I solved this in around 20 minutes – nothing too contentious, I thought. There seemed to be an unusually large number of anagrams and “A in B” clues, though.
* indicates an anagram.
Across | |
1 | CARPET – P in CARET |
5 | CHAPPED – H in CAPPED |
9 | OSSIFIED – (if so dies)* |
13 | PLAY ONE’S STRONGEST CARD – (on legendary sportscast)* |
14 | MEANNESS – ANNE in MESS |
15 | NASCENT – N + ASCENT |
16 | PLUMMY – double meaning |
17 | RESPECTFUL – (l + us + prefect)* |
20 | IMPERMANENCE – PER in IMMANENCE |
23 | WINK – winkle, minus l(angoustin)e. The definition here is “counter” – WINK as a short form of tiddlywink. Probably my favourite clue in this puzzle |
24 | GERMANIC – Reg (man’s name; reversed) + MANIC |
26 | DISPIRIT – ISP (Internet Service Provider) in rid (reversed), + IT |
29 | COUNTERTENOR – COUNTER (defined by “playing disc” – similar idea to 23ac) + TENOR (general style, drift) |
30 | LADY’S SMOCK – double definition |
32 | SIDE-SADDLE – E + (dads)*, in SIDLE |
34 | ARTISTICALLY – (la city trials)* |
36 | FLOURISH – L, in FOURISH = round about 4 pm, i.e. about teatime |
38 | NOAH’S ARK – A(rea) in NOH, + SARK |
39 | SCAM – SCAM(p) |
41 | SADDLE STITCH – S + ADDLES + TITCH |
43 | PAGE-TURNER – (great prune)* |
44 | DIM SUM – I + D (reversed), + (mums)* |
46 | HISTORY – H + IS, + (Troy)* |
48 | CAPACITY – CAP = do better than, + A CITY |
50 | DRAW ON ONE’S IMAGINATION – DRAW ON + MAGI + NATION, around (noise)* |
51 | HEAT SINK – H + EATS IN + (hoc)K |
52 | PUMPKIN – PUMP (try to get something out of) + KIN |
53 | EUNUCH – first letters of words: E(uropean) U(nion) N(ever) U(se) C(ommissioner) H(e’s) |
Down | |
2 | AMPLE – MP in (w)ALE(s) |
3 | PLAIN-SPOKEN – IN + SPOKE, in PLAN |
4 | TWOPENCE – OPEN replacing I in TWICE. Took me a while to work this one out! |
5 | CRESS – CRES(t)S |
6 | ARSENAL – AR(m) + LANES (reversed) |
7 | PARISHIONER – (I hire parson)* |
8 | DUNCE – DUN + CE (Church of England) |
9 | OVERTIRED – OVERT + IRE + D(emocrat) |
10 | SET-UP – SE(n)T UP |
11 | FEATURE FILM – (fearful time)* |
12 | ENDEMIC – END EM (the words Bethlehem and Jerusalem end in “em”), + IC |
18 | EDITORIAL – EDIT, + I in ORAL (exam) |
19 | FRETTED – F + RETTED |
21 | PECULATES – (s)PECULATES. PECULATES is an old-fashioned term for “embezzles” |
22 | ASSASSIN – AS + SAS (Special Air Service) + SIN (one of the seven deadly…) |
25 | MONKEY NUT – DRILL (kind of monkey, related to the mandrill) + NUT |
27 | INCULCATE – (clean cut I)* |
28 | RELATIVE – RIVE (old-fashioned term for split), around tale (reversed) |
31 | DISHRAG – DIG, around SH + RA (Royal Academician) |
33 | EQUIDISTANT – E + QUID IS + TAN (bronze, in the suntan sense), + T. I wasn’t too keen on “withdrawn just the same” as the definition of EQUIDISTANT here |
34 | ANACHRONISM – just a cryptic definition, I think |
35 | ABSTRACTION – AB(dominal)S + TRACTION |
37 | HITCHCOCK (film director) – ITCH + C, in HOCK (lower joint in leg of horse, etc.) |
40 | STOPPAGE – STOP + PAGE |
42 | ARIADNE – ARIA, + end (reversed) |
43 | PAYBACK – double definition |
45 | MAORI – hidden in (Oklaho)MA OR I(owa) |
47 | SHEEP – SEE + P, around (t)H(e). Cotswolds are a breed of sheep |
48 | CAIRN – double definition (Cairn terrier) |
49 | TONIC – not (reversed) + IC(e) |
I’ve been trying to think whether or not I like 33dn (EQUIDISTANT). I don’t think it would win a prize in a clue-writing competition, but it seemed OK at the time, and even now I’ve no real objection to it.