Independent on Sunday 1576 Tees

Thanks Tees for an enjoyable puzzle. Definitions are underlined in the clues.

Across

9 Subcontract abroad before spring (9)

OUTSOURCE : OUT(abroad/out of the country) plus(before) SOURCE(a spring/a place, person, or thing from which something originates or can be obtained).

Defn: …, and often abroad.

10 Versace to be cleaned out by Scottish bank — wait and see? (5)

VERBS : “Versace” minus its inner letters(to be cleaned out) plus(by) RBS(abbrev. for the Royal Bank of Scotland).

Defn: … are examples/? of this class of words in grammar.

11 Expert playing East German college supremo (7)

PROVOST : PRO(short for “a professional”/an expert in his/her field) + V(abbrev. for “versus”/playing against in a competition) + OST(“east” in German).

12 Looked up to say more about Slough (7)

ADMIRED : ADD(to say more/expand on what you said) containing(about) MIRE(a slough/a stretch of swampy ground).

13 Fish found regularly in Trent area (5)

TETRA : 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th letters of(found regularly in) “Trent area“.

14 Handyman who holds forth at Xmas time? (9)

DECORATOR : ORATOR(one who holds forth/gives a speech or lecture) placed after(at) DEC(abbrev. for “December”, the time of the year when Xmas happens).

16 Ministers in closet with stars (4,11)

HOME SECRETARIES : HOME(in, as in “I’ll be home for the next 14 days”) + SECRET(closet/descriptive of something undisclosed, as in “he’s a closet cross-dresser”) plus(with) ARIES(the small constellation of stars said to look like a ram).

19 Find nightclub dead (9)

DISCOVERY : DISCO(a type of nightclub popular in the 70s) + VERY(dead/absolutely, as in “you’re dead right!”).

Defn: … as a noun.

21 Spanish mate advanced with dynamism on M1 (5)

AMIGO : A(abbrev. for “advanced”) plus(with) [GO(dynamism/drive) placed after(on) MI(M1 with the Roman numeral substitution).

22 Incestuous son Opus Dei corrupted inwardly (7)

OEDIPUS : OPUS containing(… inwardly) anagram of(… corrupted) DEI.

23 Scrub computer key inside protective covering (7)

RESCIND : ESC(short for “escape” one of the keys/buttons on your computer keyboard) contained in(inside) RIND(a protective covering, as around an orange, say).

24 Capital city replacing Kyoto (5)

TOKYO : Anagram of(replacing) KYOTO.

Defn: City which replaced Kyoto as the capital city of Japan.

25 Anglo-Saxon ruler has talent to waste (9)

ATHELSTAN : Anagram of(… to waste) HAS TALENT.

Down

1 Deep snow settles more easily on such a roof (3-7)

LOW-PITCHED : Double defn: 1st: …, as applied to a voice; and 2nd: …, with its sides sloping at a shallow angle.

2 Like Titanic in reality (2,6)

AT BOTTOM : [AT BOTTOM](… of the sea, where the wreck of the SS Titanic is).

Answer: Fundamentally/at heart/in reality, as in “Some believe that people are fundamentally/at bottom/in reality good”.

3 Fur or feather stole acquired in that city (6)

BOGOTA : BOA(a fur or feather stole/women’s long scarf or shawl) containing(… in that) GOT(acquired/obtained).

4 Nasty kid runs into club (4)

BRAT : R(abbrev. for “runs” in cricket scores) contained in(into) BAT(a club/a heavy stick).

5 Sensual indulgence rued by each involved (10)

DEBAUCHERY : Anagram of(… involved) RUED BY EACH.

6 Prayer girl elevated mass with melodic piece (3,5)

AVE MARIA : Reversal of(… elevated, in a down clue) EVA(a girl’s name) + M(symbol for “mass” in physics) plus(with) ARIA(a melodic piece in an opera or oratorio).

7 Doctor right person possibly seen about infestation (3,3)

DRY ROT : DR(abbrev. for “Doctor”) + reversal of(… seen about) TORY(a person with conservative or right-leaning politics, possibly a member of the Conservative Party/a Tory).

8 Employed elderly initially in Bucks? (4)

USED : 1st letter of(… initially) “elderly” contained in(in) USD(abbrev. for “US dollars”/bucks in slang).

14 Squalid detectives set up man and woman (10)

DICKENSIAN : Reversal of(… set up, in a down clue) CID(collectively, the detectives in the Criminal Investigation Department) + KEN(a man’s name of Scottish origin) plus(and) SIAN(a woman’s name of Welsh origin).

Defn: …, like the poor social conditions portrayed in Charles Dickens’ novels.

15 Someone questioned grudge involving small lake (10)

RESPONDENT : RESENT(to grudge/to mind that someone has achieved something) containing(involving) POND(a small lake/an inland body of water surrounded by land).

Defn:  In law, … as a result of a petition against him/her.

17 Sign NCO produced in Swiss town (8)

SCORPION : CORP(abbrev. for “Corporal”, one of the NCO/non-commissioned officer ranks) contained in(produced in) SION(a town in the Swiss canton of Valais).

Defn: … in the zodiac.

18 Begin to explain what yours truly did at restaurant? (8)

INITIATE : [IN IT, I ATE](statement explaining what I/yours truly did in it/at the restaurant).

20 Kudos built on university logic puzzle (6)

SUDOKU : Anagram of(… built) KUDOS placed above(on, in a down clue) U(abbrev. for “university”).

21 Archbishop one rarely missing party (6)

ANSELM : AN(article in grammar for a single/one item) + “seldom”(rarely) minus(missing) “do”(a party/social function).

Defn: The once Archbishop of Canterbury, appointed in 1093.

22 Blasphemy from goatherd (4)

OATH : Hidden in(from) “goatherd“.

23 Between two rivers, what was that industrial region? (4)

RUHR : R,R(2 x abbrev. for “river”) containing(Between …, …) UH?(exclamation expressing “what was that?”/”I don’t get it”).

Defn: … in Germany.