This one felt a little trickier to get going on than recent Friday quickies, but at least I wasn’t left crunching through the alphabet this week. A version of an old chestnut at 20a, and a good while spent trying to make 10a bogie, until what has been referred to on this blog as the PDM and realising it wasn’t that sort of train; COD, I think. Today's award for the phrase reserved more for crossword clues than general conversation goes to: to wit. Thank you setter.
| Across |
| 1 | TRANCHE - portion of money; anagram (customised) of CAR THEN |
| 5 | CUBIT - measure of Noah’s Ark; young animal = CUB with IT |
| 8 | WASHING POWDER - cleaner; anagram (adjustment) of HEADSPRING WOW |
| 9 | TRUMPET - instrument; behind = RUMP, fanfare ultimately = E, all inside middle of battle = TT |
| 10 | BRIDE - cryptic definition |
| 11 | MUTATE - undergo change; first of modifications = M, university = U, gallery = TATE |
| 13 | PRIEST - minister; sticks his nose in = PRIES, theory initially = T |
| 15 | GLOVE - something on hand; good = G, romance = LOVE |
| 16 | SEAWARD - away from one’s shores; Home Counties = SE, prize = AWARD |
| 19 | TURN THE CORNER - double definition |
| 20 | NIECE - family member; close to home = E, in French resort = NICE |
| 21 | TEA TRAY - server; something designed for feeding a baby = TEAT, fish = RAY |
| Down |
| 1 | TO WIT - namely; what to do with a broken-down car = TOW IT |
| 2 | ASSAULT COURSE - series of obstacles; a dish = A COURSE, homophone (it’s said) of SALT (sodium chloride) |
| 3 | CHIMP - primate; church = CH, devil = IMP |
| 4 | EIGHTY - figure; serious, skimmed off = (W)EIGHTY |
| 5 | CLOBBER - double definition |
| 6 | BEDSIDE MANNER - doctor’s attitude; flag = BANNER, around anagram (treatment) of MISDEED |
| 7 | TORMENT - suffering; old = O, marines = RM, in temporary accommodation = TENT |
| 11 | MEGATON - explosive force; reverse of NOT A stone = GEM |
| 12 | TRESTLE - supporting structure; anagram (unsettling) of SETTLER |
| 14 | ASCENT - climb; a trail = A SCENT |
| 17 | ALOHA - Hawaiian greeting; hidden in reversal (turned up in) IdAHO LAtely
|
| 18 | DERBY - double definition |