Independent 11081 / Italicus

Daughter wearing insane headgear (8) 

BANDANAS (silk or cotton square, with spots or diamond prints often used as headgear)

D (daughter) contained in (wearing) BANANAS (crazy; insane)

BAN (D) ANAS

Wander aimlessly around eastern part of Thar Desert (6) 

MAROON (isolate uncomfortably; desert)

MOON (wander about listlessly or gaze vacantly at anything) containing (about) AR (last two letters of [eastern part of] THAR)

M (AR) OON

Dull bishops defending European Union (6) 

BENUMB (deaden the feelings of; dull)

(B [bishop] + B [bishop] – bishops) containing (defending) (E [European] + NUM [National Union of Mineworkers])

B (E NUM) B

Eventually accepting heartless act is personal (8) 

INTIMATE (personal)

IN TIME (eventually) containing (accepting) AT (letters remaining in ACT when the central letter C is removed [heartless])

IN TIM (AT) E

Get sick on second cruise (4) 

SAIL (cruise)

S (sail) + AIL (get sick)

S AIL

Covers for disused sockets? (3,7) 

EYE PATCHES (covering for an EYE socket, where the EYE may no longer be present [disused]; EYE PATCHES are often worn by pirates)

EYE PATCHES – cryptic definition

EYE PATCHES

Range of Bond villains briefly united with M (8) 

SPECTRUM (range)

SPECTRE (villainous organisation encountered by James Bond) + U (united) + M

SPECTR U M

Chap nursing old grievance (4) 

MOAN (grievance)

MAN (chap) containing (nursing) O (old)

M (O) AN

Dig earth after 11 (4) 

JIBE (scoff; dig)

JIB (triangular SAIL [entry at 11 across] stretched in front of the foremast in a ship) + E (earth)

JIB E

Adapting Othello, Jerry incorporates German flag (3,5,5) 

THE JOLLY [ROGER] (black flag with white skull and crossbones, flown by pirate ships)

Anagram of (adopting) OTHELLO JERRY containing  (incorporates) G (German)

THE JOLLY RO (G) ER*

Butchered mink, alpaca and llama, say (4,6) 

PACK ANIMAL (a llama is an example of a PACK ANIMAL [one that carries goods on its back])

Anagram of (butchered) MINK ALPACA

PACK ANIMAL*

Army recruits discontented mariners (4) 

TARS (seamen; mariners)

TA (Army Reserve, new name for the Territorial Army; army) + RS (letters remaining in RECRUITS when the central letters ECRUIT are removed [dis-contented])

TA RS

Pipers playing before queen start to exude sweat (8) 

PERSPIRE (sweat)

Anagram of (playing) PIPERS + R (Regina; Queen) + E (first letter of [start to] EXUDE)

PERSPIR* R E

Being brought up somewhere else, reportedly (6) 

AWEIGH (in the process of being raised; being brought up)

AWEIGH (sounds like [reportedly] AWAY [somewhere else])

AWEIGH

Task force from Irish county picked up attorney (6) 

ARMADA (fleet of armed ships; task force)

ARMA (sounds like [picked up] ARMAGH [County of Northern Ireland]) + DA (District Attorney)

ARMA DA

Reclusive storyteller engaging model in saucy stuff (8)

SOLITARY (secluded; reclusive)

(LIAR [storyteller] containing [engaging] T [reference Model T {Ford}]) all contained in (in) SOY (reference SOY sauce)

SO (LI (T) AR) Y

Domain of Delaware Nation (5)

ARENA (domain)

ARENA (hidden word in [of] DELAWARE NATION)

ARENA

Make sure Spitting Image is given European broadcast (6-5) 

DOUBLE-CHECK (verify again to make sure)

DOUBLE (spitting image) + CHECK (sounds like [broadcast] CZECH [example of a European])

DOUBLE-CHECK

Boxing heavyweight, raised outside Lima, eaten by bear (5,3) 

NOBLE ART (boxing is described as the NOBLE ART)

TON (heavy weight) reversed (raised; down entry) containing (L [Lima is the international radio communication codeword for the letter L] contained in [eaten by] BEAR)

NO (B (L) E AR) T<

Good God! British seem upset about retired clergyman getting married (6,2,7)

SHIVER ME TIMBERS (an exclamation in the form of a mock oath usually attributed to the speech of pirates in works of fiction. It is employed as a literary device by authors to express shock, surprise, or annoyance; Good God!)

Anagram of (upset) BRITISH SEEM containing (about) (REV [Reverend; clergyman] reversed [retired] + M [married])

SHI (VER< M) E TIMBERS*

Maiden bus tour oddly avoided Alabama? It’s common! (6) 

MUTUAL (common)

M (maiden) + UTU (letters 2, 4 and 6 [even letters {oddly avoided}] of BUS TOUR) + AL (Alabama)

M UTU AL

Spirit of revolutionary Greek character underpinning resistance (3) 

RUM (alcoholic spirit)

R (resistance) + MU (Greek character) reversed (revolutionary)

R UM<

Promptly abandoned in Athlone (2,3,4) 

ON THE NAIL (without delay; promptly)

ON THE NAIL (anagram of [abandoned] IN ATHLONE

ON THE NAIL*

Say something to curb Left’s conduct (11)  

COMPORTMENT (behaviour; conduct)

COMMENT (say something) containing (to curb) PORT ([left] side of the ship)

COM (PORT) MENT

Ship from Portugal at back of queue entering waterway (9) 

PRIVATEER (private vessel commissioned to seize and plunder an enemy’s ships in wartime; ship)

P (International Vehicle Registration for Portugal) + (AT + E [last letter of {back of} QUEUE]) contained in (entering) RIVER (waterway)

P RIV (AT E) ER

General climbs aboard a hulk in order to punish 22? (8) 

KEELHAUL (to punish sailors [TARS, entry at 22 across] by HAULing them under the KEEL of a ship by ropes from the one side to the other)

LEE (reference Confederate General Robert E LEE [1807 – 1970]) reversed [climbs; down entry]) contained in (aboard) an anagram of {in order) A HULK

K (EEL<) HAUL*

Articles claiming drink leads to heartache (6) 

ANGINA (ANGINA pectoris, a disease of the heart marked by paroxysms of intense pain)

(AN [indefinite article] + A [indefinite article] – articles) containing (claiming) GIN (drink)

AN (GIN) A

See 19 Across 

[THE JOLLY] ROGER

Main suspect eludes arrest initially (3) 

SEA ([ocean] main)

SEA (first letters [initially] of each of SUSPECT, ELUDES and ARREST)

SEA