Not much to say today. I think it was on the easier side, and I can't see much that would raise a solver's hackles. Took me 4:56.
Thanks Izetti. Here's how I parsed it all. Clues are reproduced in blue, with the definition underlined. Anagram indicators are bolded and italicised. Then there's the answer IN BOLD, followed by the parsing of the wordplay. (ABC)* means 'anagram of ABC'.
Thanks Izetti. Here's how I parsed it all. Clues are reproduced in blue, with the definition underlined. Anagram indicators are bolded and italicised. Then there's the answer IN BOLD, followed by the parsing of the wordplay. (ABC)* means 'anagram of ABC'.
| Across | |
| 1 | Part of leg in young animal (4) |
| CALF - Double definition A gentle start to proceedings. | |
| 4 | Descent from pier edge looking tricky (8) |
| PEDIGREE - (PIER EDGE)* Descent as in ancestry. | |
| 8 | Exotic bordello you ring from outside (8) |
| DOORBELL - (BORDELLO)* | |
| 9 | Eject some notorious terrorist (4) |
| OUST - Hidden (some) in (notoriOUS Terrorist) | |
| 10 | Adornment of one of five Kent children? (6) |
| SEQUIN - A quintuplet (one of five children) in the South-East (Kent) would be a S E QUIN | |
| 11 | Very tired, he had to lie at back of vehicle (6) |
| BUSHED - HED (he had) at back of BUS (vehicle) | |
| 12 | I'm involved with trade event's promotion (13) |
| ADVERTISEMENT - (IM TRADE EVENTS)* | |
| 16 | Stick together in this place having joined firm (6) |
| COHERE - HERE (in this place) having joined CO (firm) | |
| 17 | Trace of drug found in journey (6) |
| DERIVE - E (ecstacy, drug) found in DRIVE (journey) E for drug is very much a crossword standard these days. | |
| 19 | Part of foot to get better reportedly (4) |
| HEEL - Homophone (reportedly) for HEAL (get better) About as homophonic as homophones get, I'd have thought, but someone will point out that they're pronounced differently in Upper Volta. | |
| 20 | Relegation? There's strong feeling shown by crowd finally (8) |
| DEMOTION - D (crowD finally) + EMOTION (strong feeling) | |
| 21 | Rat? Something the waiter brings in beer! (8) |
| BETRAYER - TRAY (something the waiter brings) in BEER | |
| 22 | Refusal by a husband to be a man of rescue (4) |
| NOAH - NO (refusal) + A + H (husband) Boat-builder and crowd-control genius. | |
| Down | |
| 2 | A person with little energy in home? (5) |
| ABODE - A + BOD (person) + E (little energy) | |
| 3 | A lot of money with cashier, one predicts (7-6) |
| FORTUNE-TELLER - FORTUNE (a lot of money) + TELLER (cashier) Dodgy profession, great song. "Now I get my fortune told for free!" | |
| 4 | Heathen god receiving each hymn of praise (5) |
| PAEAN - EA (each) inside PAN (heathen god) Ok, this might be an obscurity to some. | |
| 5 | One born in Leeds upsetFrench composer (7) |
| DELIBES - I (one) + B (born) in (LEEDS)* If you don't know the composer, the most likely arrangement of the letters (given the crossers) happens to be the correct answer. | |
| 6 | A dragon aims to, changing into a very helpful person (4,9) |
| GOOD SAMARITAN - (A DRAGON AIMS TO)* | |
| 7 | Terribly earnest Japanese? (7) |
| EASTERN - (EARNEST)* More northern from where I'm sitting, but you get the gist. | |
| 10 | Country that’s abandoned in spring (3) |
| SPA - SPAin (country) without IN | |
| 13 | Seedreadful comedies getting no end of criticism (7) |
| DIOCESE - (CO{M}EDIES)* M (end of criticism) not included | |
| 14 | Time to tidy up a dusty office finally (7) |
| TUESDAY - [A DUSTY E (office finally)]* Hmmm, "time" to clue "Tuesday". On Wednesday the 15x15 had "period" to clue "October". Nothing wrong with it of course, just not the first thing to spring to mind. | |
| 15 | Cup match that gives inconclusive result (3) |
| TIE - Double definition | |
| 17 | Object when strange journalist turns up (5) |
| DEMUR - [RUM (strange) + ED (journalist)] reversed (turns up) | |
| 18 | Woman’s stringed instrument (5) |
| VIOLA - Double definition | |