Sound clues and an enjoyable solve. Thanks Hypnos.
| Across | ||
| 8 | FOCACCIA | Recall a small measure taken by a firm with fine bread (8) |
| A ICC (1cc, small measure) with (taken by) A CO (firm) with F (fine) all reversed (recall) | ||
| 9 | ECONUT | Right-winger in international body beginning to trouble green activist (6) |
| CON (Conservative, right winger) in EU (international body) then T (begiining of trouble) | ||
| 10 | MOON | Reveal rear drummer? (4) |
| double definition – Keith Moon, drummer of The Who | ||
| 11 | AFICIONADO | Fan, a man’s best friend touring cold Scottish island (10) |
| A FIDO (dog, man’s best friend) contains (touring) C (cold) IONA (Scottish island) | ||
| 12 | HASSLE | Owns winter equipment endlessly producing bother (6) |
| HAS (owns) SLEd (winter equipment, endlessly) | ||
| 14 | ENTRANTS | Hurried into makeshift tents in field? (8) |
| RAN (hurried) in TENTS* anagram=makeshift – entrants in a race, for example | ||
| 15 | ROBERTO MARTINEZ | Replacement of bizarre mentor to foreign manager (7,8) |
| (BIZZARE MENTOR TO)* anagram=replacement – Spanish footballer and current manager of Everton | ||
| 18 | BIATHLON | Local’s first in dazzling habit performing in winter sports event (8) |
| L (first of local) in between HABIT* (anagram=dazzling) and ON (performing) | ||
| 20 | MENACE | Threat from tear gas enveloping pair in encounter (6) |
| MACE (tear gas) contains (enveloping) ENcounter (pair of letters of) | ||
| 21 | DISHONESTY | Fiddling practice? (10) |
| cryptic definition | ||
| 22 | SILT | Wading bird abandoning time in river deposit (4) |
| StILT (wading bird) missing T (time) | ||
| 23 | SCARFE | Cartoonist showing headwear, we hear (6) |
| Gerald Scarfe, sounds like (we hear) “scarf” (headgear) | ||
| 24 | EXECRATE | Detest top businessman with wig (8) |
| EXEC (top businessman) with RATE (wig, to scold) | ||
| Down | ||
| 1 | COLORADO | Bill’s partner retaining surprised expression round a state (8) |
| COO (bill’s partner, bill-and-coo) contains (retaining) LORD (surprised expression) in (round) A | ||
| 2 | WARN | Admonish cricketer being vocal (4) |
| sounds like (being vocal) Warne (Shane Warne, cricketer) | ||
| 3 | SCRAPE | What violinist does in predicament? (6) |
| double definition | ||
| 4 | CABINET MINISTER | Wild time in bars etc in May perhaps (7,8) |
| (TIME IN BARS ETC)* anagram=wild – Theresa May for example | ||
| 5 | REGISTER | List, say, is kept with note in posh car (8) |
| EG (say) IS and (kept with) TE (note, of scale) in RR (Rolls Royce, posh car) | ||
| 6 | FOUNDATION | Establishment offering cosmetic aid? (10) |
| double definition | ||
| 7 | PUNDIT | Expert spoke in French with verbal humour foremost (6) |
| DIT (spoke, French) with PUN (verbal humour) in front (foremost) | ||
| 13 | SWEATSHIRT | This wear’s sported over front of torso? (10) |
| (THIS WEAR’S)* anagram=sported on (over) T (front, first letter, of torso) – definition is &lit | ||
| 16 | TALENTED | A fast time embraced by rebellious youth being skilful? (8) |
| LENT (a fast time) in (embraced by) TED (teddy boy, rebellious youth) | ||
| 17 | ESCALATE | Awkward case behind schedule to mount in tension (8) |
| CASE* anagram=awkward LATE (behind schedule) | ||
| 19 | IDIOCY | Old Conservative engaged in independent activity at home? That’s folly (6) |
| O (old) C (conservative) inside (engaged in) I (independent) DIY (activity at home) | ||
| 20 | MAYHEM | Master reserved term about yard in chaos (6) |
| M (master) AHEM (term expressing a reservation about something) containing (about) Y (yard) | ||
| 22 | SPRY | Nimble mole bordering river (4) |
| SPY (mole) containing (bordering) R (river) | ||
*anagram
definitions are underlined
Thanks PeeDee and Hypnos.
I had MA + MEH reversed, all around Y (yard in) for MAYHEM. Your parsing is perhaps more convincing.
I found this slightly trickier than some IoS puzzles, and I confess that MAYHEM went in from definition alone so thanks for parsing it. I had the most trouble in the NW with the MOON/WARN crossers. I usually think of “admonish” as reprimand and I couldn’t see past it for a while, but warn is most definitely a valid alternative meaning.
As a Bluenose I was happy to see 15ac.