Hello everyone. After a good start I tired a little and had to take a break. A bit more than an hour in total, but probably technically a DNF anyway: I had a typo, but while I was searching for the mistake I tested alternate spellings for the unknown impresario at 7d, and didn’t recall whether my original arrangement of vowels had been right. There were a few NHOs in the mix, so I was happy enough with that.
I didn’t have any standout favourite clues but noted some clever anagrams and various other nice touches. 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 | |
| 1a | Chemical process? Whip article away from critical study (9) |
| CATALYSIS — CAT (whip) + AN (article) taken away from [an]ALYSIS (critical study) | |
| 6a | MD’s style? With energy, MD needs brain activated to work (7,6) |
| BEDSIDE MANNER — With E (energy), MD NEEDS BRAIN anagrammed (activated to work) | |
| 13a | Simplistic North America likely to shock, ousting leader (5) |
| NAIVE — NA (North America) + lIVE (likely to shock) removing the first letter (ousting leader) | |
| 14a | Recalled musical success with theatre adopting right authority (11) |
| PREROGATIVE — The reversal of (recalled) EVITA (musical), GO (success) and REP (theatre) taking in (adopting) R (right) | |
| 15a | Urban greenery needing a warm coat (5) |
| PARKA — PARK (urban greenery) + A | |
| 16a | Paid me back: old character’s considered good about that (11) |
| REMUNERATED — ME reversed (back): RUNE (old character) and RATED (considered good) goes outside that (about that) | |
| 17a | Strength in the lashes when fluttering (11) |
| HEALTHINESS — IN THE LASHES when anagrammed (fluttering) | |
| 18a | Secretary receiving an expert cure (7) |
| PANACEA — PA (secretary) containing (receiving) AN ACE (an expert) | |
| 20a | Item of poetry allowed after masterstroke (7) |
| COUPLET — LET (allowed) after COUP (masterstroke) | |
| 21a | Military leader to be heading for Rome in a month (7) |
| OCTOBER — OC (military leader, Officer Commanding or Officer in Charge + TO BE + the first letter of (heading for) Rome | |
| 23a | Ardennes? A great visit — brought about by this? (5,1,6,7) |
| TRAIN À GRANDE VITESSE — ARDENNES? A GREAT VISIT anagrammed (brought about). I just about ground this out with the help of the checkers; the abbreviation TGV is not unfamiliar but I didn’t know what it stood for |
|
| 27a | Minute almost needed to get ready (3) |
| TIN — TINy (minute) without the last letter (almost). Ready money | |
| 28a | Holy man blocking temptation shows distinction (6) |
| LUSTRE — ST (holy man) inside (blocking) LURE (temptation) | |
| 29a | Legal statement is flexible, one having been moved back (6) |
| PLAINT — PLIANT (flexible) with I (one) having been moved back to earlier in the word | |
| 31a | Flag put back before lecture is to disappear (9) |
| EVAPORATE — PAVE (flag) reversed (put back) before ORATE (lecture) | |
| 34a | Animal secretion increasingly seen to rotate in ring (9) |
| PHEROMONE — MORE (increasingly) is seen going backwards (to rotate) in PHONE (ring) | |
| 35a | Leg mostly surrounded by other legs is shining (6) |
| GLEAMS — LEg without the last letter (mostly) surrounded by GAMS (other legs) | |
| 36a | Stop recalling passion in case (6) |
| PERIOD — We are reversing (recalling) IRE (passion) in POD (case) | |
| 39a | Some further airtime for African music (3) |
| RAI — The answer is embedded in (some) furtheR AIrtime | |
| 40a | Indication of closure, as pilfering female pinching article confesses (4,3,3,4,5) |
| WHEN THE FAT LADY SINGS — WHEN (as), THEFT (pilfering) and LADY (female) around (pinching) A + SINGS (confesses) | |
| 42a | Mysterious shout still perhaps observed around tango (7) |
| CRYPTIC — CRY (shout) + PIC (still perhaps) observed around T (tango) | |
| 43a | Brief comment about Minister held back team (7) |
| EVERTON — NOTE (brief comment) around (about) REV (minister) all reversed (held back) | |
| 45a | Herb ungrateful daughter planted in rings (7) |
| OREGANO — REGAN (ungrateful daughter, of King Lear planted in O O (rings) | |
| 47a | Trampled turf not gone, still retrievable (11) |
| UNFORGOTTEN — An anagram of (trampled) TURF NOT GONE | |
| 49a | Not something you can see being developed by rival outlet (11) |
| ULTRAVIOLET — An anagram of (developed by) RIVAL OUTLET | |
| 51a | A lot of shadows behind one house in the North (5) |
| IGLOO — All but the last letter of (a lot of) GLOOm (shadows) after (behind) I (one) | |
| 52a | Lavender bed? It may be excessively flowery (6,5) |
| PURPLE PATCH — PURPLE (lavender) PATCH (bed) | |
| 53a | Thai people live in Bangkok and Yangon ultimately (5) |
| KAREN — ARE (live) in the last letters of (… ultimately) BangkoK and YangoN. The Karen people are an ethnolinguistic group in Myanmar and Thailand | |
| 54a | American novel‘s representation of sheltered year (3,10) |
| THE DEERSLAYER — An anagram (representation) of SHELTERED YEAR. Novel by James Fenimore Cooper, prequel to the more widely known The Last of the Mohicans | |
| 55a | Several years without unpleasantness, not seeing one rotting (9) |
| DECADENCE — DECADE (several years) + N[i]CE (without unpleasantness) lacking (not seeing) I (one) | |
| Down | |
| 1d | Shifted intercept on a line moving to the middle (11) |
| CENTRIPETAL — An anagram of (shifted) INTERCEPT + A + L (line) | |
| 2d | The writer is restricted by lacking vitamin (7) |
| THIAMIN — I AM (the writer is) inside (restricted by) THIN (lacking) | |
| 3d | Extra bedtime story for a particular group? (3-2) |
| LIE-IN — LIE (story) + IN (for a particular group – namely the in group) | |
| 4d | Transport boss to drink, thus requiring impounding of vehicle (10) |
| SUPERCARGO — SUP (to drink) + ERGO (thus) with insertion of (requiring impounding of) CAR (vehicle) | |
| 5d | One doubts church can take part, as originally presented externally (7) |
| SCEPTIC — CE (church) and PT (part) with SIC (as originally presented) externally | |
| 6d | Terrifying family appearing with daughter in winter sport (13) |
| BLOODCURDLING — BLOOD (family) + D (daughter) in CURLING (winter sport) | |
| 7d | Had vigil arranged to enshrine end of supreme impresario (9) |
| DIAGHILEV — An anagram of (… arranged) HAD VIGIL guarding (to enshrine) the end of supremE I didn’t know Sergei Diaghilev so unravelling his name was troublesome |
|
| 8d | Copying it involves chap securing it (7) |
| IMITANT — IT contains (involves) MAN (chap), in turn containing (securing) IT | |
| 9d | Judge ousting Liberal in vote: constituency’s source of sudden exit (8,4) |
| EJECTION SEAT — J (judge) replacing (ousting) L (liberal) in E[l]ECTION (vote) + SEAT (constituency) Straw poll: would you normally say “ejection seat” or “ejector seat”? |
|
| 10d | Person with job application having nothing in support (9) |
| APPOINTEE — APP (application) + O (nothing) + IN + TEE (support) | |
| 11d | Take care of note, money-bag not opening (5) |
| NURSE — N (note) + pURSE (money-bag) without the first letter (not opening) | |
| 12d | Development of US careers brought about a new peace of mind (11) |
| REASSURANCE — An anagram of (development of) US CAREERS put around (brought about) A and N (new) | |
| 19d | Lively horse crossing North Mexican river (3,4) |
| CON BRIO — COB (horse) around (crossing) N (north) + RIO (Mexican river) | |
| 22d | Club rugby player receiving cheers making squad (9) |
| BATTALION — BAT (club) and LION (rugby player) taking in (receiving) TA (cheers) | |
| 24d | Australian effrontery, dismissing me in hard times (9) |
| AUSTERITY — AUS (Australian) + TE[me]RITY (effrontery) dismissing ME | |
| 25d | Excellent blokes probing officer’s complaint (7) |
| AILMENT — AI (excellent) + MEN (blokes) inside (probing) LT (officer) | |
| 26d | Most of story about Channel Island is describing rising heat (7) |
| THERMAL — Most of TALe (story) around (about) HERM (Channel Island) | |
| 30d | Mural in convent: reworked that less nearer the ceiling (3,4,6) |
| THE LAST SUPPER — An anagram of (reworked) THAT LESS + UPPER (nearer the ceiling). Funny, for such a famous mural I could not have told you its location |
|
| 32d | What superintendent should do, no longer bothered by religious office (7) |
| OVERSEE — OVER (no longer bothered by) + SEE (religious office) | |
| 33d | Be avoiding shift to wheat-farming perhaps and fail (4,1,7) |
| COME A CROPPER — BE avoiding [be]COME A CROPPER (shift to wheat-farming perhaps) | |
| 34d | Air-stunt chap leaving rear of zeppelin, possibly? (11) |
| PARACHUTIST — An anagram of (… possibly) AIR–STU[n]T CHAP leaving the last letter (rear) of zeppeliN | |
| 37d | Misbehaving is unnoticed? Stop (11) |
| DISCONTINUE — An anagram of (misbehaving) IS UNNOTICED | |
| 38d | Mostly stupid old man, mostly stupid in an individual way (10) |
| IDIOPATHIC — All but the last letter of (mostly) IDIOt (stupid) + PA (old man) + mostly THICk (stupid) | |
| 40d | Swallowed river in entire oasis (5-4) |
| WATER-HOLE — ATE (swallowed) and R (river) in WHOLE (entire) | |
| 41d | English agree to retain English naval force for ever (9) |
| ETERNALLY — E (English) + TALLY (agree) keeping (to retain) E (English) and RN (naval force) | |
| 43d | Is French or Italian article seen in luxury resort? (7) |
| ESTORIL — EST (is, French) + OR + IL (Italian article). Another one for which I had to rely on the wordplay – the resort in Portugal is a bit upmarket for me! |
|
| 44d | Marked down as absent from Eastern delta (7) |
| NOTATED — NOT AT (absent from) + E (Eastern) + D (delta) | |
| 46d | Feel bad, with bird losing foremost flying aid (7) |
| AILERON — AIL (feel bad) + hERON (bird) without the first letter (losing foremost) | |
| 48d | River’s ending in lake? Not so (5) |
| FALSE — FAL’S (river’s) + the last letter of (ending in) lakE | |
| 50d | Avoided abandoning Mum in a distressed state (5) |
| IRKED — [sh]IRKED (avoided) leaving (abandoning) SH (mum) | |
DNK LION–figured it was the name of a team–or PLAINT in the required sense; or RAI. Pretty straightforward; like Kitty, I found no COD candidates. I say ‘ejector’, and wrote it in or started to, until I saw it would leave an empty square.
I wrote ‘hard’ on my printout but resorted to aids only once, at 1dn where I was unable to unravel the anagram even with all the checkers in place. I didn’t know the word, however having looked it up I realised that I learnt its opposite, centrifugal, at school over 60 years ago and have remembered it ever since.
ESTORIL was the only other unknown answer but there were a few other meanings or shades of meaning I needed to look up after the event.
I lost time wanting 52ac to be PURPLE PROSE but I was unable to justify it or think past it until the missing checkers had fallen into place.
A hard one. I originally abandoned it 92 per cent done after more than two hours. Coming back to it this morning, I took another 20 minutes to finish off the last six: PERIOD, IDIOPATHIC, ULTRAVIOLET, PURPLE PATCH, SUPERCARGO and NOTATED.
None particularly difficult, but DNK PURPLE PATCH in this sense (PROSE, yes, but I thought a purple patch was something else), SUPERCARGO (from wordplay, but baffled by the definition) or IDIOPATHIC (but I started with IDIO(t) and the rest followed). I liked TIN(y).
I would say ejector seat. We’ve had this before. As I remember it, “ejection seat” is the “proper” name, used by people in the industry, but the rest of us say ejector seat.
I’ve just done this today, which gives me the pleasure of going straight to your blog. Thanks Kitty. 7dn didn’t impresario me either. Happily, an internet search typing “impresario” followed by a random name starting with DA and ending with EV found the fellow.