I had a real problem getting my first few answers and battled for a while after that, but as I moved down the grid on the RH side I hit a purple patch and the answers began to flow
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 | A report that criminal finally breaks out (6) |
| ABLOOM | |
| A, then {crimina}L [finally] is contained by [breaks] BOOM (report) | |
| 5 | Work in tin and steel company (7) |
| CANTATA | |
| CAN (tin), TATA (steel company based in India) | |
| 9 | Problematic rendezvous involving priest and chapter (8) |
| DELICATE | |
| DATE (rendezvous) containing [involving] ELI (priest) + C (chapter) | |
| 13 | By market, back in a corner, working freely (7,3,2,9) |
| WITHOUT LET OR HINDRANCE | |
| WITH (by), OUTLET (market), then HIND (back) contained by [in] anagram [working] of A CORNER | |
| 14 | Thousand initially spent on blood relative (8) |
| GRANDSON | |
| GRAND (thousand), S{pent} [initially], ON | |
| 15 | Polymath Newton entering floral decoration trade (7) |
| LEIBNIZ | |
| N (newton – the SI unit of force ) contained by [entering] LEI (floral decoration) + BIZ (trade). Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646 – 1716). | |
| 16 | Caught glimpse — follow pirate (3,3) |
| SEA DOG | |
| Aural wordplay [caught]: SEA / “see” (glimpse), DOG (follow). Chambers lists ‘pirate’ but POD and Collins have this only as an old experienced sailor. | |
| 17 | Union to defend slave earl verbally assailed (10) |
| BELABOURED | |
| BED (union) containing [to defend] LABOUR (slave) + E (earl). I wondered about ‘union’ here but SOED has ‘bed / conjugal union’ so I suppose that has to be it (pun intended). | |
| 20 | Something seen in some Shakespeare sonnets? (12) |
| ALLITERATION | |
| S-s-s-s-S-s! Cryptic by example. Rather good! | |
| 23 | Walsall’s second eleven on time for transport (4) |
| TAXI | |
| T (time). {w}A{lsall’s} [second], XI (eleven) | |
| 24 | Greek, American and Scotsman around in those days? (8) |
| ATHENIAN | |
| A (American) + IAN (Scotsman) containing [around] THEN (in those days) | |
| 26 | Hint of intention corrupt union’s concealed (8) |
| INNUENDO | |
| END (intention) contained [concealed] by anagram [corrupt] of UNION | |
| 29 | On way out: worry for operating business (5,7) |
| GOING CONCERN | |
| GOING (on way out), CONCERN (worry). One might offer to sell a business as a going concern. | |
| 30 | Mince pies and a good pint: mouthwatering (10) |
| APPETISING | |
| Anagram [mince] of PIES A G (good) PINT | |
| 32 | Crosspatch left to cork French and Spanish wines (10) |
| MALCONTENT | |
| L (left) contained by [cork] MACON + TENT (French and Spanish wines) | |
| 34 | Does away with Old Street main that’s shattered (12) |
| EXTERMINATES | |
| EX (old), anagram [shattered] of STREET MAIN | |
| 36 | Austerity perhaps for now? (8) |
| MEANTIME | |
| MEAN TIME (austerity perhaps) | |
| 38 | Supposed father turning against mother? (8) |
| APPARENT | |
| PA (father) reversed [turning], PARENT (mother?) | |
| 39 | Leaving Wagner opera, see female smile broadly? (4) |
| GRIN | |
| {Lo + hen}GRIN (Wagner opera) [see + female leaving] | |
| 41 | Paperknife artist designing text keeps exposed (6,6) |
| LETTER OPENER | |
| LETTERER (artist designing text) contains [keeps] OPEN (exposed). SOED: Letterer – a person who practises or is skilled in lettering; a calligrapher. | |
| 43 | View from street with train (10) |
| STANDPOINT | |
| ST (street), AND (with), POINT (train e.g. a gun at a target) | |
| 44 | Carrying foie gras, maybe ship floods (6) |
| SPATES | |
| SS (ship) containing [carrying] PATE (foie gras, maybe) | |
| 46 | Military group must shed tons for diet (7) |
| REGIMEN | |
| REGIMEN{t} (military group) [shed tons] | |
| 48 | A scruffy old bear inspiring great affection (8) |
| ADORABLE | |
| A, anagram [scruffy] of OLD BEAR | |
| 50 | Song as yours truly makes the house lights come up? (4,2,8,7) |
| WHEN I’M CLEANING WINDOWS | |
| WHEN (as), I’M CLEANING WINDOWS (yours truly makes the house lights come up). Washing and polishing them up, I guess. This is a famous cheeky song by George Formby from 1936. It was banned by the BBC as many of his songs were in their day. The corporation’s director general John Reith stated that “if the public wants to listen to Formby singing his disgusting little ditty, they’ll have to be content to hear it in the cinemas, not over the nation’s airwaves. | |
| 51 | Obliged to pull back, about to assess force (8) |
| GRATEFUL | |
| LUG (pull) reversed [back] containing [about] RATE (assess) + F (force) | |
| 52 | Photography pioneer’s direction to staff (7) |
| EASTMAN | |
| EAST (direction), MAN (staff). George Eastman (1854-1932) was an American entrepreneur who founded the Eastman Kodak Company. | |
| 53 | What acne treatment promises to do for tyrant? (6) |
| DESPOT | |
| DE-SPOT (what acne treatment promises to do) | |
| Down |
|
| 2 | Country cottage phone line’s cut (5) |
| BOWER | |
| B{l}OWER (phone – slang) [line’s cut]. I didn’t know that a bower can be a cottage, but POD has it as literary usage. | |
| 3 | Fuss over English conservationists obstructing channel (11) |
| OSTENTATION | |
| O (over), then E (English) + NT (conservationists – the National Trust) contained by [obstructing] STATION (e.g.TV channel) | |
| 4 | Space launch low and fiery taking in both poles (8) |
| MOONSHOT | |
| MOO (low) + HOT (fiery) containing [taking in] N+S (both poles) | |
| 5 | Made incisive move on the dance floor? (3,2) |
| CUT IN | |
| Cryptic. To interrupt a dancing couple to dance with one of them. ‘Incisive’ indicates cutting. | |
| 6 | Dander raised, wanted to strangle learner driver (7) |
| NEEDLED | |
| NEEDED (wanted) containing [to strangle] L (learner driver). Getting one’s dander up is to become annoyed. The origin is disputed but it comes from America. | |
| 7 | Curse revolutionary crowd interrupting middle of main race (11) |
| ABOMINATION | |
| MOB (crowd) reversed [revolutionary] contained by [interrupting] {m}AI{n} [middle of…], NATION (race) | |
| 8 | It’s served up with chicken pasty (5) |
| ASHEN | |
| SA (it – sex appeal), reversed [up], HEN (chicken) | |
| 9 | Composer’s variable opening tied into novel (9) |
| DONIZETTI | |
| Z (variable) contained by [opening] anagram [novel] of TIED INTO | |
| 10 | House with Contents? (5) |
| LORDS | |
| This is the House of Lords, one of the two chambers of the UK Parliament. The ‘contents’ of the House of Lords are its members, who are known as Lords. | |
| 11 | Method of payment in scam hardly subtle (11) |
| CONTACTLESS | |
| CON (scam), TACTLESS (hardly subtle) | |
| 12 | Effect of quavers on the score? (7) |
| TREMOLO | |
| Cryptic. A trembling, wavering effect in a musical tone. ‘Quaver’ here means to shake or tremble and does not refer to quaver as a note value. Score refers to written music. | |
| 18 | Bats are able to develop (9) |
| ELABORATE | |
| Anagram [bats] of ARE ABLE TO | |
| 19 | Regret holding money under key in royal train? (7) |
| RETINUE | |
| RUE (regret) containing [holding] E (key) + TIN (money) | |
| 21 | Shed in road, on right, and fifteenth-century house (9) |
| LANCASTER | |
| CAST (shed) contained by [in] LANE (road), then R (right). Henrys IV, V and VI were the three monarchs from this royal house. | |
| 22 | Cacomistle in shadow going after group (8) |
| RINGTAIL | |
| RING (group), TAIL (shadow). I used aids to look up the first word of this clue. It’s a type of raccoon. | |
| 25 | What gricer does for ocular irritation? (9) |
| EYESTRAIN | |
| EYES TRAIN (what gricer does). ‘Gricer’ is a trainspotter. Its origin is disputed. | |
| 27 | One periodically displaying clock not welcome in bed? (9) |
| DANDELION | |
| Another good cryptic. My AI pal advises: Dandelion clock refers to the mature seed head of a dandelion plant, which transforms from the bright yellow flower into a fluffy white ball of seeds, each attached to a tiny parachute-like structure. It’s called a “clock” because of a traditional children’s game or folklore. The idea is that you can tell the time by blowing on the dandelion seed head. Each puff of breath that it takes to blow all the seeds off is supposed to represent an hour of the day. For example, if it takes two puffs to clear all the seeds, it’s “two o’clock.” | |
| 28 | Scrutinize bank having less adequate cover? (8) |
| SCANTIER | |
| SCAN (scrutinize), TIER (bank). The reference here may be to “scantily clad” meaning dressed with insufficient clothing. | |
| 31 | Supposed man-eater starts to prowl hungrily around country area (7) |
| PIRANHA | |
| P{rowl} + H{ungrily} [starts] containing [around] IRAN (country) + A (area) | |
| 33 | Part from Flavian emperor endlessly breaking agreement (11) |
| CONSTITUENT | |
| TITU{s} (Flavian emperor) [endlessly] contained by [breaking] CONSENT (agreement). I looked up Flavian. | |
| 34 | Specialists accepting current team for trials (11) |
| EXPERIMENTS | |
| EXPERTS (specialists) containing [accepting] I (current) + MEN (team) | |
| 35 | Old people, shuffling along with disciples, carrying a cross … (5-6) |
| ANGLO-SAXONS | |
| Anagram [shuffling] of ALONG, then SONS (disciples) containing [carrying] A + X (cross) | |
| 37 | … observed obtrusively religious dons performing miracle? (9) |
| EMPIRICAL | |
| PI (obtrusively religious – pious), contained by [dons] anagram [performing] of MIRACLE. Observed rather than theoretical, I understand. |
|
| 40 | Connected a record player I brought in one day (8) |
| ADJOINED | |
| A, DJ (record player – disc jockey), then I contained by [brought in] ONE + D (day) | |
| 42 | Ultimate in espionage spy boss might authorise (7) |
| EMPOWER | |
| {espionag}E [ultimate in…], M (spy – Bond’s – boss), POWER (might) | |
| 43 | Issue for children? (7) |
| SYNONYM | |
| An all in one definition by example | |
| 45 | Scullers at the outset row hard (5) |
| STIFF | |
| S{cullers} [at the outset], TIFF (row) | |
| 47 | Clergyman’s land bishop fenced with joy (5) |
| GLEBE | |
| B (bishop) contained by [fenced with] GLEE (joy). The village where I was born and raised had glebe lands that had been built on long ago but commemorated in names such as Glebe Road and Glebe Close. I think there’s a Glebelands in The Archers. | |
| 48 | City wife in Nasa rockets? (5) |
| ASWAN | |
| W (wife) contained by [in] anagram [rockets] of NASA. It’s in Egypt and famous for its dam on the Nile. | |
| 49 | Young female duck or cattle catcher? (5) |
| LASSO | |
| LASS (young female), 0 (duck – cricket) | |
My comment on the QC disappeared and this comment section appeared. The wounders of the internet.
Thank you for the research/explanation about Union=bed in 17ac BELABOURED.
50ac. I enjoyed reading about John Reith vs George Formby!
10d. https://www.parliament.uk/about/how/business/divisions/
“Traditionally, during a division [i.e. vote], Members divide physically into two separate areas. These are called the Aye and No lobbies in the Commons and the Contents and Not Contents lobbies in the Lords.”
Thanks. That’s interesting, and I didn’t know about the different lobby titles in the Lords. I concede that may be what the setter had in mind but it’s a rather obscure detail that few would know.
Yes. I think maybe I was vaguely aware of this!
And it is one of the definitions in Collins:
“Content:
(in the British House of Lords)
an affirmative vote or voter.”
I’ve just taken a look at some coverage of the House of Lords from earlier this week, and they’ve ended with a voice vote:
“The question is that this motion be agreed to. As many of that opinion will say ‘Conent’? [murmur of response]. To the contrary ‘Not Content’? [silence]. The Contents have it.”
I’m pretty sure that’s what the setter intended. I knew about contents and not contents, so it doesn’t meet our usual facetious definition of ‘obscure’!
I found this a bit easier than the Saturday’s of this weekend finishing in about 37 1/2 minutes. I did have to look up what Cacomistle and Gricer meant, though, and only vaguely remembered the Ayes in House of Lords were “Contents”. LOI GOING CONCERN. I liked the “mince pies and a pint” and “scruffy old bear”. Thanks Jackkt and setter.
About average difficulty, good fun.
I suppose ‘not welcome in bed’ in 27dn is a reference to the fact that DANDELIONs are weeds. I wondered for a while if this might have something to do with the diuretic qualities of the flowers (which are called ‘pissenlits’ in French) but that would have been taking the mickey.
Really liked Lords – a neat, concise clue. Even better with Peter’s clarification (thank you).
Not so keen on Bed for Union and I thought Cacomistle was rather obscure. But only mild grumbles in the context of a nice puzzle.