… but my kind of puzzle! Hello everybody. The party I refer to is that in 13a, MEASURE FOR MEASURE, for which I came by a spoiler. I hadn’t yet solved the puzzle when I met up with some of the great and good people of crosswordland (which is my kind of party) and one mentioned (without giving details other than the answer) the effort involved in parsing that particular clue. Of course, a blogger can’t shirk that responsibility!
I left this until the bank holiday Monday to solve, so it is to the setter’s credit that I managed to enjoy it despite the punishingly hot weather and resulting lack of sleep. It took me about 50 minutes; on finding the aforementioned entry I avoided putting it into the grid for a while until the lure of its checkers proved irresistible.
I thought 19a, TRADE WARS, very clever and enjoyed the ICE CREAM in 24d. My favourite was 36d, with its strange cocktail (PORTMANTEAU). Cheers 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 | Happy with financial obligations? That’s debatable (11) |
| CONTENTIOUS — CONTENT (happy) with IOUS (financial obligations) | |
| 7a | Mythic hero quietly shivering, dangerously cold (11) |
| HYPOTHERMIC — An anagram of (… shivering) MYTHIC HERO and P (quietly) | |
| 13a | Drama — this person backed country ahead of party, effacing when shunned by right (7,3,7) |
| MEASURE FOR MEASURE — ME (this person) + reversed (backed) USA (country) + REFORM (party) + E[r]ASURE (effacing) without (when shunned by) R (right) | |
| 14a | Secretary cut short group of druids? (5) |
| PAGAN — PA (secretary) + GANg (group) missing its last letter (… cut short) | |
| 15a | Slowly notice a US soldier close to Oman’s capital (6) |
| ADAGIO — AD (notice) + A + GI (US soldier) by (close to) Oman’s capital | |
| 16a | Going in the wrong direction, detective and guards caught like statues (8) |
| SCULPTED — From right to left (going in the wrong direction), DET (detective) and PLUS (and) surrounds (guards) C (caught) | |
| 17a | Middle Easterner is one tragic figure, on reflection (7) |
| ISRAELI — IS + backwards (… on reflection) I (one) and LEAR (tragic figure) | |
| 19a | Fights over tariffs? Head of finance quits afterwards in distress (5,4) |
| TRADE WARS — The first letter of (head of) Finance leaves (quits) an anagram of (… in distress) A[f]TERWARDS | |
| 21a | Perhaps neon sign at vacant riverside works (5,3) |
| INERT GAS — SIGN AT plus RiversidE lacking inner letters (vacant …) is anagrammed (works) | |
| 23a | At the outset, everyone disliked gross, embittered creep (4) |
| EDGE — Initial letters of (at the outset) Everyone Disliked Gross, Embittered | |
| 25a | In recession, the US needs banks to follow (5) |
| ENSUE — Going backwards (in recession), thE US NEeds holds (banks) the answer | |
| 27a | Loincloth from island hotel daughter also wears backwards (6) |
| DHOOTI — I (island), H (hotel) and D (daughter), which TOO (also) is inside (wears), all backwards | |
| 28a | Perhaps Chopper Harris ultimately leaves my soccer lot injured (10) |
| MOTORCYCLE — The last letter of (… ultimately) harriS leaves MY [s]OCCER LOT anagrammed (injured) | |
| 30a | Dancing in leather before leaving (8) |
| TANGOING — TAN (leather) before GOING (leaving) | |
| 31a | Gangsters cried about post celebrating a special occasion (9,5) |
| GREETINGS CARDS — An anagram of (… about) GANGSTERS CRIED | |
| 34a | Pay too much on account of fight involving US agents (14) |
| OVERCOMPENSATE — OVER (on account of) + COMPETE (fight) containing (involving) NSA (US agents) | |
| 35a | Threat for mine workers sacked in the morning before pit’s opening (8) |
| FIREDAMP — FIRED (sacked) + AM (in the morning) before Pit’s opening letter | |
| 38a | Outline house and title to be amended (10) |
| SILHOUETTE — HOUSE and TITLE to be anagrammed (amended) | |
| 40a | Some time back (6) |
| SECOND — A double definition | |
| 41a | Distribute barely dry measuring device (5) |
| METER — METE (distribute) + without outer letters (barely) dRy | |
| 43a | Russian leader turning to avoid Liberal in square (4) |
| NINE — [l]ENIN (Russian leader) going backwards (turning) to avoid L (Liberal) | |
| 44a | Member making a bit of an entrance? (8) |
| DOORJAMB — A cryptic definition, made clearer by referencing the Collins definition: One of the two vertical members forming the sides of a doorframe. (Chambers and Oxford only define JAMB) | |
| 45a | South American idiot on Guam initially enthralled by strange seaweed (9) |
| SARGASSUM — S (South) A (American) + ASS (idiot) by (on) Guam initially inside (enthralled by) RUM (strange) | |
| 48a | Obscure telecoms company captures short videos (7) |
| ECLIPSE — EE (telecoms company) takes in (captures) CLIPS (short videos) | |
| 49a | Went back over president from the east meeting English Democrat (8) |
| RETRACED — CARTER (president) reversed (from the east) joining with (meeting) E (English) + D (Democrat) | |
| 50a | Stun church official holding iron (6) |
| DEAFEN — DEAN (church official) holding FE (iron) | |
| 53a | Broad line next to goal reduced on both sides (5) |
| LARGE — L (line) next to tARGEt (goal) missing letters at each end (reduced on both sides) | |
| 54a | This could be an op-ed with no conclusion? (10,7) |
| INDEFINITE ARTICLE — A editorial providing no firm opinion, or an op-ed with no conclusion, could be described as an INDEFINITE ARTICLE | |
| 55a | Methodically arrange assets, yet I’m bust (11) |
| SYSTEMATISE — ASSETS, YET I’M anagrammed (bust) | |
| 56a | Clergyman’s mutt sounded different (7,4) |
| DESMOND TUTU — An anagram of (… different) MUTT SOUNDED | |
| Down | |
| 1d | School paintings etc intended to lose area in storage space (11) |
| COMPARTMENT — COMP (school) + ART (paintings etc) + ME[a]NT (intended) to lose A (area) | |
| 2d | Simba’s partner biting tail of jumpy antelope (5) |
| NYALA — NALA (Simba’s partner, in The Lion King) taking in (biting) the last letter of (tail of) jumpY | |
| 3d | Learned unlimited hors d’oeuvre introduced by European (7) |
| ERUDITE — Lacking outer letters (unlimited) cRUDITÉs (hors d’oeuvre) preceded by (introduced by) E (European) | |
| 4d | Upstanding character leaving island in plane? (4) |
| TREE — I (upstanding character) leaving T[i]REE (island) | |
| 5d | Running watch confiscated by rising military leader from time to time (2,8) |
| ON OCCASION — ON (running) + CASIO (watch) held by (confiscated by) reversed (rising) NCO (military leader) | |
| 6d | Only the principal’s involved in this pastime, supporting child’s play (6,8) |
| SIMPLE INTEREST — INTEREST (pastime) under (supporting) SIMPLE (child’s play). In finance, the principal is the original sum invested or lent | |
| 7d | More enthusiastic French explorer abandoning cape after that chap (8) |
| HEARTIER — [c]ARTIER (French explorer, Jacques) omitting (abandoning) C (cape) after HE (that chap) | |
| 8d | Beat poet indicted for treason (5) |
| POUND — Two meanings, the second being Ezra POUND | |
| 9d | At home, kid’s rewritten opera (3,6) |
| THE MIKADO — AT HOME, KID’s anagrammed (rewritten) | |
| 10d | Show empty rocket ship abroad (6) |
| EXPORT — EXPO (show) + RockeT without inner letters (empty …) | |
| 11d | Evangelist cured me, snarled writer (6,2,9) |
| MIGUEL DE CERVANTES — EVANGELIST CURED ME, anagrammed (snarled) | |
| 12d | Brevity of chapter about church head saving lives (11) |
| CONCISENESS — C (chapter) + ON (about) + CE (church) and NESS (head) holding (saving) IS (lives) | |
| 18d | Some applaud a numbing painkiller (8) |
| LAUDANUM — Some appLAUD A NUMbing | |
| 20d | Letters from abroad? (8,9) |
| ABSENTEE LANDLORDS — A cryptic definition | |
| 22d | Cheap conclusions of unpleasant, shallow death notice (3-3) |
| TWO-BIT — Final letters of (conclusions of) unpleasanT, shalloW + OBIT (death notice) | |
| 24d | Ignoring outsiders, pick secret name for summer bestseller? (3,5) |
| ICE CREAM — Not including outer letters (ignoring outsiders), pICk sECREt nAMe | |
| 26d | Record broken by fashion company hosting Queen do (4,4) |
| ETON CROP — EP (record) with insertion of (broken by) TON (fashion) and CO (company) holding (hosting) R (Queen) | |
| 29d | Daft, daring act and innuendo regularly entertaining that woman’s supporter (14) |
| FEATHERBRAINED — FEAT (daring act) and InNuEnDo regularly hosting (entertaining) HER (that woman’s) BRA (supporter) | |
| 32d | Somewhere to sharpen extremely greasy TV judge’s parting (8) |
| GRINDERY — Outer letters of (extremely) GreasY, which RINDER (TV judge)’s inserted into (parting) | |
| 33d | Guide encountered soldiers around noon (6) |
| MENTOR — MET (encountered) and OR (soldiers) around N (noon) | |
| 34d | Film-maker and author are in France to adopt child (5,6) |
| ORSON WELLES — ORWELL (author) and ES (are, in France) taking in (to adopt) SON (child) | |
| 36d | Chap overwhelmed by wine, Tango, water, and Frappuccino? (11) |
| PORTMANTEAU — MAN (chap) surrounded by (overwhelmed by) PORT (wine), T (Tango) and EAU (water) | |
| 37d | Survey caught touts periodically as a gamble’s admitted to (10) |
| CONSPECTUS — C (caught) plus alternate letters of (… periodically) ToUtS, which ON SPEC (as a gamble)’s put inside (admitted to) | |
| 39d | Obscure items in lush heather covered with earth (9) |
| ESOTERICA — SOT (lush) and ERICA (heather) preceded by (covered with, in a down entry) E (earth) | |
| 42d | Theatrical hypocrite cheers king very loudly during day (8) |
| TARTUFFE — TA (cheers) + R (king) + FF (very loudly) in (during) TUE (day). Molière’s Tartuffe | |
| 46d | Prevented Tesla blocking claim by journalist (7) |
| AVERTED — T (tesla) inside (blocking) AVER (claim) by ED (journalist) | |
| 47d | Each one eats pastry (6) |
| APIECE — ACE (one) takes in (eats) PIE (pastry) | |
| 49d | Artist beginning to draw two straight lines (5) |
| RADII — RA (artist) + the first letter of (beginning to) Draw + II (two) | |
| 51d | In Munich, I will wear fine United scarf (5) |
| FICHU — ICH (in Munich, I) will go inside (will wear) F (fine) and U (United) | |
| 52d | Better ring mob boss (4) |
| CAPO — CAP (better) + O (ring) | |