I was very slow getting going but after a while it mostly flowed along quite nicely. There were a few answers I didn’t know and had to rely on wordplay.
As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions and substitutions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds, containment, reversal and other indicators in square ones]. “Aural wordplay” is in quotation marks. I usually omit all reference to juxtaposition indicators unless there is a specific point that requires clarification.
 Across |
|
| 1 | Hard worker, say, follows architect (7) |
| ADAMANT | |
| ADAM (architect), ANT (worker, say). John Adam (1721–1792), Scottish architect. | |
| 5 | Higher offer terminated order (7) |
| OVERBID | |
| OVER (terminated), BID (order) | |
| 9 | Part of gardener’s path I considered rocky (7) |
| SPATHIC | |
| Hidden in [part of] {gardener’}S PATH I C{onsidered}. NHO this word relating to minerals, so ‘rocky’ I suppose. | |
| 13 | I’m performing with orchestra? Could be (11) |
| CHOIRMASTER | |
| Anagram [performing] of I’M ORCHESTRA | |
| 14 | Supplier of current device? (11) |
| DISTRIBUTOR | |
| Two meanings. An electrical component of combustion engines. | |
| 15 | Prickly part of southern tree (5) |
| SPINE | |
| S (southern), PINE (tree). Prickly part of a porcupine perhaps. | |
| 16 | Maybe thirty-one or over in game (7) |
| PRIMERO | |
| PRIME (thirty-one – prime number), then OR reversed [over]. NHO this card game. | |
| 17 | Last-minute recovery by one side? (9) |
| LATERALLY | |
| LATE (last-minute), RALLY (recovery) | |
| 18 | Perhaps be prone as a carpenter to accept results of one’s own deeds (3,2,3,3,3,3,4) |
| LIE IN THE BED ONE HAS MADE | |
| A cryptic hint precedes the main definition. I’m familiar with the old proverb but I’m a little surprised to find that this variation on it is a lexical expression and therefore suitable for inclusion in a crossword puzzle, but according to some sources on-line, it is. | |
| 23 | E-number — note it in a drop (8) |
| ADDITIVE | |
| D (note) + IT contained by [in] A + DIVE (drop). For those abroad who may not know: E numbers are artificial substances which are added to some foods and drinks to improve their flavour or colour or to make them last longer. They are called E numbers because they are represented in Europe by code names which begin with the letter ‘E’ [Collins]. | |
| 25 | Male, the antithesis of earth god (6) |
| HELIOS | |
| HE (male), then SOIL (earth) reversed [the antithesis of…]. Greek god of the sun. | |
| 27 | Stays with body (7) |
| REMAINS | |
| Two meanings, the second implying it’s dead. | |
| 30 | Something useful like gel (5) |
| ASSET | |
| AS (like), SET (gel) | |
| 32 | Part of lighthouse is large — money put up by Royal Navy (7) |
| LANTERN | |
| L (large), ANTE (money put up as a bet), RN (Royal Navy). The part that sends out the main beam. | |
| 33 | Light feel to feathers (5,4) |
| TOUCH DOWN | |
| TOUCH (feel), DOWN (feathers). ‘Light’ means ‘to land’ here. | |
| 35 | A box with insipid sweetener (9) |
| ASPARTAME | |
| A, SPAR (box), TAME (insipid). It was handy that by the time I came to this clue I had already explored my knowledge of various sweeteners when solving 20dn. | |
| 36 | Room mostly small and in bad condition (7) |
| PARLOUS | |
| PARLOU{r} (room) [mostly], S (small) | |
| 37 | More than one current royal castle dismissing soldiers (5) |
| WINDS | |
| WINDS{or} (royal castle) [dismissing soldiers – Ordinary Ranks) | |
| 38 | Beat decisively after ordering recount (7) |
| TROUNCE | |
| Anagram [ordering] RECOUNT | |
| 40 | Write tons about a king’s father? (6) |
| PARENT | |
| PEN (write) + T (tons) containing [about] A + R (king) | |
| 41 | Vehicle quickly does for tortoiseshell (8) |
| CARAPACE | |
| CAR (vehicle), APACE (quickly) | |
| 44 | Superconducting cable that’s easy to take (4,2,5,10) |
| LINE OF LEAST RESISTANCE | |
| A cryptic hint precedes the main definition | |
| 48 | Sun’s final radiance ruined by this? (4,5) |
| RAIN DANCE | |
| Anagram [ruined] of {su}N [’s final] RADIANCE. Cryptic. | |
| 50 | Formerly linking wager with error in it (7) |
| BETWIXT | |
| BET (wager), W (with), then X (error) contained by [in] IT. ‘Formerly’ indicates the dated nature of the word meaning ‘between’. | |
| 53 | Below par score European composer nearly sent back (5) |
| EAGLE | |
| E (European) , then ELGA{r} (composer) [nearly] reversed [sent back] | |
| 54 | Nickname is too menacing somehow (11) |
| COGNOMINATE | |
| Anagram [somehow] of TOO MENACING. Not a word I knew. In the TfTT era it has appeared only once, in a Mephisto puzzle published 13 years ago. |
|
| 55 | Mixing of sheep among allotment hedges (11) |
| INTEGRATION | |
| IN (among) + RATION (allotment) contains [hedges] TEG (yearling sheep) | |
| 56 | Even now cutting delayed child’s clothing (7) |
| LAYETTE | |
| YET (even now) contained by [cutting] LATE (delayed) | |
| 57 | Like a little brother you get annoyed when ace is lost (7) |
| YOUNGER | |
| YOU, {a}NGER (get annoyed) [when ace is lost]. One might anger (get annoyed) easily. | |
| 58 | Before contents of churn in addition turned bright yellow (7) |
| SULPHUR | |
| PLUS (in addition) reversed [turned], {c}HUR{n} [contents of…] | |
| Down |
|
| 1 | Pose with lettuce in buttonhole (6) |
| ACCOST | |
| COS (lettuce) contained by [in] ACT (pose) | |
| 2 | A cola is unfortunately not a mixer (7) |
| ASOCIAL | |
| Anagram [unfortunately] of A COLA IS | |
| 3 | Answer cry involving chaps taking the same gender? (9) |
| AGREEMENT | |
| A (answer), GREET (cry of sorrow) containing [involving] MEN (chaps). The definition refers to rules of grammar. | |
| 4 | Hike in electric vehicle parking (5) |
| TRAMP | |
| TRAM (electric vehicle), P (parking) | |
| 5 | Abroad utterly without reservation (8) |
| OUTRIGHT | |
| OUT (abroad), RIGHT (utterly) | |
| 6 | Ireland rising under English is strangely frightening (5) |
| EERIE | |
| E (English), then EIRE (Ireland) reversed [rising]. There was a very similar clue to EERIE in the main puzzle a couple of weeks ago. | |
| 7 | Litter on crossing in town (7) |
| BEDFORD | |
| BED (litter), FORD (crossing). My local County Town for the past 41 years. It’s only 25 miles away but I have never set foot there, nor even travelled through it. | |
| 8 | Nations liaised about way of getting more drinking water (14) |
| DESALINISATION | |
| Anagram [about] NATIONS LIAISED | |
| 9 | What lengthens a possibly long wait on this in hospital? (9) |
| STRETCHER | |
| A mildly cryptic hint supports the straight definition. | |
| 10 | Light resin (5) |
| AMBER | |
| Two meanings. Amber is the middle light on standard UK traffic lights. | |
| 11 | Eagles track, flying aloft on Chile air (5,10) |
| HOTEL CALIFORNIA | |
| Anagram [flying] ALOFT ON CHILE AIR. NHO the group or the song. |
|
| 12 | Historian in trouble penning year between lines (7) |
| CARLYLE | |
| CARE (trouble) containing [penning] Y (year) contained by [between] L + L (lines). Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881) was a Scottish essayist and historian. | |
| 19 | Book vault bare after November (7) |
| NOVELLA | |
| NOV (November), {c}ELLA{r} (vault) [bare – unclothed] | |
| 20 | Last of lime preserve put into bitter drink as source of sweetness? (9) |
| BEEKEEPER | |
| {lim}E [last of…] + KEEP (preserve) contained by [put into] BEER (bitter drink). Beekeepers host them specifically for their honey so in that sense their activities are a source of sweetness. | |
| 21 | Demonstrate round residence topless come what may (7) |
| SOMEHOW | |
| SHOW (demonstrate) containing [round] {h}OME (residence) [topless] | |
| 22 | Central America region containing a waterfall (8) |
| CATARACT | |
| CA (Central America), TRACT (region) containing A | |
| 24 | Sadly duke is giving the job to Liberal unknown (15) |
| DISAPPOINTINGLY | |
| D (duke), IS, APPOINTING (giving the job to), L (Liberal), Y (unknown) | |
| 26 | Ignoring bishop, big number managed church in innocence (9) |
| IGNORANCE | |
| {b}IG [ignoring bishop], NO (number), RAN (managed), CE (church). It’s poor form to have the first word of the clue and the answer as derivatives of the same word and sharing the same first 5 letters. Intervention by the editor was needed here. | |
| 28 | Forbidding being home when relative is coming round (8) |
| SINISTER | |
| SISTER (relative) containing [ coming round] IN (home) | |
| 29 | Aren’t involved in interaction between heavenly bodies (14) |
| INTERPLANETARY | |
| Anagram [involved] of AREN’T contained by [in] INTERPLAY (interaction) | |
| 31 | Rent to get outside old city (7) |
| TORONTO | |
| TORN (rent) + TO, containing [outside] O | |
| 34 | Raises pastry like a confident newcomer (7) |
| UPSTART | |
| UPS (raises), TART (pastry) | |
| 39 | Sweetbrier, for instance, with insect in occupation (9) |
| EGLANTINE | |
| EG (for instance), then ANT (insect) contained by [in] LINE (occupation) | |
| 42 | Strangely inane passage in American film (5,4) |
| ANNIE HALL | |
| Anagram [strangely] of INANE, then HALL (passage). Not my favourite Woody Allen film. | |
| 43 | Department head is blocking one who makes the money (8) |
| MINISTER | |
| IS contained by [blocking] MINTER (one who makes the money) | |
| 44 | Enthusiastic players regularly more than half musical (7) |
| LYRICAL | |
| {p}L{a}Y{e}R{s} [regularly], {mus}ICAL [more than half]. I didn’t know this meaning of lyrical but it may be as in the expression to wax lyrical about something. | |
| 45 | Representation banned including Local Education Authority (7) |
| TABLEAU | |
| TABU (banned) containing [including] LEA (Local Education Authority) | |
| 46 | Leg and shin injured in course run at school (7) |
| ENGLISH | |
| Anagram [injured] of LEG SHIN | |
| 47 | One who laments more piercing (6) |
| KEENER | |
| Two meanings | |
| 49 | Thoroughly clean off the mark after party (2,3) |
| DO OUT | |
| DO (party), OUT (off the mark) | |
| 51 | A learner excluded from Icelandic parliament matter (5) |
| THING | |
| A{l}THING (Icelandic parliament) [learner excluded] | |
| 52 | Tugs plying around a river (5) |
| TAGUS | |
| Anagram [plying] of TUGS containing [around] A. The longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. |
|
DNK SPATHIC, DO OUT, COGNOMINATIVE. e-number. I’m suprised I didn’t notice the IGNORANCE problem; bad form indeed. There’s also INTER in 29d.
No problems with this but I managed a silly typo. NHO SPATHIC, PRIMERO. I’ve never heard DO OUT used in this way: to me it means ‘decorate’.
Now you come to mention it, that’s what I’d think too, but SOED has: do out clean, redecorate, refurbish, (a room);
An odd mix – 18A was clumsy (lie in the bed …) and at least three other clues were shaky and/or arcane.
But then admiration for Line of Least Resistance and Trounce.