Just over five minutes to solve this Teazel teaser, not bad for a Friday. I'm a bit pressed for time today, so I'll post the parsing of the clues now and possibly add some observations later on. Or better still, we'll get everyone's observations in a lively comments section.
Anyway, here's how I parsed the clues...
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 | Intend to keep free one noon (8) |
| MERIDIAN - MEAN (intend) to "keep" RID (free) + I (one) |
| 5 | Angry about this London statue (4) |
| EROS - SORE (angry) reversed (about) |
| 9 | What helps stop an icy terror (5) |
| PANIC - Hidden in stoP AN ICy |
| 10 | Intelligent to hide a chopper (7) |
| CLEAVER - CLEVER (intelligent) to "hide" A |
| 11 | Become proficient atfitting a glass prosthesis? (3,4,3,2) |
| GET ONE'S EYE IN - Double definition |
| 13 | At two, travelling by a capital city (6) |
| OTTAWA - (AT TWO)* + A |
| 15 | Cruel ruler’s extremely tawdry outburst (6) |
| TYRANT - TY (extremely TawdrY) + RANT (outburst) |
| 17 | Privileged offer— initially given a no? (5,7) |
| FIRST REFUSAL - FIRST (initially) + REFUSAL ( no) |
| 20 | At college, wow! — new fabulous creature (7) |
| UNICORN - UNI (college) + COR (wow!) + N (new) |
| 21 | Relative’s popular set of rules (2-3) |
| IN-LAW - IN (popular) + LAW (set of rules) |
| 22 | Changestage act (4) |
| TURN - Double definition |
| 23 | Sacked director to whom one owes money (8) |
| CREDITOR - (DIRECTOR)* |
| Down |
| 1 | Plans area to be toured by politicians (4) |
| MAPS - A (area) "to be toured by" MPS (politicians) |
| 2 | Wander in the hills (5) |
| RANGE - Double definition |
| 3 | Detective’s assistant drowns cat — too horrible (6,6) |
| DOCTOR WATSON - (DROWNS CAT TOO)* |
| 4 | Demonstrator heading off one with a bow (6) |
| ARCHER - mARCHER (demonstrator) without the first letter (heading off) |
| 6 | After I struggle through two rivers, a warm coast (7) |
| RIVIERA - I + VIE (struggle) between R (river) and R (river) + A |
| 7 | Calm? Yet siren has gone off (8) |
| SERENITY - (YET SIREN)* |
| 8 | Don’t worry about second person? None of your business! (5,3,4) |
| NEVER YOU MIND - NEVER MIND (don't worry) about YOU (second person) |
| 12 | As a repairman is summoned, excessively (2,1,5) |
| TO A FAULT - Double definition |
| 14 | Row about stray dog (7) |
| TERRIER - TIER (row) about ERR (stray) |
| 16 | One who’s inclined to be thinner (6) |
| LEANER - Double definition |
| 18 | Distribute a l-large amount (5) |
| ALLOT - A + L + LOT (large amount) |
| 19 | Jug used in brewery (4) |
| EWER - Hidden in brEWERy |