Present Day by Horvendile

Puzzle explanation

The Playfair code phrase was PACKING BOXES. Where the first pair of an entry overlapped the 5×5 square, the uncoded letters had to appear one place to the left or above, eg WY from 41ac could be entered in cells 40 and 41. Similarly, a final overlapping pair could be entered as the last and first letters of the row or column, eg IP from 23 gave P...I for the top row. VU from 40 and UG from 45 gave the same letter in cell 45, so G had to appear in the same column as V, and so on. The unclued entries were types of box: CANISTER, SOLANDER (a box in the form of a book), KIST (an ancient Greek or Roman wooden box for holding ritual utensils), SHOE (a box-like device for dispensing playing-cards singly).

Clue explanations

Conventions: * = anagram, < = reversal

No Answer Explanation
Across
1 CHIRRE C + HIRE around R
11 ESCUDO ESC + UDO
13 SPADER SPAR around (Gi)DE(on)
16 DISGRUNTLE GUILD(en)STERN *
17 IFNI IF + IN <
18 SAGA S + AGA
19 TELEVISION (SOVIET LINE) *
20 HAEREMAI (I’M HERE + AA) *
21 AFTERS (r)AFTERS
23 WHIP W + HIP
25 ALUN ((Be)N ULA(mhie)) <
27 STEREO STERE + O’
29 BORATE BORE around AT
30 LOOSEN LOO + SEN
31 FINSKO (SKIN OF) *
33 SHTETL SH + TET + L
36 LIAISE LIE around AIS
37 SAKE S + AKE
41 WYCH (willo)WY CH(erry)
44 FLITCH FLIT + CH
45 UGANDANS (GNU + AND AS) *
46 PONTICELLO (P + MONTICELLO) − M
48 DUES DUPES − P
49 DORS 2 meanings
50 MINUTE HAND (AND HIT MENU) *
51 RENTED TENDER *
52 IODATE I + DO < + ATE
53 CHÈVRE CHÈRE around (jan)V(ier)
Down
2 SEA BAT SEAT around AB
3 LIGATURE LURE around (I + GAT)
4 QUEUES homophone of CUES
5 ABELIA ABE(t) + AIL <
6 OILERY BOILERY − B
7 UNTUCK UNSTUCK − S
8 SIMI SIM + I
9 DESISTENCE (STEED SINCE) *
10 LEAN 2 meanings
12 GODIVA GO + DIVA
14 ACETIC (CITE + CA) <
15 HOGTIE HOG + TIE
20 DAFTAR DR around (AFT + A)
22 KENSINGTON KEN + SING + TON
24 ASCI SAC * + I’
26 DUDEEN DUDE + (v)EN(t)
28 ERST VERST − V
32 BASEHEAD ABASHED * around E
33 ’SBLOOD (SB + FLOOD) − F
34 REUTER REFUTER − F
35 FROLIC FLIC around RO
38 WEIRDO WEIR + DO
39 WAMPUS WAS around (M’ + UP <)
40 VULNED (DEN + LUV) <
42 AXISES (SEA around SIX) <
43 GADGET GAD + GET
46 YORE Y + ÖRE or ØRE
47 ILEA I(ntestina)L E(nter)A
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