This Bank Holiday Jumbo was extra tasty with some chewy bits, taking me just over an hour to complete. LOI RIDGELINE. Some great clues – I had ticks on my copy against PASTRAMI, TECHNOMANIA, ELEVEN, LEG BYE and, my favourite, AMERICAN ENGLISH. Thank-you entertaining setter.
Definitions underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc, {deletions} and [] other indicators.
| Across | |
| 1 | Meat done, butter pie’s filling (8) |
| PASTRAMI – PAST (done) + RAM (butter; something that butts) + middle letter, [flling], of pIe. Nice one to start with. | |
| 5 | Country band drink, losing heads (6) |
| ANGOLA – {g}ANG (band) + {c}OLA (drink) both without their first letter, [losing heads]. | |
| 9 | Lift up and incline inverted section of plane (7) |
| COCKPIT – COCK (lift up) + TIP (incline) [inverted] -> PIT. | |
| 14 | Kind nurse eats around German state (11) |
| BRANDENBURG – BRAND (kind) + EN (Enrolled Nurse) + GRUB (eats) [around] -> BURG. | |
| 15 | What tinkering with machine a ton may reveal? (11) |
| TECHNOMANIA – [tinkering with] (machine a ton)*. | |
| 16 | Fail to keep love free (5) |
| LOOSE – LOSE (fail) including [to keep] O (o; love in tennis score). | |
| 17 | Groom small mammal (7) |
| SMARTEN – S (small) + MARTEN (mammal). | |
| 18 | Fall volcanic output turning a new red (9) |
| AVALANCHE – LAVE (volcanic output) [turning] -> AVAL + A + N (new) + CHE (Guevara, our favourite “red”). | |
| 19 | Record regularly spun to help wake up (7) |
| DIARISE – AID (to help) [spun] -> DIA + RISE (wake up). | |
| 20 | Might this be rightful gain, won freely? (3-7,5) |
| LOW HANGING FRUIT – (rightful gain won)* [freely]. | |
| 22 | Pretty adequate, I agree (4,6) |
| FAIR ENOUGH – Double definition. | |
| 23 | Struggle with name adopted by North American capital (6) |
| VIENNA – VIE (struggle) + N (name) in [adopted by] NA (North American. | |
| 25 | Secured husband with brooding aesthetic (4) |
| GOTH – GOT (secured) + H (husband). | |
| 28 | Witch endures through repeatedly taking years to show grief (3,4,4,3) |
| CRY ONES EYES OUT – CRONE (witch) + SEES OUT (endures through), inserting a Y (year) in both [repeatedly taking years], Clever. It had me stumped for a bit. | |
| 30 | Rubbish snow leopard at back of its habitat (8) |
| DENOUNCE – OUNCE (snow leopard) after [at back of] DEN (its habitat). | |
| 32 | Main opponent surrendering first of records (8) |
| ARCHIVAL – ARCH (main) {r}IVAL (opponent) without the first letter [surrendering first]. | |
| 34 | Dance time at work put a strain on her? (6,8) |
| BALLET MISTRESS – BALL (dance) + (time)* [at work] + STRESS (put a strain on). | |
| 37 | Catch yak eating another’s tail (4) |
| GRAB – Last letter, [tail], of anotheR in GAB (yak, the verb). | |
| 38 | In Madrid, the true football team? (6) |
| ELEVEN – EL (the in Spanish; in Madrid the) + EVEN (true). I tried in vain to make something out of “Real Madrid” the football team here, thinking “real” = “true”… which I expect was our setter’s intended misdirection. Nice one. | |
| 39 | Runner who improves famous body in bath? (10) |
| MARATHONER – MARAT (famous body in bath) + HONER (one who improves). Neat one. Jean-Paul Marat, was a French political theorist, physician, and scientist. A journalist and politician during the French Revolution, he was a vigorous defender of the sans-culottes, a radical voice, and published his views in pamphlets, placards and newspapers. He was, famously, killed in his bath. | |
| 43 | Sort of music stream carries brute through depression (11,4) |
| PROGRESSIVE ROCK – A double linsertion – OGRESS (brute) in RIVER (stream), all in POCK (pitted scar left by a pustule or spot; depression). | |
| 45 | Slip object in trumpet, taking arrangement in wrong direction (7) |
| ERRATUM – ARR (arrangement) in MUTE (object in trumpet) -> MUTARRE, all reversed [in wrong direction]. | |
| 47 | Concerned with arbitrary leader and tense attendant (9) |
| RESULTANT – RE (concerned with) + SULTAN (arbitrary; despotic leader) + T (tense). | |
| 49 | Cracking old composition reduced by a note (7) |
| OPENING – O (old) + PEN{n}ING (composition) without a [reduced by a] N (note). | |
| 51 | Those climbing in vain, else regularly falling (5) |
| IVIES – Alternate letters, [regularly falling], of In VaIn ElSe. | |
| 52 | Musical family assuming agent hid broadcast (3,4,3,1) |
| THE KING AND I – KIN (family) in [assuming] (agent hid)* [broadcast]. | |
| 53 | London area bar opening, tying up hotel badly (7,4) |
| NOTTING HILL – {k}NOTTING (tying up) without the first letter, [bar opening], + H (hotel in the phonetic alphabet) + ILL (badly). | |
| 54 | Scent case of negligence on company register (7) |
| COLOGNE – CO (company) + LOG (register) + outside letters [case] of NegligencE. | |
| 55 | Noted misery at intervals in every journey (6) |
| EEYORE – Alternate letters of, [at intervals in], EvErY jOuRnEy. | |
| 56 | Instrument in that place just short of pit (8) |
| THEREMIN – THERE (in that place) + all but the last letter of [just short of] MIN{e}. I happened to know this but others might not. A theremin is an early electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer. Listen to it being used to play “Over the Rainbow” here. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Rocky Balboa primarily ran after training (7) |
| PEBBLED – Balbao [primarily] + BLED (ran) all [after] PE (training). | |
| 2 | Maybe salt settled unknown hotelier’s concern? (11) |
| SEASONALITY – SEASON (maybe salt) + ALIT (settled) + Y (unknown in an algebraic equation). | |
| 3 | Go on about setter in peak form? (9) |
| RIDGELINE – RIDE (go on) [about] GEL (setter; soemthing that sets) + IN. | |
| 4 | Trite manifestos irritated parliamentary assistant? (8,2,5) |
| MINISTER OF STATE – (trite manifestos)* [irritated]. A fun demeaning definition. | |
| 6 | Late sleeper close to windfall on vacation (5,3) |
| NIGHT OWL – NIGH (close) + TO + W{indfal}L [on vacation]. | |
| 7 | Pretentiously huge shelter layout is reworked (14) |
| OSTENTATIOUSLY – OS (huge) + TENT (shelter) + (layout is)* [reworked]. | |
| 8 | Bow man getting bronzed before function (10) |
| ARCTANGENT – ARC (bow) + TAN (getting bronzed) [before] GENT (man). | |
| 9 | Hold criminal you shouldn’t have inside (7) |
| CONTAIN – CON (criminal) + TA (thanks; you shouldn’t have) + IN (inside). | |
| 10 | Stop county introducing combat sport (5) |
| COMMA – CO (county) + MMA (mixed martial arts; combat sport). | |
| 11 | Emergency device deployed taco, pint, and bun (5,6) |
| PANIC BUTTON – [deployed] (taco pint bun)*. | |
| 12 | Burlesque tango party somewhere filthy (8) |
| TRAVESTY – T (tango in the phonetic alphabet) + RAVE (party) + STY (somewhere filthy). | |
| 13 | Clumsy boat, advanced horn (4) |
| TUBA – TUB (clumsy boat) + A (advanced). Hmm. Is a tuba a horn? “Clumsy boat” is definition six for TUB in Chambers, so I guess that’s OK even if it looks odd. | |
| 20 | Extra large farewell, hugging perhaps (3,3) |
| LEG BYE – L (large) + BYE (farewell) outside, [hugging], EG (for example; perhaps). | |
| 21 | Fruit almost deserving of plant (7) |
| FIGWORT – FIG (fruit) + [almost] WORT{h} (deserving). | |
| 22 | Skin treatment formula emptied, spies bottom of vial (6) |
| FACIAL – F{ormul}A [emptied] + CIA (spies) + last letter, [bottom], of viaL. | |
| 24 | Where you won’t find favour overseas? (8,7) |
| AMERICAN ENGLISH – Witty cryptic definition – “favour” is spelt “favor” in American English. | |
| 26 | Smashing piece, yet vocals need to transcend atmosphere (6,8) |
| ESCAPE VELOCITY – [smashing] (piece yet vocals)*. | |
| 27 | One tantalising puzzle (6) |
| TEASER – Double definition. | |
| 29 | Wife escapes in a brawl shaking salon (4,3) |
| NAIL BAR – (in a bra{w}l)* [shaking], losing the W (wife) [escapes]. | |
| 31 | Tear into present for riding gear (6) |
| ATTACK – AT (present for) + TACK (riding gear). | |
| 33 | Metal trolley holding elevated highbrow fish (6,5) |
| CARBON STEEL – [Elevated] SNOB (highbrow) -> BONS, in CART (trolley) + EEL (fish). The surface seems to be complete nonsense – or have I misunderstood? | |
| 35 | Element of genius associated with relativity? (11) |
| EINSTEINIUM – Cryptic definition based on Einstein being associated with special and general theories of relativity – the element is named after him. | |
| 36 | Father cycled, bearing struggle (10) |
| RESISTANCE – SIRE (father) [cycled] -> RESI + STANCE (bearing). | |
| 40 | Warning curtailed difficult person on bender (9) |
| HARBINGER – HAR{d} (difficult) [curtailed] + BINGER (person on a bender). | |
| 41 | Extravagant drinks dispenser saves time (8) |
| OPERATIC – OPTIC (drinks dispenser) [contains; saves] ERA (time). | |
| 42 | Good bit of cricket, and not official (8) |
| GOVERNOR – G (good) + OVER (bit of cricket) + NOR (and not). I see that after solving on paper, I inexplicably entered the answer online as GOVERNER. Grr! | |
| 44 | Shiny decoration to cover most of valley (7) |
| SPANGLE – SPAN (cover) + [most of] GLE{n} (valley). | |
| 46 | Cream to finish uncle’s tossed salad (7) |
| MESCLUN – An unknown word to me… Last letter [to finish] of creaM + (uncle’s)* [tossed]. | |
| 48 | Hardly straight down? (5) |
| LYING – Double definition…. I think. A bit of an odd one. | |
| 50 | Shred portion of studio tapes (4) |
| IOTA – Hidden in studIO TApes. | |