Times QC No 3323 by Bjorn

Since Red has long been associated with left-wing, PINK is somewhat left-wing.

During the 1950 California Senate race, Richard Nixon ran against Democrat Helen Gahagan Douglas. To paint her as dangerously left-wing Nixon targeted her the line She is “pink right down to her underwear.”

Salt is kept in a Salt Cellar.

Somewhat old-fashioned now, although itself can be an anagram indicator. Still appears in the expression “dicky heart”.

And it was the above 1950s campaign that led Nixon to being called Tricky DICKY.

Crosswords often use this less common meaning of keen (to weep). It is an Irish tradition, and the word is an anglicized version of the Irish Gaelic word “caoineadh” (pronounced kwee-nyuh)

Historically, the peaks (specifically Pen y Fan) were used as sites for these signal fires to warn the Welsh of the approaching English. And now called Welsh Bannau Brycheiniog

A mule is a hybrid animal created specifically by crossing a female horse with a male donkey. And the other is drug slang (for Heroin).

A brambling (Fringilla montifringilla) is a small, migratory songbird belonging to the finch family. See above for a picture, I had never heard of this little guy, and this was my LOI

This is book of Proverbs, top quote “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” (16:18)

This uses “having…border” as a containment indicator.

“Give him a dig/nudge in the ribs”

Having the “in Montana” helped me out here. This is the battle featuring General Custer and Sitting Bull (1876).

MADAM is the traditional name for the lady in charge of a brothel.

This is a phrase that came from mocking Chinese immigrants’ speech: Chinese grammar doesn’t require a subject pronoun (like “I” or “it”) in the same way English does, resulting in the punchy, abbreviated NO CAN DO. Other examples “Long time no see”, “Have a Look-see”.

This I didn’t know, I only knew Cameo from its metaphorical sense, a short film part. But today I learnt a cameo is a method of carving an object usually a gemstone, shell, or piece of glass. And ONYX is good for this as it is very hard.

“races” is your new anagram indicator of the day. Fidel CASTRO of course, and his brother Raul.

A boneless piece of meat that has been flattened with a mallet, like a Schnitzel. The word comes from the Old French word eschalope, which originally meant a “nut-shell” or “snail shell.” It got attached to the meat cut because a thinly pounded piece of meat naturally curls up slightly at the edges when cooked, mimicking the shape of a shell.

The Listener being the Ear, which is the whole organ including the bits inside the skull like the ear drum.

Different Native Americans to the ones at Little Bighorn.

This is a chestnut.

Clever use of a cricket score, 55 for 0.