Hello everyone. Sorry this blog is a little late. The trouble with leaving things until the last minute is that sometimes that minute turns out not to be the best minute. Done piecemeal, so no idea of time, and took a couple of shortcuts along the way. It seemed harder when doing than when writing up, which isn’t surprising as my brain is all over the place at the moment.
There are some touches here I thought really neat, for example the exchange at meeting in 33d. Lots of cryptic definitions, a couple of cocktails (an alternative drink is available in 41d) and a party or two to enjoy. Thanks setter!
Definitions are underlined in the clues below. In the explanations, quoted indicators are in italics, specified [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 | In retrospect, reveals cuts a long way down (9) |
| MISERABLE — BARES (reveals) in reverse (in retrospect …) goes into (cuts) MILE (a long way) | |
| 6a | Parking in a side street, nearly managed to get free of traffic (13) |
| PEDESTRIANISE — P (parking) + IN A SIDE STREEt nearly anagrammed (managed) | |
| 13a | Country regularly dismissed Freud, really (5) |
| RURAL — On removal of alternate letters (regularly dismissed) fReUd, ReAlLy | |
| 14a | Proposes changing king and tyrant (9) |
| OPPRESSOR — PROPOSES anagrammed (changing) + R (king) | |
| 15a | Bank even holding concession back (7) |
| DEPOSIT — TIED (even) holding SOP (concession) all reversed (back) | |
| 16a | Instructional film for union of gold-diggers? (3,2,5,1,11) |
| HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE — Cryptic definition | |
| 18a | Where plane flies and displays speed (8) |
| AIRSPACE — AIRS (displays) + PACE (speed) | |
| 20a | Lady is twice affected by this kidney treatment (8) |
| DIALYSIS — An anagram of (… affected) LADY IS IS (is twice) | |
| 21a | Drive to install green furnishings (5) |
| DECOR — DR (drive) having inserted (to install) ECO (green) | |
| 23a | Strip art going down quickly? (6) |
| DIVEST — DIVEST could be an archaic way of saying “are diving” – thou art going down quickly | |
| 24a | Losing out, wants to see every other pair going native in US? (6) |
| SIOUAN — loSIng OUt wANts missing alternate pairs of letters (every other pair going) | |
| 25a | Goodness or, conversely, bad behaviour includes one’s initial deterioration (9) |
| CORROSION — COR (goodness) + OR reversed (conversely) + SIN (bad behaviour) which includes One’s first letter (initial) | |
| 28a | Cocktail — or bigger animal’s other end? (6,4) |
| HORSE’S NECK — … because a horse is bigger than a cock and its neck is not at its tail end. Brandy, ginger ale and a twist of lemon peel, apparently | |
| 29a | Liberate at no cost (4) |
| FREE — Double definition | |
| 30a | Golf in November, chosen for lack of action (7) |
| NEGLECT — G (golf) in N (November) and ELECT (chosen) | |
| 32a | Uncooked food is sent back, when the fellow tucks in (7) |
| SASHIMI — IS reversed (sent back); AS (when) and HIM (the fellow) goes inside (tucks in) | |
| 34a | You’ve always selectively looked through coloured section (4) |
| UVEA — Part of (… selectively) yoU‘VE Always | |
| 35a | Turned to assist staff with spike of ice (10) |
| DIAMANTINE — Reversed (turned) AID (to assist) + MAN (staff) + TINE (spike) | |
| 38a | Basis for web pages, hardly contentless, with forward extension (9) |
| HYPERTEXT — HardlY without inner letters (contentless) + PERT (forward) + EXT (extension). The HT of HTML and HTTP | |
| 39a | Flirted almost randomly, which isn’t important (6) |
| TRIFLE — An anagram of (… randomly) FLIRTEd without the last letter (… almost) | |
| 40a | Reinforcement for low-level digital protection (6) |
| TOECAP — Cryptic definition | |
| 43a | Recall most of way out stuff (5) |
| SERGE — Reverse (recall) all but the last letter of (most of) EGRESs (way out) | |
| 45a | Order half of card-carrying actors to enter staged scene (8) |
| SEQUENCE — Half of EQUity (card-carrying actors) going inside (to enter) an anagram of (staged) SCENE | |
| 47a | Fraternity man welcomes retired personnel (8) |
| BRETHREN — BEN (man) takes in (welcomes) RET (retired) and HR (personnel) | |
| 49a | Antagonism to PC joining the wrong party? (9,13) |
| POLITICAL INCORRECTNESS — Definition plus whimsical interpretation | |
| 52a | Who found a way to treasure a liberal and an arts graduate? (3,4) |
| ALI BABA — A LIB (a liberal) and A BA (an arts graduate?) | |
| 53a | “Putting on airs!”, I pompously interjected, making comeback with a nasal tone (9) |
| ADENOIDAL — LA–DI–DA (putting on airs) with ONE (I pompously) inserted (interjected), all reversed (making comeback) | |
| 54a | Style of page with answer in final letter, in triplicate (5) |
| PZAZZ — P (page) with A (answer) in ZZZ (final letter, in triplicate) | |
| 55a | Changing one’s mind for the better? (13) |
| PSYCHOTHERAPY — Cryptic definition | |
| 56a | Lead in edible parts of asparagus and cabbage (9) |
| SPEARHEAD — SPEAR and HEAD (edible parts of asparagus and cabbage) | |
| Down | |
| 1d | Arrange to move up lake above northern delta that’s often flooded (9) |
| MARSHLAND — MARSHAL (arrange) raising its L (to move up lake) above N (northern) and D (delta) | |
| 2d | Keen on running water, if about substitutes for hard drink (11) |
| SCREWDRIVER — S[h]REWD (keen) on RIVER (running water) if C (about) replaces (substitutes for) H (hard) | |
| 3d | Turn over Norse hero (5) |
| ROLLO — ROLL (turn) + O (over) | |
| 4d | Involvement of Marco and Ben? (8) |
| BROMANCE — Anagram of (involvement of) MARCO and BEN | |
| 5d | Tear up yen after former loss of currency (6) |
| EXPIRY — RIP (tear) reversed (up) and Y (yen) after EX (former) | |
| 6d | Exposed to risk, facing future tooth decay? (10) |
| PRECARIOUS — PRE–CARIOUS (facing future tooth decay?) | |
| 7d | Record one Roman statesman’s written about Arabian concerned with punishment (12) |
| DISCIPLINARY — DISC (record) + I (one) + PLINY (Roman statesman) is around (written about) AR (Arabian) | |
| 8d | Never completed, certainly luxurious, more than needed (7) |
| SURPLUS — SURe (certainly) and PLUSh (luxurious), each missing last letters (never completed …) | |
| 9d | Inspection of space in microwaves? (5,9) |
| RADIO ASTRONOMY — Cryptic definition | |
| 10d | Commend article on reverse of double pages (7) |
| APPLAUD — A (article) on backwards (reverse of) DUAL (double) and PP (pages) | |
| 11d | Supplying information during struggle to limit disastrous cut (11) |
| INSTRUCTIVE — IN (during) + STRIVE (struggle) around (to limit) an anagram of (disastrous) CUT | |
| 12d | Selection of fare at steakhouse? (4) |
| EATS — Selection of farE AT Steakhouse? | |
| 17d | Coarse man about to snare dark lady (8) |
| BRUNETTE — BRUTE (coarse man) around (about) NET (to snare) | |
| 19d | Tries desperately to get into deprived seat (9) |
| POSTERIOR — An anagram of (… desperately) TRIES to get into POOR (deprived) | |
| 22d | Title‘s six seconds matter (8) |
| VISCOUNT — VI (six) + S (seconds) + COUNT (matter) | |
| 25d | Nothing left in neck after cutting fabric (8) |
| CHENILLE — NIL (nothing) and L (left) in CHEEk (neck, impudence) on removal of the last letter (after cutting) | |
| 26d | Played along for start of toccata — sitting here? (5,4) |
| ORGAN LOFT — Anagram of (played) ALONG FOR + the first letter (start) of Toccata | |
| 27d | Way to get rid of bead collection? (14) |
| ANTIPERSPIRANT — Cryptic definition | |
| 28d | What keeps son repeating secret? (4-4) |
| HUSH-HUSH — HUH (what) contains (keeps) S (son) – repeating | |
| 31d | Victim of Achilles‘ heel is wretched one in confined area (12) |
| PENTHESILEIA — Anagram of (… wretched) HEEL IS plus I (one) between (in) PENT (confined) and A (area). Had to check this one! | |
| 33d | Prosecute urgent matter with exchange at meeting being better (11) |
| SUPERIORITY — SUE (prosecute) and PRIORITY (urgent matter) with the E and P swapped where they meet (with exchange at meeting) | |
| 36d | Bang up smart vehicle, dilapidated one absorbing energy (11) |
| INCARCERATE — IN (smart) + CAR (vehicle) + CRATE (dilapidated one) taking in (absorbing) E (energy) | |
| 37d | Subtraction operation applied to column (10) |
| DISCECTOMY — Cryptic definition | |
| 41d | Small beer made water-resistant? (4-5) |
| PINT-SIZED — PINT (beer) + SIZED (made water resistant?) | |
| 42d | Unwaveringly faithful rabbi — not his impostor! (4-4) |
| TRUE-BLUE — Rabbi Blue, the real one rather than a false one, would be the TRUE BLUE | |
| 44d | Words to live by? Hardly! (7) |
| EPITAPH — Cryptic definition. I would like mine to be “I’m fine” | |
| 46d | As Iago, exposed in the earlier cost to Moor (7) |
| QUAYAGE — QUA (as) + iAGo without outer letters (exposed) in YE (the earlier) | |
| 48d | Party during peak — for the most part people believe them (6) |
| CREDOS — DO (party) in (during) CRESt (peak) for the most part | |
| 50d | Animal Crackers, part one (5) |
| TAPIR — Anagram of (crackers) PART I (one) | |
| 51d | Basically accompany America’s top couple, hosted by their second-in-command (4) |
| VAMP — AMerica’s first two letters (top couple) inside (hosted by) VP (their second-in-command). Chambers: A simple and uninspired improvised accompaniment (music) | |
I remember how much I enjoyed this puzzle until I was left with two clues unsolved, resorted to aids and saw the answers expected of us. Both were so obscure that they have never appeared before in the TfTT era (not even in a Mephisto puzzle) and few, other than scholars of Greek mythology and medics, could be expected to know: PENTHESILEIA and DISCECTOMY. Ridiculous!
I’m with you on DISCECTOMY, but PENTHESILEIA came to me almost immediately–once I had a checker or two–although I would have (mis)spelled it without its final I. I expect I won’t be alone; I’m certainly not a scholar of Greek mythology.
If I recall, I found this quite unenjoyable. DNK ROLLO, DISCECTOMY, HORSES NECK, PZAZZ(!), no doubt others I’ve forgotten. I had no idea how TRUE-BLUE worked, and still don’t: rabbi=true? Discuss.
Rabbi Lionel Blue, most famous (to me) for his frequent sermons in the Thought-for-the-Day slot on Radio 4
Thanks. Never heard of him (I wouldn’t, would I).
I had nothing in after 10 minutes, and I had other things to do that day, so I printed it off and did it on paper just picking it up from time to time and doing a bit and putting it down again. So I don’t have a time, but it took a long while. It was hard.
Several DNKs constructed from wordplay. SIOUAN, DISCECTOMY and QUAYAGE looked possible, even probable, but UVEA and PENTHELISEIA looked totally not. So I’m not surprised that PENTHELISEIA was my undoing, with the S and L the wrong way round. Still pleased to have everything else right.
I never parsed DIVEST or ADENOIDAL I liked the “exchange at meeting” in SUPERIORITY. Elsewhere, lots of ticks throughout on my paper copy. Special mention to AIRSPACE, EXPIRY, CORROSION, APPLAUD and my favourite the (Animal crackers part one) TAPIR.
It has PZAZZ but it’s not a pangram; I can’t see a J?
Blog much appreciated. Many thanks
‘Good morning Peter, good morning Sue, and good morning everyone’.
I found this tricky, and having fought my way through it I spoiled it with a silly typo. Bah humbug.
Like Jack, I’d never heard of the two words that he says are very obscure, but I disagree with some of the commenters: DISCECTOMY was obvious. I should have thought it was general knowledge that -ectomy meant removal of, as in appendectomy, gingivectomy, etc. Then one simply has to consider the CD nudge towards the vertebral column. Funny how the mind works: I’d made a note to find out from the blog how two of the clues parsed, and they are now very easy. I’m ashamed to say that one of them was a hidden.