Independent 11306 / Phi

Island‘s cold – month curtailed (5) 

CAPRI (Italian island on the south side of the Gulf of Naples)

C (cold [water]) + APRIL (month) excluding the final letter (curtailed) L

C APRI

Three card players in lively 5, moving to upper level? (9) 

ASCENSION (going up to a higher level)

ENS (East, North, South – card players in a game of Bridge) contained in (in) an anagram of (lively) CASINO (entry at 5 down)

ASC (ENS) ION*

Perhaps bypasses telephone and sticks around area (4-5) 

RING-ROADS (ROADS designed to bypass an urban centre)

RING (telephone) + (RODS [sticks] containing [around] A [area])

RING RO (A) DS

Concrete motorway doing for the country (5) 

REALM (kingdom; country)

REAL (material; concrete) + M (motorway, when followed by a number)

REAL M

Negative mark appended to wine to make point (4) 

CRUX (essential point)

CRU (wine vintage) + X (mark indicating an error; negative mark)

CRU X

Bloke covering beat in part of New York (9) 

MANHATTAN (area of New York)

MAN (bloke) + HAT (covering) + TAN (beat)

MAN HAT TAN

American’s rotten luck with southern city (8) 

AUCKLAND (city in New Zealand)

A (American) + an anagram of (rotten) LUCK + AND (with)

A UCKL* AND

Bad opening to summer, distressing after father leaves (6) 

SINFUL (wicked; bad)

S (first letter of [opening to] SUMMER) + PAINFUL (distressing) excluding (after leaving) PA (father)

S INFUL

Religious festival brings attention about holy woman (6)

EASTER (religious festival)

EAR (attention) containing (about) STE (Sainte; holy woman)

EA (STE) R

Strategy sees piano being encircled by exotic instrument (4,4) 

GAME PLAN (any carefully designed strategy)

P (piano) contained in (being encircled by) GAMELAN (musical instrument resembling a xylophone)

GAME (P) LAN

User began to change smaller groups (9) 

SUBGENERA (taxonomic divisions of a genus; smaller groups)

Anagram of (to change) USER BEGAN

SUBGENERA*

Engineer once providing question on the radio (4) 

WATT (reference James WATT [1736-1819], Scottish engineer)

WATT (sounds like [on the radio] WHAT? [question])

WATT

Positive quantity of booze will be supplied by party (3-2) 

CAN-DO (denoting a willing and positive attitude)

CAN (container for a quantity of alcoholic drink) + DO (party)

CAN DO

Doctor finally probing widespread disease of the skin (9) 

EPIDERMIC (relating to the skin)

R (last letter of [finally] DOCTOR) contained in (probing) EPIDEMIC (widespread disease)

EPIDE (R) MIC

Special use of language? It s often cutting (9) 

SWORDPLAY (an activity that can cause cuts to the skin)

S (special) + WORDPLAY (punning or witty repartee exploiting verbal ambiguity; use of language)

S WORDPLAY

Island about to enter into obligation (5) 

TIREE (most westerly island in the Inner Hebrides, Scotland)

RE (in relation to; about) contained in (to enter) TIE (obligation)

TI (RE) E

Limitation to common foot complaint? (4) 

CORN (a small hard growth chiefly on the toe or foot; foot complaint)

C OR N (one or other of the outer letters [limitation to] COMMON)

C OR N

Security number supplied by idiots produces irritations (9) 

PINPRICKS (petty irritations)

PIN (Personal identification Number; security number) + PRICKS (term of abuse for idiots or fools)

PIN PRICKS

Sports venue‘s one special viewing area hosting Republican (5) 

IBROX (IBROX Stadium is the home of [Glasgow] Rangers Football Club)

I (Roman numeral for one) + (BOX [special viewing area] containing [hosting] R [Republican])

I B (R) OX

Worrying and not initially soothing about Arabia (8) 

ALARMING (worrying)

CALMING [soothing) excluding the first letter [not initially] C containing (about) AR (Arabia)

AL (AR) MING

Mostly planning to burgle old gambling venue (6) 

CASINO (establishment for gambling)

CASING (examining with a view to burgling) excluding the final letter (mostly) + O (old)

CASIN O

King and scoundrel taken in by simple story (9) 

NARRATIVE (story)

(R [Rex; king] + RAT [scoundrel]) contained in (taken in by) NAIVE (simple)

NA (R RAT) IVE

I go out on time – or at the wrong moment? (5) 

INAPT (not appropriate; at the wrong moment)

I + NAP (doze; sleep; go out) + T (time)

I NAP T

New Arab state left to probe content of desert, a waste region (2-4-4) 

NO-MANS-LAND (waste region to which no one has a recognized claim)

N (new) + OMAN [Arab state] + (L [left] contained in [to probe] SAND [content of a desert])

N O MAN S (L) AND

Keep display facilities containing foremost of sports bags (10) 

HAVERSACKS (bags worn over one shoulder for carrying provisions)

HAVE (keep) + (RACKS [display facilities] containing [containing] S [first letter of {foremost of} SPORTS])

HAVE R (S) ACKS

Superior Belgian city? Good grief! (5,4) 

LIEGE LORD (a superior in terms of feudal lands)

LIEGE (Belgian city) + LORD (term used to express the same sentiment as ‘Good Grief!’)

LIEGE LORD

Boy taken on by cloth worker as everyday employee (4-5) 

FULL TIMER (a person who works a FULL day every day, not a part-timer)

TIM (boy’s name) contained in (taken on by) FULLER (a person who scours and beats cloth)

FULL (TIM) ER

Came down on unknown figure supporting injunction making dull observation (8) 

BANALITY (trivial or dull observation)

BAN (injunction) + ALIT (landed on; came down) + Y (letter frequently used to indicate an unknown value in equations) – this being a down entry the letter ALITY ‘support’ the letters BAN

BAN ALIT Y

Church study reduced large contribution to Harvest Festival? (6) 

CEREAL (CEREAL crops are often displayed at Harvest Festivals)

CE (Church [of England]) + READ (study) excluding the final letter (reduced) D + L (large)

CE REA L

Ditch game of skill for game of chance (5) 

BINGO (game of chance)

BIN (discard; ditch) + GO (game of skill for two players)

BIN GO

Question from 24 across about European farm product (5) 

WHEAT (farm product)

WHAT (the question referred to in the clue for 24 across) containing (about) E (European)

WH (E) AT

River passing through excellent piece of ground (4) 

ACRE (measure of land)

R (river) contained in (passing through) ACE (excellent)

AC (R) E