Hi all. I found this to be that satisfying kind of solve which never feels too easy but yields steadily to thought and emerging checking letters. I completed in a pretty fast time for me, just over 42 minutes, with last two in RESOURCE (10d) followed by BINDWEED (19d). I was going to say that my only complaint is that I can’t think of a title for the blog, but having realised that my trailing solution is a trailing weed, I have one now. 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 | Mere copper wire’s ultimate tool for potter (4,3) |
| POOL CUE — POOL (mere) + CU (copper) + wirE’s last (ultimate) | |
| 5a | Avoided second defender (4,4) |
| LEFT BACK — LEFT (avoided) + BACK (second) | |
| 9a | One that’s cold consumes tonic (6) |
| BRACER — ACE (one), which BRR (that’s cold) takes in (consumes) | |
| 13a | Hosiery items for sale among fine things around front of shop (7,9) |
| FISHNET STOCKINGS — STOCK (items for sale) inside (among) an anagram of (… around) FINE THINGS + the first letter of (front of) Shop | |
| 14a | Like court proceeding barring one of stars (6) |
| ASTRAL — AS (like) + TR[i]AL (court proceeding) barring I (one) | |
| 16a | Soldiers in buff shot (8) |
| INFANTRY — IN + FAN (buff) + TRY (shot) | |
| 17a | Launched ball at ninepins we heard striking (4) |
| BOLD — BOWLED (launched ball at ninepins), homophone (we heard) | |
| 18a | Immunise number in critical care area recently (9) |
| INOCULATE — NO (number) in ICU (critical care area) + LATE (recently) | |
| 20a | See almost everyone stifled in urban neighbourhood (8) |
| LOCALITY — LO (see) + almost ALl (everyone) contained in (stifled in) CITY (urban) | |
| 21a | Work with beer technology to lose current milky quality (11) |
| OPALESCENCE — OP (work) + ALE (beer) + SC[i]ENCE (technology) omitting (to lose) I (current) | |
| 24a | Official in university reviewed study without subtlety (9) |
| UNREFINED — REF (official) in UNI (university) + the reversal of (reviewed) DEN (study) | |
| 25a | Intoxicated when clutching to a poisonous beast (4,4) |
| CANE TOAD — CANED (intoxicated) when clutching TO A | |
| 26a | Hand’s flipped this switch (4) |
| SWAP — PAW’S (hand’s) backwards (flipped) | |
| 29a | That woman and rest sell bananas uncovered (11) |
| SHELTERLESS — SHE (that woman) + REST SELL anagrammed (bananas) | |
| 31a | Difficult extracting essence of promotional flyer for Latino singer (5,6) |
| RICKY MARTIN — [t]RICKY (difficult) removing the centre of (extracting essence of) promoTional + MARTIN (flyer) | |
| 33a | Commanding turn is then turning heads (2,3,6) |
| IN THE SADDLE — ADDLE (turn), which an anagram of (… turning) IS THEN precedes (heads) | |
| 36a | Says no more and quiet operation ceases trading (5,2,4) |
| SHUTS UP SHOP — SHUTS UP (says no more) + SH (quiet) + OP (operation) | |
| 38a | Carve missing head of the love divinity (4) |
| ECHO — E[t]CH (carve) missing the first letter of (head of) The + O (love) | |
| 39a | Period of outing cut short, like so (8) |
| TRIASSIC — TRIp (outing) without the last letter (cut short) + AS (like) + SIC (so) | |
| 41a | Vocal praise backing lines penned by good French poet (4,5) |
| LORD BYRON — LORD, which sounds like (vocal) LAUD (praise) + the reversal of (backing) RY (lines) inside (penned by) BON (good, French) | |
| 44a | Shot piccy with black plume, rider’s accessory (7,4) |
| BICYCLE PUMP — An anagram of (shot) PICCY with B (black) and PLUME | |
| 45a | An obligation to procure aluminium that’s toughened (8) |
| ANNEALED — AN + NEED (obligation) taking in (to procure) AL (aluminium) | |
| 48a | Doomed old chaps occupying ground without leader (3-6) |
| ILL-OMENED — O (old) and MEN (chaps) occupying mILLED (ground) without the first letter (leader) | |
| 49a | Operated at prime locations in Dusseldorf (4) |
| USED — The answer is found at the prime-numbered positions of (at prime locations in) dUSsElDorf | |
| 50a | Rat Queen wearing coat (8) |
| SQUEALER — QU (Queen) inside (wearing) SEALER (coat) | |
| 52a | Best mate losing leads in property (6) |
| ESTATE — Without the initial letters (… losing leads), bEST mATE | |
| 53a | Yuletide fare criticised — box with crackers (7,9) |
| ROASTED CHESTNUTS — ROASTED (criticised) + CHEST (box) + NUTS (crackers) | |
| 54a | Guard small place of access (6) |
| SENTRY — S (small) + ENTRY (place of access) | |
| 55a | A worthy person rejected curses about big name (8) |
| MEGASTAR — In reverse (… rejected) A plus GEM (worthy person) followed by the reversal of (… about) RATS (curses) | |
| 56a | Day-care facility in centre of Farnham, Surrey needing refurbishment (7) |
| NURSERY — The centre of FarNham + SURREY anagrammed (needing refurbishment) | |
| Down | |
| 1d | Bird rising aloft very loudly over home (6) |
| PUFFIN — Going upwards (rising) UP (aloft) + FF (very loudly) over IN (home) | |
| 2d | Get rigid old ship if last in jetty (6) |
| OSSIFY — O (old) + SS (ship) + IF + the last letter of (last in) jettY | |
| 3d | Restricting way to scamming that’s heartless and rotten (6,3) |
| CONING OFF — CONnING (scamming) that’s lacking its middle letter (heartless) + OFF (rotten) | |
| 4d | Errant teen I reformed as performer (11) |
| ENTERTAINER — ERRANT TEEN I anagrammed (reformed) | |
| 5d | Many empty libraries to stock books (4) |
| LOTS — Outer letters only of (empty) LibrarieS containing (to stock) OT (books) | |
| 6d | Element on boats ignoring core of the work regulations (7,4) |
| FACTORY ACTS — FACTOR (element) on YAC[h]TS (boats) without the middle letter of (ignoring core of) tHe | |
| 7d | Great performance getting round nuisance on foot, hazard to driver (5,6) |
| BLIND CORNER — BLINDER (great performance) surrounding (getting round) CORN (nuisance on foot) | |
| 8d | Understanding son acting badly (9) |
| COGNISANT — SON ACTING anagrammed (badly) | |
| 10d | On and off, church is means of support (8) |
| RESOURCE — RE (on) + SOUR (off) + CE (church) | |
| 11d | Nosy neighbours welcoming bird-watcher in the end (7-9) |
| CURTAIN-TWITCHERS — We are taking (welcoming) TWITCHER (bird-watcher) in CURTAINS (the end) | |
| 12d | Again experience nurses ultimately desperate for support (7) |
| RELIEVE — RELIVE (again experience) holds (nurses) the last letter of (ultimately) desperatE | |
| 15d | Herb increased resistance within 31 days (8) |
| ROSEMARY — ROSE (increased) + R (resistance) within MAY (31 days) | |
| 19d | Unwelcome wrapper in garden? (8) |
| BINDWEED — A cryptic definition | |
| 22d | Source of heat in Asian food involving new coating on noodle (8) |
| SUNSHINE — SUSHI (Asian food) involving N (new) + the outer letters of (coating on) NoodlE | |
| 23d | Explorer’s grave reportedly revealed beneath hut (6,10) |
| ERNEST SHACKLETON — ERNEST sounds like (… reportedly) EARNEST (grave) + LET ON (revealed) beneath SHACK (hut) | |
| 27d | Secure medal bagging second place in epic game (4-4) |
| PING-PONG — PIN (secure) + GONG (medal) bagging the second letter of (second place in) ePic | |
| 28d | Find fault about way of speaking (4) |
| CARP — CA (about) + RP (way of speaking) | |
| 30d | Reported secretion from blubber layer (4) |
| TIER — Sounds like (reported) TEAR (secretion from blubber) | |
| 32d | One connects rebellion and affair after losing female (8) |
| COUPLING — COUP (rebellion) + [f]LING (affair) after losing F (female) | |
| 34d | Girl from Madrid gent knew should abandon outskirts (8) |
| ADRIENNE — Each word in mADRId gENt kNEw needs to drop the outer letters (should abandon outskirts) | |
| 35d | Flying parasites biting us in Baltic region, once (4,7) |
| EAST PRUSSIA — An anagram of (flying) PARASITES surrounding (biting) US | |
| 36d | US agents stopping individual opening shindig? (6,5) |
| SOCIAL EVENT — CIA (US agents) inside (stopping) SOLE (individual) + VENT (opening) | |
| 37d | Horror actress best in small powerful piece (6,5) |
| SCREAM QUEEN — CREAM (best) in S (small) and QUEEN (powerful piece – in chess) | |
| 40d | Vehicle entering a capital city’s sports venue (9) |
| AQUADROME — QUAD (vehicle) going into (entering) A plus ROME (capital city) | |
| 42d | I’m unsure after complaint to worry warder (9) |
| BEEFEATER — ER (I’m unsure) after BEEF (complaint) and EAT (to worry) | |
| 43d | Organised armistice after removal of last blade (8) |
| SCIMITAR — An anagram of (organised) ARMISTICe after removal of its last letter | |
| 44d | Heating devices second-class on tankers (7) |
| BOILERS — B (second-class) on OILERS (tankers) | |
| 46d | Bug under black item of clothing (6) |
| BLOUSE — LOUSE (bug) under B (black) | |
| 47d | Nippy young swallows over street (6) |
| FROSTY — FRY (young) takes in (swallows) O (over) and ST (street) | |
| 51d | Top award for Mark (4) |
| SCAR — Remove the first letter of (top) oSCAR (award) | |
Easy enough so that I had only one query, the parsing of BRACER which somehow I was unable to unravel, so thanks for that, Kitty.
As for the rest of it, my only unknown answer was RICKY MARTIN who I never heard of, but the wordplay and checkers were helpful.
Just over an hour.
– Trusted that OPALESCENCE is a milky quality (not that I could have offered any other description)
– Not familiar with the CANE TOAD but the wordplay got me there
– Had no idea how IN THE SADDLE worked
Thanks Kitty and setter.
FOI Lots
LOI Resource
COD Infantry
We liked this too, but took more than 42 minutes! Smiles for BRaceR and admiration for the prime numbers clue for Used.
49ac is the best clue ever. But I would say that as a mathematician and number theorist. I laughed out loud when I saw it.