Worthy adversary provides a light touch of wit
Across
1 Wood a problem for golfer, mostly limiting success SHITTIM (wood)
HIT (success) in STIM[y] (golfing problem on putting green, almost)
6 Recording includes almost everything justifiable VALID (justifiable)
AL[l] (everything) in VID (recording)
10 Time for improvements is never wasted around fall VERNISSAGE
(varnishing day) SAG (fall) in (IS NEVER)*
11 Member of coalition not initially resentful after retracting texts
LIBRETTI (words) LIB [b]ITTER<
13 Rude sound at table? Not entirely an aspersion SLUR (aspersion)
SLUR[p] (rude sound)
14 Impress English attending dance party ENGRAVE (impress)
ENG (English) RAVE (dance party)
15 Demon athlete, initially well-trained accepting run AFRIT (demon)
A[thlete] R (run) in FIT
18 Frustrated, missing live Egyptian deity ATEN (Egyptian mythology)
BEATEN (frustrated) minus BE (live)
20 Hospital employees: theatre workers? DRESSERS dd
22 Thinking of others, almost entirely commonplace ALTRUISM (Auguste Comte)
AL[l] (almost entirely) TRUISM (platitude)
23 Contribution to failing back bones ILIA (bones)
hidden backwards in [f]AILI[ng]
25 People receiving article were informed HEARD (were informed)
A (article) in HERD (people)
27 Ice-cream – there’s a lot stuffed in doughnuts TORTONI (ice-cream)
TON (a lot – 100) in TORI (shapes in nucleonics)
30 Poet’s to subdue a bird ADAW (Spenser subdue) A DAW (jackdaw)
31 Jewel entrances in cabbalistic routine GEMATRIA
GEM (jewel) ATRIA (entrances)
32 Clumsily copy a charge mostly showing bad handwriting CACOGRAPHY
(bad handwriting) (COPY A CHARG[e])*
33 In this year, English city recalled sound of old poetry HAYLE (sound – Spenser)
HA hoc anno ELY< (English city recalled)
34 Property recipient that is not once found in drink ALIENEE (recipient)
IE (that is) NE (not once) in ALE (drink)
Down
1 Sadly tumbling over around around second dance SALSA (dance)
S (second) in ALAS< (sadly tumbling)
2 Unduly familiar reverence about dreadful life HAIL-FELLOW (overfriendly)
(LIFE)* in HALLOW (reverence, verb)
3 Soldier’s mistake about rank? On the contrary TERRIER (TA soldier)
TIER (rank) about ERR (mistake)
4 Throw of die, possibly, getting French very audible TREY (3 on die)
sounds like TRES (French – very)
5 Interest, say, in fixing rule for protein INTEGRIN (protein)
INT (interest) EG (say) R (rule) IN
6 Defiant expression against variety of gin V-SIGN (Harvey Smith)
VS (versus) (GIN)*
7 A cliff not about to display ridges ASAR (ridged geological feature)
A SCAR (cliff) minus C (not about)
8 Shrub can start to thrive in uphill region LAVATERA (common shrub)
LAV (can) T[hrive] in AREA< (uphill region)
9 River around marshes gives American protection DEFENSE (US defence)
FENS (marshes) in river DEE
12 “Reprove” is a wrong clue for this OVERPRAISE (antonym of reprove)
(REPROVE IS A)*
16 Risque, adopting perverted ritual in seclusion in US RETIRACY (awful word)
RITE< (|perverted ritual) in RACY (risqué)
17 Girl, upset, beset by loud noise? That’s least wanted PESSIMAL (least wanted)
MISS< (girl upset) in PEAL (loud sound)
19 South African’s irritation about English investment practice ZAITECH
(money practice) ZA (Zuid Afrika) E (English) in ITCH (irritation)
21 Put up woman,restricting trouble SHEATHE (put up)
HEAT (trouble) in SHE (that woman)
24 Component of roe turning up below river fish POGGE (fish)
EGG< (component of roe turning up) below river PO
26 Poisonous plant seen in dead timber DWALE (deadly nightshade)
D (dead) WADE (timber)
28 Pawn: Tal loosing one, accepts indication of castling TOOL (pawn)
O-O (chess code re castling) in T[a]L
29 Better to stay ahead of international criminal bosses CAPI (Mafia)
CAP (better) I (international)
( )* = anagram dd = double definition [ ] = omit < = reverse