When you see that the compiler is Rufus, you know you are in for a glut of cryptic defintions, some more cryptic than others, and today’s puzzle had seven or eight of them, as well as a couple of “double definition” style clues. I’m in the camp that prefers to see a limited number of CDs in a puzzle. If they are good, they can make the puzzle fun – if not so good, they leave the solver feeling a little short-changed. I’ll let solvers make their own minds up about today’s selection.ACROSS
8 PAVEMENT – first across clue, first CD – a pavement artist does indeed colour flag(stone)s.
11 AUDIENCE – double definition, kinda
13 PATISSERIE – (spare site I)*
15 STAND TO (reason)
16 PILLAGE – PIL(LAG)E – I wasn’t sure at first about the “of” before “booty” – it implies to me that you are looking for a adjective describing “of booty”, or at least a noun meaning “booty” rather than the verb you end up with, but then I realised that PILLAGE is also a noun, so it just about passes muster.
23 LOVELY – (volley)* – nice one
24 GLADSOME – (dog’s meal)*
DOWN
1 WASTE NOT WANT NOT – “to husband” in the sense of “to save”
2 TEMPERANCE HOTEL – a good CD, if rather easy
3 FEVER PITCH – (viper)* in FETCH – FETCH = “bag” might be stretching it a bit
4 STEALTH – STEAL-TH(e)
5 ACED – a not very crypic cryptic definition…
6 FAREWELL ADDRESS – …followed by another
7 KNOCKING-OFF TIME – another CD, but this one’s a bit better
14 SPIDER CRAB – (crispbread)*
17 PROTEGE – another CD