No complaints about this lovely Jumbo, brimming with good surfaces and interesting wordplay. Given that I only started getting into Dad’s Army a couple of years ago (I may be slow, but I always get there in the end) then the highly deceitful 31ac may well be my COW. I also enjoyed the multiple Latin answers and of course the fact that the puzzle is peppered with expostulations – “What do you know? Bejesus! I never did!” – like some kind of resident of Craggy Island.
Nice job setter, it’s a big yes from me.
Definitions underlined in italics, (ABC)* indicating anagram of ABC, {} deletions and [] other indicators.
| Across | |
| 1 | Ancient musical instrument, not exactly novel (7) |
| REBECCA – REBEC [ancient musical instrument, akin to a viol or mandolin] + C(irc)A [not exactly] | |
| 5 | Show loyal friendship, perhaps, with press chief in retreat (4-5) |
| BACK-PEDAL – BACK PAL [show loyal friendship?], with ED(itor) in | |
| 10 | Hit recalled for granny? (4) |
| KNOT – TONK reversed. FOI | |
| 14 | As we were on a quest astute, largely, to be organised (6,3,4) |
| STATUS QUO ANTE – (ON A QUEST ASTUT{e}) | |
| 15 | Film makers did show with some Japanese cooking (9) |
| CAMERAMEN – CAME [did show (up)] + RAMEN noodles | |
| 16 | Force unit to broadcast each November in style of French author (10) |
| VOLTAIREAN – VOLT [unit of (electromotive) force] + AIR [to broad cast] + EA(ch) + N(ovember) | |
| 17 | Stop early, returning home: beer with male friend (3,2,3,3) |
| NIP IN THE BUD – reversed IN [home] + PINT [beer] + HE [male] + BUD [friend] | |
| 18 | One having shot rook involved in row (5) |
| TRIER – R(ook) in TIER [row] | |
| 19 | Free issue including photo that’s been withdrawn (10) |
| EMANCIPATE – EMANATE [issue] including reversed PIC | |
| 21 | Set sights on corporate tax IFC’s holding over (6) |
| FIXATE – hidden reversed in {corporat}E TAX IF{c} | |
| 23 | Girl who came out on maybe weekly drive, bypassing E German town (9) |
| MAGDEBURG – DEB [girl who came out] on MAG [maybe, weekly] + URG{e} [drive, bypassing the “e”] | |
| 25 | Reading matter keeping I see within the law (5) |
| LICIT – LIT(erature) keeping I C | |
| 26 | Graduate playing clumsily with a small set of keys (7) |
| BAHAMAS – B.A. + HAM [playing clumsily] with A S(mall). Keys as in low islands | |
| 28 | Bloomers in letter by Pentagon — demise of Reagan? (13) |
| RHODODENDRONS – RHO [letter] by D.O.D. [Department of Defense = Pentagon] + END [demise] + RON’S [of Reagan] | |
| 31 | Order to be collected from elderly butcher serving part-time (4,5) |
| DONT PANIC – a cryptic def: you could spend a long time agonising over how this all works if you’ve never heard of Dad’s Army. One of the catchphrases of Lance Corporal Jones in the Home Guard, also an elderly butcher. | |
| 33 | Learner celebrated mathematician clinching City University teaching job (9) |
| LECTURING – L(earner) + [Alan] TURING “clinching” EC [postcode of the City of London] | |
| 35 | Photo op formed originally for Cassandra (7,2,4) |
| PROPHET OF DOOM – (PHOTO OP FORMED*) | |
| 37 | Writer Romeo, back in the day, one for Flower Power generation (7) |
| TURBINE – NIB R(omeo), reversed in TUE(sday). Very creative use of the “flower, as in something that flows, as in river” crossword device | |
| 38 | In place of classic poems, novel (5) |
| EPSOM – (POEMS*). Classic as in “flat race for three-year-olds” | |
| 40 | Love having one’s fair share of trouble? (9) |
| ADORATION – trouble is ADO, ergo one’s fair share of trouble is one’s ADO RATION | |
| 42 | Strong material, when front has split, weakening (6) |
| EBBING – {w}EBBING | |
| 44 | Frame of picture, or highly ornate ancient symbol (10) |
| HIEROGLYPH – (P{ictur}E OR HIGHLY*) | |
| 46 | Floor / cover (5) |
| THROW – double def | |
| 48 | Earth for example from plot and from abroad needed by Tom or Barbara? (5,6) |
| MAJOR PLANET – MAJOR [Tom or Barbara] needs PLAN [plot] + ET [and, from abroad] | |
| 50 | Stoker needing hot drink not saying thanks? (5,5) |
| CHAIN GRATE – CHA [hot drink] + INGRATE [not saying thanks]. Never heard of this but it’s “a device for stoking an industrial furnace in which fuel is drawn in by means of a rotating chain” | |
| 52 | Outlaw’s especially long time inside not even with remission? (9) |
| DESPERADO – ESP. ERA [especially | long time] inside reversed ODD [not even] | |
| 53 | Request for news / that’s unexpected! (4,2,3,4) |
| WHAT DO YOU KNOW – double def | |
| 54 | 1 down to choose university for a career (4) |
| RUSH – 1 down is RASH, so R{a->U}SH | |
| 55 | Popular English composer died: that’s a shock! (1,5,3) |
| I NEVER DID – IN E VERDI D [popular | English | composer | died] | |
| 56 | Unemotional, but on consuming whiskey, reddened? (3-4) |
| DRY-EYED – DYED [reddened?] consuming RYE [whiskey] | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Not considered / an unwelcome series (4) |
| RASH – double def. “An unwelcome series” as in “a rash of vandalism”, or whatnot | |
| 2 | Heavily publicising law graduate with answer on regionalisation (9) |
| BLAZONING – B.L. [law grad] + A(nswer) + ZONING | |
| 3 | Bar turn by stars — not rising ones? (7-15) |
| COUNTER-REVOLUTIONARIES – COUNTER REVOLUTION ARES [bar | turn | stars]. “Rising ones” are revolutionaries, but these are the opposite | |
| 4 | Come by with a lot of paper for the auditors (7) |
| ACQUIRE – homophone of A QUIRE | |
| 5 | Returned unexpectedly, as did thunder across mountains (11) |
| BOOMERANGED – BOOMED [did thunder] across RANGE [mountains]. If your boomerang boomerangs, is that really unexpected? | |
| 6 | Accepted article for wearing like a dunce’s hat? (9) |
| CANONICAL – AN [article] wearing CONICAL [shaped like a dunce hat] | |
| 7 | Hymn from non-believer having change of heart (5) |
| PAEAN – PA{g->E}AN | |
| 8 | Poorly paid cadet, note, not having a bean? (11) |
| DECAPITATED – (PAID CADET TE*). Is this an indirect anagram? | |
| 9 | Tart left money splashed out (6) |
| LEMONY – (L MONEY*) | |
| 11 | Staff turning up one short prejudice foreign state (7) |
| NAMIBIA – reversed MAN [staff] + I + BIA{s} | |
| 12 | Garment is big top put on by female medic? (4,5) |
| TENT DRESS – TENT [big top] put on by D(octo)R-ESS | |
| 13 | Abbey church prior on fast unsettled leading cleric (10,2,10) |
| ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY – (ABBEY CHURCH PRIOR ON FAST*) | |
| 18 | Cart with breadbasket falling on Belgian singer (7) |
| TUMBREL – TUM [breadbasket] falling on [Jacques] BREL | |
| 20 | Artist’s abnormal craving’s like this (7) |
| PICASSO – PICA’S SO. Pica is cravings to eat inedible things during e.g. pregnancy | |
| 22 | A tip for rubbish? One with nothing from the start (2,6) |
| AB INITIO – A + BIN IT! [tip for rubbish] + I + O | |
| 24 | As written or spoken French, filling university requirement (8) |
| UNEDITED – DIT [spoken, in French] filling U NEED | |
| 27 | Writer’s scaled down poem, unromantically (5) |
| MUNRO – hidden in {poe}M UNRO{mantically}. H.H. Munro aka Saki | |
| 29 | Come to mind old dog that’s caught cold (5) |
| OCCUR – O(ld) CUR, catching C(old) | |
| 30 | One to contend with pensioner missing a sitter (7) |
| OPPOSER – O{a}P + POSER | |
| 32 | Urgent invitation, perhaps, bringing mild reproof (4,3) |
| COME NOW – double def. “Come, now!” is an urgent invitation | |
| 34 | Recognise an unusual feature (7,4) |
| GRECIAN NOSE – (RECOGNISE AN*) | |
| 36 | Unsubtle fellow poet’s indeed offered gripping verse (5-6) |
| HEAVY-HANDED – HE AY HANDED [fellow | poet’s “indeed” | offered], gripping V(erse) | |
| 37 | Jollies I had with other ranks once a month (9) |
| THERMIDOR – THE R(oyal) M(arines) [jollies] + I’D + O.R. | |
| 39 | Staff flourished for a spell (5,4) |
| MAGIC WAND – cryptic def. When Harry Potter wants to cast a spell he flourishes his magic wand, which I guess qualifies as a bijou “staff” | |
| 41 | Irish girl being educated in New York caught bug? (9) |
| IRRITANCY – IR(ish) + RITA [girl being educated] + C(aught) in N.Y. | |
| 43 | My bride after vacation in France I suspect (7) |
| BEJESUS – B{rid}E + JE [in France, I] + SUS(pect) | |
| 45 | Tune you had that’s soothing (7) |
| HONEYED – HONE [tune] + YE’D [you had] | |
| 47 | Lime maybe drunk mostly without a hint of lemon (6) |
| ALKALI – ALKI{e} outside A L{emon} | |
| 49 | Strap we see on odd occasions no more? (5) |
| TAWSE – {s}T{r}A{p} W{e} S{e}E, &lit | |
| 51 | A day filled with dread (4) |
| AWED – A WED(nesday) | |
Not far short of 3 hours – so about 13 Verlaines – still with fingers crossed for a few unknowns. I enjoyed it. I was briefly delighted to learn that THERMIDOR meant “once a month” (something to do with rationing lobsters) but it doesn’t mean that at all. Still a good clue.
Big thanks Verlaine if you have done this blog just for me
PS. The other British sitcom you need to know is The Good Life, although it will hinder, not help, the solving of 48ac
I am vaguely aware of The Good Life but the only things I know about it are that it has Richard Briers, Felicity Kendal and Penelope Keith as Margo in it. I guess if I can catch up on Dad’s Army so many decades later I could also get on top of The Good Life finally…
Mr and Mrs Good (Tom and Barbara, as in the clue) try for self-sufficiency by growing crops in the back garden of their suburban semi. The EARTH and the (vegetable) PLOT are there in the clue to distract us
Many thanks Verlaine for the, as always, informative blog. It took me about 2 hours over two sessions and I still couldn’t parse 20 dn – to me a pica is a printer’s measure. Your satisfied customer quotient has just doubled!
Re 8dn, yes, I had it noted either as an indirect anagram or perhaps it was missing an enclosure indicator for TE.