I have no measured time for this but I found it very much towards the gentler end of the difficulty spectrum so I’d be surprised if it took me over 30 minutes. My only problems were struggling to understand the first definition for RESORT and semi-biffing a partly wrong answer at 8d
First in was SECOND WIND and last was PSYCHOSIS.
If any of my explanations don’t make sense then feel free to ask for further elucidation.
The technical stuff:
Clues are in blue with the definition underlined. Anagram indicators are in bold italics.
Notation:
DD: Double definition
CD: Cryptic definition
DDCDH: DD/CD hybrid where a straight definition is combined with a cryptic hint.
&Lit: “all in one” where the entire clue is both definition and wordplay.
(fodder)* denotes an anagram of the letters in the brackets.
Rounded brackets are also used to add further clarity
Squiggly brackets {} indicate parts of a word not used
Deletions are struck out
Square brackets [] expand an abbreviation or shortening like W[ide]
| Across | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Support with victory, beginning to display fresh vigour (6,4) |
| SECOND WIND – SECOND, WIN, D{isplay} | |
| 6 | Waves with Catherine close to chair, one on wheels (6,6) |
| ROLLER SKATER – ROLLERS, KATE, {chai}R | |
| 14 | Greek islander and African once docked two points (7) |
| RHODIAN -RHODESIAN minus E[ast] and S[outh] | |
| 15 | City to shine hosting a second games at first (7) |
| GLASGOW – GLOW around A S[econd] G{ames} | |
| 16 | Heartless decision primarily offending you and me (7) |
| CALLOUS -CALL (decision), O{ffending}, US | |
| 17 | American capital mostly returned as well (4) |
| ALSO – A[merican], reversal of OSL{o} | |
| 18 | Very wide headgear? Who cares! (2,4) |
| SO WHAT – SO W[ide] HAT. “Who cares” should be followed by a question mark. Discuss. | |
| 20 | US beacon moving beneath the waves (8) |
| SUBOCEAN – (US beacon)* | |
| 24 | Cause problem with fresh North Sea prawn being prepared (5,1,7,2,3,5) |
| THROW A SPANNER IN THE WORKS – (North Sea prawn)*, IN THE WORKS | |
| 25 | Company engages fool in Italian town (7) |
| CASSINO -CO[mpany] around ASS IN | |
| 26 | Nonchalance of carrier releasing large ship (8) |
| AIRINESS – AIRLINE without L[arge], S[team]S[hip] | |
| 27 | Words on delivery vehicle repelled enemy (4,2) |
| CARE OF – CAR, FOE reversed | |
| 29 | Come last? Raise then briefly raise again (5,2,3,4) |
| BRING UP THE REAR – BRING UP, THE{n}, REAR | |
| 31 | Personal assistant with property that’s leased from mum and dad (8) |
| PARENTAL – P.A., RENTAL | |
| 34 | Willing to stuff cotton fibre body part (8) |
| LIGAMENT – GAME in LENT | |
| 36 | First aid team’s celebration for yoga practitioners? (9,5) |
| STRETCHER PARTY – DDCDH | |
| 39 | Measure area for tourists (6) |
| RESORT – DD. The only vague equivalence I can think of for the first is in the phrase “last resort”. Chambers app doesn’t have resort as a definition of measure or vice versa. | |
| 41 | One who may buy bespoke gear regularly (8) |
| CUSTOMER – CUSTOM, {g}E{a}R | |
| 43 | Name on kitchenware the wrong way round continuously (7) |
| NONSTOP – N[ame], ON, POTS reversed | |
| 46 | Nepal got irrationally upset with art and culture institution (8,8,7) |
| NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY – (Nepal got irrationally art)*. | |
| 47 | Flyer advanced by way of ruses we’re told (8) |
| AVIATRIX – A[dvanced], VIA, homophone of TRICKS | |
| 48 | Modest roadside accommodation out of bounds for Native American (6) |
| COYOTE – COY, |
|
| 49 | Money from some tuxedo shops (4) |
| DOSH – hidden | |
| 53 | Play featuring one old model (7) |
| DIORAMA – DRAMA around I O[ld] | |
| 54 | Satisfy primate eating vegetables (7) |
| APPEASE – APE around PEAS | |
| 56 | Sitcom finishes on last day of work week (7) |
| FRIENDS – ENDS on FRI[day] | |
| 57 | Sharp tool is dear, possibly? (6,6) |
| LETTER OPENER – DDCDH (Dear Sir, etc) | |
| 58 | Develop mascot for a heraldic symbol (4,2,4) |
| COAT OF ARMS – (mascot for a)* | |
| Down | |
|---|---|
| 1 | Group of actors in Indian dress cold and mocking (9) |
| SARCASTIC – CAST in SARI, C[old] | |
| 2 | Conservative and Scotsman perhaps relish wearing women’s clothes? (5-8) |
| CROSS-DRESSING – C[onservative], ROSS, DRESSING | |
| 3 | Seize part of finger (4) |
| NAIL – DD | |
| 4 | Browsing but not buying operating system, desiring to save power (6-8) |
| WINDOW-SHOPPING -WINDOWS, HOPING around P[ower] | |
| 5 | One often scolding horse (3) |
| NAG – DD | |
| 7 | So far, stag party ultimately wild debauch (4) |
| ORGY – Final letters of sO faR staG partY | |
| 8 | Terrible new lines without legality (10) |
| LAWFULNESS – AWFUL N[ew] in LESS. I originally saw “without legality and somehow biffed LAWLESNESS (sic). | |
| 9 | Celt hero unexpectedly put in dress again? (8) |
| RECLOTHE – (culthero)* | |
| 10 | Predator starting war — like hell! (6,5) |
| KILLER WHALE – (war like hell)* | |
| 11 | Chop up her rotten spiky plant (9) |
| THORNTREE – (her rotten)* | |
| 12 | Spots source of rare wood (4) |
| RASH – R{are}, ASH | |
| 13 | Perhaps zip more rapidly around north-east (8) |
| FASTENER – FASTER around N[orth] E[ast] | |
| 19 | Nuisance when man, a scoundrel, upset another man (8) |
| HEADACHE – HE, A, CAD reversed, HE | |
| 21 | Canopy starting to lose roof (6) |
| AWNING – |
|
| 22 | Facade fashioned of garnet (8) |
| FRONTAGE – (of garnet)* | |
| 23 | Completely deplete in a beneficial way (8) |
| USEFULLY – USE FULLY | |
| 28 | Mentioned option when promoting pawn — continue the celebrations! (4,1,5,2,2) |
| MAKE A NIGHT OF IT – aural wordplay for MAKE A KNIGHT OF IT | |
| 29 | Tyrant doesn’t finish phone charging location? (8) |
| BULLRING – BULL |
|
| 30 | Able to spin nonsense with a Conservative (8) |
| ROTATORY – ROT A TORY | |
| 32 | Badly cut northerner to finally start improving (4,3,6) |
| TURN THE CORNER – (cut northerner)* | |
| 33 | Lack winter clothing mostly to the north of settlement (8) |
| SCARCITY – SCAR{f}, CITY | |
| 35 | Reflection is illusion, featuring upside-down golden lip (6,5) |
| MIRROR IMAGE – MIRAGE around OR reversed and RIM | |
| 37 | Committees criticize the Spanish head of state (6) |
| PANELS – PAN, EL, S{tate} | |
| 38 | Not rigid about initially inducing animal to beg (10) |
| SUPPLICATE – SUPPLE around I{nducing} CAT | |
| 40 | Begins attacks (4,5) |
| SETS ABOUT – DD | |
| 42 | Complaint about giant bird originally coming from Africa (8) |
| MOROCCAN – MOAN around ROC, C{oming} | |
| 44 | Problem in head ruined cosy ships? (9) |
| PSYCHOSIS – (cosy ships)* | |
| 45 | Dancer’s boss shuns a villainous character in capital city (8) |
| SANTIAGO – SANT |
|
| 50 | Fan favourite not doing anything for the audience (4) |
| IDOL – sounds like IDLE | |
| 51 | Part of church recalled in prince’s palace (4) |
| APSE – reverse hidden | |
| 52 | Hard ignoring son’s argument (4) |
| TIFF – STIFF minus S[on] | |
| 55 | Self-esteem, for example, supported by love (3) |
| EGO – E.G., O | |
I have almost no notes on my copy, no DNKs, no queries or MERs (I did wonder briefly about ‘measure’), no CODs. A couple of ‘feh’s for rebarbative surfaces, like 34ac. FOI 1d, LOI 29d.
Just over 30 minutes for me. Like Kevin I have almost no notes on my paper copy. I was baffled by “measure” as a definition for resort, but looking up “measure” I found Chambers has “means to an end”, so I suppose it works. I DNK the Italian town and failed to see KILLER WHALE was an anagram for quite a while. Apart from marks against just those 3 clues I only have the anagrists for TURN THE CORNER and COAT OF ARMS written out. Thanks Penford and setter.
Yes, a straightforward one. I also struggle with ‘measure’ for RESORT.
Not hard, this.
I tend to drop spanners in the works rather than throw them, but I am aware that many do throw…
Not too difficult. Sometimes we leave jumbo out on the table for the afternoon and pick at it like a big jigsaw puzzle. But we simply hit this in one sitting.
24A “Spanner in the works” was the same answer in the same position last week! (Shurely shome mistake?)
I loved “Dancer’s boss” as a clue for Santa in 45 down. Also liked the clue for letter opener. Nice work.
This might be a first for me but there wasn’t a word or definition that was unknown to me, apart from ‘measure’ being used to mean ‘resort’ at 39a. The lack of obscurities was a joy. More from this setter please.
Did it on paper on a flight, but couldn’t not finish off. Needed thesaurus to winkle out a synonym for Tyrant for BULLRING (nice clue)
THROW A SPANNER IN THE WORKS was a great anagram.
Needed aids for LIGAMENT, as I thought it started LEG(body part)
SANTIAGO had me well beaten, even after looking up capital cities I couldn’t see the parsing. Eventually the app Ask Ross helped in seeing IAGO for villain, then that left SANTA for Dancer’s boss.
LOI CARE OF
Very pleasant solve- spelling often my Achilles Heel so very grateful for the clarity with AIRINESS! LETTER OPENER my LOI. Much thanks to the setter and to the blogger for their efforts. A lovely puzzle.