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.