A delightful early Christmas present from Dean which occupied me for the best part of a day on and off. Much to enjoy, with 18ac and 50ac being my personal favourites.
I'm a bit unsure of the parsing at 2d, but other than that I think I managed (eventually) to wrestle the big beast successfully. Or maybe not - we shall see...
Anyway, here we go - and a very happy New Year to all and special thanks to Dean, Jeff and Harry for the terrific fun they continually serve up every Sunday. Wonderful, and much appreciated.
Definitions underlined: DD = double definition: anagrams indicated by *(--): omitted ;letters indicated by {-}.
Across
1
Old compass as stocking filler (6)
ORANGE - O (old) + RANGE (compass)
5
Evil man taken aback when caught (7)
MALEFIC - MALE (man) + IF reversed ('when' is taken aback) + C (caught)
9
Clock us sadly admitting daughter isn’t faithful (8)
CUCKOLDS - *(CLOCK US) - with "sadly" as the anagrind - and D (daughter) also thrown into the mix (admitted)
13
Pauses resulted in breaks (10)
INTERLUDES - *(RESULTED IN) with "breaks" as the anagrind
14
Right form of words to offer surrender (12)
RENUNCIATION - R (right) + ENUNCIATION (form of words)
15
Tax — it’s fun to avoid it (4)
LEVY - LEV{IT}Y (fun avoiding the IT)
16
Island capital — it’s nothing as far as I’m concerned (3,4)
SAO TOME - SA (sex appeal - "it") + O TO ME (nothing as far as I'm concerned), giving us the capital of, well, Sao Tome - an island located in the rather intriguing sounding Bight of Bonny
17
Eating sandwiches in area that may be arrived at (10)
ATTAINABLE - AT TABLE (eating) wraps around (sandwiches) IN + A (area)
18
Clamber under this to shake one stocking filler? (8,8)
BUILDERS MERCHANT - *(CLAMBER UNDER THIS) with "to shake" as the anagrind. Gorgeous.
20
Reporter’s apparent cause to act (6)
INCITE - Sounds like IN SIGHT (reporter's apparent)
22
Christmas season to the faithful, ultimately (4)
NOEL - Last letters (ultimately) of seasoN tO thE faithfuL
23
Plastic upon glittering brass facility? (6,8)
TRIPLE TONGUING - *(UPON GLITTERING) with "plastic" as the anagrind, giving us a technique employed by players of brass (and wind for that matter) instruments. I felt compelled to engage in a bit more research on this, which happily led me to a site rejoicing in the name www.hornmatters.com, which informs us "While long considered an essential skill for the trumpet player, double and triple tonguing has traditionally been considered optional for horn players". Well there you go.
28
One pillar contained top of joist (4)
HADJ - HAD (contained) + J (top of Joist), being the fifth pillar of Islam
29
With economy, North America’s move to cut books (2,1,6)
ON A BUDGET - NA (North America) + BUDGE (move) goes inside ('cuts') OT (books - Old Testament)
30
Sleepy sailor is unable to hide it (8)
OSCITANT - OS (sailor) + IT inside CANT (unable to hide it). A new word to me, but the wordplay was generous enough.
32
I am the thing that cuts to cause damage (8)
SCIMITAR - IM IT (I am the thing) goes inside (cuts) SCAR (to cause damage) & Lit
33
Border guards sort of sense royal outlaw (9)
DESPERADO - DADO (border) goes around (guards) ESP (sort of sense) + ER (royal)
35
1’s not on — it’s in (4)
RAGE - {O}RA{N}GE - 1 across loses its O and N (1's not on), and if it's in it's all the rage
36
Miss out panto character (8,6)
SLEEPING BEAUTY - If the gorgeous girl is sleeping, she's "out" (like a light / for the count etc.). Very nice bit of cryptic whimsy.
38
Wet place around one very dry place (4)
GOBI - BOG reversed ((wet place around) + I (one)
41
Toast for model (6)
PROSIT - PRO (for) + SIT (model) - giving the cue to stand up and slurp from your stein whilst the oompah band plays a merry tune. Unless you are in Sweden, where it is something you say when a companion sneezes, apparently.
43
The study of classless society? (8,8)
DISTANCE LEARNING - Droll cryptic definition
46
Ms Jones’s private capital (10)
BRIDGETOWN - BRIDGET (Ms Jones - she of the diary - and recently of the baby) + OWN (private)
48
Call up retired chap, worried (7)
EVOCATE - COVE reversed (retired chap) + ATE (worried)
49
Call the shots “bullets” (4)
LEAD - DD
50
Compromise offered by Audi? (7,5)
HALFWAY HOUSE - AUDI{ENCE}, being half the house (at a theatre). Cracker of a clue and a satisfying penny-drop moment when I finally saw what was going on
51
More than a bit hot running around (10)
THOROUGHLY - *(HOT) - with "running around" as the anagrind - + ROUGHLY (a bit)
52
Judge runs after idiots like this (8)
ASSESSOR - R (runs) goes after ASSES (idiots) + SO (like this)
53
Table cut up by the most agile (7)
LITHEST - LIST (table) with THE inserted (cut up by the)
54
I will interrupt unthinkable idea (6)
NOTION - I goes inside (interrupts) NOT ON (unthinkable)
Down
2
Sport’s real news upset silver medallist? (6-2)
RUNNER UP - Whilst the answer went in easily enough from definition and cross checkers, I struggled with the parsing of this one. Best I can do is RUN (sport) + PURE N reversed (real news upset) but I'm far from convinced. Better offers most welcome!
3
Those closing in are like mud, really clinging (5)
NEEDY - Last letters (those closing) of iN arE likE muD reallY
4
Cheshire town in fashion magazine’s writer’s piece (9,4)
ELLESMERE PORT - ELLES (fashion magazine's) + ME (writer) + REPORT (piece)
5
Think about mostly improvised state of chaos (8)
MADHOUSE - MUSE (think) goes around AD HO{C} (mostly improvised)
6
Moving supply, thus parts miles off (7)
LISSOME - SO (thus) inserted into (parts) *(MILES) with "off" as the anagrind. Took me a while to see 'supply' as an adverb from supple rather than provisioning.
7
Footballers fall over — pain is extensive (3-8)
FAR REACHING - FA (footballers - as in Football Association) + ERR reversed (fall over) + ACHING (pain)
8
May take care producing choral work (7)
CANTATA - CAN (may) + TATA ("take care" - as in cheerio). Memories of Jimmy Young, one of the many high profile casualties of what has been a grim year with his parting byline TTFN - tata for now
9
For lawyer, perfectly good walk (14)
CONSTITUTIONAL - If the activity is 'constitutional' then, from the lawyer's perspective, it's OK
10
In here, French is adopted by family doctor (9)
CLINICIAN - IN ICI (in + here in French) is included in (adopted by) CLAN (family)
11
Coming up, island like this old port (5)
OSTIA - AIT (island) + SO (like this) all reversed (coming up), giving us the Roman port
12
Doctor’s surgery allowed tiny liquid measure (7)
DROPLET - DR (doctor) + OP (surgery) + LET (allowed)
19
Athletes spread out warm clothing (4,7)
LONG JUMPERS - LONG (spread out) JUMPERS (warm clothing)
21
Initial, perhaps, but second (11)
COUNTERSIGN - The counter signatory might denote their approval by initialling the document.
23
North Dakota lake in proper bowl (7)
TRUNDLE - NDL (North Dakota lake) inside TRUE (proper). One of the meanings of Trundle in Chambers is "to bowl along"
24
See title oddly used on line drawing (7)
LOTTERY - LO (see) TiTlE (title oddly - every other letter) + RY (line - as in railway). Masterly disguise.
25
They all stay to see the object (3-3)
NON EGO - If they all stay, then NONE GO. Non ego is apparently the objective view as opposed to the subjective egocentric. I'm sure experts in the field will correct that somewhat schoolboyish attempt to convey the concept, but give me a break - it's Christmas!
26
One wrapped hammer up with coloured film (6)
PARCEL - RAP reversed (hammer up) + CEL (coloured film - apparently an abbreviation of celluloid used in the film industry)
27
New Year might do for panto character (5,9)
FAIRY GODMOTHER - *(YEAR MIGHT DO FOR) with "new" as the anagrind
31
Stocking filler, sweet but not tender (9,4)
CHOCOLATE COIN - Wouldn't the world be more fun if you could use chocolate coins as legal tender during the festive season?
34
It’s a custom faced when drinking a cocktail ingredient? (7,4)
SAUSAGE MEAT - SA (sex appeal - IT) + USAGE (a custom) + MET with A inside (faced when drinking a) giving us the essential ingredient for a proper Slow Comfortable Screw as served at my local rugby club. On second thoughts, it's presumably a reference to a cocktail sausage.
37
Winter has aroused suffering (2,3,4)
IN THE WARS - *(WINTER HAS) with "aroused" as the anagrind
39
Leave box with organ inside (5,3)
CLEAR OUT - CLOUT (box) has EAR (organ) inside it
40
Cutting in, identify painting that’s put up (8)
INTAGLIO - IN + TAG (identify) + OIL reversed (painting that's put up), giving us the style of artwork achieved through incision of a surface. And there was I thinking it was a type of pasta.
42
Further studies are arranged in Liverpool? (7)
REREADS - *(ARE) - with "arranged" as the anagrind - in REDS (nickname of Liverpool FC)
44
Sultry American, in some ways upstanding (7)
SENSUAL - US (American) in" LANES (some ways) all reversed (upstanding)
45
The Devil spoils one protected by church (7)
CLOOTIE - LOOT I (spoils one) surrounded by (protected by) CE (church), giving us a Scottish word for the chap with the forked tail. A tad obscure, but the wordplay was very generous so no problems there. And it is a lovely word.
47
Author starts to defend antagonist (5)
DEFOE - First two letters of DEfend (starts to defend) + FOE (antagonist)
49
Stocking filler — it’s all right (5)
LEGIT - LEG (stocking filler) + IT