Independent 10,044 / Phi

SCI (=science, i.e. abbreviation) + [TILL (=recipient of money, e.g. in shop) in NA (=North America)]

BED (=part of garden, e.g. for flowers) + <n>EW (=fresh; “not initially” means first letter is dropped)]

<k>NIGHT (=honoured individual); “spurned by King (=K, in cards and chess)” means letter “k” is dropped

[A + R R (=a couple of monarchs, i.e. 2 x R=Rex)] in NATION (=country)

T<h>EN (subsequently); “Hearts (=H, for the suit in a pack of cards) sacked” means letter “h” is dropped; there are eleven players in a soccer team, hence ten is nearly all of them

<tha>T (“end of” means last letter only) + *(THEY WEREN’T); “playing” is anagram indicator; with 2 teams of 11 players and 1 referee, there are 23 players on the pitch altogether

FL (=Sunshine State, i.e. Florida) + OUT (=dismissed, in cricket); to flout is to jeer at, to mock

TH<is> (“half of” means 2 of 4 letters only are used) + RUSTS (=decays)

[IS in SEMI (=US lorry, i.e. a semi-trailer or semi-truck)] + C<olorado> (“heading for” means first letter only); “following tremors” suggests an adjective to do with earthquakes

LIMB (=member) + O (=ordinary, as in O level)

*(SULTANA + RANI); “wild” is anagram indicator

<b>ASS (=singer); “dropping book (=B)” means letter “b” is dropped; a silly is a stupid person, hence an ass

[IT (=sex appeal) + T<aste> (“bit of” means first letter only)] in BELLES (=beauties)

B<itter> L<emon> (“traces of” means first letters only) + IN + I (=one)

I (=one) + UNNE<rved> (“not half” means 4 of 8 letters are dropped); “reflected” indicates reversal

SUN (=newspaper, i.e. UK tabloid) + [O (=love, i.e. zero score) in LUNGE (=sudden move)]

*(FANCY IT’S); “mistakenly” is anagram indicator

IN + GEN (=information, low-down) + IOUs (=things to be paid)

TOT<e> (=betting system); “is insufficient for” means last letter is dropped

G<ermany> (“capital of” means first letter only) in [LONE (=isolated) + ST (=street)]

A + ERA (=time, age) + TO + R (=run, on cricket scorecard)

*(ANY ABSOLUTE); “what will upset” is anagram indicator; cryptically, a beauty salon is a source of “fairness”, where “fairness” means “beauty”, as in a fair maiden

DRI<v>ER (=motorist); “not against (=V, for versus)” means letter “v” is dropped)

WIN TER<m> (of office) (=succeed in election, perhaps); “not last” means last letter is dropped

TUT (=what a nuisance) + TIFRUTTI (TURF (=grass) in IT + IT (=repeatedly means appearing twice); “upset” indicates vertical reversal))

[A + TI<me> (“half-” means 2 of 4 letters are used)] in SUMMON (=call)

S (=society) + *(LOST) + ICE (=reserve, formality); “awkward” is anagram indicator

ME (=the writer) + A<i>SLES (=passages, e.g. in church, train; “one (=I) excluded” means letter “i” is dropped)

RIMS (=borders) in CON (=trick, deceive); the “shade” in the definition refers to the colour one turns when embarrassed

USA (=America) + BL<u>E (=democrat, in American electoral system; “not seeing university (=U)” means letter “u” is dropped)

TAL<e> (=story; “endless” means last letter is dropped) + ON (=being broadcast, as in The news is on at 10)

BOO<k> (=novel possibly); “lack of an ending” means last letter is dropped