Quick Cryptic Number 3 - Grumpy Setter, Grumpy Blogger!

Well, that was fun! Having carefully planned the day around ensuring adequate time to complete the blog before breakfast time for the UK contingent (i.e. by late afternoon here in Sydney), I was thwarted as the puzzle did not appear online. Eventually, the redoubtable jackkt rode to the rescue by posting an image of the elusive offering on his website: sir, I am utterly indebted to you. Thank you.

OK, so here goes - first blog on this august forum, so please forgive any faux pas. Enjoyed this puzzle: good mix (I thought) of a few "gimmes" to get you rolling, and a few that (at least for those of us still wearing our L plates) were quite tricky. Glad to see the new offering does not (so far) seem to require the same levels of arcane GK as the traditional cryptic - which for my money makes it more of a fair tussle. (Of course, the usual caveat applies: what is arcane to one may be blindingly obvious to another - and vice versa. I was particularly lucky today as I am not at all a plant man - but I happened to have 7 down tucked away somewhere in my store of trivia).

Thank you to the setter (I live in hope of one who styles himself "Red": probably an old gag amongst the crossword fraternity, but it only just occurred to me... bear with me, it's been a long day).

Oh, and if anyone is interested, took me about an hour including time out to feed cat and also welcome home wife.

Across
1	CAMPFIRE -Cryptic definition, conjuring up images of the bewoggled lads belting out "In the quartermaster's store" (or maybe that is dating me somewhat) as the fire blazes... Somewhat unsatisfactory clue I felt as there was no alternative angle other than the obvious.
5	BIFF -Hit is the definition bit of the clue. The answer is also derived from the first letters ("fronting") band include fab four
9	RINSE -Hair treatment is the definition bit. It is also revealed in some ("provided by some") of the letters in barber in Seville.
10	BROTHER -Sibling is the definition bit. The wordplay also giving the answer is BOTHER ("worry") about R (Rivalry's beginning - i.e. first letter)
11	AIM -Mission is the definition bit. The wordplay is the "even" letters of "Racism" (i.e. a, I and m) with the odd letters (i.e. r, c and s) being "ignored".
12	CONSTABLE -Artist is the definition bit (hay wain bloke rather than the local bobby who knocks up a quick sketch of the suspect). Wordplay also giving the answer is "CON" (scam) with "STABLE" (not likely to shake). Nice.
13	SERAPH -"Angel" is the definition bit, arrived at from an anagram of HARP with edges of "simple" (s and e): "extremely" often points to the first and last letters of the following word.
15	BOLT-ON -"Additional" gives the definition (i.e. a bolt on being something added on) with the reinforcement of the answer from Notlob (as anyone from the Python era still thinks of the fair town of Bolton which is up north)
17	MINELAYER -Naval vessel is the definition bit, and the answer is also derived from an anagram of "enemy lair" (the inclusion in the clue of "blowing up" is one of many potential signals that there is an anagram lurking in here...) Must admit I was not aware of this particular vessel. However, given familiarity with the Minesweeper I figured (eventually!) that there was a strong logical possibility that a minelayer might be it's natural foe (or its raison d'etre depending on how you look at it). Lesson to be learned: if it feels right and is reinforced by some kind of strong corroborative evidence (in this case an anagram) then slap it in. Probably not advice from the purist school, but works for me!
19	CUT -Double definition type of clue. Ignore socially, and get the secateurs out.
20	SWANSEA -Bit underwhelmed by this one. "Port" is the definition bit. The word play is "SWANS" (gliders) with EA (being an abbreviation of Each). I'm sure Swans glide, but are they noted for it? To the same extent that (e.g.) bats do? Probably just being picky. But I didn't like it.
21	EXPEL -Nice clue with some tight wordplay. "Kick out" is the definition bit. The wordplay that also gives the answer is "P" (being start - ie. first letter of - "Paddle") "in" the river Exe (delightful river in Devon) with L being added on the end (being standard abbreviation for Lake).
22	RAKE -Double definition. "Rake" (as in hunt around for) and "he's a bit of a rake" (sound advice to young ladies administered in the 1950's, so I'm told).
23	UNAFRAID -"Fearless" gives us our definition. The word play that also provides the answer is UNA ("girl") with F (leader - i.e. first letter of - "Foreign") and RAID (incursion).

Down
1	CARPALS -"Bones" is the definition. The word play is CARP ('fish") with ALS (being "also" - as in "too" - shortened).
2	MINIM -"Note" gives our definition ("minim" being a term of musical notation I vaguely remember from early days playing the recorder). It is constructed from MINI (car) on M (being the standard abbreviation of a motorway).
3	FRENCH POLISH -This one also went in somewhat on a wing and a prayer, but it just had to be right (given the word play and the checkers) - and lo, subsequent validation justified my rashness. "Shine" gives us our definition. The Curie's were of Polish origin, but made their home in France. So, they were French Polish, so to speak...
4	ROBIN -Neat clue. "Bird" is the definition. The wordplay is PROBING ("investigating") without the P and the G (being its "wings" - i.e. edges).
6	INHABIT -"People" gives the definition: in this sense it's the verb "to people" (i.e. to populate by putting people in there) I believe (grammarians please correct me). And a habit is some kind of riding clobber worn by ladies, I seem to recall. So, if you are In Habit, you are, presumably, hot to trot.
7	FURZE -"Sounds like" kind of clue ("reportedly" being the indicator of this). "Furze" is a kind of gorse like plant, and sounds like "Firs" (trees).
8	DO IT YOURSELF -Double cryptic definition. Further comment probably superfluous.
14	RANSACK -"Loot" gives us the definition (i.e. to ransack, to loot). The answer is also derived from the wordplay of RA (= Royal Artillery = gunmen) N (abbreviation for note) and SACK (get rid of as in "you're sacked, son...")
16	NETTLED -Tricky one, I thought. "Cross" is the definition (not sure how widespread this usage is outside the UK). The wordplay is NETT ("clear" - as in nett of tax / clear of tax) with LED (being a type of light that tech people refer to).
17	MISER -Scrooge, everyone's favourite "miser", with the "endless woe" being MISERY without the end Y.
18	YEARN -Initially went down the wrong track on this one, as I was relishing the fact that in a recent Times cryptic I'd picked up that Quito was the capital of Ecuador. This was information too good to waste, so I thought. Turned out to be a complete red herring, as the "capital" here was the crossword convention of "first letter" (i.e. capital of Ecuador gave us E). The E is then embedded in YARN ("story") with the whole giving us YEARN meaning to long for.
19	-Probably my favourite today. Neat. "Drink" is the definition bit, with the wordplay coming from C ("caught" - cricketing abbreviations are big around here so bone up on your O, B, LBW, R etc.) with UP and PA ("old man").