Many thanks to the setter: the Jumbos might not win you the same glory as a 15×15 quintuple pangram type shebang, but where would our Saturdays be without them?
1 A piece of luggage short on vehicle reaching capital (7)
CARACAS – A CAS{e} [a | piece of luggage, “short”] on CAR [vehicle]
5 Unsatisfactory part of process withdrawn from view (3-5)
OFF-STAGE – OFF STAGE [unsatisfactory | part of process]
9 Farm assistant to remain on far side of pass (6)
COLLIE – LIE [to remain] on far side of COL [pass]
13 US diplomat, one with a tale after hold-up in W African state (8,8)
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN – FRANKLIN [one with a tale (in Chaucer)] after JAM [hold-up] in BENIN [W African state]
14 Spooner’s leading ram providing part of service? (6)
TEACUP – Spoonerism of KEY TUP [leading | ram]
16 Contrary flyers, admitting lack of exercise, get going (4,2,2)
STEP ON IT – reverse the whole of: TITS [flyers] admitting NO P.E. [lack of exercise]
17 Hamish’s very puny Scot ignoring outsiders (4)
UNCO – {p}UN{y} {s}CO{t}
18 Test cricket side hosting extremely tough event (9)
TRIATHLON – TRIAL ON [test | cricket side] “hosting” T{oug}H
20 Go round with bell – a normal start to school day (4,4)
ROLL CALL – ROLL [go round] with CALL [bell]
21 A carbon-free supply, showing restraint (11)
FORBEARANCE – (A CARBON-FREE*) [“supply”, as in “in a supple way”]
24 Snappy series of deliveries in mixed styles (9)
CROSSOVER – CROSS OVER [snappy | series of deliveries]
25 Unsettled on defeat, not appreciating ups and downs (4-4)
TONE-DEAF – (ON DEFEAT*) [“unsettled”]
26 Ablaze, always full of </u>this enthusiasm</u> (4)
ZEAL – hidden in {abla}ZE AL{ways}, semi-&lit
29 Mineral brew in ewer runs out (11)
PITCHBLENDE – BLEND [brew] in PITCHE{r} [ewer, R for runs left out]
31 Dreadful curse poetic Brexiteer probably produced (11)
EUROSCEPTIC – (CURSE POETIC*) [“dreadful”]
33 Brown & his followers showing antics the nation gets up to? (11)
LANDSCAPERS – LAND’S CAPERS would be “antics the nation gets up to”. Capability, not Gordon, Brown.
36 Space traveller in the lead orbiting globe to reach zenith (4,2,1,4)
COME TO A HEAD – COMET AHEAD [space traveller | in the lead] “orbiting” O [globe]
38 Landlord’s requirement produces a tear (4)
RENT – double def
39 Escort taking tea with former president (8)
CHAPERON – CHA [tea] with former President of Argentina Juan PERON
41 Control time off outside school (9)
RESTRAINT – REST [time off] outside TRAIN [school]
44 President‘s cleaner receiving one for each child (11)
CHAIRPERSON – CHAR [cleaner] “receiving” I [one] + PER SON [for each | child]
45 Aussie runners carrying flag round retired with honour (8)
EMERITUS – EMUS [Aussie runners] carrying TIRE reversed [flag “round”]
48 Is stopping army corps completely necessary? (9)
REQUISITE – IS “stopping” R.E. QUITE [army corps | completely]
49 Medicinal compound removing pressure from a swelling (4)
ALUM – A LUM{p} [a | swelling, with P for pressure removed]
50 Religious verse from old ledger ancient mistress gets hold of (8)
DOXOLOGY – O LOG [old | ledger] that DOXY [ancient mistress] “gets hold of”
52 Prophet and priest leading pilgrimage to west, taking day off (6)
ELIJAH – ELI [priest] leading reversed HA{d}J [pilgrimage “(written from east) to west”, taking D for day off]
53 Hellish collection of brief adornments I must appear in (4-3-9)
FIRE-AND-BRIMSTONE – (BRIEF ADORNMENTS*) [“collection of…”] that I “must appear in”
54 Levied tax on journalist’s last article in papers (6)
TITHED – {journalis}T + THE [article] in ID [papers]
55 Cook takes pie in worst condition (8)
PEAKIEST – (TAKES PIE*) [“cook…”]
56 Was prone to give up (3,4)
LAY DOWN – double def
DOWN
1 Roughly 50cm frame for Spain’s top artist (6)
CUBIST – CUBIT [roughly 50cm] “frame for” S{pain}
2 Soldier not smelling so good (6)
RANKER – double def
3 Vehement Conservative originally lacking in love (9)
CLAMOROUS – C [Conservative] + L{acking} + AMOROUS [in love]
4 Brickie could use this degree of enthusiasm (6,5)
SPIRIT LEVEL – double def, ish
5 Scorer from cricket side Queen’s invested in (4)
ORFF – OFF [cricket side] that R [Queen] “is invested in”
6 Material in soft soap better with edges trimmed (11)
FLANNELETTE – FLANNEL [soft soap] + {b}ETTE{r}
7 Feel affronted & decamp from ‘ere (4,7)
TAKE OFFENCE – TAKE OFF [decamp] + ‘ENCE [from ‘ere]
8 Pig finally produced her young, and looked brilliant (9)
GLITTERED – {pi}G + LITTERED [produced (a female pig’s) young]
10 Bring down public drink dispenser (8)
OVERTURN – OVERT URN [public | drink dispenser]
11 Bar number? (5,11)
LOCAL ANAESTHETIC – a bar could be your LOCAL and an anaesthetic, which numbs, is a NUMBER. I think there’s no proper definition part, but hopefully this clue gets by on quirkiness alone.
12 How Roman Briton might announce 10p charge? (7)
EXPENSE – X PENCE is an unholy collision of Roman numerals and British currency; seek a homophone thereof.
15 Team considers talking obliquely (8)
SIDEWAYS – SIDE [team] + homophone of WEIGHS [considers, “talking”]
19 He wrote about cutting grass before church (8)
LAWRENCE – RE [about] “cutting” LAWN [grass] before CE [church]
22 Resetting carpals round tip of ulna’s become a bit of a habit (8)
SCAPULAR – (CARPALS*) [“resetting…”] round U{lna}. A scapular is a monastic garment suspended from the shoulders.
23 Cover core of talks during European exit (11,5)
CONTINENTAL QUILT – {ta}L{ks} during CONTINENTAL QUIT [European | exit]
27 Soundness I’d found in large university, Oxford for one (8)
LUCIDITY – I’D “found in” L U CITY [large | university | Oxford for one]
28 One Spartan character unknown by another (4)
ZETA – Z [unknown] by ETA [another (character in the the Greek alphabet)]
30 Fashion establishment maybe exporting uniform socks? (4)
HOSE – HO{u}SE, “exporting” its U for uniform
32 Noted English evangelist in debt, apparently (8)
REMARKED – E MARK [English | evangelist] in the RED [in debt, apparently]
34 Lusty male penning line in Ancient Greek (8)
ATHLETIC – HE [male] “penning” L [line], in ATTIC [Ancient Greek]
35 Bound beer casks regularly start to drip (6,1,4)
SPRING A LEAK – SPRING ALE [bound | beer] + {c}A{s}K{s}
36 Note prisoner on train (11)
CONSEQUENCE – CON [prisoner] on SEQUENCE [train]
37 Butcher in tie almost getting commendation (11)
TESTIMONIAL – (IN TIE ALMOST*) [“butcher…”]
40 Small bird from Ireland nesting in old hat (9)
PASSERINE – ERIN [Ireland] “nesting in” PASSE [old hat]
42 Yankee dogging Ursula & Co moving noisily (9)
RAUCOUSLY – Y [Yankee] dogging (URSULA + CO*) [“moving”]
43 Pipes drawn primarily by artist when older? (8)
DRAINAGE – D{rawn} + RA IN AGE [artist when older]
44 Fitting finale for player entering centre court (7)
CORRECT – {playe}R “entering” CORE CT [centre | court]
46 Florid men serving up limitless drink (6)
ROCOCO – OR reversed [men serving, “up”] + COCO{a} [“limitless” drink]
47 Winged beast very excitedly going in two directions (6)
WYVERN – (VERY*) [“excitedly”] “going in” W + N [two directions]
51 Crookedly endorse last thirteen letters? (4)
ABET – If there are 26 letters in the ALPHABET then the ALPH could represent the first thirteen and the ABET the second thirteen. Maybe!
Ong’ara,
Kenya.
Does anyone say CONTINENTAL QUILT any more? I remember the expression from the days when these were slightly exotic objects, but as far as I remember the CONTINENTAL bit was soon dropped and these days it’s more likely to be ‘duvet’.