First-Ones-In 16ac and 17ac in rapid succession, LOI 32dn as “prevent” for “stop” sprang to mind early on based on the crossers but it took me a fair bit longer to understand the tricksy re-punctuation required by the wordplay.
Clue of the Day candidates include 34ac for the audacity of re-envisioning FOREKNOWLEDGE as six separate consecutive particles, 34dn for the clever definition part well-concealed by the surface reading, and 36dn for ingenious use of “audience’s left”.
I was definitely a big fan of the literary feel of this puzzle, what with Shakespeare, Thoreau and Pushkin making appearances, along with Romanovs, Romans and Fates, as well as the really obvious TLS refugee at 54ac. I tip my distinctive short-brimmed hat with a sharp snap to the back of the brim to our excellently Svengali-esque setter… and I’m sorry the blog was late again! I’ll work out how Google calendars work before next time, I promise.
ACROSS
1 Anything on Friday is stressful (7)
FRAUGHT – AUGHT [anything] on FR [Friday]
5 Approach sheep seen during ramble (8)
STRATEGY – TEG [sheep] seen during STRAY [ramble]
9 A measure of power returning to old capital (6)
OTTAWA – A WATT reversed [a measure of power “returning”] to O [old]
13 Try to remember woman involved with money orders (4,2,4,6)
DRAW ON ONES MEMORY – (WOMAN + MONEY ORDERS*) [“…involved with…”]
14 Former politician’s good with greeting (6)
GANDHI – G AND HI [good | with | greeting]
16 Perjury is brief but not fine (5)
LYING – {f}LYING [brief, losing its F for fine]
17 Men being silly fools, mostly all together (2,5)
EN MASSE – (MEN*) [“being silly”] ASSES{s} [fools, “mostly”]
18 Lie attached to account given by current mathematician (9)
FIBONACCI – FIB ON ACC [lie | attached to | account] given by I [current]
19 Embarrassed about English pamphlet being withdrawn (9)
RETRACTED – RED [embarrassed] about E TRACT [English | pamphlet]
21 Chemical spy used against soldiers (7)
REAGENT – AGENT [spy] used against RE [soldiers]
22 Rule from abroad shunned by FO (5)
REIGN – {fo}REIGN [from abroad, without the FO]
23 Manage getting out of bed for start of delivery (3-2)
RUN-UP – RUN [manage] getting UP [out of bed]
25 Need exit built both sides of parking to be appropriate (9)
EXPEDIENT – (NEED EXIT*) [“built”] on either side of P [parking]
27 Returned cotton fabric, concerned with how lords are dressed (7)
ERMINED – reversed DENIM RE [“returned” cotton fabric | concerned with]
29 What keeps up publishers’ output schedules, mostly to assist frequency (9)
BOOKSHELF – BOOKS [schedules] + HEL{p} [“mostly” to assist] + F [frequency]
31 Material dug up, bobby’s got it inside where bodies were burnt (6,7)
COPPER PYRITES – COPPER [bobby] has got IT inside PYRES [where bodies were burnt]
34 Early intelligence going to English king today left border (13)
FOREKNOWLEDGE – FOR E K NOW L EDGE [going to | English | king | today | left | border]
35 Tasty food shop, overflowing but needing work (9)
DELICIOUS – DELI [food shop] + C{op}IOUS [overflowing, without its OP = work]
37 Tsar’s family roam about some weeks soon after the revolution (7)
ROMANOV – (ROAM*) [“about”] + NOV [some weeks soon after the revolution]
I think the revolution part refers to the October Revolution of 1917, although confusingly this is also known as the November Revolution (if you date it by the Gregorian calendar) and Tsar Nicholas II was actually toppled by the *February* Revolution of that year!
39 Where to apply the acne cream immediately (2,3,4)
ON THE SPOT – double def
42 Work in proper atmosphere (5)
OPERA – hidden in {pr}OPER A{tmosphere}
43 Is preoccupied, missing nine Roman goddesses of destiny (5)
FATES – F{ix}ATES [is preoccupied, missing its IX = “nine Roman”]
45 Tell what can happen in a close election (7)
RECOUNT – double def
47 Building over a street hard beside Sussex river (9)
OASTHOUSE – O A ST H [over | a | street | hard] beside OUSE [Sussex river]
Not to be confused with the Yorkshire River Ouse!
49 Smuggler initially gets us nicked by Bow Street policeman (9)
GUNRUNNER – G{ets} U{s} N{icked} by RUNNER [Bow Street policeman]
50 Ring artist producing impossible illusion (7)
CHIMERA – CHIME RA [ring | artist]
52 Sore heads on utterly lairy chaps, extremely ratted (5)
ULCER – U{tterly} L{airy} C{haps}, E{xtremely} R{atted}
54 Novel type of hat (6)
TRILBY – double def
The novel is by George du Maurier (grandfather of Daphne) and one of the big bestsellers in the 1890s.
55 Plant that has beautiful ladies weeping (4-4-8)
LOVE-LIES-BLEEDING – differently punctuated, LOVELIES BLEEDING [beautiful ladies | weeping]
56 Judge — one who’s pulling back, half-heartedly (6)
REGARD – DRA{g}GER reversed and with only one central G [one who’s pulling, “back”, “half-heartedly”]
57 Rent isle going free in south-eastern Ireland (8)
LEINSTER – (RENT ISLE*) [“going free”]
The southeastern quadrant of Ireland below Ulster, and to the cartographical right of Connaught and Munster.
58 Justify time on western Scottish isle (7)
WARRANT – T [time] on W ARRAN [western | Scottish isle]
DOWN
1 Nipper, one who’s mastered the violin has to grumble after … (7,4)
FIDDLER CRAB – FIDDLER [one who’s mastered the violin] has CRAB [to grumble] after
2 … violin maker’s answer on dull one (5)
AMATI – A [answer] on MAT I [dull | one]
3 State who might be on my mind as a singer? (7)
GEORGIA – cryptic def referring to the popular song often associated with Ray Charles.
4 Upset women leave forgotten northern play with male leads (3,9,2,6)
TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA – (WOMEN LEAVE FORGOTTEN N*) [“upset”]
5 Indignant sons joined forces (7,2)
STEAMED UP – S [sons] + TEAMED UP [joined forces]
6 Famous Roman wanting ancient region of Iraq overthrown (5)
REMUS – SUMER reversed [ancient region of Iraq “overthrown”]
7 Reasonable state of anger at end of game (9)
TEMPERATE – TEMPER [state of anger] AT + {gam}E
8 Silly mistake introducing Irish high-level browser (7)
GIRAFFE – GAFFE [silly mistake] introducing IR [Irish]
10 Get damp over outside of wet weather shoe (7)
TRAINER – RET reversed [get damp “over”], outside of RAIN [wet weather]
11 Habit of speech used by a duke (9)
ADDICTION – DICTION [speech] used by A D [a | duke]
12 Experts showing fiasco on aid abroad (11)
AFICIONADOS – (FIASCO ON AID*) [“abroad”]
15 Unwell after a beer with papa, drunk turned to whisky — admit that’s hard to take (1,6,4,2,7)
A BITTER PILL TO SWALLOW – ILL [unwell] after A BITTER [a beer] with P [papa] + SOT reversed [drunk “turned”] to W ALLOW [whisky | admit]
20 Oven that’s too darn complicated (7)
TANDOOR – (TOO DARN*) [“complicated”]
21 Republican has to draw out Democrat in a smaller state (7)
REDUCED – R [Republican] has EDUCE D [to draw out | Democrat]
24 Poet needing to promote stock (7)
PUSHKIN – PUSH KIN [to promote | stock]
26 Flower beginning to turn on unwanted plant (5)
TWEED – T{urn} + WEED [unwanted plant]. The time-honoured “river” meaning of flower, obviously.
28 Moorcock mostly shot for fine skin (7)
MOROCCO – (MOORCOC{k}*) [“shot”]
30 Book for lido? Not right day (5)
FOLIO – FO{r} LI{d}O, the R [right] and D [day] having been subtracted
32 Stop press conference, for example (7)
PREVENT – differently punctuated, P.R. EVENT [press conference, for example]
33 America writer a superhero: admirer releasing book (7)
THOREAU – THOR [a superhero] + {b}EAU [admirer, minus its B for book]
34 One sending out jets to shoot warplane (11)
FIREFIGHTER – FIRE FIGHTER [to shoot | warplane]
36 Audience’s left outside following problem for actors (5,6)
STAGE FRIGHT – STAGE RIGHT [audience’s left] outside F [following]
38 Revolting cup holds very little in (9)
MUTINYING – MUG [cup] holds TINY IN [very little | in]
40 Toaster’s empty, meal’s not begun — this could hit one hard (9)
TRUNCHEON – T{oaste}R + {l}UNCHEON [meal “has not begun”]
41 Wrong hexadecimal symbol used in top academic computer (9)
PROCESSOR – PRO{f->C}ESSOR [top academic, with the “wrong hexadecimal symbol” in it]
44 What to do after dropping off small saddle (7)
SLUMBER – S LUMBER [small | saddle]
46 Fuel tube in heart of reactor get to eaten away (7)
CORRODE – ROD [fuel tube] in CORE [heart of reactor].
Some pretty technical reactor terms here, plus I’m not sure the definition part isn’t a typo, hmm.
48 Arrogance of hospital director (7)
HAUTEUR – H AUTEUR [hospital | director]
51 I had that thing about Oscar being a fool (5)
IDIOT – I’D IT [I had | that thing] about O [Oscar]
53 Church, trendy, with a service for teatime, perhaps (5)
CHINA – CH IN [church | trendy] with A
DELICIOUS – DELI [food shop] + C{op}IOUS [overflowing, without its OP = work]
I solved this clue, but I am not happy with “needing” being used in the sense of “without”. Of course, “needing” often has a meaning close to “without”.
“Since the gales, my garden shed is needing a door.”
But, if I fix a hole in the roof of my shed and then say:
“My garden shed is needing a hole in its roof.”
That is not a correct usage of “needing”.
Pet in old ogre (3)
But NOT
Pet fashionable old ogre (3)
Arguing that “in” can mean “fashionable”.