After a run of difficult puzzles on my watch this one was quite easy and I completed it in 30 minutes, bang on my target.
As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds, containment, reversal and other indicators in square ones]
| Across | |
| 1 | Sent back dessert, stirring up a riot in restaurant (9) |
| TRATTORIA - TART (dessert) reversed [sent back], anagram [stirring up] of A RIOT | |
| 6 | Excuse for discharge of fire? (5) |
| SALVO - Two meanings, the first being completely unknown to me | |
| 9 | Fully informed, as artists' models may be (3,2,3,7) |
| PUT IN THE PICTURE - Two meanings, the second being a literal interpretation of the figurative expression that goes with the first | |
| 10 | Forthright duke taking Irish Terriers initially round park (6) |
| DIRECT - D (duke), then I{rish} + T{erriers} [initially] containing [round] REC (park - recreation ground) | |
| 11 | Man at church brought in by passenger vehicle — or tube (8) |
| BRONCHUS - RON (man) + CH (church) contained [brought in] by BUS (passenger vehicle) | |
| 13 | Devout type comes across on radio, eating tiny bonbons? (10) |
| SWEETMEATS - ST (devout type) containing [eating] WEE (tiny), MEATS which sounds [on radio] like "meets" (comes across) | |
| 14 | Picked up foolish person's share of profits? (4) |
| DIVI - Sounds like [picked up] "divvy" [foolish person]. The clue is slightly weakened by 'divi' and 'divvy' being alternative spellings either of which can mean 'foolish' or 'share of profits', so a homophone indicator is not strictly needed here. | |
| 16 | Rejected the hard stuff, husband being near (4) |
| NIGH - GIN (the hard stuff) reversed [rejected], H (husband) | |
| 17 | Reportedly whip up a storm at first — awful for a mollusc! (5-5) |
| RAZOR-SHELL - RAZOR sounds like [reportedly] "raise a" [whip up a], S{torm} [at first], HELL (awful) | |
| 19 | Big cat without tail atop ancient temple (8) |
| PANTHEON - PANTHE{r} (big cat) [without tail], ON (atop) | |
| 20 | Fuss when gull crosses grassy area (6) |
| MEADOW - MEW (gull) contains [crosses] ADO (fuss) The gull is also known as a 'seamew' or 'mew gull'. | |
| 23 | Unwelcome individual disguised as Rangoon parent (7,3,5) |
| PERSONA NON GRATA - Anagram [disguised] of AS RANGOON PARENT | |
| 24 | Get better / competition for motor vehicles (5) |
| RALLY - Two meanings | |
| 25 | Rubbish a chap uttered, an old Russian dissident (9) |
| REFUSENIK - REFUSE (rubbish), NIK sounds like [uttered] "Nick" (chap) | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Fellow eating most of baked dish, barely warm (5) |
| TEPID - TED (fellow) containing [eating] PI{e} (baked dish) [most of] | |
| 2 | Abandoned at Gretna, rely on English legal adviser (8,7) |
| ATTORNEY GENERAL - Anagram [abandoned] of AT GRETNA RELY ON E (English) | |
| 3 | In Vietnamese festival I can rise, having Yankee's perseverance (8) |
| TENACITY - I CAN reversed [rise] contained by [in] TET (Vietnamese festival), Y (Yankee). Those of us old enough may well remember the Tet offensive, a military campaign during the Vietnam war. | |
| 4 | Coalmining area originally repressed under harsh rule (4) |
| RUHR - R{epressed} + U{nder} + H{harsh} + R{ule} [originally]. A leading industrial area of Germany founded on its coal reserves. | |
| 5 | A choice Oscar rejected, absorbing most of capital's spirit (10) |
| APPARITION - A, {o}PTION (choice) [Oscar rejected] containig [absorbing] PARI{s} (capital) [most of] | |
| 6 | Close relative died, clutching European cleric's first ordinal (6) |
| SECOND - SON (close relative) containing [clutching] E (European) + C{leric} [first], D (died) | |
| 7 | Simulate an outlet for one’s mirth? (5,4,1,5) |
| LAUGH LIKE A DRAIN - Cryptic definition | |
| 8 | Too sick to take in afterthought about displaced population? (9) |
| OVERSPILL - OVER ILL (too sick) contains [to take in] PS (afterthought) reversed [about] | |
| 12 | Jurassic carnivore chewed up a large mouse, almost (10) |
| MEGALOSAUR - Anagram [chewed up] of A LARGE MOUS{e} [almost]. Two weeks ago I had 'stegosaurus' to blog; today I get this one! | |
| 13 | Polish musician making knot, possibly (9) |
| SANDPIPER - SAND (polish), PIPER (musician). I was vaguely aware of 'knot' as a bird of some sort. | |
| 15 | Poisonous type vocally encourages Catholic rite (8) |
| ASPERGES - ASP (poisonous type), ERGES sounds lik [vocally] "urges" (encourages). My dictionary tells me that it originated as the first word (meaning 'thou shalt purge') of the psalm spoken during the sprinkling of holy water but it has come to mean the ceremony itself. Beyond my ken, but the wordplay and checkers were kind. | |
| 18 | Discriminating, but comfortable around house (6) |
| CHOOSY - COSY (comfortable) containing [around] HO (house) | |
| 21 | Destruction of marine vegetation? (5) |
| WRACK - Two meanings. 'Wrack and ruin' is familiar enough, and for some reason I knew 'bladderwrack' in connection with the second definition | |
| 22 | Sound produced by boxer with money (4) |
| WOOF - W (with), OOF (money - apparently!) | |