Sappy young leader retired, developed thick skin. (4) 1. letter deletion, synonym 2. Sappy = corny
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Across
8A
To leave Ghana, westward. (4) 1. Double definition 2. "Westward" isn't a wordplay indicator.
9A
You were in, and now you're out. You started that early - or vice-versa. (5) 1. letter selection, reversal 2. "You were in and now you're out" is the definition - and I'm absolutely certain you were once in here.
12A
Gnu isn't a French 9. (4) 1. translation, abbreviation 2. 9 definitely isn't French - it's in Italy's oldest language.
13A
Declaimed "To be", included most Elizabethan tragedies' other orations' first parts. (2,3) 1. letter selection 2. Yes, just letter selection. "Declaimed", "included", "most", and "other" aren't here as indicators.
14A
No peace for bottomless income: it pitiably broke down. (15) 1. Letter deletion, anagram, charades 2. Although it's an across word, "income" still has a bottom.
17A
Modern light showed the way. (3) 1. double definition 2. I don't think I can make it easier than that, to be honest, without just telling you the answer.
18A
A spurned king dresses a headless hero in Pierre's good shift. (6) 1. Letter deletion, insertion, translation. 2. Pierre is French, what's the French "good"?
21A
Keep it secure, say, in this. (6) 1. homophone, synonym. 2. A pining plot device.
25A
Tailor says so. (3) 1. Homophone 2. "Tailor" can be a verb.
26A
Jacinda Ardern and Indira Ghandi for two, had this condition. (3) 1. Double definition 2. Jacinda and Indira have at least two things in common beyond the last letter of their first names.
28A
No back and forth! (3) 1. &lit, palindrome 2. I considered adding Pierre to this clue too, but I don't think he's necessary - but he would help if you were having trouble. How? Frenchly shrugs.
29A
Submissive fish doesn't have time. (4) 1. Letter deletion, abbreviation 2. The particular fish is a betta
30A
Life force reported in recently-militarised city. (5) 1. homophone 2. Korea was recently placed under martial law, for about eight hours.
31A
Right after that girl's master, for Dietrich! (4) 1. Abbreviation, synonym 2. The definition is "master, for Dietrich"
32A
Tolkienic orc's forebear has no original self. (3) 1. Letter deletion 2. Saruman: Do you know how the orcs first came into being?
34A
Dane plays catch, mostly urban play. (3) 1. Letter selection, anag. 2. "Dane play" is Hamlet. What's Hamlet's catch?
35A
Minister's yes damages pirate's. (3) 1. Anag. 2. A minister is a politician as well as a religious leader.
36A
Marked in winter, medically. (6) 1. hidden word 2. A mark is a specific name for something.
Brickhead sounds buzzer. (3) 1. Letter selection, homophone 2. "Brickhead" is both fodder and indicator.
40A
Battle has blades whirling around mum's hat - upcycled felt. HOW am I supposed to read this clue‽ (4,4,2,5) 1. synonym, insertion, letter selection 2. the hardest part of this is to remember that blades whirling is how to describe a helicopter's... what?
47A
Five Jackson locks broken so far. (5) 1. Anag. 2. The five Jacksons had particular locks, when they went by that name.
48A
Eight-nothing owed to Cannes' starting backs. (4) 1. Abbreviation, letter selection 2. Only the middle three words are fodder for "starting backs"
49A
Blue River's creator secretly meets an aqueduct. (5) 1. Hidden word 2. Blue river = blue Nile
50A
Without being started, block lifts junk. (4) 1. letter deletion 2. A junk is a type of boat.
Down
1D
Sappy young leader retired, developed thick skin. (4) 1. letter deletion, synonym 2. Sappy = corny
2D
One half of mom's whippet. (4) 1. charades, letter selection, abbreviation. 2. "Whippet" is slang for nitrous oxide.
3D
Deep mud hides up butt, informally. (4) Hidden word, reversal 2. A nice big butt can be called, informally, a type of truck. This one was fun to clue.
4D
Bot's temperature boiled inventor's long-sought goal. (6,9) 1. anag 2. There's a proverb about what all inventors want to make
5D
Moron's an old boy, any way you look at it. (4) 1. Palindrome, abbreviation 2. "Old boy" is commonly abbreviated to "OB"
6D
Half-bullying lie. (4) 1. letter selection 2. That's bull, and you know it is!
7D
Model can be thin. (4) 1. double definition 2. Think about biscuits, and money-hungry little girls...
10D
Take home a headless blue duck. (4) 1. Double definition, letter deletion. 2. Yes, two definitions, plus wordplay, who are you to be so lucky? Anyway, if you take something home, there's another verb for that.
11D
Can enrage toppled fashion leader. (4) 1. reversal 2. "Can enrage" is the definition.
15D
Catty comment from homeowner. (4) 1. hidden word 2. What does a cat say?
16D
Insurgents captured New Origins star. (4) 1. letter selection 2. First letters, indicated by "origins"
18D
Year-long transit is nothing to trotting Brit. (5) 1. Abbreviation, anag. 2. By definition, what transit always takes a year, no matter what planet you stand upon?
19D
Biblical heroine's lost her head for perfumer's oil. (5) 1. Letter deletion 2. The biblical heroine in question married Ahaseurus
20D
My head follows non-fantasy domain. (5) 1. Charades, letter selection, synonym 2. If something's not a fantasy, it's ___
22D
A songwriter and a baron agree to share chicken duties? (5) 1. Synonyms 2. This one's weird, I know. Definition is "A songwriter and a baron"
23D
Sometimes dorks don't flee to a study's work. (4) 1. Letter selection 2. The definition is "work".
24D
Twisting pieces of jewellery, Scot holds rook upside-down! (5) 1. Insertion, reversal, abbreviation 2. Think about how a rook is noted in chess notation.
26D
Every phobia's beginning - hesitation. (3) 1. letter selection, abbreviation 2. Definition is "every"
27D
Beneath an overturned vehicle. (3) 1. Reversal, synonym 2. The vehicle is a bus
33D
Loss leader puts an end to fine sense. (4) 1. letter selection, synonym 2. "fine" is not an adjective".
35D
Thy talk of yore (4) 1. Homophone 2. Definition is "thy"
38D
True bros sometimes become lifelong sufferances (4) 1. Letter selection 2. Think in eights.
39D
Fancy town's revolutionary tone. (4) 1. Letter switching 2. Roll the word tone without changing the order - just move first to last, first to last, first to last...
41D
Sexy car flipped your lid. (4). 1. Reversal, abbreviation 2. "Sexy" is the definition"
42D
Feeling doom recede. (4) 1. Reversal 2. "Feeling" is the definition.
43D
"Devours" is a common indicator word in cryptic crosswords for container-type wordplay. (4) 1. Double definition 2. Yes, I'm very cheeky. Alternate wordplay: cycle seat.
44D
Oscar doesn't accept "approximately" for frozen ridge. (4) 1. Abbreviation, letter deletion 2. It's a difficult word, not in most people's vocabulary, but if you remember that "approximately" is equal to "circa", which is often appended to dates as "c. 1900" you'll get it.
45D
I'll talk about dead rest. (4) 1. Homophone, abbreviation, insertion 2. "Rest" is the definition
46D
Slash's bandmate is a terrible writer. (4) 1. Double definition 2. Stop thinking about Guns n Roses.
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All clues have two hints in spoiler tags after them. These will help you if you're stuck, but don't go straight for them! The first hint will be the type of wordplay used. The second hint will be a clue-specific hint. In case you're unused to spoiler tags, they'll look like this -> Here's a clue <- and you can click or tap them to reveal what's hidden.
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