Masterful.
After some recent puzzles, I was bracing myself for a real doozy. On the contrary, I found this to be relatively straightforward — but the best kind of straightforward, where the surface readings are effortless and the wordplay gently misleading, but no writing implements are thrown across the room in frustration.
I missed eight clues on the first pass, but got them all on the second, ending at around 12 minutes with a forehead slap for not getting 11 Across sooner. In retrospect, I think I was a bit slower than I would have been had there not been a few choice UK-centric answers. (No complaints here.)
Because I found this puzzle so enjoyable, I've included a few more comments than usual, underscoring various aspects of the wordplay I particularly appreciated.
Across
| 1 | Generous daughter giving backing to family (4) |
| KIND - D ("daughter", on a genealogy tree) after ("giving backing to") KIN ("family") The trick to good wordplay isn't necessarily elaborate clues; it's also using indicators like 'backing' which might mean a reversal, and might mean a re-ordering. | |
| 4 | One appeals to the people, and to pupils? Wrong (8) |
| POPULIST - AND TO PUPILS ("and to pupils") anagrammed ("wrong") | |
| 8 | We hear spaniel, also bird (8) |
| COCKATOO - homophone of ("we hear") COCKER ("spaniel") + TOO ("also") More nice wordplay, since 'also' could have been a connecting word between wordplay and definition. | |
| 9 | Chef['s] business satisfactory (4) |
| COOK - CO. ("business") + O.K. ("satisfactory") | |
| 10 | Spoilsone section of The Planets suite (4) |
| MARS - double definition Sadly, I couldn't find a decent clip of the Hallé Orchestra playing Holst's The Planets on YouTube. Here's Sir Adrian Boult with the London Philharmonic Orchestra in 1954: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQsKsjgv-D4. More good wordplay, since only one definition has the 's' due to a plural. | |
| 11 | Declinea season with no commitments? (4,4) |
| FREE FALL - double definition, the second humorous | |
| 12 | Guide soldiers approaching hill (6) |
| MENTOR - MEN ("soldiers") + ("approaching") TOR ("hill") | |
| 14 | Water bottle a waiter ultimately carried into bistro (6) |
| CARAFE - A ("a") + WAITER ("waiter") reduced to its last letter ("ultimately"), in ("carried into") CAFE ("bistro") | |
| 16 | Hot town with harbour, west-facing, one near California (8) |
| TROPICAL - PORT ("town with harbour") reversed ("west-facing") + I ("one", in Roman numerals) + ("near") CAL ("California") Autopilot puzzle solvers would go straight to H for 'hot', which is a red herring. Incidentally, I'm from California and have never used that abbreviation. Just sayin'. | |
| 18 | Some cheating [in] early part of competition (4) |
| HEAT - letters in ("some") CHEATING | |
| 19 | Small car heads for Milan in northern Italy (4) |
| MINI - first letters of ("heads for") MILAN IN NORTHERN ITALY Again, the temptation to put in S for 'small' makes you have to think twice, even for an easy clue. | |
| 20 | Yelling“Be quiet” before trip (8) |
| SHOUTING - SH! ("Be quiet", in quotation marks!) + ("before") OUTING ("trip") | |
| 22 | Several having rest disturbed [in] English county (8) |
| SOMERSET - SOME ("several") + ("having") REST ("rest") anagrammed ("disturbed") Not being great with my English counties, I was looking for an anagram of REST inside E (for English) plus a three-letter county. | |
| 23 | Manchester-based orchestra slightly too big for this concert venue (4) |
| HALL - HALLÉ ("Manchester-based orchestra") is one letter longer than ("slightly too big for") the answer ("this") One of my favorite performances of all time. 'Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen', by Gustav Mahler, performed by Dame Janet Baker, Sir John Barbirolli, and the Hallé Orchestra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GrKCBYlwBU. I recall reading that this recording was played at Barbirolli's funeral. |
Down
| 2 | A region developed [in] time gone by (4,3) |
| IRON AGE - A REGION ("a region") anagrammed ("developed") | |
| 3 | Composer unhappy about touring UK (5) |
| DUKAS - SAD ("unhappy") reversed ("about"), around ("touring") UK ("UK") The predictable clip: https://video.disney.com/watch/sorcerer-s-apprentice-fantasia-4ea9ebc01a74ea59a5867853. | |
| 4 | Favourite school subject, first on timetable (3) |
| PET - P.E. ("school subject") + first letter of ("first on") TIMETABLE ("timetable") | |
| 5 | French friend about to go wandering near Nice, oddly (9) |
| PROVENCAL - PAL ("friend") around ("about") ROVE ("to go wandering") + ("near") NICE ("Nice"), odd-numbered letters only ("oddly") Most difficult clue of the puzzle by far! So many misleading elements: 'French friend' isn't AMI, 'wandering' doesn't indicate an anagram, and neither does 'oddly'. Beautiful clue. | |
| 6 | Devilish sort, cruel if aroused (7) |
| LUCIFER - CRUEL IF ("cruel if") anagrammed ("aroused", as in, perhaps, 'excited') | |
| 7 | Small implement [to make] a low seat (5) |
| STOOL - S ("small", on a clothing tag) + TOOL ("implement") In the best puzzles, you can't predict when you'll need to draw on a chestnut like S = 'small'. We needed it here, but not in 19 Across. | |
| 11 | Predicts pro will join English acting groups (9) |
| FORECASTS - FOR ("pro") + ("will join") E ("English") + CASTS ("acting groups") Similarly, compare with 22 Across. | |
| 13 | High-ranking pilot lost over north east (3-4) |
| TOP-LINE - PILOT ("pilot") anagrammed ("lost") + ("over") NE ("north east") | |
| 15 | Face cloth [and] soft soap (7) |
| FLANNEL - double definition; the second meaning 'flattering, persuasive, or cajoling talk' (Collins). Neither definition is familiar to me as a US solver, even thought it was obvious from the crossing letters what the answer had to be. Flannel is, of course, more commonly known as bedsheet material for college students, or those awful, grungy jackets I wore in the 90s as a moody teenager. | |
| 17 | Greek character holds in a wild animal (5) |
| RHINO - RHO ("Greek character") around ("holds") IN ("in") | |
| 18 | To seek a free ride [is] a problem (5) |
| HITCH - double definition | |
| 21 | Love taking business newspaper regularly (3) |
| OFT - O ("love", in tennis) + ("taking") FT ("business newspaper", namely the Financial Times) |