Hi all. Another last minute blog bashed out on a Friday evening, but as I solved the puzzle with a glass of wine and I’m on holiday next week, it’s probably not surprising that I enjoyed it! I started off fast and thought I was in for a gentle ride, but there was some harder stuff in the mix to keep thing interesting and I actually ended up using a little help to finish. I haven’t elaborated much below, but if anything warrants more explanation do shout. Thanks setter!
Definitions are underlined in the clues below. In the explanations, I generally italicise indicators unless it seems clearer not to. Where the removed letter is specified, [deletions] are in square brackets, and I’ve capitalised and emboldened letters which appear in the ANSWER. I sometimes omit link words and juxtaposition indicators if it doesn’t feel necessary to explain them. If you have any questions, please ask in the comments section.
| Across | |
| 1a | They help you to discern good young women (7) |
| GLASSES — G (good) + LASSES (young women) | |
| 5a | A muppet turned on hotel boiler replacement? (4,4) |
| HEAT PUMP — An anagram of (… turned) A MUPPET on H (hotel) | |
| 9a | Unhealthy-looking pig gobbles the lot (6) |
| SALLOW — SOW (pig) takes in (gobbles) ALL (the lot) | |
| 13a | Peter wrestling with shark: monster morality tale (3,5,8) |
| THE RAKES PROGRESS — An anagram of (… wrestling …) PETER with SHARK + OGRESS (monster) | |
| 14a | Retrieve key in Parisian street (6) |
| RESCUE — ESC (key) in RUE (Parisian street) | |
| 16a | Another helping with no end of advice after sailor goes Awol (8) |
| ABSCONDS — S[e]CONDS (another helping) with no E (end of advicE) after AB (sailor) | |
| 17a | Portuguese song of love following short-lived trend (4) |
| FADO — O (love) following FAD (short-lived trend) | |
| 18a | Stared at as I cried audibly (9) |
| EYEBALLED — Sounds like (… audibly) I BAWLED (I cried) | |
| 20a | Composer absorbing time with empty grandiosity and lack of energy (8) |
| LETHARGY — LEHÁR (composer) taking in (absorbing) T (time) + GrandiositY minus inner letters (empty …) | |
| 21a | Gallery getting cold for end of waltz, enclosed in walls of sanctuary — it will do (11) |
| SUFFICIENCY — UFFI[z]I (gallery) with C (cold) in place of (for) Z (end of waltZ) and ENC. (enclosed) in the outer letters of (walls of) SanctuarY | |
| 24a | Problem with speech delivered back in Fresno? It all aligns (9) |
| LALLATION — The answer is found reversed inside (back in) FresNO? IT ALL ALigns | |
| 25a | Spooner’s delivery service takes in snack (5,3) |
| TRAIL MIX — A spoonerism of MAIL (delivery service) TRICKS (takes in) | |
| 26a | I don’t care about principal character in Social Network (4) |
| MESH — MEH (I don’t care) around (about) the first letter of (principal character in) Social | |
| 29a | Agreement is embodied in current digital format (7,4) |
| COMPACT DISC — COMPACT (agreement) + IS embodied in DC (current) | |
| 31a | Celebration following old PM’s powerful blow (11) |
| NORTHEASTER — EASTER (celebration) following NORTH (old PM) | |
| 33a | Cocktail shaken containing dash of Drambuie (3,3,5) |
| GIN AND TONIC — An anagram of (shaken) CONTAINING with the first letter of (dash of) Drambuie | |
| 36a | Tricky situation before detective arrived with books (11) |
| PREDICAMENT — PRE (before), DI (detective), CAME (arrived) and NT (books) | |
| 38a | Local cows without water? (4) |
| NEAT — A double definition | |
| 39a | Society thief denied introduction in New York’s elitist attitude (8) |
| SNOBBERY — S (society) + rOBBER (thief) omitting the first letter (denied introduction) in NY (New York) | |
| 41a | Give evidence on return of more sickly recidivism (9) |
| RELAPSING — SING (give evidence) on the reversal of (return of) PALER (more sickly) | |
| 44a | Key Xmas song arranged for air travellers’ backup (6,5) |
| OXYGEN MASKS — KEY XMAS SONG anagrammed (arranged) | |
| 45a | Sign with fashionable cladding is least original (8) |
| HOARIEST — ARIES (sign) with HOT (fashionable) surrounding (cladding) | |
| 48a | Nice cat modelled around American ceramics technique (9) |
| ENCAUSTIC — NICE CAT anagrammed (modelled) around US (American) | |
| 49a | Ending with ersatz answer (4) |
| CODA — COD (ersatz) + A (answer) | |
| 50a | Work with conventional scale, including one according to choice (8) |
| OPTIONAL — OP (work) + TONAL (conventional scale) including I (one) | |
| 52a | A dupe sent back hot bathroom accessory (6) |
| LOOFAH — Reversed (… sent back) A FOOL (a dupe) + H (hot) | |
| 53a | Clear one pedestal abroad for antiquity relocated to London or NYC (10,6) |
| CLEOPATRAS NEEDLE — CLEAR ONE PEDESTAL anagrammed (abroad) | |
| 54a | Quietly change and prevaricate (6) |
| PALTER — P (quietly) + ALTER (change) | |
| 55a | Leaders of youth can’t hack walk, it said, after 50: stop just short of final destination (8) |
| LYCHGATE — The initials of (leaders of) Youth Can’t Hack and GATE, which sounds like (… it said) GAIT (walk), all after L (50) | |
| 56a | Problem with skin or hair that could leave monster stranded? (7) |
| DRYNESS — Nessie could be stranded in the event of a DRY NESS | |
| Down | |
| 1d | Gourmet primarily fed on gold dessert (6) |
| GATEAU — The first letter of (… primarily) Gourmet + ATE (fed on) + AU (gold) | |
| 2d | Discriminatory article on spirit (6) |
| AGEIST — A (article) + GEIST (spirit) | |
| 3d | Very advanced religious leader guns for popular entertainment (4,5) |
| SOAP OPERA — SO (very) + A (advanced) + POPE (religious leader) + RA (guns) | |
| 4d | Second writer redrafted third paper for waster (11) |
| SPENDTHRIFT — S (second) + PEN (writer) + an anagram of (redrafted) THIRD + FT (paper) | |
| 5d | Overpromote extremes of healthy exercise (4) |
| HYPE — Outer letters of (extremes of) HealthY + PE (exercise) | |
| 6d | A typical cop’s corruption is disastrous (11) |
| APOCALYPTIC — A TYPICAL COP’s anagram (corruption) | |
| 7d | Algeciras? Capital! (4,2,5) |
| PORT OF SPAIN — Two meanings, the first a literal one | |
| 8d | Expert worries mounting in rugby contest (9) |
| MASTERFUL — FRETS (worries) raised (mounting, in a down entry) in MAUL (rugby contest) | |
| 10d | Street mass with song and prayer (3,5) |
| AVE MARIA — AVE. (street) + M (mass) + ARIA (song) | |
| 11d | Limited number? (5,11) |
| LOCAL ANAESTHETIC — A cryptic definition | |
| 12d | It’s scary in empty wasteland; it’s sad when people go to work (7) |
| WEEKDAY — EEK (it’s scary) in WastelanD without the inside (empty …) + AY (it’s sad) | |
| 15d | Sinister Six filling food stores with heroin (8) |
| DEVILISH — VI (six) in (filling) DELIS (food stores) + H (heroin) | |
| 19d | Pivot finally bent, racing endlessly round circuit (8) |
| TRUNNION — The last letter of (finally) benT + RUNNINg (racing) endlessly around (round) O (circuit) | |
| 22d | Starchy stuff from unknown player of small part in valley (8) |
| GLYCOGEN — Y (unknown) and COG (player of small part) in GLEN (valley) | |
| 23d | Solemnly, teacher dashed around old early learning centre (10,6) |
| ELEMENTARY SCHOOL — An anagram of (… dashed) SOLEMNLY, TEACHER around O (old) | |
| 27d | Historical Russian museum losing millions (8) |
| HERITAGE — HER[m]ITAGE (Russian museum) losing M (millions) | |
| 28d | Earth is first-class in Georgia (4) |
| GAIA — AI (A1, first-class) in GA (Georgia) | |
| 30d | Spots top pilot around end of afternoon (4) |
| ACNE — ACE (top pilot) around the end of afternooN | |
| 32d | Enjoy books about the old British loaf (3,5) |
| RYE BREAD — READ (enjoy books) around (about) YE (the old) and BR (British) | |
| 34d | Metalworker isn’t playing with German hydrogen (8) |
| TINSMITH — An anagram of (… playing) ISN’T + MIT (with German) + H (hydrogen) | |
| 35d | Reluctant to follow revolutionary with ultimately sterile, dry material (11) |
| CHEESECLOTH — LOTH (reluctant) going after (to follow) CHE (revolutionary), the last letter of (ultimately) sterilE and SEC (dry) | |
| 36d | Little drink after film, a form of therapy (11) |
| PSYCHODRAMA — DRAM (little drink) after PSYCHO (film) + A | |
| 37d | Hostile, like Lil? (3-8) |
| ILL-DISPOSED — Lil is ILL-anagrammed (DISPOSED) | |
| 40d | Partner supporting graduate exactly as set out, in general terms (9) |
| BASICALLY — ALLY (partner) underneath (supporting) BA (graduate) and SIC (exactly as set out) | |
| 42d | Hand over unopened bubbly without making much effort (9) |
| PASSIVELY — PASS (hand over) + without the first letter (unopened) lIVELY (bubbly) | |
| 43d | Tell about centre of language control (8) |
| REGULATE — RELATE (tell) around (about) the centre of lanGUage | |
| 44d | Done with friend coming up to share some space (7) |
| OVERLAP — OVER (done) + PAL (friend) backwards (coming up) | |
| 46d | Single daughter, say, flipping nervous (2,4) |
| ON EDGE — ONE (single) + D (daughter) + EG (say) reversed (flipping) | |
| 47d | Tool works steadily to overcome resistance (6) |
| PLIERS — PLIES (works steadily) surrounding (to overcome) R (resistance) | |
| 51d | Tongue served up in Alice’s Restaurant (4) |
| ERSE — The answer is found going upwards in (served up in) AlicE’S REstaurant | |
Several DNKs: MAUL, TRUNNION, ENCAUSTIC, LYCHGATE. This took me a very long time, as I recall.
An enjoyable mix. I had some same unknowns as Kevin apart from LYCHGATE which I knew and thought it was a very fine clue. I’m sure I’d have taken a different view if I hadn’t happened to understand the reference. PALTER was another unknown. But there were plenty of easy answers here to enable me to work around the harder bits.
I knew the word but didn’t understand the definition. Apparently it derives from the Old English ‘lich’ meaning ‘corpse’.
Same here: quite a few unknowns where I needed the wordplay: FADO, LALLATION, ENCAUSTIC, PALTER, TRUNNION. And a couple where I recognised the word but not the definition: LYCHGATE, PSYCHODRAMA.
46.46 WOE
I loved this one as all the unknowns could reasonably confidently be entered from the w/p. It did help twigging MAUL though which took a while even though I know ruggers. That was tough if you dont.
Lord Keriothe – you need a sojourn in Portugal when you will not be able to avoid FADO – having said that, for some bizarre reason I entered FATO for rather too long smugly thinking I knew the literal.
My longest tank by far was for AGEIST which I just could not see even with the checkers. And my error – a rather too hasty NEAR after seeing “local”. Not sure why NEAT are local cows as opposed to just cows but will check that out. It does at least explain what the reference to water in the clue was doing…
Great puzzle; great blog.
We went to Porto last year and I don’t remember encountering FADO. Of course I may have done so without realising what it was called.
I think ‘local’ indicates local dialect: Collins says it’s ‘archaic or dialect’.
We found this relatively easy but very enjoyable. Having said that, we fluffed 38A with Near instead of the archaic Neat.
Smiles for I-Bawled and Dry-Ness. Also Ill-Disposed was clever.
Enjoyed this and only stopped from finishing by 25a (I rarely like a Spoonerism). There were a few obscurities that I was able to guess when I had enough crossing letters, such as fado, trunnion and encaustic. I’d come across palter before, no doubt in crosswordland (the only place the word still exists). Had to Google Algeciras. Thank you for the blog.
Favourite clue: 56a was fun.
Least favourite: 12d. Didn’t put it in because I didn’t understand the last two letters.