I didn’t find this terribly difficult, and finished most of it before going to bed. Don Manley’s cluing is very precise, and if you just trust the cryptics completely you will get the answers. The words I did not know seemed reasonable, and when I looked them up, there they were. I ended up with the turtles and the nightshades, which required a little analysis before I was able to triumphantly complete the puzzle.
And you?
| Across | |
| 1 | Orders mother employs going after husband? (10) |
| MANDAMUSES – MAN + DAM + USES. | |
| 10 | Compound in waste liquid’s imagined to be lacking nitrogen (5) |
| UREAL – U[n]REAL. | |
| 11 | Tree beginning to shrivel on icy area with temperature dropping (6) |
| SUNDRA – S[hrivel} + [t]UNDRA. | |
| 12 | Resist SM’s order on parade ground (4) |
| SHUN – [atten]SHUN! | |
| 13 | What could make maiden pine is being trapped — heart going astray? (7) |
| MISDEAL – M(IS)DEAL. | |
| 14 | Nightshade plants in the region of flowing water (7) |
| CIRCAEA – CIRCA + EA, etymologically coming from the sorceress Circe. | |
| 17 | I’ll be blooming pleased — I love the French (8) |
| GLADIOLE – GLAD + I + O + LE. I started with gladiola, but corrected when I got the crossers. | |
| 19 | Expletive restrained, curtailed (5) |
| DAMME – DAMME[d], a bit of 19th-century cursing. | |
| 20 | Leaping around? You could do without a ___! (6) |
| PINLEG – Anagram of LE[a]PING. The literal is the underline, so I can’t underline it! | |
| 21 | Certain to look untidy with hair finally neglected, growing out? (6) |
| ENATIC – Anagram of CE[r]TAIN, removing the last letter of HAIR. I couldn’t find this version in my Chambers, but it is in other dictionaries. | |
| 23 | Port cracked open? (5) |
| SPLIT – Double definition, a port very popular with setters. | |
| 25 | Stew supplying seaman with energy (8) |
| MATELOTE – MATELOT + E. | |
| 28 | French dad meeting girl as equal (7) |
| PEREGAL – PERE + GAL. | |
| 29 | Citadel needs reconstruction, in a manner of speaking (7) |
| DIALECT – Anagram of CITADEL, a bit of a chestnut,. | |
| 30 | Parliament’s short periodical publication (4) |
| DAIL – DAIL[y], for the Irish parliament. | |
| 31 | Come into American canals (6) |
| ENTERA – ENTER + A. | |
| 32 | Innocent-looking child given stroke with love (5) |
| PUTTO – PUTT + O. They don’t actually look that innocent in Renaissance painting. | |
| 33 | Sermon with chapter given new twist, enthralling chaps (10) |
| PREACHMENT – Anagram of CHAPTER around MEN. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Fly I had found under nasty scum (6) |
| MUSCID – Anagram of SCUM + I’D, easy if you know the constellation. | |
| 2 | Unhealthy lumps of nasty nature covering old mother (9) |
| NEUROMATA – Anagram of NATURE around O MA. | |
| 3 | Hint of cold in European spring (5) |
| DANCE – DAN(C)E. | |
| 4 | Inspection of cloth, a product one put out with silver lining (6) |
| ALNAGE – A + L[i]N(AG)E. I knew ullage, but not alnage. | |
| 5 | Conservative group of theologians in order upset one of mixed race (8) |
| MAMELUCO – O(C ULEMA)M, all backwards. | |
| 6 | Saving scheme for African people (4) |
| SUSU – Two unrelated obscurities – the saving scheme is from the Caribbean. | |
| 7 | Stop having water to flush away a pesticide (6) |
| ENDRIN – END + R[a]IN. | |
| 8 | Female domination at home with the introduction of a German governess? (8) |
| FRAULEIN – F + R(A)ULE + IN. | |
| 9 | Part of waterway, say, with weak pillar erected on it (6) |
| TALWEG – W LAT upside-down on E.G. A likely-looking German-derived word. | |
| 15 | Join up together in international entrance to the south of Scottish island (9) |
| COLLIGATE – COLL + I + GATE. | |
| 16 | Birds of a similar nature isle’s accommodating (8) |
| MANAKINS – MAN(AKIN)S. | |
| 18 | A head twitching and merging in with the background (8) |
| APATETIC – A + PATE + TIC. | |
| 21 | Old turtles here will have moseyed around (6) |
| EMYDES – Compound anagram – O + EMYDES is an anagram of MOSEYED. | |
| 22 | One involved in bomb-making is an informer (6) |
| TELLER – Double definition – Edward Teller, from the Manhattan Project. The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes is highly recommended. | |
| 23 | Angel rushes up — priest is enthralled (6) |
| SERAPH – H(P)ARES upside-down. | |
| 24 | Loft with remarkable set of old books (6) |
| TALLOT – TALL + OT. | |
| 26 | Plant needs artificial light? I’m not sure (5) |
| LEDUM – L.E.D. + UM. | |
| 27 | Jock’s able companion (4) |
| FERE – Double definition, two unrelated words. | |
I didn’t understand TELLER so thanks for pointing me in the right direction.