This was very straightforward indeed, taking about 30 minutes across a couple of sessions. There do seem to be rather a lot of A+B type clues.
My first in was VILLAGE, last was THROUGH TRAIN, just because that's where I happened to finish.
Clues are in blue, with definitions underlined and answers are in bold. | |
1 | Have nothing to do with free ticket winning (4,2) |
PASS UP - basic charade (watch out for that phrase later folks) of PASS and UP | |
5 | Very bad period of time for a rural community (7) |
VILLAGE - V[ery] ILL AGE | |
9 | Recognise celebrities?Do this, perhaps, if struck (3,5) |
SEE STARS - DD, the first bordering on whimsy | |
13 | Run off in polished stilettos after parade? (4,1,5,4,2,5) |
SHOW A CLEAN PAIR OF HEELS - charade, no further explanation required I reckon. | |
14 | Explain Pinter's opening in Betrayal (5,3) |
SPELL OUT - P(inter) in SELL OUT | |
15 | Urgently heading for teleprinter after distress call one received (7) |
SOONEST - T(eleprinter) after ONE in S.O.S. | |
16 | Class take this after dope (6) |
SPHERE - "HERE" as in "here you are" after S.P., as in dope/craic/gen/info/plan as in "What's the S.P. John, are we going to the pub or what?" | |
17 | Hope to have most of jelly with helping (10) |
ASPIRATION - ASPI | |
20 | Timid type, a bishop settling in London, maybe, in an overcrowded area (6,6) |
RABBIT WARREN - RABBIT + A R[ight] R[everend] in WEN. The Great Wen is supposedly a disparaging nickname from London, coined by William Cobbett. | |
23 | Food pleasing to the eye, we're told (4) |
FARE - sounds like FAIR | |
24 | With book in college defining game (8) |
HANDBALL - AND B[ook] in HALL | |
26 | Guys in principle responsible for a block of flats (8) |
TENEMENT - MEN in TENET | |
29 | Problem with arson, a crucial matter? (7,5) |
BURNING ISSUE - basic charade of ISSUE with BURNING. As has been discussed on the site in the past, "with" implies no order for the words. | |
30 | Nerve and audacity shown in hold-up (10) |
BOTTLENECK - basic charade of BOTTLE and NECK. Isn't a bottlenech the cause of a hold-up rather than the hold-up itself? | |
32 | Group after sound system for convention (10) |
STEREOTYPE - basic charade of STEREO and TYPE | |
34 | Possible result of game being in grass allowed to roam wild (8,4) |
GOALLESS DRAW - (grass allowed)* | |
36 | Insensitive column, a problem for the editor? (8) |
DEADLINE - basic charade of DEAD and LINE | |
38 | Tire oneself out on visit by Italian (6,2) |
OVERDO IT - OVER (on) + DO (visit as in "Tomorrow we're going to do Stonehenge") + IT[alian] | |
39 | Dam— spooky no end (4) |
WEIR - WEIR | |
41 | Long distance traveller, finished with school (7,5) |
THROUGH TRAIN - basic charade of THROUGH and TRAIN | |
43 | TV game show runs into considerable trouble (3,7) |
BIG BROTHER -R[uns] in BIG BOTHER | |
44 | Stand as excursion party returned (6) |
TRIPOD -TRIP + DO reversed | |
46 | Disgusting old boy linked with ugly incident (7) |
OBSCENE - basic charade of O[ld] B[oy] and SCENE | |
48 | Non-professionals playing are a must (8) |
AMATEURS - (are a must)* | |
50 | Might a matadorconfront a problem head-on? (4,3,4,2,3,5) |
TAKE THE BULL BY THE HORNS - DD, the first with a silent "...do this" implied | |
51 | Artist wearing a top he designed, and a gibus (5,3) |
OPERA HAT - R[oyal] A[cademician] in (a top he)*. I didn't know a gibus from Jebus but it easy enough to guess. | |
52 | One putting clothes onsideboard (7) |
DRESSER - DD | |
53 | Plant in trouble had backing (6) |
DAHLIA - AIL HAD reversed | |
Down | |
2 | Story-teller having to sit up after first of allegories (5) |
AESOP - POSE reversed after A(llegories) | |
3 | Decoy's snout (5,6) |
STOOL PIGEON - DD | |
4 | Peg describing a row about bishop in cocktail lounge? (5,3) |
PIANO BAR - PIN around (describing) A then OAR around B[ishop] | |
5 | Large container porter brought in for a man (5) |
VALET - VAT with ALE replacing (brought in for) A | |
6 | I suffer over lad's affair (7) |
LIAISON - I AIL reversed then SON | |
7 | Suitablewhip (11) |
APPROPRIATE - DD | |
8 | Select rice, ultimately — low in calories (5) |
ELITE - (ric)E LITE | |
9 | Little tip for final applicants (9) |
SHORTLIST - basic charade of SHORT and LIST | |
10 | Distinctive character in Newmarket hostelry (5) |
ETHOS - hidden | |
11 | Film male, one fielding after start of test (3,5,3) |
THE THIRD MAN - HE + THIRD MAN (fielding position in cricket) after T(est) | |
12 | Without opener, field a substitute (7) |
RESERVE - | |
18 | Figure alien must be breaking law (9) |
STATUETTE - E.T. in STATUTE | |
19 | Lunacy omitting son in senseless action (7) |
INANITY - IN | |
21 | Invoice committee for hoarding (9) |
BILLBOARD - basic charade of BILL + BOARD | |
22 | Turn on wench providing winch (8) |
WINDLASS - basic charade of WIND and LASS | |
25 | So ended a broadcast about married heroine in play (9) |
DESDEMONA - (so ended a)* around M[arried] | |
27 | Fruit drink that's delicious in the East (9) |
NECTARINE - NECTAR IN E[ast] | |
28 | Tiresome nanny and I go out (8) |
ANNOYING - (nanny I go)* | |
31 | Substantialbidding (7) |
TELLING - DD | |
33 | Enthusiastic card game in plant (3-3,5) |
RED-HOT POKER - basic... (you know the rest) | |
34 | Inexperienced in a good way, that is belonging to an upper-class set? (5-6) |
GREEN-WELLIE -GREEN WELL I.E. as in GW brigade | |
35 | Sensibleparaglider heading this way eventually? (4-2-5) |
DOWN-TO-EARTH - DD, one whimsical | |
37 | Outgoing person, former scout, entering IOM races (9) |
EXTROVERT - EX + ROVER in T.T. | |
40 | Under pressure, made and delivered a sermon (8) |
PREACHED - REACHED (made as in made it to a destination or a target etc.) under P[ressure] | |
42 | Type of car difficult to beat (7) |
HARDTOP - basic... (need I go on?) | |
43 | Sleep so long on top of sofabed (3-4) |
BYE-BYES - BYE-BYE on S[ofabed] | |
45 | Drop daughter with it by church (5) |
DITCH -D[aughter] + IT + CH[urch] | |
47 | Pronouncefit (5) |
SOUND - DD | |
48 | Detest rough bar small house installed (5) |
ABHOR - HO[use] in (bar)* | |
49 | Swiss dish acrostic contains (5) |
ROSTI - hidden | |