ACROSS
1 Dead trees consumed by fire without much opportunity to think? (9)
HEADFIRST – D FIRS [dead | trees] “consumed by” HEAT [fire]
6 Deduce number will have escaped fire (5)
INFER – INFER{no} [fire, from which NO = number will have
9 Just this for Latin scholar, with others hanging around (7)
ETHICAL – HIC [this, for Latin scholar] with ET AL [others] “hanging around”
13 Be sad for us in midst of glumness (5)
MOURN – OUR [for us] in {glu}MN{ess}
14 Urn? More a vase, possibly, not European (7)
SAMOVAR – (MOR{e} A VAS{e}) [“possibly”, without any Es for European]
15 This man I set to work with contraption initially? (9)
MACHINIST – (THIS MAN I + C{ontraption}*) [“set to work”], &lit
16 Very harmful to take out city on Atlantic coast, American (11)
DELETERIOUS – DELETE RIO US [take out | city on Atlantic coast | American]
17 Previous beliefs (11)
CONVICTIONS – double def
18 Geographical area in study with infestation by insect (6)
CANTON – CON [study] “with infestation by” ANT [insect]
19 Assails farm animals seen around middle of pasture (8)
LAMBASTS – LAMB + ASS [(two) farm animals], seen around {pas}T{ure}
21 Surrounded by a fog, holding on to daughter (6)
AMIDST – A MIST [a fog], “holding on to” D [daughter]
25 Is jabbing American after somewhat cheeky expression of age (8)
ARCHAISM – IS “jabbing” AM [American], after ARCH [somewhat cheeky]
26 Doctor locates legible astronomical reference (9,5)
CELESTIAL GLOBE – (LOCATES LEGIBLE*) [“doctor…”]
28 Arrange to bring in computers for people (5)
LAITY – LAY [arrange] “to bring in” IT [computers]
29 Recalled nothing being secured through extra attribution to writer (6)
BYLINE – reversed NIL [nothing] “being secured through” BYE [extra]
30 Judge savaged scoundrel after artillery backed ordinary soldiers (10)
ARBITRATOR – BIT RAT [savaged | scoundrel] after reversed RA [artillery], + OR [ordinary soldiers]
33 As done with slur, possibly (10)
SLANDEROUS – (AS DONE + SLUR*) [“possibly”], &lit
35 Duke is taken by a soldier displaying charm (6)
DISARM – D [duke] IS taken by A RM [soldier]
36 Suspends comments about post finally (5)
STAYS – SAYS [comments] about {pos}T
38 Smashed single forehand? I’m not upset (2,4,8)
NO HARD FEELINGS – (SINGLE FOREHAND*) [“smashed”]
40 Old film star to fail after curtailment of skill (8)
ARBUCKLE – BUCKLE [to fail] after AR{t} [“curtailment of” skill]. Poor old Fatty Arbuckle…
42 Permit briefly restricting work held back space program (6)
APOLLO – ALLO{w} [permit, “briefly”] “restricting” reversed OP [work]
43 Discovers American receiving close to half of this (8)
UNEARTHS – US [American] “receiving” NEAR TH{is} [close to | “half of” this]
44 South-East area in article in The Times at first (6)
THANET – AN [article] in THE T{imes}
47 Necessary ordnance not initially functioning (11)
INESCAPABLE – {m}INES CAPABLE [ordance, “not initially” | functioning]
50 Impromptu nude dancing — tries again to interrupt (11)
UNREHEARSED – (NUDE*) [“dancing”] – REHEARS [tries again] “to interrupt”
52 Steep drop in price amended, then restated without right (9)
PRECIPICE – (PRICE*) [“amended”] + P{r}ICE [price again, this time minus R for right]
52 A story with beginning repeated is easily approached (7)
AFFABLE – A F-FABLE [a | story, with (its first letter) repeated]
54 Boy with it turns, following effect of the moon? (5)
TIDAL – LAD [boy] with IT, all reversed
55 Inactive case’s ending, Times having time in court (7)
EXTINCT – {cas}E X [times] having T IN CT [time | in | court]
56 King taking a position no longer viable (5)
KAPUT – K [king] taking A PUT [a | position]
57 Arrived without forethought, unknown, not attracting the paparazzi? (6-3)
CAMERA-SHY – CAME RASH Y [arrived | without forethought | unknown]. Not that I’m sure if the paps care if their targets are “shy” or not…
DOWN
1 Rather wet smell concealed from some Londoner (5)
HUMID – HUM ‘ID [smell | concealed, from (a Cockney)]
2 Mandarin’s target perhaps to catch a rat blundering disaster (1,4,2,1,5,4)
A BULL IN A CHINA SHOP – okay, a Mandarin archer’s target would be A BULL IN CHINA, which needs to “catch” A. Then add SHOP [rat] to the end.
3 Party heading off distrustful party-worker? (11)
FUNCTIONARY – FUNCTION {w}ARY [party | “heading off”, distrustful]
4 Relaxation involves identification of alternative holiday venue (6)
RESORT – REST [relaxation] involves OR [identification of alternative, wordily enough]
5 Supply worker has spoken — about time (8)
TEMPORAL – TEMP [supply worker] has ORAL [spoken]
6 This in nib is, like, very mysterious? (9,3)
INVISIBLE INK – (IN NIB IS LIKE V*) [“mysterious”], semi-&lit
7 Mining output about to be brought in more quickly, I predict (10)
FORECASTER – ORE C [mining output | about] “to be brought in” FASTER [more quickly]
8 Type of city where one does as the locals? (5)
ROMAN – double def, the second part referring to the well-known “When in Rome…” adage. And the first to typefaces.
9 Woman impresses youngster, eating a Mexican dish (9)
ENCHILADA – ENA [woman] impresses CHILD [youngster], eating A
10 Likely to go off with the least amount of a shock? (4-7)
HAIR-TRIGGER – cryptic def. The least amount of a shock of hair is a single hair, and that is what will set off a hair trigger.
11 Material in patch in overalls (5)
CHINO – hidden in {pat}CH IN O{veralls}
12 Trial in US city making the news (6)
LATEST – L.A. TEST [trial in US city]
18 Strain to get issue out at night (10)
CRADLESONG – cryptic def: strain = melody, issue = children, out = asleep.
20 Unhappy about routine picked up over a year, or a lot less (8)
SATURDAY – SAD [unhappy] about reversed RUT [routine] over A Y [a year], than which a single day is a lot shorter
22 More than just a trim diminutive defender accompanying teams (5,4,3,5)
SHORT BACK AND SIDES [diminutive | defender | accompanying | teams]
23 I very much refuse to consider weather indicator (6)
ISOBAR – I SO BAR [I | very much | refuse to consider]
24 Historic city reduced in particular view of the past (10)
RETROSPECT – TRO{y} [historic city, “reduced”] in RESPECT [particular]
27 Dreadful detective caught scoundrel with gold (8)
C LOUSE [caught | scoundrel] with AU [gold]
31 Wall in middle of commune? Anger about that (6)
IMMURE – IRE [anger] about {co}MMU{ne}
32 Light meal and better punch — good to tuck in (6,6)
FINGER BUFFET – FINER BUFFET [better | punch], “tucking in” G [good]
34 Neglect before Liberal engaged in speech (11)
DERELICTION – ERE L [before | Liberal] “engaged in” DICTION [speech]
36 Go furthest at sea, clutching a description of buried treasure? (6-5)
SOUGHT-AFTER (GO FURTHEST*) [“at sea”], “clutching” A
37 Answer promoted in plan to desert assistant (4-2-4)
AIDE-DE-CAMP – IDEA DECAMP [plan | to desert], with the A [answer] of IDEA “promoted” to first letter
39 Pay for photograph, having degree of influence (9)
FOOTPRINT – or FOOT PRINT [pay for | photograph]
41 Sweet, like lots of sugar that woman is tucking into (8)
CHERUBIC – HER [that woman] “tucking into” CUBIC [like lots of sugar (that come in cubes)]
45 Spot that’s fairly quiet in big building (6)
PIMPLE – MP [= mezzo-piano = fairly quiet] in PILE [big building]
46 Calm senior politician enlisting hard supporter (6)
PHLEGM – PM [senior politician] “enlisting” H LEG [hard | supporter]
48 Big match, perhaps, with no winner determined by end of it (5)
EVENT – EVEN [with no winner determined] by {i}T
49 Despairing poet moving end of verse to earlier position (5)
BLEAK – BLAKE [poet] moving {vers}E up a couple of letters
51 Democrat and friend are amorous together (5)
DALLY – D [democrat] and ALLY [friend]
Was your preamble cut short, or is fu a word?
V: I have enough trouble typing on a (more or less) stationary keyboard in front of a screen. How you manage on a train escapes me. I do hope no-one reported you for suspicious coded messages. Quite a few of those clues could be seen as commentary on US politics of interest to, say Putin and friends.
Ong’ara,
Kenya.