This was not your usual generous pachydermic fare, but contained some rather chewy bits. Curious vocabulary, such as BOLOMETER, DENARII, ETYMON, TEMPE, ORESTES and DESIDERATUM and some tricky wordplay/alternate definitions, such as PATERNOSTER, AGNES without the S , "Prime requirement for astronauts", Miss PRISM and the AUSTER wind kept me fretting for nearly 55 minutes. But there were one or two delights along the way, such as UNTRIMMED, AGENDAS, the Greek geography lesson and my (unsurprisingly, given my monicker) COD, DISINTER, that made it all worthwhile. So thank-you setter for an excellent workout. How did you all find it?
Definitions underlined in italics, (ABC)* indicating anagram of ABC, {} deletions and [] other indicators.
| Across | |
| 1 | Prayer that could give one uplift (11) |
| PATERNOSTER - Double Definition. As well as meaning The Lord's Prayer, a paternoster is "a passenger elevator which consists of a chain of open compartments (each usually designed for two persons) that move slowly in a loop up and down inside a building without stopping." This came up as recently as Jumbo 1325, which helped. | |
| 7 | Male needing to change a great amount, one immersed in deep thoughts (11) |
| MEDITATIONS - M (Male) + EDIT (change) + A + I [immersed in] TONS (a great amount). | |
| 13 | Baddies among lesser gods, going back (5) |
| OGRES - Reverse hidden in lesSER GOds. | |
| 14 | Student's last book, one going a step at a time (7) |
| TREADER - {Studen}T + READER (book). | |
| 15 | One records amounts of energy— one hurrying to insulate 'ouse? (9) |
| BOLOMETER - {h}OME inside BOLTER (one hurrying). A new word for me. "A bolometer is an instrument for measuring radiation by means of the rise in temperature of a blackened metal strip in one of the arms of a resistance bridge." | |
| 16 | Once again consider getting forward (9) |
| READDRESS - Double definition. | |
| 17 | Water recycled as in space, prime requirement for astronauts (7,3) |
| CASPIAN SEA - (as in space)* + A{stronauts}. "Prime requirement for" is a bit of an odd indicator for "take the first letter", but I think that's how this clue works. | |
| 20 | One country fellow returned old coins (7) |
| DENARII - I + IRAN + ED, all backwards. We've had this recently too, in the QC of 3rd May and the 15x15 of 17th May. | |
| 22 | Moved unsteadily, tempted to grab companion (7) |
| LURCHED - LURED including CH (Companion of Honour). | |
| 24 | Change drink when fish is eaten (5-2) |
| SHAKE-UP - SUP (drink) eating HAKE. | |
| 25 | Officials in groups going round protecting part of prison (8) |
| STEWARDS - WARD (part of prison) inside SETS backwards. | |
| 26 | What one not putting up with nonsense lying down doesis obvious (6,2,6) |
| STANDS TO REASON - Double definition,first cryptic | |
| 28 | Musical maestro offering one note after another (5) |
| SOLTI - SOL + TI. The conductor Sir George Solti was a key figure in the development the Covent Garden Opera Company and was musical director fo the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for 22 years. | |
| 29 | This person's about to enter college to find origin of word (6) |
| ETYMON - MY (This person's) backwards in ETON. Another new word for me. | |
| 30 | Maiden embraced by the Parisian in next to no time — part of the story (10) |
| INSTALMENT - A double containment... M inside LE (the Parisian) inside INSTANT (next to no time). | |
| 33 | Cut off woman getting evil, the female with oomph (10) |
| DISINHERIT - DI (woman) + SIN + HER + IT. | |
| 35 | Put in authority as one incompletely dressed? (6) |
| INVEST - If you were just in a vest you wouldn't be properly dressed. | |
| 37 | Overexcited person pushing a product very hard? (5) |
| HYPER - Some overselling might be producing HYPE, which makes such a person a HYPER. | |
| 39 | Where water can enter a housebeyond what one would reasonably expect (7,3,4) |
| THROUGH THE ROOF - Double definition. Never in my house, I hope! | |
| 41 | Country the reverse of excellent led by slipshod character (8) |
| SLOVENIA - AI (excellent) reversed after SLOVEN. | |
| 44 | Love remains around end of life for character in Greek play (7) |
| ORESTES - O + RESTS around {lif}E. Orestes appeared as a character in several Greek plays, notably the eponymous one by Euripides. | |
| 45 | Gives a contract to twelve heavenly groups? (5,2) |
| SIGNS UP - The heavenly groups being, of course, the 12 signs of the zodiac. | |
| 46 | They maybe have some minutes ahead of the main business (7) |
| AGENDAS - Cryptic definition. Nice one. | |
| 47 | Tiny worker, one in a continuous revolution (6,4) |
| MINUTE HAND - MINUTE (tiny) + HAND (worker). | |
| 49 | Victor joining girl briefly for a drink (9) |
| CHAMPAGNE - CHAMP + AGNE{s}. Not a common girl's name these days, but I do have an Aunt Agnes. | |
| 53 | Was first to collect 500 marks in aim to get top award (4,5) |
| GOLD MEDAL - Another double containment. LED (Was first) including D (500) M (marks), all inside GOAL. | |
| 54 | Attacks trendy bars, penning article (7) |
| INROADS - IN + RODS [penning] A. | |
| 55 | City's food shop being reported (5) |
| DELHI - Sounds like DELI. | |
| 56 | Essential bit of info about English team — tip from skipper (11) |
| DESIDERATUM - DATUM [about] E + SIDE + {skippe}R. | |
| 57 | Dealer's type to work with urgency (11) |
| DESPERATELY - (Dealer's type)*. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | What's nonsensical and discourteous in note stands out (9) |
| PROTRUDES - ROT (What's nonsensical) + RUDE inside P.S. | |
| 2 | Financial location— there dealers netted bucks (12,6) |
| THREADNEEDLE STREET - (there dealers netted)*. Where the Bank of England is located. | |
| 3 | Brought up to lose ego, being put down (5) |
| RASED - RA{i}SED without the I for ego. | |
| 4 | Like Nero, maybe, cheating (2,3,6) |
| ON THE FIDDLE - Nero was alleged to have fiddled while Rome burned. But the violin was not invented for another 1500 years after that. He did, however, play another stringed instrument, the harp-like cithara. | |
| 5 | Those folk holding girl up somewhere in Greece (8) |
| THESSALY - THEY [holding] LASS upwards. I learnt some geography here - Thessaly is a region of Northern Greece. | |
| 6 | Left-wing city address being given a makeover (12) |
| REDECORATION - RED + EC + ORATION. | |
| 7 | A monarch is confused — it's the drink (10) |
| MARASCHINO - (A monarch is)*. A liqueur made from the distillation of Marasca cherry juice. | |
| 8 | This person, a chum turns up in port (5) |
| DUBAI - I (this person) + A BUD (a chum) going upwards. | |
| 9 | Noel's act is silly, with expression of disapproval about that ... coming from me? (6,5) |
| TALENT SCOUT - (Noel's act is)* [silly] inside TUT. I guess if you were scouting talent you wouldn't appove of a silly act. | |
| 10 | Sensible speed taken south of valley (9) |
| TEMPERATE - RATE (speed) under [south of] TEMPE. The Vale of Tempe is a gorge in, vide supra, Thessaly! | |
| 11 | Promises to put out hard breakfast cereal? (4) |
| OATS - OAT{h}S. | |
| 12 | Island ship, not up-to-date rescue vessel (4) |
| SARK - S {hip} (not up-to-date) + ARK. | |
| 18 | Led astray with gentle gossip, false story? Leave a dangerous situation alone (3,8,4,3) |
| LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE - Easily biffed from the checkers, this is (Led gentle gossip)* + LIE. | |
| 19 | Second son entertained by playwright who is not married? (8) |
| SPINSTER - S + PINTER including the second S. | |
| 21 | Get into a row once again (7) |
| REALIGN - (Barely) cryptic definition. | |
| 23 | To bring up characters from dead is interesting (8) |
| DISINTER - Hidden in deaD IS INTEResting. And surely a cue to signpost my Reinterred blog in case anyone is interested. | |
| 27 | Times gets authorisations properly (2,6) |
| BY RIGHTS - BY (Times, as in multiply by) + RIGHTS. | |
| 28 | Introduction of sensitive issue brings revolt (8) |
| SEDITION - Start of S{ensitive} + EDITION. | |
| 31 | Port offering shelter — dilly-dally, wasting energy inside (2,5) |
| LE HAVRE - The shelter is LEE. Include HAV{e}R. | |
| 32 | A French politician on the fringe, revolutionary and not yet arousing interest? (12) |
| UNCONSIDERED - UN + CON + SIDE + RED. | |
| 34 | Schooner due to move — one can tell how deep the ocean is (4-7) |
| ECHO-SOUNDER - (Schooner due)*. | |
| 36 | Feel atlas has gone wrong, missing out fine US city (11) |
| TALLAHASSEE - ({F}eel atlas has)*. State capital city of Florida. | |
| 38 | 19 in play holding meeting, a time for a philosophical approach (10) |
| PRAGMATISM - The spinster Miss Laeticia PRISM is a character in The Importance of being Earnest. No. I didn't know that. Include AGM (meeting) and A T (time). | |
| 40 | Rough activity with 'ounds, rough ride covering two miles (9) |
| UNTRIMMED - {h}UNT + (ride)* with 2 Ms inserted. | |
| 42 | Harshness of wind over town with a hundred fleeing (9) |
| AUSTERITY - AUSTER (a southery wind - which I only knew from a recent crossword) + {c)ITY (town without C for hundred). | |
| 43 | One gets a litre in glasses? Not the usual restaurant offerings (8) |
| SPECIALS - I + A L in SPECS. | |
| 48 | Small volume to devour is without ostentation (5) |
| ECLAT - CL in EAT. | |
| 50 | Platforms being erected help operation (5) |
| PODIA - AID + OP going upwards [being erected]. | |
| 51 | Getting on, earning money, but losing something on top (4) |
| AGED - {w}AGED losing top letter (this being a down clue). | |
| 52 | What could be indicated by the sign of the cross (4) |
| PLUS - Cryptic definition. | |