Hello everyone. I hope you and your loved ones are keeping safe and sane.
This puzzle kept me entertained for longer than I expected after the first 80% or so. A few stubborn patches of grid almost doubled the total time I took, and I had to leave the puzzle aside a few times to let it bubble away in my subconscious. I didn’t realise how many double definitions there were until I came to do the blog – nine, by my count. Thanks to the setter for his or her trouble.
Definitions are underlined in the clues below. In the explanations, quoted indicators are in italics, [deletions] in square brackets, and I’ve capitalised and emboldened letters which appear in the ANSWER.
| Across | |
| 1 | Rustic made a difference saving one tree, looking back (11) |
| COUNTRIFIED — COUNTED (made a difference) containing (saving) the reversal of (… looking back) I (one) + FIR (tree) | |
| 7 | Care for doctor taking unexpected dip? (6) |
| FOSTER — A double definition, the second referring to the Doctor Foster of the nursery rhyme | |
| 10 | Stick one in a suit? (4) |
| CLUB — Another pair of definitions | |
| 14 | Top Liberal has resolved to bear left (7) |
| ASQUITH — HAS anagrammed (resolved) containing (to bear) QUIT (left) | |
| 15 | Connect English books, red or white? (7) |
| ENTWINE — A charade of E (English), NT (books, New Testament), and WINE (red or white?) | |
| 16 | Companion, character on the right? (7) |
| CONSORT — A CON SORT might be a character on the right, politically speaking | |
| 17 | Bold supporter about to stand up and resist (13) |
| SWASHBUCKLING — SLING (supporter) around (about) WASH (to stand up, to bear examination) and BUCK (resist, be in opposition to) | |
| 18 | Good way to screen film — Billy Elliot might do it (9) |
| PIROUETTE — PI (good) + ROUTE (way) around (to screen) ET (film) | |
| 19 | Sound hooter, one squeezed (5) |
| NOISE — NOSE (hooter) with I (one) inside (squeezed) | |
| 21 | i sign here? (6,4) |
| DOTTED LINE — Two definitions, the lowercase i being written as a DOTTED LINE | |
| 23 | Turkish report leads in foreign news broadcast (6) |
| STREWN — The initial letters (… leads) of Turkish Report in an anagram of (foreign) NEWS | |
| 25 | Certain winner right after neat header in “game of two halves”, say? (8) |
| CLINCHER — R (right) after the first letter (… header) of Neat in CLICHÉ (“game of two halves” say) | |
| 26 | Horse knocking second wife from fruit tree (10,4) |
| STRAWBERRY ROAN — Removing (knocking) the second W (wife) from STRAWBERRY (fruit) + RO[w]AN (tree) gives this horse | |
| 29 | Suffer junior to work (7) |
| UNDERGO — UNDER (junior) + GO (work) | |
| 30 | Concealing face, house flirt uncomfortable (3,2,4) |
| ILL AT EASE — Without the first letter (concealing face), vILLA +TEASE (flirt) | |
| 31 | One going after Oscar with something fruity (5) |
| PAPAW — PAPA (one going after Oscar, in the NATO alphabet) + W (with) | |
| 32 | Piece of embroidery — officer breaking mine (5) |
| PICOT — CO (officer) inserted into (breaking) PIT mine | |
| 34 | Dealing with very minor blow, profits held by university (2,7) |
| UP AGAINST — PAT (very minor blow), with GAINS (profits) inside (held), all next to (by) U (university) | |
| 37 | Ultimately impressive, fine story expressible in words once (7) |
| EFFABLE — The last letter of (ultimately) impressivE, F (fine), and FABLE (story) | |
| 39 | Detective in clapped-out motor, trouble for man in the street (3,4,2,5) |
| TOM DICK OR HARRY — DICK (detective) in an anagram of (clapped-out) MOTOR, then HARRY (trouble) | |
| 41 | Compassionate male confronting diabolical Lucifer (8) |
| MERCIFUL — M (male) next to (confronting) an anagram of (diabolical) LUCIFER | |
| 43 | Pour water over some children, childishly (6) |
| DRENCH — The answer is contained in some chilDREN CHildishly | |
| 44 | Line observed in theatre drama, Igor recreated after Charlie (10) |
| CARDIOGRAM — DRAMA IGOR anagrammed (recreated) after C (Charlie) | |
| 45 | In having abandoning state, Artemis in Rome? (5) |
| DIANA — IN taken from (having abandoned) [in]DIANA (state) | |
| 48 | Something taken with a lot of money to sabotage another’s image (9) |
|
PHOTOBOMB — PHOTO (something taken) with BOMB (a lot of money)
|
|
| 49 | Point of procedure on which to put one’s foot down? (8,5) |
| STEPPING STONE — Two definitions | |
| 51 | Those just round the corner are in home (7) |
| NEAREST — ARE (from the clue) in NEST (home) | |
| 52 | Open late, not closing, church seen after one in Paris (7) |
| UNLATCH — LATe without the last letter (not closing) + CH (church), seen after UN (one in Paris) | |
| 53 | It’s inverted, passing flavour around using tongue (7) |
| TASTING — IT’S reversed (inverted) surrounded by (passing … around) TANG (flavour) | |
| 54 | Sign of my evil nature, all kicking off (4) |
| OMEN — Of My Evil Nature, initial letters (all kicking off) | |
| 55 | Kind of sweet (6) |
| PRETTY — A double definition | |
| 56 | Provide table for upright creature (11) |
| CATERPILLAR — CATER (provide table for) + PILLAR (upright) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Number of the French holidaymakers originally aboard vessel, relative (7) |
| CHANSON — The first letter of (… originally) Holidaymakers inside (aboard) CAN (vessel), then SON (relative) | |
| 2 | Complete amateur, possibly? (11) |
| UNQUALIFIED — Two definitions | |
| 3 | Bit of a chicken wanting time off (5) |
| THIGH — T (time) + HIGH (off) | |
| 4 | Pop success, really? (1,6,2,2,5) |
| I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY — A double definition | |
| 5 | Fitting Cinderella originally, eek! It’s a lost slipper? (3,5) |
| ICE SKATE — Containing (fitting) the first letter of (… originally) Cindarella is an anagram of (… lost) EEK IT’S A | |
| 6 | Damaging tooth, base of blade cut into it (11) |
| DETRIMENTAL — DENTAL (tooth, used as an adjective), with the last letter of (base of) bladE inserted (cut into it) | |
| 7 | Try brief relationship (5) |
| FLING — A double definition | |
| 8 | Dish stirred by spooner? (8,6) |
| SLEEPING BEAUTY — A cryptic definition, where the dish is Beauty and the spooner is the amorous Prince Charming | |
| 9 | Evidently north leads with heart again! (6) |
| ENCORE — The first letters of (… leads) Evidently North with CORE (heart) | |
| 11 | Game to go up, the ladies possibly beginning to perform aerobatic stunt (4,3,4) |
| LOOP THE LOOP — POOL (game) reversed (to go up, in a down answer), THE (from the clue), LOO (ladies, possibly), and the first letter of (beginning to) Perform | |
| 12 | Risk small pants in the middle splitting (7) |
| BETWEEN — A charade of BET (risk), WEE (small), and paNts in the middle | |
| 13 | Work to find sample at bottom of river (8) |
| INDUSTRY — TRY (sample) after (at bottom of, in a down answer) INDUS (river) | |
| 20 | A bit cold in river: rather parky today at first (7) |
| EXCERPT — C (cold) in EXE (river) then the initial letters of (… at first) Rather Parky Today | |
| 22 | Vaulted ceilings in labour exchange fitting? (5) |
| LEAPT — The first letters of (ceilings in) Labour Exchange + APT (fitting) | |
| 24 | Envy author over some trendy novel (5-4,7) |
| GREEN-EYED MONSTER — GREENE (author) preceding (over, in a down answer) an anagram of (… novel) SOME TRENDY | |
| 25 | Breakfast item member found in little bottle (7) |
| CRUMPET — MP (member) found in CRUET (little bottle) | |
| 27 | Roosevelt’s baby, swimmer without trunks, reportedly? (3,4) |
| NEW DEAL — Sounds like (… reportedly) NUDE EEL (swimmer without trunks) | |
| 28 | Cramming in five hundred, terribly irrational bus conductor (3,6,5) |
| SIR ADRIAN BOULT — With the insertion of (cramming in) D (five hundred), an anagram of (terribly) IRRATIONAL BUS | |
| 31 | Serious, as looking to cross river in Turin? (2-5) |
| PO-FACED — The river in Turin is the Po, and one looking to cross it might be described as PO-FACED | |
| 33 | Remember to have order on note in box (11) |
| COMMEMORATE — OM (order, Order of Merit) preceding (on, in a down answer) MEMO (note) all in CRATE (box) | |
| 35 | Give king a lot of money bags (5) |
| AWARD — R (king), which A (a) + WAD (lot of money) surrounds (bags) | |
| 36 | Unstable particle on top of cliff, one likely to drop off? (11) |
| NARCOLEPTIC — An anagram of (unstable) PARTICLE ON + the first letter of (top of) Cliff | |
| 38 | US showman in New York city owed money (7,4) |
| BUFFALO BILL — BUFFALO (New York city, city in NY state) + BILL (owed money, money owed) | |
| 40 | After wings clipped, bird with mate doing well (2,6) |
| IN CLOVER — Having had its outer letters removed (with wings clipped), fINCh, with LOVER (mate) | |
| 42 | Surgery inspired by doctor’s passionate, delicate touch (4-4) |
| DROP-SHOT — OP (surgery) inside (inspired by) DR’S (doctor’s) plus HOT (passionate) | |
| 43 | Draw upon horse I had mounted first (3,4) |
| DIP INTO — PINTO (horse) with the reversal of (… mounted) I’D first | |
| 46 | Person seeking retribution in Newhaven, Germanic (7) |
| AVENGER — The answer is included in NewhAVEN, GERmanic | |
| 47 | Chopper, one managing to collect tartar, primarily (6) |
| COPTER — COPER (one managing) containing (to collect) the first letter of (… primarily) Tartar | |
| 49 | Offensive joke (5) |
| SALLY — Our final double definition of the day | |
| 50 | Short girl eating hot Japanese food (5) |
| SUSHI — All but the last letter of (short) SUSIe (girl) containing (eating) H (hot) | |
thanks to setter and to kitty
45ac doesn’t work grammatically, it should either be:
In having abandoned state…
or
In abandoning state…
NOT
In having abandoning state…