Hi everyone. This was on the whole a very satisfying solve. Not the fastest (just squeaked in under the hour), but a nice even pace throughout. I got a good early foothold then made progress, the tougher clues steadily yielding, leaving just a few ponderers at the end. I was held up by 8d, DISCOUNTING, but my last in was PALATE (25d). My only real issue was that I couldn’t dispel lingering doubts about INSULAR (42a).
While I don’t always relish solving the things, I can’t help but appreciate the impressive long anagram at 15a, MUTUAL APPRECIATION SOCIETY. I also liked the clues with elements switched – TAPAS (35a) and AFFAIR (47d) – and enjoyed the penny-drop moment when I found the TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA in 48a. Among many other nuggets, I will just mention the bespectacled party organizer in 2d’s CHATTERING CLASSES. I could go on, but will leave it there except to say thank you to the setter.
Definitions are underlined in the clues below. In the explanations, most 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 | Yes-man shielding unknown officer with blunt refusal (9) |
| SYCOPHANT — We are surrounding (shielding) Y (unknown) and COP (officer) with SHAN’T (blunt refusal) | |
| 6a | Strangely reformed, having eliminated one right or liberty (7) |
| FREEDOM — An anagram of (strangely) [r]EFORMED, having eliminated one R (right) | |
| 10a | Damage following cold spell (5) |
| CHARM — HARM (damage) following C (cold) | |
| 13a | Some beer for man on board (7) |
| DRAUGHT — Two definitions. The board in the second is of the chequered kind | |
| 14a | Proverbial thief taking equivalent of money? That’s off-putting (15) |
| PROCRASTINATION — Proverbially, PROCRASTINATION is the thief of time, and time is money | |
| 15a | Group liking each other in social media — it may turn out badly (6,10,7) |
| MUTUAL ADMIRATION SOCIETY — An anagram of (… badly) SOCIAL MEDIA — IT MAY TURN OUT | |
| 16a | High-flier, possibly, producing superior performance on course (6) |
| BIRDIE — Two definitions, avian and golfing | |
| 17a | My demand for attention met by new guards (8) |
| WATCHMEN — WATCH ME (my demand for attention) + N (new) | |
| 18a | Outshine East European, securing film parts (7) |
| ECLIPSE — E (East) and E (European) around (securing) CLIPS (film parts) | |
| 21a | Like best and worst, verbally (10) |
| SYNONYMOUS — Cryptic definition: as verbs – verbally – to best and to worst both men to defeat or get the better of | |
| 22a | Model inside atrium scaled down (12) |
| MINIATURISED — Make an anagram of (model) INSIDE ATRIUM | |
| 26a | Position of insect after temperature’s dropped (5) |
| LOCUS — LOCUS[t] (insect) after T (temperature)’s dropped | |
| 28a | Apart from openers, are we in fact together to perform again? (2-5) |
| RE-ENACT — Excepting initial letters (apart from openers), aRE wE iN fACT | |
| 29a | Boat’s propeller modified for liner — good (9) |
| GONDOLIER — An anagram of (modified) LINER — GOOD | |
| 31a | Teachers’ leader was in charge of second class for change (9) |
| TRANSFORM — Teachers’ first letter (leader) + RAN (was in charge of) + S (second) + FORM (class) | |
| 33a | Fruit and large quantity of cereal on board American vessel (7) |
| APRICOT — Most of (large quantity of) RICe (cereal) in (on board) A (American) and POT (vessel) | |
| 35a | Pasta split and reassembled as bar food (5) |
| TAPAS — PAS TA is split thus and the parts reassembled in the other order | |
| 37a | Spreader of rumours in turn — ruined MP resigns over nothing (12) |
| GOSSIPMONGER — GO (turn) + an anagram of (ruined) MP RESIGNS around (over) O (nothing) | |
| 39a | Fairly expensive outing? (5,5) |
| DUTCH TREAT — A cryptic definition of an event in which the expense is shared fairly | |
| 42a | Like key parts of Florida or part of New England? Yes and no (7) |
| INSULAR — A wibbly-wobbly kind of definition: the Florida keys are islands, while a part of New England is Rhode Island although this isn’t actually an island, hence “yes and no” as to whether they can be described as INSULAR. | |
| Edit: Kevin Gregg points out in the first comment below that Rhode Island is an island in the state of Rhode Island. So perhaps it is better to consider the answer as “like key parts of Florida” and “[like] part of New England? Yes and no”. If Rhode Island had been given specifically in the clue I would be happy with that interpretation | |
| 44a | Top performer runs in behind schedule, badly cut (8) |
| LACERATE — ACE (top performer) and R (runs) in LATE (behind schedule) | |
| 46a | Monitoring instrument in audition, one might interfere with play (6) |
| CENSOR — Sounds like (… in audition) SENSOR (monitoring instrument) | |
| 48a | Play specific male characters in Romeo and Juliet? (3,3,9,2,6) |
| THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA — As Romeo and Juliet was set in Verona, the answer could describe a couple of “specific male characters” in that play | |
| 51a | Something frowned on in court that whoppers and howlers have in common? (7,8) |
| LEADING QUESTION — WHOppers and HOWlers have in common what we might cryptically term a LEADING QUESTION: a question at the front (leading) | |
| 52a | Unlike ministers backed after article, extremely unfriendly to others (7) |
| ASOCIAL — LAIC (unlike ministers) reversed (backed) after A (article) and SO (extremely) | |
| 53a | Join political moderates in America, first off (5) |
| ENTER — Without the initial letter (… first off), cENTER (political moderates in America) | |
| 54a | Let out — and do so again? (7) |
| RELEASE — Two definitions – but the second refers back to the first and uses a different meaning of let out: it should be understood as let/rent out again | |
| 55a | Enter lair in advance, with serious intent (9) |
| EARNESTLY — This is an instruction to insert (enter) NEST (lair) in EARLY (advance) | |
| Down | |
| 1d | Ornamental plant is the kind you trim, collecting the ends (5) |
| SEDUM — Selecting the last letters (… collecting the ends), iS thE kinD yoU triM | |
| 2d | Pundits yapping about bespectacled party organizer holding key (10,7) |
| CHATTERING CLASSES — C (about) + HATTER IN GLASSES (bespectacled party organizer, from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland) containing (holding) C (key) | |
| 3d | Finish off small person, a hero in play (9) |
| PYGMALION — Without the last letter (finish off) PYGMy (small person) + A + LION (hero) | |
| 4d | First of subs in front of aircraft carrier that’s off course (6) |
| ASTRAY — The first letter of Subs in between the first letter (front) of Aircraft and TRAY (carrier) | |
| 5d | Record piece of law that’s useful when preparing suit (4,7) |
| TAPE MEASURE — TAPE (record) + MEASURE (piece of law – definition 19 in Chambers is “an enactment or bill”) | |
| 6d | Pay people running event (4,4) |
| FOOT RACE — FOOT (pay) + RACE (people) | |
| 7d | Mistake of singer beset by expressions of doubt (7) |
| ERRATUM — RAT (singer, traitor) inside (beset by) ER and UM (expressions of doubt) | |
| 8d | Board’s conclusion is having significant role in reducing charges (11) |
| DISCOUNTING — BoarD’s last letter (conclusion) + IS + COUNTING (having significant role) | |
| 9d | He’s in team at sea that controls sail (9) |
| MAINSHEET — HE’S IN TEAM anagrammed (at sea) | |
| 10d | Window on left part of church (7) |
| CHANCEL — CHANCE (window) on L (left) | |
| 11d | It appears to be missed by other players in a team (5) |
| ASIDE — A + SIDE (team) | |
| 12d | It’s the interest taken in it that makes his job rewarding (11) |
| MONEYLENDER — A cryptic definition punning on two meanings of interest | |
| 16d | Saint leaves much to be desired in cooking (5) |
| BASIL — A double definition in which you have to think of the right kind of leaves | |
| 19d | Job permit son is twice changing for artist (4-13) |
| POST-IMPRESSIONIST — POST (job) + an anagram of (… changing) PERMIT SON IS IS (IS twice) | |
| 20d | Person’s beginning alteration of my robe (6) |
| EMBRYO — An anagram (alteration) of MY ROBE | |
| 23d | Imprison one after another, as suggested by hearing (6) |
| INTERN — Sounds like (… as suggested by hearing) IN TURN (one after another) | |
| 24d | Part of tree containing small place for rest of birds (5) |
| ROOST — ROOT (part of tree) containing S (small) | |
| 25d | Roof of eating area a panel protects (6) |
| PALATE — A, which PLATE (panel) surrounds (protects). The eating area is the mouth | |
| 27d | Southern states collectively greeting Oriental food (5) |
| SUSHI — S (southern) + US (states collectively) + HI (greeting) | |
| 30d | Detect water or steam? (6) |
| NOTICE — NOT ICE (water or steam?) | |
| 31d | Quote three lines about one consumed with European dish from Italy (11) |
| TAGLIATELLE — TAG (quote – Chambers: “15. A trite (esp Latin) quotation”) + L L L (three lines) around (about) I (one) and ATE (consumed) + E (European) | |
| 32d | Unable to interpret odd Mongolian clue’s content (11) |
| MONOLINGUAL — An anagram of (odd) MONGOLIAN with cLUe’s internal letters (content) | |
| 34d | Be prepared to consider appearance (11) |
| COUNTENANCE — A double definition | |
| 36d | Something to play from India embraced by Harrison, for one (5) |
| SITAR — I (India) in (embraced by) STAR (Harrison, for one), the chosen star being one who made notable use of a sitar | |
| 38d | Person securing home mixed egg with mortar (9) |
| MORTGAGER — An anagram of (mixed) EGG with MORTAR | |
| 40d | So ready and willing to support English (9) |
| THEREFORE — THERE FOR (ready and willing to support) + E (English) | |
| 41d | Vehicle’s route from terminal reconstructed (8) |
| TRAMLINE — TERMINAL anagrammed (reconstructed) | |
| 43d | Relatively humble person staying out of sight? (7) |
| LOWLIER — LOW-LIER (person staying out of sight?) | |
| 45d | Instrument, in France, is put inside that (7) |
| CELESTA — We need the French words here (in France): EST (is) put inside CELA (that) | |
| 47d | Something happening with a beautiful female that’s out of order? (6) |
| AFFAIR — A + FAIR (beautiful) and F (female) with the last two elements switched (out of order) | |
| 49d | Demand law repealed? (5) |
| EXACT — EX ACT (law repealed?) | |
| 50d | Relieve area captured by friendly force (5) |
| ALLAY — A (area) inside (captured by) ALLY (friendly force) | |
DNF; didn’t get DUTCH TREAT, CENSOR (or SENSOR; either seems possible), THEREFORE. DNK SEDUM. I didn’t understand the New England part of the clue. Actually, Rhode Island is an island, in Narragansett Bay, in the state of Rhode Island.
Thanks – blog updated.
Some of the wordplay here was far too complicated in my opinion, and I’m glad this one didn’t come up on my week, so well done, Kitty!
I had no idea what was going on re INSULAR but the answer wasn’t hard to come up with.
The TAPAS device was used in the Jumbo I blogged last week, a sort of variation on anagram and ‘cycling’ clues. Anyway I didn’t spot it here or then. To add to my woes, my clue was also a reverse cryptic to DIVISION OF LABOUR which would have made it harder to spot even if I’d been aware the device existed.
I’m not sure I fully understand the LEADING QUESTION clue. WHO and HOW are indeed the first 3 letters of words in the clue so I suppose they have that in common, but they are interrogatives that begin open questions, the very opposite of what a leading question is.
Thanks Jackkt. I’ve tweaked the explanation for the LEADING QUESTION to hopefully make it clearer. WHO/WHY are just leading in the sense of being at the front of the words in the wordplay.
I tend to like devices which are so new or rare that they haven’t been given a name. As long as they work, of course – and naturally if I get them they do and if I don’t they are questionable! Clearly I had no problems with today’s. Last week’s DIVISION OF LABOUR was more debatable since you have to infer that the elements are switched after division.
There are a few really clever things in this one. The island device in INSULAR (which I didn’t understand, so thanks Kitty for explaining it), the whoppers and howlers, the bespectacled party organiser. Good stuff.
I finished this pretty quickly IIRC, for me at any rate. As usual I never get given the chance by my family to do it in one sitting so I never know the actual solving time.
I couldn’t quite work out CHATTERING CLASSES or LEADING QUESTION, so thanks for the parsing on those.
For CELESTA, the French word for “that” is CELA, although CE also means “that” it would leave the L and the A unaccounted for in the parsing.
Oops, yes, thanks for the correction! I will update the blog now.
I do like your “wibbly-wobbly” description of Insular. One of those where we got the answer without fully understanding the parsing. But interesting to know that Rhode Island is in Rhode Island.
I thought Leading Question was a nice creative clue. And full marks also for Sitar.