A puzzle of average difficulty but containing enough interesting vocab to entertain. I won't have easy access to the Internet from now until Tuesday afternoon but rest assured I will address any questions/comments then if not before, assuming a fellow member of the commentariat doesn't get there first.
Definitions are underlined, omissions represented by {}, anagrams represented by *
Definitions are underlined, omissions represented by {}, anagrams represented by *
| Across | |
| 1 | I head past East Anglian town and drive away (9) |
| DISSIPATE - DISS (East Anglian town) + I + PATE (head) | |
| 6 | Author producing series of books after long time (5) |
| AGENT - AGE (long time) + NT (series of books) | |
| 9 | Rural British getting superior — a pain (7) |
| BUCOLIC - B (British) + U (superior) + COLIC (a pain) | |
| 13 | Certain numbers of youngsters swallowing recreational drug (5) |
| CUBES - CUBS (youngsters) around E (recreational drug) | |
| 14 | Notice graduate in work following right sort of plan (4,3) |
| ROAD MAP - AD (Notice) + MA (graduate) in OP (work), after R (right) | |
| 15 | Depressed, having got put in order or rank (9) |
| DOWNRIGHT - DOWN (Depressed) + RIGHT (put in order) | |
| 16 | Expects one little boy with energy to get into escapades (11) |
| ANTICIPATES - I (one) + PAT (little boy) + E (energy), in ANTICS (escapades) | |
| 17 | Italian dish left in catacomb is broken (11) |
| SALTIMBOCCA - L in (CATACOMBIS)*, to give (Chambers): "an Italian dish of rolled slices of veal and ham, with cheese or herbs", with the word itself apparently meaning "it leaps into the mouth", which brings Alien to mind in a rather unappetising fashion. | |
| 18 | A time in which jolly types will get holy — a hairy situation? (6) |
| ARMPIT - A + T(time), around RM (jolly types) + PI (holy) | |
| 19 | Fine-looking heavy vehicle, first to be introduced (8) |
| ARTISTIC - ARTIC (heavy vehicle) around IST (first) | |
| 21 | Much loved, this is missing in poverty (6) |
| DEARTH - DEAR (Much loved) + TH{is} (this is missing) | |
| 25 | Explorer in what may be tied game (8) |
| LACROSSE - ROSS (Explorer - take your pick from James Clark or John) in LACE (what may be tied) | |
| 26 | One offering the benefit of hindsight on the way (8,6) |
| REARVIEW MIRROR - cd | |
| 28 | Naughty ripping out insides in the manner of a wild animal (5) |
| NYALA - N{aught}Y (Naughty ripping out insides) + ALA (in the manner of) | |
| 29 | Publication with record of events involving university (6) |
| ANNUAL - ANNAL (record of events) around U (university) | |
| 30 | Beautiful girl has one filthy place to live in — it's not fair (10) |
| DISHONESTY - DISH (Beautiful girl) + ONE + STY (filthy place to live in) | |
| 33 | What author writes learner gets to repeat when crossing old city (10) |
| LITERATURE - L (learner) + ITERATE (to repeat) around UR (old city) | |
| 35 | French general in fix after invasion by English army (6) |
| PETAIN - PIN (fix) around E (English) + TA (army) | |
| 36 | Country church with trendy bit of architecture at the front (5) |
| CHINA - CH (church) + IN (trendy) + A(bit of architecture at the front) | |
| 38 | Party to get less agreement for the benefit of all? (6,8) |
| SOCIAL CONTRACT - SOCIAL (Party) + CONTRACT (to get less) | |
| 40 | Ray helps to make this newspaper entertaining (8) |
| SUNLIGHT - SUN (Newspaper) + LIGHT (entertaining) | |
| 42 | Sheep acquired from farmer in October (6) |
| MERINO - hidden in farMER IN October | |
| 43 | Girl with little yen so lacking in cheer (8) |
| DISMALLY - DI (Girl) + SMALL (little) + Y (yen) | |
| 44 | Expression on demon creating damage (6) |
| IMPAIR - IMP (demon) + AIR (Expression) | |
| 47 | Person given Test innings: one going in for one run (11) |
| PROBATIONER - BAT (innings) + I (one), in PRO (for) + ONE + R (run) | |
| 50 | Dorothy hides naughtily — the fellow's to perform kitchen duty (2,3,6) |
| DO THE DISHES - DOT (Dorothy) + HIDES* + HE'S (the fellow's). Not entirely sure if I want to delve too deeply into the surface reading. | |
| 52 | A dog trial involved one entering the ring (9) |
| GLADIATOR - (A DOG TRIAL)* | |
| 53 | Dog I poke around when it's swallowed bit of foreign money (7) |
| BASENJI - reversal of I + JAB (poke), around SEN (bit of foreign money), for the small hunting dog that rarely barks | |
| 54 | Words on gift tag for Edmund went well (5) |
| TONED - TONED | |
| 55 | Important lady at the back of school coach (7) |
| TRAINER - TRAIN (school) + ER (Important lady) | |
| 56 | Cockney embraced the woman in this shrub (5) |
| ELDER - 'ELD'ER (Cockney embraced the woman) | |
| 57 | Hugo is mad, moving around foreign capital (9) |
| MOGADISHU - (HUGO IS MAD)*, for the birthplace of Mo Farah | |
| Down | |
| 1 | A hard, ungentlemanly type turned up in Russian home (5) |
| DACHA - A + H (hard) + CAD (ungentlemanly type) | |
| 2 | Very small thing— to us, impracticable sadly (9,8) |
| SUBATOMIC PARTICLE - (TO US IMPRACTICABLE)* | |
| 3 | Four men are initially undermining home cult: moles maybe (11) |
| INSECTIVORA - IN (home) + SECT (cult) + IV (four) + OR (men) + A (are initially). A nice five-part charade. A can be short for "are", the unit of land measurement, so the clue would also work without the "initially", though I don't think this abbreviation is on the legendary Times list of allowable abbreviations. | |
| 4 | A conspirator ignoring us keeps quiet, using minimal language (6) |
| ABRUPT - A + BRUT{us} (conspirator ignoring us) around P (quiet) | |
| 5 | Lawgivers are body briefly after return of corporal punishment (8) |
| ENACTORS - reversal of CANE (corporal punishment), + TORS{o} (body briefly) | |
| 6 | One cadet is upset in fighting force when the fallen are recalled (9,3) |
| ARMISTICE DAY - I (one) + (CADET IS)*, in ARMY (fighting force) | |
| 7 | Describing repurposed public building one’s upset politician (10) |
| EXPOSITORY - EX-PO (repurposed public building, i.e. ex-Post Office) + reversal of IS (one's) + TORY (politician) | |
| 8 | Boy with appeal on the rise, going with the flow (5) |
| TIDAL - reversal of LAD (Boy) + IT (appeal) | |
| 9 | At home daughter is bitten by dog in alcove? (3,6) |
| BOW WINDOW - IN (At home) + D (daughter), in BOWWOW (dog) | |
| 10 | Church about to have bishop taking part in intellectual activity (11) |
| CEREBRATION - CE (Church) + RE (about) + B (bishop) + RATION (part) | |
| 11 | Reason soldier is brought in by officer, hauled up (5) |
| LOGIC - GI (soldier) in reversal of COL (officer) | |
| 12 | Highland peasant in bed with rodent climbing (6) |
| COTTAR - COT (bed) + reversal of RAT (rodent). Not a word I knew though the wordplay was clear. Chambers: "A peasant occupying a cot or cottage for which he has to give labour (Scot)" | |
| 18 | Where cobbler dealing with size 12 shoes will be finally? (2,4,4) |
| AT LONG LAST - dd, the first literal | |
| 20 | Critical, having short period for twitching that's very bad (8) |
| CRIMINAL - CRIticAL but with the tic (twitching) replaced by MIN (short period) | |
| 22 | The man's cherishing unusual items in the agricultural museum? (9,8) |
| THRESHING MACHINES - (THE MAN'S CHERISHING)* | |
| 23 | Literary lion takes time on a slope (6) |
| ASLANT - ASLAN (Literary lion - from CS Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia) + T (time) | |
| 24 | Brains you need for such an ill-defined issue? (4,6) |
| GREY MATTER - GREY (ill-defined) + MATTER (issue). With the third letter unchecked, this does seem to admit the American GRAY MATTER as a possible alternative answer. | |
| 27 | Such as would benefit from evening exercise? (8) |
| UNIRONED - cd attempting to make you think of a promenade at dusk rather than the state of an item that needs to be evened | |
| 31 | In time number will get prestigious award (6) |
| HONOUR - HOUR (time) around NO (number) | |
| 32 | Hesitation about worker being squeezed by mean person who manages retail business? (12) |
| MERCHANDISER - ER (Hesitation) + C (about) + HAND (worker), inside MISER (mean person) | |
| 34 | Awareness of family member getting left out — a line is penned (11) |
| REALISATION - RE{l}ATION (family member getting left out) around A + L (line) + IS | |
| 36 | Conservative old boys suffering 'ostility and slandered (11) |
| CALUMNIATED - C (Conservative) + ALUMNI (old boys) + 'ATED (suffering 'ostility) | |
| 37 | Reminder to restrict writer on the banned list (10) |
| PROSCRIBED - PROD (Reminder) around SCRIBE (writer) | |
| 39 | Short job with no enjoyment tires out singer (9) |
| CHORISTER - CHOR{e} (Short job with no enjoyment) + TIRES* | |
| 41 | A container protected by very good metal (8) |
| PLATINUM - A + TIN (container), inside PLUM (very good) | |
| 45 | Attempt to plug dribble — using this device? (6) |
| SPIGOT - GO (Attempt) in SPIT (dribble) | |
| 46 | Looking to reject one English name for old city (6) |
| PEKING - PE{e}KING or P{e}EKING (Looking to reject one English) | |
| 48 | A meat and egg combination served up in US city (5) |
| OMAHA - reversal of A + HAM (meat) + O (egg), for the largest city in Nebraska | |
| 49 | Look after some revolutionary candidates running (5) |
| NURSE - hidden in reversed candidatES RUNning | |
| 51 | Unhappy Hindu’s outside, an Indian sage (5) |
| SADHU - SAD (Unhappy) + H{ind}U (Hindu's outside) | |