom of ladder that may be needed to go up (6)
	RUNWAY – WAY under RUN (stocking ladder)
38	Writer cheers invigorating person with five notes (10)
	PENTATONIC – PEN, TA, TONIC (which can be a person as well as a thing).
40	Flier to wait, having lost heart as orbital traveller (9)
	PLANETARY – PLANE, TArRY
42	This curtailed each criminal’s activity (8)
	THIEVERY – THIs EVERY
44	Investigator came down and stepped on to platform? (9)
	DETRAINED – DET[ective], RAINED
45	Knight escapes from a Welsh town diminished (8)
	ABRIDGED – A BRIDGEND without N for knight (chess)
50	Lowly worker mostly impudent when turning up (4)
	SERF – FRES{h} reversed
51	Nigerian leads off immigrant grabbed by officer (4)
	IGBO – initial letters
52	Minimal money about to be given to hospital department (4)
	CENT – C[irca], E[ar], N[ose and] T[hroat]
55	Song is heard in this Scottish town (3)
	AYR – sounds like AIR (probably not if that’s where you’re from)