Another puzzle with several complex, clever clues.
As usual, * indicates an anagram.
Across |
1 |
CORSICA – C + OR, + SIC (indicated by ‘so’), + Ago
|
5 |
EXCHANGE – sEX CHANGE |
9 |
ARCTIC – TICk by ARC |
13 |
PAYS LIP SERVICE TO – PAY-SLIP SERVICE (‘facility for producing salary info’), + TO (‘closed’) |
14 |
SUBSEA – SUBS (‘reserves’), + alternate letters of ‘we had’ |
16 |
NAEVI – hidden in operatIVE ANgrily (reversed) |
17 |
LAY INTO – (on Italy)* |
18 |
OVERDRAWN – OVER (‘ancient history’) + DRAWN |
19 |
BASILICAN – SILICA in BAN |
21 |
ROMANOV – ROMA, + von (reversed) |
22 |
PRISM – first letters of ‘moral support is required possibly’, reversed |
23 |
LLANO – LO (‘watch’) around LANd. LLANO is a Spanish word for ‘plain’ |
25 |
INHALANTS – (has n Latin)* |
27 |
AIRSICK – AIR (‘feeling’), + StICK (to ‘stomach’ can be to STICK something). A nice ‘&lit’ clue, i.e. one which is simultaneously the wordplay and the definition |
29 |
SEPTENNIA – EP (extended player – type of record) + TENNIs, in SA (sex appeal; ‘it’). SEPTENNIA are periods of 7 years |
31 |
BE AT A LOOSE END – LOO (toilet; ‘ladies maybe’) + SEEN, in AD, after BEAT |
34 |
BRIGHTON BELLE – BRIG (Brigadier; ‘colonel’s superior’), + HE around TON + BELL |
35 |
PETRUSHKA – (UK p star he)* |
37 |
TIBETAN – TI (musical note) + BET (‘bank’, as in ‘to bank on’), + first letters of ‘accepted not’ |
39 |
MAKE A BOMB – MAKE + A + BOMB. The definition here is ‘Get ready in a big way’, i.e. make a lot of money, aka a BOMB |
42 |
DUNCE – DANCE, with U replacing the second letter, A |
43 |
NIZAM – in (‘home’), reversed, + ZAMbia
|
45 |
ARIPPLE – APPLE (indicated by ‘cooker’, i.e. a cooking apple) around R + I |
47 |
TEDIOUSLY – (loud yet is)* |
49 |
HINDRANCE – HIND, + RACE around oxeN |
50 |
EXPRESS – triple definition, with ‘couch’ here indicating a way of putting something into words, i.e. EXPRESSing it |
52 |
TV SET – VaSE, in TT (teetotal) |
54 |
REIN IN – RE, + I in INN |
55 |
PHOTO OPPORTUNITY – cryptic indication |
56 |
EVEN SO – EVEN (quits), + SO (‘that is so’ = ‘that is the case’) |
57 |
SWEETEST – TEST, after S + WEE |
58 |
DIPTYCH – CH (central heating), after PT (physical training) in DIY. A DIPTYCH is a work of art or other object made up of two panels hinged together |
Down |
1 |
CAP AND BELLS – CAP (‘beat’ in the sense of ‘do better than’) + AND + BELL’S |
2 |
RHYME – ‘millionaire’ and ‘heir’ RHYME with ‘their’; RHYME sounds like ‘rime’ |
3 |
ILL WILL – I’LL sWILL |
4 |
APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS – APPAL, + AS around (inhuman action)* |
5 |
EVERY INCH – EVE, + RY (railway), + INCH (to move slowly, ‘edge’) |
6 |
COVEN – COVE + N |
7 |
ANCHORMAN – (charm on)* + A + N |
8 |
GET DOWN – triple indication: GET (see, understand) + DOWN (feathers); GET DOWN = descend (alight); GET (turn) + BLUE (depressed, ‘down’) |
10 |
ROUND UP – ROUND (‘volley’ in the sense of a round of gunfire) + UP |
11 |
TOSCANINI – SCAN + IN, in TOIl
|
12 |
CHAIN-SMOKED – C (key of), + (head monks i)* |
15 |
LEAVE A LOT TO BE DESIRED – LEAVE (‘will’, as in ‘will and testament’), + A + LOT + TO, + BEDE (‘old historian’), + SIRE + D |
20 |
SHAR-PEI – i.e. (reversed), after SHARP |
21 |
RELABEL – REEL round LAB (Labour party) |
24 |
ONE-SHOT – ONE’S HOT |
26 |
SWAMP – M in SWAP (5ac is EXCHANGE, = SWAP) |
28 |
RESCUED – RES (plural of RE), + CUED |
30 |
ALBUM – wordplay gives ALBUMen; ‘game adversaries’ indicates E and N (East and North in a game of bridge), and ‘where soldiers aren’t pushed’ indicates albumen, because if you’re pushing toast ‘soldiers’ into your boiled egg, you dip them into the yolk, not the white (albumen) |
32 |
AVERAGE – VERA in AGE |
33 |
ECHINUS – CHIN in (use)* |
34 |
BATON CHARGE – BAT ON (‘fail to declare’ – yes, it’s the obligatory cricketing reference), + CHARGE |
36 |
ABERYSTWYTH – my home town! (try was by the)* |
38 |
BYZANTINE – A NT (New Testament – ‘series of books’), in BY + ZINE (informal term for ‘magazine’) |
40 |
KIPPER TIE – TIE after KIPPER (someone who’s asleep) |
41 |
ON THE SPOT – double definition |
44 |
MARGINS – MAR GINS |
46 |
‘
ICE SHOW – ICES (kills or ‘tops’), + HOW. I’m not sure about ‘off’ in this clue – I think ‘on’ would have been better. Have I misunderstood? |
48 |
OUTJUMP – OUT (‘flowering’) + JUMP (‘start’, as in ‘jump-start’) |
51 |
PROLE – PR (proportional representation) + OLE |
53 |
SPICY – PieS, reversed, + ICY |
I thought this was a very good puzzle with plenty of ingenious cluing and well-disguised definitions. I don’t time my Jumbos but this one must have taken at least an hour and a half. MARGINS was my LOI after NIZAM.
In 22a, how is a prism a solid?