This one was on the easy side from a solving point of view, apart from an old nemesis at 35D, but there are a couple of parsings that could do with a second opinion. I'll be away for most of the weekend and I'm not sure whether I'll have much in the way of Internet access, so it may well be that I won't be able to deal with any questions until Sunday afternoon/evening - of course, other commenters are likely to chip in in the interim.
Just in case anyone out there is using the JavaScript blog generator, please note that a new version was created at the beginning of October. Instructions can be found here: https://mohn2.livejournal.com/2201.html
Definitions are underlined, {} = omission, * = anagram, dd = double definition
Just in case anyone out there is using the JavaScript blog generator, please note that a new version was created at the beginning of October. Instructions can be found here: https://mohn2.livejournal.com/2201.html
Definitions are underlined, {} = omission, * = anagram, dd = double definition
| Across | |
| 1 | Expose old pawnbroker hoarding books by Henry (8) |
| UNCLOTHE - UNCLE (old pawnbroker) around OT (book) + H (Henry) | |
| 5 | What preserves time of ancient civilisation (3,3) |
| TIN CAN - T (time) + INCAN (of ancient civilisation) | |
| 9 | Wow! Seaweed suppresses one muscular pain (7) |
| MYALGIA - MY (Wow!) + ALGA (Seaweed) around I (one) | |
| 14 | Fake warnings shut branches east of Cornish river (5,6) |
| FALSE ALARMS - FAL (Cornish river) + SEAL (shut) + ARMS (branches) | |
| 15 | Fool star occasionally during vocal session (6,5) |
| STRING ALONG - {s}T{a}R (star occasionally) in SINGALONG (vocal session) | |
| 16 | Oxford collegewindow (5) |
| ORIEL - dd | |
| 17 | Mass still mostly interrupting sleep, sort of (7) |
| REQUIEM - QUIE{t} (still mostly) in REM (sleep, sort of, i.e. Rapid Eye Movement) | |
| 18 | Frequency of events some might understand? (9) |
| INCIDENCE - homophone of INCIDENTS (events) | |
| 19 | Smart guards note uranium isotope (7) |
| TRITIUM - TRIM (Smart), around TI (note) + U (uranium), to give an isotope of hydrogen | |
| 20 | Small bee infects skin badly — apply for this? (8,7) |
| SICKNESS BENEFIT - S (small) + (BEE INFECTS SKIN)* | |
| 22 | A new label is secured by a single needle (10) |
| ANTAGONISE - A + N (new) + TAG (label) + ONE (a single) around IS | |
| 23 | Admits old winos burp now and then (4,2) |
| OWNS UP - O (old) + W{i}N{o}S {b}U{r}P (winos burp now and then) | |
| 25 | Court beginning to denounce golf club (4) |
| WOOD - WOO (Court) + D (beginning to denounce) | |
| 28 | Mum with obscure name designed tissue for body (6,8) |
| MUCOUS MEMBRANE - (MUM + OBSCURE NAME)* | |
| 30 | Republican in affair with top female weapons expert (8) |
| ARMOURER - R (Republican) in AMOUR (affair), + ER (top female, i.e. the Queen) | |
| 32 | Don't offer enough foreign articles, book and papers (8) |
| UNDERBID - UNDER (foreign articles) + B (book) + ID (papers) | |
| 34 | Filming remote area's country seats? (8,6) |
| SHOOTING STICKS - SHOOTING (Filming) + STICKS (remote area), to give (Chambers): "A walking-stick with a two-part handle that opens out to form a seat" | |
| 37 | European's son John (4) |
| SLAV - S (son) + LAV (John, i.e. toilet) | |
| 38 | How many fitted in back of taxi? (6) |
| ELEVEN - xi (ELEVEN in Roman numerals) is fitted in the back of the word "taxi" | |
| 39 | Where to stop running complete range (6,4) |
| FINISH LINE - FINISH (complete) + LINE (range) | |
| 43 | Transforming gradual series of improvements in yeast (15) |
| REVOLUTIONISING - EVOLUTION (gradual series of improvements) in RISING (yeast). For rising, Collins has: "the yeast or leaven used to make dough rise in baking". | |
| 45 | Film rugby show from East Italian region — once (7) |
| ETRURIA - ET (Film) + RU (rugby) + reversal of AIR (show) | |
| 47 | It's over after start of game in tranquil plain (9) |
| SERENGETI - G (start of game) in SERENE (tranquil) + reversal of IT | |
| 49 | Game holy man found in most of Promised Land (7) |
| CANASTA - ST (holy man) in CANAA{n} (most of Promised Land) | |
| 51 | Study art in Paris, perhaps (5) |
| ESSAY - ES (art in Paris) + SAY (perhaps) | |
| 52 | Family members ruin Phil's skill in military command (11) |
| GENERALSHIP - GENERA (Family members) + PHILS* | |
| 53 | Train coiffeurs to cover house in working day (6,5) |
| OFFICE HOURS - COIFFEURS* around HO (house) | |
| 54 | Notice these smaller swarms (7) |
| SEETHES - SEE (Notice) + THES{e} (these smaller) | |
| 55 | Remove obstruction in river (6) |
| DELETE - LET (obstruction) in DEE (river) | |
| 56 | Lobby that’s new in café, area to the front (8) |
| ANTEROOM - N (new) in TEA ROOM (café) with the A (area) moved to the front | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Frank's awake on time to welcome brother (7) |
| UPFRONT - UP (awake) + ON + T (time), around FR (brother) | |
| 2 | 100 civilians worked up about team leader, Protestant (11) |
| CALVINISTIC - C (100) + CIVILIANS* around T (team leader) | |
| 3 | Finished telling stories at higher level (9) |
| OVERLYING - OVER (Finished) + LYING (telling stories) | |
| 4 | Pious Caesar's domain, or Charlemagne's (4,5,6) |
| HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE - HOLY (Pious) + ROMAN EMPIRE (Caesar's domain) | |
| 6 | Feeling cold during hot spell (8) |
| INSTINCT - C (cold) in IN (hot, as in fashionable) + STINT (spell) | |
| 7 | Irish traitor, bereaved lady, hiding new 16 perhaps? (8,6) |
| CASEMENT WINDOW - CASEMENT (Irish traitor, i.e. Roger Casement) + WIDOW (bereaved lady) around N (new). From the dictionaries, I can't see anything that oriel windows (the answer to 16A) and casement windows have in common, but no doubt there are some windows that are both, hence the definition. | |
| 8 | Some regularly supporting blooms, displaying vanity (10) |
| NARCISSISM - NARCISSI (blooms) + S{o}M{e} (Some regularly) | |
| 9 | Taxi's almost returned in one minute (7) |
| MINICAB - I'm assuming that this is meant to be a reversal of BAC{k} (almost returned) + IN + I (one) + M (minute) but there seems to be a reversal indicator missing. I can't really buy "returned" doing double duty, especially in the middle of the clue, or am I missing something? | |
| 10 | A minor prize (5) |
| AWARD - A + WARD (minor) | |
| 11 | Tutor fell where lift starts? (6,5) |
| GROUND FLOOR - GROUND (Tutor) + FLOOR (fell). I don't know how often people use ground in this sense, but it's quite common to say that someone has a grounding in a subject. | |
| 12 | Tiger ate ornate headdress of feathers (8) |
| AIGRETTE - (TIGER ATE)*, to give (Collins): "a long plume worn on hats or as a headdress, esp one of long egret feathers" | |
| 13 | Country artist cracks one question (4) |
| IRAQ - RA (artist), in I (one) + Q (question) | |
| 20 | Learn about US uncle's source of oil (6) |
| SESAME - SEE (Learn) around SAM (US uncle) | |
| 21 | Amphibian crosses two rivers in US resort (7) |
| NEWPORT - NEWT (Amphibian), around POR(two rivers), to give the town in Rhode Island famous for its colonial architecture | |
| 22 | All you can grasp sounds hazardous to some (6) |
| ARMFUL - homophone of 'ARMFUL (hazardous) | |
| 24 | Replacing of erne, changed for bird of prey (9,6) |
| PEREGRINE FALCON - (REPLACING OF ERNE)* | |
| 26 | Young Archibald, devout Scot, mostly friend of primate (14) |
| ARCHIEPISCOPAL - ARCHIE (Young Archibald) + PI (devout) + SCO{t} (Scot, mostly) + PAL (friend). This word had not appeared in a Times cryptic for at least 10 years, but has cropped up three times now in less than two months. | |
| 27 | Fish with idiot on banks (6) |
| WRASSE - W (with), + RE (one) around (banks) ASS (idiot) | |
| 29 | Make sense of a French composer (7) |
| UNRAVEL - UN (a French) + RAVEL (composer) | |
| 31 | Engaged in affair, I will get office job (6) |
| FILING - FLING (affair) around I | |
| 33 | Rescue English organ during caper (11) |
| DELIVERANCE - E (English) + LIVER (organ), in DANCE (caper) | |
| 35 | Choir worked with Caruso in contrasting work (11) |
| CHIAROSCURO - (CHOIR + CARUSO)*, to give (Chambers): "A painting in black and white". This word is always "helpfully" clued via an anagram - my suggestion for how to remember the vowel order is that the last six letters are the Italian word for dark or obscure. | |
| 36 | Ruined protest and was dishonest, quietly hiding (10) |
| DEMOLISHED - DEMO (protest) + LIED (was dishonest) around SH (quietly) | |
| 40 | Lucky charmthat protects frog (9) |
| HORSESHOE - dd, the second referring to the following definition of frog (Chambers): "A V-shaped band of horn on the underside of a horse's hoof" | |
| 41 | Iron Age introduced omens (8) |
| PRESAGES - AGE in PRESS (Iron) | |
| 42 | Initial letters giving help to travellers (8) |
| SIGNPOST - SIGN (Initial) + POST (letters) | |
| 44 | Inform island about right climber's aid (7) |
| TRELLIS - TELL (Inform) + IS (island) around R (right) | |
| 46 | Ignoring Washington, constantly charge plant (7) |
| ALYSSUM - AL{wa}YS (Ignoring Washington, constantly) + SUM (charge - presumably in the sense of a quantity of money) | |
| 48 | Old PM's point (5) |
| NORTH - dd, the first referring to Frederick North, PM from 1770 to 1782 | |
| 50 | Liberal very pink paper (4) |
| SOFT - SO (very) + FT (pink paper, i.e. the Financial Times) | |