In a way though this was good because, while 1320 is very good and all I thought this puzzle was a proper cut above, with many clues that would be standouts in a daily 15×15. There were some fine literary and pop cultural references to be had, and I was particularly impressed by the relatively large number of homophones in this puzzle none of which made me wince, an impressive feat at the best of times. Many thanks to the setter and I hope the blog isn’t too late to be useful to anyone. Fourth time (or whatever it is now) lucky next month?
ACROSS
1 The rugby ref blowing his whistle, say? It happens further down the line (5-2,6)
KNOCK-ON EFFECT – in rugby it is a knock-on when “a player, in tackling or attempting to tackle an opponent, makes contact with the ball and the ball goes forward”; I assume this isn’t legal and would provoke the aforementioned whistling, but if you wanted the finer points you chose the wrong blogger!
8 Seventh son perhaps really appreciates gentle treatment (3,6)
KID GLOVES – KID A being the first son, KID B the second, etc, KID G [seventh son] + LOVES [appreciates]
13 President rejects a calculating daughter (5)
REAGAN – RE{a}GAN [president “rejects A”]. One of the two bad daughters in King Lear.
14 Make attempt to produce wood decoration (9)
MARQUETRY – MARQUE TRY [make | attempt]
15 Two supporters guard a man with expectations (7)
LEGATEE – LEG + TEE [two supporters] guard A. “Expectations” being an old-fashioned term for prospects of inheritance, qv a certain Dickens title.
16 Offence, and person’s inappropriate response? (12)
MANSLAUGHTER – MAN’S LAUGHTER [person’s | inappropriate response (to someone being killed)]
17 The peseta and lira exchanged? That goes way above one’s head (7,3)
STEEPLE HAT – (THE PESETA + L*) [“exchanged”]. The pointy medieval women’s headwear style probably only seen on Hallowe’en witches these days.
18 Meditation and gossip in women’s quarters (6)
ZENANA – ZEN [meditation] and ANA [gossip]. The area of the house reserved for women in Asian countries.
19 Monarch for a day prancing about (8)
FRISKING – FRI’S KING = monarch for a day
21 No quiet for prelate in charge of The Life of Brian, say (6)
BIOPIC – BI{sh}OP [prelate, with SH (quiet)] + IC [in charge]. A biopic is a film that tells a life story, so I guess…
24 Animal experimenter’s missing day in intense area of enterprise (10)
VIVISECTOR – VIVI{d} [intense, missing D (day)] + SECTOR [area of enterprise]
26 Man sacked, a trifle decrepit for old trading route (5,2,5)
SANTA FE TRAIL – SANTA [man sacked, i.e. with a sack] + (A TRIFLE*) [“decrepit”]. A vital commercial highway in the 19th century, apparently, connecting Santa Fe and Missouri.
29 Handle success, raking in pounds (4)
HILT – HIT [success], “raking in” L [pounds]
30 Interlude being broadcast followed on the radio (8)
ENTRACTE – homophone (“on the radio”) of ON TRACKED [being broadcast | followed]
31 Itinerant player’s buggy? (8)
STROLLER – double def
34 A skill in needlework offering unrestricted choice (1,2,5)
A LA CARTE – A + ART [skill] in LACE [needlework]
35 Showing morbid interest in destroying high soul (8)
GHOULISH – (HIGH SOUL*) [“destroying…”]
36 Raise artificial embankment for audience (4)
LEVY – homophone (“for audience”) of LEVEE [artificial embankment, to which one drives one’s Chevy in vain]
39 To that place, departs with scheme to meet alien? (3,3,6)
THE RED PLANET – THERE [to that place] + D [departs] with PLAN [scheme] to meet ET [alien], &lit, the Red Planet being the home to Martians. Take me to your leader!
40 European cracks first goal, one for anybody to see (4,6)
OPEN LETTER – LETT [European] “cracks” OPENER [first goal]
43 Such particular interest in robes (6)
VESTED – double def
44 When machine is not working, let’s put in one small coin (4,4)
IDLE TIME – LET’s put in I DIME [one | small coin]
45 Most intelligent answer divinely favoured (6)
ABLEST – A BLEST [answer | divinely favoured]
49 Having succeeded writer is on crazily huge amounts (10)
SQUILLIONS – S QUILL [succeeded | writer] + (IS ON*) [“crazily”]. My 5 year old daughter thinks the biggest number is a “fillion”, for some reason.
51 Service runs through railway halt? (12)
MINISTRATION – R [runs] “through” MINI STATION [railway halt, as it were]
53 Best a private investigator casing king’s palace (7)
TOPKAPI – TOP A P.I. [best | a | private investigator] “casing” K [king]. The Topkapi Palace is a museum and former sultanic residence in Istanbul, which hopefully you dimly remembered or else you might have been tempted to put TOPRAPI?
54 Future needy time in city a swift attack always overcomes (1,5,3)
A RAINY DAY – NY [city] “overcome by” A RAID AY [a | swift attack | always]
55 Deadly Indian regiment in uniform (5)
KRAIT – RA [regiment (Royal Artillery)] in KIT [uniform]. A venomous Indian snake.
56 Not initially intelligent worker, but mainly relied on (5-4)
RIGHT-HAND – {b}RIGHT HAND [“not initially” intelligent | worker]. If someone’s your right-hand man, you mainly rely on them, I expect?
57 Close friends with fiery temperament, British and non-British (5,8)
BLOOD BROTHERS – BLOOD BR OTHERS [fiery temperament | British | and non-British, i.e. those not falling into the previous category]
DOWN
1 Literary brothers mark a stormy sea (9)
KARAMAZOV – (MARK A*) [“stormy”] + AZOV. The Sea of Azov is a northern extension of the Black Sea, the Brothers Karamazov the final novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
2 Method of investigation will require domain name soon
ORGANON – ORG ANON [domain name | soon]. The Organon is an Aristotelian system of logic for finding things out through reasoning.
3 Geniality of sorts, accepting marriage certificate (10)
KINDLINESS – KINDS [sorts], “accepting” LINES [marriage certificate, colloquially]
4 When I’m busy, this manifests a halo (6)
NIMBUS – hidden in {whe}N I’M BUS{y}
5 Froth doubled if swirling in estuary (5,2,5)
FIRTH OF FORTH – (FROTH FROTH IF*) [“swirling”]. Meets the North Sea with Fife on the north coast and Lothian on the south.
6 Brandy and scent, it’s said, are rivals (3,2,3)
EAU DE VIE – homophone (“it’s said”) of ODOUR [scent] + VIE [are rivals]
7 Cheers at receiving two rises (2-2)
TA-TA – AT reversed twice
8 Alien material we hear of in vault this evening (10)
KRYPTONITE – homophone (“we hear of in…”) CRYPT TONIGHT [vault | this evening]. Bad news for Superman in its green variety.
9 Huge stone god beheaded by people (6)
DOLMEN – {i}DOL [god “beheaded”] by MEN [people]
10 Rumpole story that is officially assumed to be true? (5,7)
LEGAL FICTION – Rumpole stories are fiction about matters legal. A legal fiction is quite complicated but “allows the court to ignore a fact that would prevent it from exercising its jurisdiction by simply assuming that the fact is different” – look it up in Wikipedia if you need examples.
11 Fodder very short — eat out (5)
VETCH – V [very, short] + ETCH [eat out]
12 Casually crept out in remarkably obvious way (13)
SPECTACULARLY – (CASUALLY CREPT*) [“out”]
20 Part of old bangers’ graveyard sounded capital (8)
KHARTOUM – homophone (“sounded”) of CAR TOMB [part of old bangers’ graveyard). The capital of Sudan.
22 Most lustrous fruit is placed on top of table (9)
PEARLIEST – PEAR LIES [fruit | is placed] on T{able}
23 Cap that is removed in its turn (8)
SCREWTOP – cryptic definition for a cap that is removed by turning
25 Out-of-town types need six large beers (9)
VILLAGERS – VI L LAGERS [six | large | beers]
27 Attractive female, a work of art (8)
FETCHING – F ETCHING [female | a work of art]
28 Fabric caught on tree over pond (8)
CASHMERE – C [caught] on ASH [tree] over MERE [pond]
29 Nurse left, engaged by one passing through Hampstead perhaps (6,7)
HEALTH VISITOR – L [left] “engaged by” HEATH VISITOR [one passing through Hampstead perhaps]
32 Flan we will put in to cook sharpish (8,4)
BAKEWELL TART – WE’LL [we will] “put in” BAKE TART [to cook | sharpish]
33 Foolish to misinterpret splendid mime (6-6)
SIMPLE-MINDED – (SPLENDID MIME*) [“to misinterpret…”]
37 Cooperating to give back bananas? (4,2,4)
HAND IN HAND – HAND IN [to give back] bananas [HAND]
38 Have accident in bed? No joy for him (3,7)
WET BLANKET – double def of what a child might do accidentally at night, and a joyless git from e.g. the Narnia/Blyton era.
41 Keep forgetting answer; it is a problem for viewer (9)
RETINITIS – RET{a}IN [keep, “forgetting A for answer”] + IT IS
42 Very good appearance to this vegetable (8)
PIMIENTO – PI MIEN TO [very good | appearance | to]
46 Pluck end of robe on Roman judge (7)
EPILATE – {rob}E on PILATE [Roman judge, of Biblical fame]
47 Tiny chap detailed extreme values (6)
MINIMA – MINI MA{n} [tiny | chap, “de-tailed”]
48 I will do well in the long run to move you into the sun
STAYER – move YE [young] into STAR [the sun]
50 Excited, say, about new release (5)
UNPEG – UP E.G. [excited | say] about N [new]
52 Post “Inoculation saves millions” (4)
JAMB – JAB [inoculation] “saves” M [millions]
Thanks to V for his fine blog. I agree that this is a very good example of the genre, and enjoyed it immensely. Having said that, I’d like to put a word in for 1320, which also produced much pleasure. I do love a nice Jumbo of a weekend in any case.
There were two or three words strange to me in this one, but as with the ones that weren’t strange, the clues handled them well. Most enjoyable.
Thanks S & V.
Edited at 2018-05-09 08:50 am (UTC)
I would only post if I wanted to add something of general interest. Certainly not to brag about my solving time (in this case 5 months).
In this puzzle I thought several clues were difficult and verging on unfair. eg 18a clued an obscure word, ZENANA, with someting equally obscure, ANA meaning gossip. I know it better in the sense of ‘collected works’.