Financial Times 18,223 by IO

HAM (meat); (CO (firm, company) + IS (lies)) about

ANON (immediately) punched by DSO (distinguished companion)

DSO stands for Distinguished Service Order, a military award. Recipients are known as Companions and can use the post-nominal letters DSO.

(ANY (some) + S (section)) embracing (CH (church) + ORB (sphere) with O (love))

[l]OATH[e] (hate, being out of bounds)

PIPING TOOL (cake decorating gadget; Spooner’s given)

‘Key’ referring to one of a typewriter/keyboard

T[rump] > T[aft] (cultivating a smaller behind)

Take the ‘behind’ out of TRUMP and instead use an abbreviated behind, leaving you with TAFT

14. Date… fancy… get off… fall asleep (2,3,4,1,5)

GO OUT (date) + LIKE (fancy) + ALIGHT (get off)

(ONE ONE (score-draw) punctuated by VERY (extremely)) + SLIPS (careless errors)

Double definition

TOWER (vehicle pulling) + B (barrels) + LOCK (forward, rugby position)

S[iste]R (heartless) keeps PA (dad)

A TUES QUEST (A post-Monday pursuit) cycling

D[iseas]E A[n]D E[speciall]Y (cases of) + E[pidemic] (onset of)

AS (like) + UNDER (like 2?)

I’m not sure about this one. My best guess is the 2 refers to the clue, which is a DOWN clue, if DOWN can mean UNDER. Any better ideas?

Cryptic definition

The ‘match, official’ referring to a wedding/marriage ceremony

I (one)’s taken MAD (bananas) on H (hospital) visits

(GUERRI[r]LA)* (changing sides on one occasion, *shot)

Using the letters in the word GUERRILLA, one of them must change sides; in this case from L (left) to R (right)

[actio]N AS AL[ways] (out of)

H (husband); (LAIR (home) with TWO (both) + S (sons))< (<returning) bears

Cryptic definition

The ‘picture’ being a film, that a sacked actor might be out of

(OAK, NUTWOOD + WHY)* (*rotting)

SO RED (such a scarlet shade) after [n]UN VI[p] (dis-covered together)

AGGRO (riotous behaviour) + UPS (increases) after arresting E (European)

T[o]ASTY (as the brown bread; out of O[ven] (the top of))

[on]LY SIN[gle] (beds)