There was nothing particular difficult here other than my LOI for which I resorted to aids, but I was discouraged early on by not being able to parse 2dn and that played on my mind throughout.
Another problem was that 28ac has two perfectly valid answers each with A as its second checked letter – the only one I had at the time. I spotted an answer and wrote it in with confidence, but it turned out later to be the wrong one and that made solving an intersecting clue impossible for a while.
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 | Big hit as wrecking ball taken to flats? (11) |
| BLOCKBUSTER | |
| A cryptic hint supports the literal. A wrecking ball is a device used for demolishing buildings, e.g. a block of flats. | |
| 7 | Worker of wizardry perhaps in test of lexicographical knowledge? (8,3) |
| SPELLING BEE | |
| Another cryptic hint: wizards cast spells and ‘worker’ is a type of bee. This is a spelling competition usually turned into a social occasion. | |
| 13 | Wild West lawman, a petty war criminal (5,4) |
| WYATT EARP | |
| Anagram [criminal] of A PETTY WAR. US Marshal Wyatt Earp is particularly famous for his role in the gunfight at the OK Corral. | |
| 14 | Glue-stiffened cloth two males stuck together (7) |
| BUCKRAM | |
| BUCK + RAM (two males stuck together) | |
| 15 | This part of stair is erect (5) |
| RISER | |
| Hidden in [part of] {stai}R IS ER{ect} | |
| 16 | Fairly new parts Waugh cut? (6) |
| EVENLY | |
| N (new) is contained by [parts] EVELY{n} (Waugh) [cut] | |
| 17 | Wisdom built up legendary area? (8) |
| SAGACITY | |
| Another cryptic hint leads us to SAGA CITY (built up legendary area) | |
| 18 | University lecture (7) |
| READING | |
| Two meanings | |
| 20 | I’m annoyed about people behind Polish national song (3,4,3,10) |
| MAD DOGS AND ENGLISHMEN | |
| 23 | Familiar name, not so for burner (7) |
| BRIQUET | |
| {so}BRIQUET (familiar name) [not so]. A block of compressed coal dust. | |
| 24 | African line crossed by an Indian (7) |
| ANGOLAN | |
| L (line) contained [crossed] by AN + GOAN (Indian) | |
| 26 | Birds I located in parts east of Idaho, finally (7) |
| ORIOLES | |
| {Idah}O [finally]. then I contained by [located] in ROLES (parts). ‘East of’ is a position indicator. The bird came up very recently in a Times puzzle. | |
| 28 | Animal lugged by the lugholes? (4) |
| TOAD | |
| Aural wordplay [by the lugholes]: TOAD / “towed” (lugged). My equally good solution with only the second checker in place had been BOAR / “bore” (lugged) but it was scuppered when BUTCHERS arrived at 23dn. | |
| 29 | Covert operation as cry heard from protesting vegan? (8) |
| STAKEOUT | |
| More aural wordplay [heard]: “steak, out!” (cry…from protesting vegan) | |
| 32 | Fiction at first avoided, reaches for novel — a classic perhaps? (5,4) |
| HORSE RACE | |
| Anagram [novel] of REACHES {f}OR [fiction at first avoided]. There’s more about classic horse races at 1dn. | |
| 35 | Musical setter? (9) |
| HAIRSPRAY | |
| Two meanings | |
| 36 | Woman turned hose around opening of dirty trough to clean animals (5-3) |
| SHEEP-DIP | |
| SHE (woman), then PIPE (hose) reversed [turned] containing [around] D{irty} [opening of…]. It’s used for cleaning sheep of parasites. | |
| 37 | Fitting, with little to spare (4) |
| JUST | |
| Two meanings | |
| 39 | Old capital governed, tough (7) |
| RANGOON | |
| RAN (governed), GOON (tough – bully boy) | |
| 41 | Each day appended to this month, preferably (7) |
| INSTEAD | |
| INST (this month – used to be seen every day in business letters), EA (each), D (day) | |
| 44 | Many debts owed by policeman (7) |
| COPIOUS | |
| COP (policeman), IOUS (debts owed) | |
| 45 | Versatile — as cabaret? (3-7,3-7) |
| ALL-SINGING ALL-DANCING | |
| In entertainments such as cabaret this means a show with a high level of excitement and comprehensive content. It has now come to be applied more generally, and perhaps humorously, to anything that’s versatile and has many features. ‘All bells and whistles’ might be an alternative. | |
| 49 | For example, the bit without intro (7) |
| ARTICLE | |
| {p}ARTICLE (bit) [without intro]. The definition refers to ‘the’ as a part of speech i.e. definite article. | |
| 50 | Gentleman positioned horizontally for prayer? (8) |
| CHAPLAIN | |
| CHAP (gentleman), LAIN (positioned horizontally). The definition needs to be read as ‘pray-er’, someone who prays. | |
| 51 | Put lid on alcoholic drink (6) |
| SCOTCH | |
| Two meanings, the first as in to scotch a rumour | |
| 53 | Sitcom mainly about impassive individual (5) |
| STOIC | |
| Anagram [about] of SITCO{m} [mainly] | |
| 54 | Chapter in English constitutes poetic lines on page (7) |
| EPISODE | |
| E (English), P (page), IS (constitutes) ODE (poetic lines) | |
| 55 | Dry your hands when muddied (9) |
| ANHYDROUS | |
| Anagram [muddled] of YOUR HANDS | |
| 56 | Overture OK having introduced girls to endless wine (7,4) |
| FINGALS CAVE | |
| FINE (OK) containing [having introduced] GALS (girls) + CAV{a} (wine) [endless]. Nickname of Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture. | |
| 57 | As shot, it tumbled into river, in other words (4,2,2,3) |
| THAT IS TO SAY | |
| Anagram [tumbled] of AS SHOT IT contained by [into] TAY (river) | |
| Down |
|
| 1 | Epsom Derby? (6) |
| BOWLER | |
| I immediately spotted Derby as American for a bowler hat but spent ages trying to account for Epsom with reference to ‘bowler’. Then I realised that Epsom (a town in Surrey) is there simply to indicate British English rather than American. The surface refers to the Epsom Derby, one of the five ‘classic’ horse races. | |
| 2 | Viva the dental check! (4,11) |
| ORAL EXAMINATION | |
| Two meanings, a spoken examination and a dental check-up. | |
| 3 | Instrument contained spirit (10) |
| KETTLEDRUM | |
| KETTLED (contained), RUM (spirit). ‘Kettling’ is a method of crowd control used by the police to contain demonstrators etc. | |
| 4 | State where odd bits lost in dust-bath (4) |
| UTAH | |
| {d}U{s}T {b}A{t}H [odd bits lost] | |
| 5 | Fruity CEO? (3,6) |
| TOP BANANA | |
| Cryptic | |
| 6 | Scarlet concealer applied to fibre in makeover (7) |
| REBRAND | |
| RED (scarlet) contains [concealer applied to] BRAN (fibre) | |
| 7 | Coastline that’s rocky in parts (9) |
| SECTIONAL | |
| Anagram [rocky] of COASTLINE | |
| 8 | Primitive — as an aristocrat? (5) |
| EARLY | |
| EARL-Y (as an aristocrat). A definition from the Uxbridge English Dictionary! | |
| 9 | Crumb also coloured red (9) |
| LAMBRUSCO | |
| Anagram [coloured] of CRUMB ALSO. ‘Colour(ed)’ is not listed by Chambers as an anagram indicator so I had to look elsewhere to justify it. Eventually in my thesaurus I found ‘disguise’ and ‘distort’, which I think covers it. Lambrusco can also be a white wine but is much rarer apparently. | |
| 10 | American author, one with French post? (6,6) |
| NORMAN MAILER | |
| NORMAN (French), MAILER (one with…post) | |
| 11 | Good French drinking wine that’s fortified (7) |
| BASTION | |
| BON (good, in French) containing [drinking] ASTI (wine) | |
| 12 | Perfume, rotten odour ultimately, time for incense (6) |
| ENRAGE | |
| {perfum}E + {rotte}N + {odou}R [ultimately], AGE (time) | |
| 19 | Stirrer got raita mixed up (8) |
| AGITATOR | |
| Anagram [mixed up] of GOT RAITA | |
| 21 | Wish before dance ball (4,3) |
| LONG HOP | |
| LONG (long), HOP (dance). In cricket this is a short-pitched, easily hit ball. | |
| 22 | A number one in Abba hit, health hazard! (8) |
| ASBESTOS | |
| A, then BEST (number one) contained by [in] SOS (Abba hit). Needless to say I had to look up the unknown song title in order to parse. this | |
| 23 | Still case incomplete after arrest of Romeo for murders (8) |
| BUTCHERS | |
| BUT (still), CHES{t} (case) [incomplete] containing [after arrest of] R (Romeo). I struggled with this one as I had an incorrect checker in place (See my intro and TOAD above). | |
| 25 | Filthy old measure (5) |
| GROSS | |
| Two meanings | |
| 27 | Old peacekeepers when safe go it alone: UN formed (6,2,7) |
| LEAGUE OF NATIONS | |
| Anagram [formed] of SAFE TO GO IT ALONE. ‘Failed peacekeepers’ might have been more to the point! | |
| 30 | Openers depend on this critical call (3,4) |
| KEY RING | |
| KEY (critical), RING (call) | |
| 31 | Republican has broken you — told you so! (5) |
| THERE | |
| R (Republican) contained by [has broken] THEE (you) | |
| 33 | Cast actor in a production designed for the outdoors? (8) |
| RAINCOAT | |
| Anagram [cast] of ACTOR INA | |
| 34 | The obligation is on me to drink — absolutely! (1,6,5) |
| I SHOULD COCOA | |
| I SHOULD (the obligation is on me), COCOA (drink). This is Cockney rhyming slang from the 1930s, a shortened version of “I should coffee and cocoa,” to rhyme with “I should say so”. It originally indicated agreement (as in this clue), however, it later came to be used sarcastically to express disbelief, like ‘You must be joking’ and ‘Don’t make me laugh’, and in that context its rhyming qualities fell by the wayside. It was especially popular in the 1950s and 1960s when it became a catchphrase on BBC radio and TV programmes featuring Billy Cotton and his band. | |
| 38 | Tread on rogue in group, fantasist (5,5) |
| SPACE CADET | |
| PACE (tread) + CAD (rogue) contained by [in] SET (group) | |
| 40 | One without scent bottles still (9) |
| NOISELESS | |
| NOSE-LESS (without scent) contains [bottles] I (one). You have to squint a bit to make the grammar of the clue work here. | |
| 42 | Country in rift, about which unhappy (9) |
| SINGAPORE | |
| SORE (unhappy) containing [about] IN + GAP (rift). Another squint required! | |
| 43 | A boy from Bamako, for example, standing to welcome a priest (5,4) |
| DALAI LAMA | |
| A + MALI LAD (boy from Bamako, for example) reversed [standing] containing [to welcome] A. Bamako is the capital of Mali, apparently. |
|
| 45 | Brass, a pound on something irritating (7) |
| ALTHORN | |
| A, L (pound £), THORN (something irritating). A brass musical instrument. | |
| 46 | Illness confined to jail, men treatable (7) |
| AILMENT | |
| Hidden in [confined to] {j}AIL MEN T{reatable} | |
| 47 | Choral work provided great piece of rock (6) |
| MASSIF | |
| MASS (choral work), IF (provided) | |
| 48 | Hence, day tricky (6) |
| THUSLY | |
| THU (day – Thursday), SLY (tricky). This was the one I used aids for. Obviously I considered ‘hence / THUS’ but I couldn’t see anywhere else to go with it. I can hardly believe the word exists or that there is a need for it, but there we go. Collins has it as ‘chiefly US’ but it sounds to me more like a word that the current US chief might have made up in one of his speeches. | |
| 50 | Tea cups in — this material? (5) |
| CHINA | |
| CHA (tea) contains [cups] IN | |
| 52 | National reporter’s commitment (4) |
| THAI | |
| Aural wordplay [reporter’s]: “tie” (commitment) | |
I didn’t understand Epsom, thought it might be the name of a cricketer. DNK SOS, assumed it was an Abba song. DNK ALL-SINGING. We had I SHOULD COCOA once before, and I was surprised to finally recall it. LOI EPISODE, which I biffed. I was also surprised to find THUSLY, which is nonstandard, to say the least (Jack’s allusion to the semiliterate felon is appropriate). I liked EVENLY.
Jack, could you let Mick Hodgkin know that he has put the word APPLAUD instead of APPLAUSE as the 2073 clue writing competition in his newsletter.
I don’t have an email for him but the puzzles email address at the foot of the newsletter is available to all and I know he monitors it.
Thanks, Jack.
20a: I think the first part is GODDAM (I’m annoyed) reversed (about).
Many thanks, Paul, and I have amended the blog. I wasn’t really happy with that one and should have revisited it.
We also struggled to see how Epsom worked. Your explanation helps!
Likewise took a while to commit to Toad, but it’s obvious with hindsight – in my book that’s the sign of a good cryptic clue.
My favourite was I Should Cocoa. Reminds me of Sid James in Hancock’s Half Hour.