Hi all. This didn’t take me too long (about 45 unhurried minutes) but I did use aids for my last answer: I was clueless as to the order of unchecked letters in 2d. Usually I’m pretty good with food and drink (especially consuming it) but not a dish I was familiar with. I bet I’ll see it all the time now. Nothing much to add other than thanks to the setter. 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 part 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 | Mythical creature in one lake is surrounded by sun (8) |
| BASILISK — I (one), L (lake) and IS inside (surrounded by) BASK (sun) | |
| 5a | Head off to involve duke in promo (6) |
| ADVERT — AVERT (head off) containing (to involve) D (duke) | |
| 9a | Missing, as it were, embracing husband (5,2) |
| SHORT OF — SORT OF (as it were) surrounding (embracing) H (husband) | |
| 14a | Actor vainly improvised, seeing what’s coming? (11) |
| CLAIRVOYANT — ACTOR VAINLY anagrammed (improvised) | |
| 15a | Bring back Republican, say, to advise suppressing current lot of rubbish? (11) |
| REGURGITATE — R (Republican) + EG (say) + URGE (to advise) containing (suppressing) I (current) and TAT (lot of rubbish) | |
| 16a | Control source of hemlock behind meadows (5) |
| LEASH — The first letter of (source of) Hemlock after (behind) LEAS (meadows) | |
| 17a | Villainy: King and old Queen being beset by military force (7) |
| KNAVERY — K (King) + ER (old Queen) in (being beset by) NAVY (military force) | |
| 18a | Distasteful English lines — regret including that (9) |
| REPELLENT — E (English) plus LL (lines); REPENT (regret) is including that | |
| 19a | Nonsense about American cornered by his spies in European country (7) |
| CROATIA — ROT (nonsense) around (about) A (American) all inside (cornered by) CIA (his spies) | |
| 20a | Natural art movement real? I’m perhaps dubious about it (3-12) |
| PRE-RAPHAELITISM — An anagram of (… dubious) REAL? I’M PERHAPS around (about) IT | |
| 22a | Earliest papers returned during formal examination (10) |
| PRIMORDIAL — ID (papers) reversed (returned) in (during) PRIM (formal) plus ORAL (examination) | |
| 23a | Earliest sign or source of bleak lines in moody music (6) |
| EMBRYO — The initial letter of (source of) Bleak and RY (lines) in EMO (moody music) | |
| 25a | Noise from farmyard? Agreed to stay in (4) |
| OINK — OK (agreed) holding (to stay) IN | |
| 28a | Misplaced chapel location? Bar will do for me (5,9) |
| PLAIN CHOCOLATE — An anagram of (misplaced) CHAPEL LOCATION | |
| 30a | Form of farewell also concealing a lot, but not all (6-2) |
| TOODLE-OO — TOO (also) around (concealing) OODLEs (a lot), but not the final letter (but not all) | |
| 32a | Accountant tries to secure right money handlers (8) |
| CASHIERS — CA (accountant) + SHIES (tries) containing (to secure) R (right) | |
| 34a | Idly chat to her, neither completely following film — an easy thing to do (5,3,6) |
| SHOOT THE BREEZE — To HEr, both missing the last letter (neither completely) following SHOOT (film) + BREEZE (an easy thing to do) | |
| 37a | English composer avoiding American food shop (4) |
| DELI — DELI[us] (English composer) excluding (avoiding) US (American) | |
| 38a | Fight ending in failure? That’s a predicament (6) |
| SCRAPE — SCRAP (fight) + the last letter of (ending in) failurE | |
| 39a | Illuminated pig talk with hot picture (10) |
| LITHOGRAPH — LIT (illuminated) + HOG (pig) + RAP (talk) + H (hot) | |
| 43a | High level electrical disturbance doing for skylights in Dunedin? (6,9) |
| AURORA AUSTRALIS — A cryptic definition | |
| 45a | City when finally thriving may be bathed in light (7) |
| GLASGOW — AS (when) and the last letter of (finally) thrivinG may be surrounded by (bathed in) GLOW (light) | |
| 47a | An awful job bringing in computers etc for recluse (9) |
| ANCHORITE — AN + CHORE (awful job) bringing in IT (computers etc) | |
| 49a | Rail line not initiated around very elevated region, not at first (7) |
| INVEIGH — Without its first letter (… not initiated) lINE around V (very) + hIGH (elevated region) also missing its first letter (not at first) | |
| 51a | More competent line adopted by half of Scottish city (5) |
| ABLER — L (line) inside (adopted by) half of ABERdeen (Scottish city) | |
| 52a | I sense Latin in translation is not required (11) |
| INESSENTIAL — I SENSE LATIN anagrammed (in translation) | |
| 53a | Speculative article in verse without power, about river (11) |
| THEORETICAL — THE (article) + [p]OETICAL (in verse) without P (power) around (about) R (river) | |
| 54a | Nitrogenous compound a long time cutting through potassium metal (7) |
| KERATIN — ERA (a long time) inserted between (cutting through) K (potassium) and TIN (metal) | |
| 55a | Is about to backtrack upon penetrating my unhappiness? (6) |
| MISERY — IS and RE (about) reversing (to backtrack) on going into (upon penetrating) MY | |
| 56a | Tradesman easily restricted by adverse comment (8) |
| JEWELLER — WELL (easily) inside (restricted by) JEER (adverse comment) | |
| Down | |
| 1d | Rural virus not good, leading to stomach upset (7) |
| BUCOLIC — BU[g] (virus) not G (good) preceding (leading to) COLIC (stomach upset) | |
| 2d | What may satisfy Greek characters — kappa ‘n’ iotas, possibly (11) |
| SPANAKOPITA — An anagram of (… possibly) KAPPA ‘N’ IOTAS | |
| 3d | Runs non-mainstream group supporting the Parisian musical movement (9) |
| LARGHETTO — R (runs) and GHETTO (non-mainstream group) underneath (supporting) LA (the, Parisian) | |
| 4d | Investment opportunities in punishment with reactions on social media? (6,3,6) |
| STOCKS AND SHARES — STOCKS (punishment) + AND (with) + SHARES (reactions on social media) | |
| 6d | One spotting the Spanish bird (8) |
| DOTTEREL — DOTTER (one spotting) + EL (the Spanish) | |
| 7d | Lady and Ray entangled in passion? It’s not often seen in parliament (5,3,6) |
| EARLY DAY MOTION — LADY and RAY anagrammed (entangled) in EMOTION (passion) | |
| 8d | Ocean predator to pay attention, chasing serious competitors (5,5) |
| TIGER SHARK — HARK (to pay attention) following (chasing) TIGERS (serious competitors) | |
| 9d | Moral consideration — namely, quietly breaking law (7) |
| SCRUPLE — SC (scilicet: namely) + P (quietly) going into (breaking) RULE (law) | |
| 10d | Demarcations of order that is beginning to limit Oxford college (5) |
| ORIEL — Edges of (demarcations of) OrdeR + IE (that is) + the beginning to Limit | |
| 11d | Actress represented in clothing of theatre grandee (11) |
| TRAGEDIENNE — An anagram of (represented) IN, the outer letters of (clothing of) TheatrE and GRANDEE | |
| 12d | Leisure in prison sentence without charge? (4,4) |
| FREE TIME — FREE TIME could be a prison sentence (time) without charge (free) | |
| 13d | Big story that would turn into a delightful affair (4) |
| SAGA — If the answer were reversed/turned it would give A GAS (a delightful affair) | |
| 20d | German scientist caught drilling board (6) |
| PLANCK — C (caught) going into (drilling) PLANK (board) | |
| 21d | Organised, as one may be following call? (2,5) |
| IN ORDER — Two meanings | |
| 22d | Secretary moving quickly in religious leader’s office (6) |
| PAPACY — PA (secretary) + PACY (moving quickly) | |
| 24d | Appearing to be superior individuals in heavenly bay? (2,4,4,5) |
| ON ONE’S HIGH HORSE — ONES (individuals) in ON HIGH (heavenly) + HORSE (bay?) | |
| 26d | What arises from decay of leading star with soft features? (5,9) |
| ALPHA PARTICLES — ALPHA (leading star) with P (soft) and ARTICLES (features) | |
| 27d | Ridicule about recording Lloyd Webber role (6) |
| JOSEPH — JOSH (ridicule) around (about) EP (recording) | |
| 29d | Volume missing from new edition turned up with additional volume (7) |
| NOISIER — V (volume) missing from RE[v]ISION (new edition) reversed (turned up) | |
| 31d | Entry to Europe — the current thing besetting Conservative values (6) |
| ETHICS — The first letter of (entry to) Europe + THIS (the current thing) surrounding (besetting) C (Conservative) | |
| 33d | Drives vehicle round borders of Lancashire and keeps away (6,5) |
| STEERS CLEAR — STEERS (drives) CAR (vehicle) round the outer letters of (borders of) LancashirE | |
| 35d | Ardent Christian banning daughter from improper village dance (11) |
| EVANGELICAL — We are removing (banning) D (daughter) from an anagram of (improper) VILLAGE [d]ANCE | |
| 36d | Music prone to enliven this aspect of theatre? (10) |
| PROSCENIUM — MUSIC PRONE being anagrammed (to enliven) | |
| 40d | Promise security worker to have day off, advance payment and opening in Essex (9) |
| GUARANTEE — GUAR[d] (security worker) without (to have … off) D (day) + ANTE (advance payment) and the initial letter of (opening in) Essex | |
| 41d | Duty to limit damage on one flowering plant (8) |
| TAMARISK — TASK (duty) containing (to limit) MAR (damage) on I (one) | |
| 42d | Something to raise English tax in part, after reflection (8) |
| ELEVATOR — E (English) and VAT (tax) in the reversal of (… after reflection) ROLE (part) | |
| 44d | French city — no good soaring in plane there (7) |
| AVIGNON — NG (no good) going upwards (soaring) in AVION (plane there) | |
| 46d | Conflict over British apprehending the French flier (7) |
| WARBLER — WAR (conflict) over BR (British) taking in (apprehending) LE (the, French) | |
| 48d | Not off to arrange attack (5) |
| ONSET — ON (not off) + SET (to arrange) | |
| 50d | American composer is blowing top (4) |
| IVES — Removing the first letter (… blowing top) lIVES (is) | |
A very similar (45.46) experience: I had no way of sorting out SPANAKOPITA: I have neither feta nor spinach in my larder, and making filo pastry is an awful waste of time. None of the word seems to have any resonance with any Greek known to me either, so I too turned to help – in my case Electric Chambers – to assist. An odd entry in an otherwise generous puzzle.
Ref 2dn, it left a bad taste. Will setters ever stop clueing obscure words as anagrams? We had another one only yesterday!
Elsewhere I thought I had missed wordplay for AURORA AUSTRALIS but I’m grateful to the blogger for explaining it’s simply a cryptic definition.
I also worried there might be wordplay for AURORA AUSTRALIS, but really couldn’t see anything at all so decided to gamble on confidently declaring a cd. I’ll find out soon enough if I’m wrong!
A pleasant workout over an hour and a half or so. No problem at all with SPANAKOPITA which is surely a popular well-known Greek menu item. I had some very recently – no Zabadak, not ingredients from my fridge in home-made filo pastry – just a couple of pieces from “Parsnips” my local deli.
Thank you Kitty for the blog
Quite straightforward, and the Greek dish is very familiar to me so no problem there. The only unfamiliar thing was the TAMARISK, although even that rang a vague bell and sure enough it’s come up before.
11 down requires IN to be included in agranam.
Oops! I will amend the blog now, thank you.
It’s funny you should say that about 2d Kitty. It was in a Jumbo in March and was new to me then but I saw them on sale 2 days later in M&S.