Hello! This was a bit of a piglet. At least, I found it so: some very good stuff but some chewy bits. I didn’t finish solo as I had to ask my solvemate for the last answer, 40d. There were a few things, like the Churchill tank, I had to look up to write the blog, and others I know only from crosswords, such as old crossword friends Timothy and Eric. Nice to meet them again – it’s been a while. Thanks 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 | Rewrite score/poem (9) |
| RECOMPOSE — Make an anagram of (rewrite) SCORE/POEM | |
| 6a | Confusion with em dash and good English? (7) |
| MELANGE — M (em) + ELAN (dash) + G (good) + E (English) | |
| 10a | Place with fighting men in space base? (5) |
| EMBED — EM (space) + BED (base). To place (a journalist) in a military unit during a conflict | |
| 13a | Plane shape seating everyone between Margo and Pearl when flying (13) |
| PARALLELOGRAM — ALL (everyone) seated between an anagram of (… when flying) MARGO and PEARL | |
| 14a | Extremely thievish scoundrel grabbing large choker (9) |
| THROTTLER — Outer letters of (extremely) ThievisH + ROTTER (scoundrel) around (grabbing) L (large) | |
| 15a | Vocal about what can restrain route circling city (7) |
| ORBITAL — ORAL (vocal) around (about) BIT (what can restrain – the bit in a horse’s bridle) | |
| 16a | Strong wave I felt round orbiting star (7) |
| TSUNAMI — I and MAT (felt) reversed (round) going around (orbiting) SUN (star) | |
| 17a | Note insect by tip of canary grass (7) |
| TIMOTHY — TI (note) + MOTH (insect) + the end of (tip of) canary. Timothy grass, also known as cat’s-tail grass | |
| 18a | Fear of dictator not liking his neighbours (12) |
| FRANCOPHOBIA — FRANCOPHOBIA could whimsically mean fear of Franco; the definition relies on the rest of the clue for context, “his neighbours” being Spain’s neighbouring country, France | |
| 20a | Selfish move for one Conservative in case (10) |
| EGOCENTRIC — GO (move) is substituted for one C (Conservative) in E[c]CENTRIC (case) | |
| 23a | Vessel from China bearing greetings (5) |
| PHIAL — PAL (china) holding (bearing) HI (greetings) | |
| 24a | King endlessly shown right round one city in Belgium (9) |
| CHARLEROI — CHARLEs (king) without the last letter (endlessly shown) + R (right) + O (round) + I (one) | |
| 25a | Bone from rabbit’s tail found in Spanish dish (7) |
| PATELLA — RabbiT’s last letter (tail) found in PAELLA (Spanish dish) | |
| 26a | Far from dispassionate distribution of entailments (11) |
| SENTIMENTAL — An anagram of (distribution of) ENTAILMENTS | |
| 28a | Remodelled porch left with holly, green in leaf and branch (11) |
| CHLOROPHYLL — An anagram of (remodelled) PORCH and L (left) with HOLLY | |
| 30a | Fresh material on origins of intergalactic matter (11) |
| IMPERTINENT — PERTINENT (material) on the first letters of (origins of) Intergalactic Matter | |
| 32a | Noticed aria needs rewriting or complete removal (11) |
| ERADICATION — NOTICED ARIA needs anagramming (rewriting) | |
| 34a | Following leaderless army corp is beyond what is reasonable (7) |
| EXTREME — Without the first letter (… leaderless), nEXT (following) + REME (army corp) | |
| 36a | A number’s outside set down range (9) |
| APENNINES — A and NINE’S (number’s) surrounding (outside) PEN (set down) | |
| 38a | Tons like note’s good style (5) |
| TASTE — T (tons) + AS (like) + TE (note) | |
| 39a | Prize view of person working on chimney? (10) |
| SWEEPSTAKE — SWEEP’S TAKE (view of person working on chimney?) | |
| 41a | Soldier signals for a supply of bread? (7,5) |
| PRIVATE MEANS — PRIVATE (soldier) + MEANS (signals) | |
| 45a | Depression is concerning during revolution (7) |
| CYCLONE — ON (concerning) in (during) CYCLE (revolution) | |
| 46a | Bag shot game (7) |
| NETBALL — NET (bag) + BALL (shot) | |
| 47a | Book Zwickau’s leader into east European city in Germany (7) |
| EZEKIEL — Zwickau’s first letter (leader) goes into E (east), E (European) and KIEL (city in Germany) | |
| 49a | A new unknown island by port in Italy led by unknown islander (9) |
| ZANZIBARI — A, N (new), Z (unknown), I (island) and BARI (port in Italy) all preceded by (led by) Z (unknown) | |
| 50a | Renovated an incinerator swapping over bodies (13) |
| REINCARNATION — An anagram of (renovated) AN INCINERATOR | |
| 52a | Relative that is buried in northern church (5) |
| NIECE — IE (that is) buried in N (northern) and CE (church) | |
| 53a | Become increasingly inclined to go over protected by gun (7) |
| STEEPEN — PEE (to go) reversed (over) inside (protected by) STEN (gun) | |
| 54a | Not entirely sleepy tot or pupil around first form (9) |
| PROTOTYPE — Part of (not entirely) sleePY TOT OR Pupil in reverse (around) | |
| Down | |
| 1d | Censure theatre with nothing brought in for mounting (7) |
| REPROOF — REP (theatre) + O (nothing) inserted into (brought in) FOR going upwards (mounting) | |
| 2d | Thinking party making each side right (11) |
| CEREBRATION — CE[l]EB(R)ATION (party) making both the L and the R (each side) R (right) | |
| 3d | Extract money from millions using low council tax just introduced (5) |
| MULCT — Just the first letters of (… just introduced) Millions Using Low Council Tax | |
| 4d | What shingles will do above the tops of one’s legs? (7) |
| OVERLAP — OVER LAP (above the tops of one’s legs) | |
| 5d | Green energy company (3) |
| ECO — E (energy) + CO (company) | |
| 6d | Creature God completed with miracle regularly (9) |
| MARSUPIAL — MARS (god) + UP (completed) + mIrAcLe regularly | |
| 7d | Down the back of gloomy topless drinking establishment (6) |
| LUMBAR — Without the first letter (… topless) gLUM (gloomy) + BAR (drinking establishment) | |
| 8d | Reported securing arch-villain breaking line in well-policed event (7,4,8) |
| NOTTING HILL CARNIVAL — NOTTING, which sounds like (reported) KNOTTING (securing) + an anagram of (… breaking) ARCH-VILLAIN + L (line) | |
| 9d | Fine constraining rodent’s wandering (7) |
| ERRATIC — ERIC (fine) constraining RAT (rodent). In old Irish law, eric was a fine paid by a murderer to the victim’s family | |
| 10d | The author’s collected by car after leaving last bar (9) |
| ESTAMINET — MINE (the author’s) inside (collected by) ESTATe (car) missing the last letter (after leaving last) | |
| 11d | British and India afterwards join forces — and how it’s arranged? (11) |
| BILATERALLY — B (British) + I (India) + LATER (afterwards) + ALLY (join forces). Again, the definition requires context from the rest of the clue | |
| 12d | Get right into doing up one’s home that’s in need of cleaning (5) |
| DIRTY — Put RT (right) into DIY (doing up one’s home) | |
| 16d | Book of Hobbes, say — the thing that kept Churchill going? (6,3,4,6) |
| THOMAS THE TANK ENGINE — THOMAS (Hobbes, say) + THE TANK ENGINE (the thing that kept Churchill going? – The Churchill tank). I saw Hobbes at the time of solving, but had to research the rest | |
| 19d | One going to face dog beginning to rampage (7) |
| COLLIER — COLLIE (dog) + the first letter of (beginning to) Rampage | |
| 21d | Confront orchestra no good in constant echo (9) |
| CHALLENGE — HALLÉ (orchestra) and NG (no good) in C (constant) plus E (echo) | |
| 22d | Carole upset Sibyl perhaps (6) |
| ORACLE — CAROLE anagrammed (upset) | |
| 23d | Insistence discharge housing gives out light (9) |
| PUSHINESS — PUS (discharge) containing (housing) SHINES (gives out light) | |
| 24d | Revolutionary notes key shift (7) |
| CHEMISE — CHE (revolutionary) + MIS (MIs: notes) + E (key) | |
| 25d | Poker is about deceits (7) |
| PORKIES — POKER IS anagrammed (about) | |
| 27d | US city supported by the Republican state (6) |
| LATHER — LA (US city) above (supported by) THE + R (Republican) | |
| 29d | Imagined one was at the opera for a musical? (7) |
| PHANTOM — Two indications, the second referring to The PHANTOM of The Opera | |
| 31d | Rep cut scene in play for rotten character (11) |
| PUTRESCENCE — REP CUT SCENE anagrammed (in play) | |
| 33d | In sharp pain I came down with unknown weakness (11) |
| INSTABILITY — IN + STAB (sharp pain) + I + LIT (came down) + Y (unknown) | |
| 35d | Charge pounds in international shows? I have (9) |
| EXPLOSIVE — L (pounds) in EXPOS (international shows?) + I’VE (I have) | |
| 37d | Relation arrived in state (9) |
| NARRATION — ARR. (arrived) in NATION (state) | |
| 40d | What’s also on course for Derby? A group from Sherwood? (3,4) |
| THE OAKS — THE OAKS and the Derby are both held at Epsom Downs racecourse. The second part of the clue refers to Sherwood forest, which is home to over a thousand ancient oaks | |
| 42d | What was performed on The Globe circle? (7) |
| THEORBO — THE + ORB (globe) + O (circle). An old instrument related to the lute | |
| 43d | Woodland god at the beginning can exist still (7) |
| SILENCE — SILEN (woodland god) + first letters of (at the beginning) Can Exist | |
| 44d | Prompt support for jockey losing first of races (4,2) |
| STIR UP — STI[r]RUP (support for jockey) missing (losing) the first of Races) | |
| 45d | Cheat about 12 out of 500 (5) |
| COZEN — C (about) + [d]OZEN (12) without (out of) D (500) | |
| 48d | Books exist to be taken up as a source of inspiration (5) |
| ERATO — OT (books) and ARE (exist) written upwards (to be taken up) | |
| 51d | Cold work for one on the beat? (3) |
| COP — C (cold) + OP (work) | |
DNF
Didn’t get THE OAKS, and now I see why. DNK eric, DNK the tank. I liked PUTRESCENCE, EMBED.
– Didn’t see how felt=mat for TSUNAMI at the time
– Have never seen CEREBRATION in the wild
– Trusted the wordplay for the unknown MULCT
– Biffed NOTTING HILL CARNIVAL
– Was tempted to biff OTHELLO for 42d before the checkers and the lack of any justification for it forced a rethink to THEORBO
– Didn’t know Silen the woodland god for SILENCE
– NHO COZEN but the checkers were very helpful
Thanks Kitty and setter.
COD Eradication
Needed help with THE OAKS and THEOBRO
Didn’t understand PAL=vessel for PHIAL, but it went in.
I thought Churchill must have been a carriage in Thomas stories, to go with Annie and Clarabel.
Liked FRANCOPHOBIA
PHIAL is the vessel, PAL is China, rhyming slang China plate / mate.
I just realised I hadn’t commented on the puzzle. I noted that I found this hard but used aids only once (for CYCLONE. my LOI) but I may have meant hard by comparison with Saturday’s Jumbo for which I was duty blogger and had an easy ride.
My only outstanding query on this was the parsing of TSUNAMI which I still don’t get because of ‘felt = MAT’. How so?
ODE sv ‘felt’ (verb): 1 make into felt; mat together
I wondered about this too.
Thanks, Kevin. NHO that.
One wrong. I put FRANCOPHOBIC instead of FRANCOPHOBIA. I will console myself by believing I wasn’t the only one because there’s a large number of single errors: more than a quarter of the top 113 on the leaderboard. Thank you Kitty for the blog
Snap!
Did this on the iPad because we were paperless on holiday. But the app deletes puzzles after two weeks so I can’t confirm all my answers. Bah!
No probs with the across clues but somehow the down clues had a bunch of obscurities: Cerebration, Mulct, Eric, Silen. Not much joy in doing a dictionary hunt.
I did like Thomas the Tank Engine!