Plenty of double definitions and well signposted charades here, alongside one or two chewier clues. I did not know the archaic term, and got held up for too long on 14dn.
Definitions underlined.
| Across | |
| 1 | Difficult situation easy after start of play (6) |
| PLIGHT – LIGHT (easy) after first letter (start) of Play. | |
| 4 | Unpleasant woman after small change (6) |
| SWITCH – WITCH (unpleasant woman) after S (small). | |
| 9 | One winding up an organ? It’s hard to say (6-7) |
| TONGUE-TWISTER – I hadn’t considered a tongue an organ, but the direction here is clear enough. | |
| 10 | Briefly, satellite providing sound from Jersey? (3) |
| MOO – MOOn (satellite) missing its last letter (briefly). The sound a Jersey cow makes. | |
| 11 | Descendant of Jacob is terribly irate about the Spanish (9) |
| ISRAELITE – IS plus an anagram (terribly) of IRATE around EL (‘the’ in Spanish). | |
| 12 | Give up working rule to accommodate first of students (6) |
| RESIGN – REIGN (rule) surrounding S (first letter of students). | |
| 13 | Rabbit on as breakfast food? (6) |
| WAFFLE – double definition. | |
| 16 | Constant crime around odd parts of Spain (9) |
| INCESSANT – INCEST (crime) surrounding odd letters in SpAiN. | |
| 18 | Barrel brought back for screwball (3) |
| NUT – TUN (barrel) backwards. | |
| 19 | German composer, wealthy, arranged, unusually, to entertain wife (7,6) |
| RICHARD WAGNER – RICH (wealthy) plus an anagram of (unusually) ARRANGED, all around W (wife). | |
| 21 | Drool, as goalkeeper catches ball, finally (6) |
| SLAVER – SAVER (goalkeeper) catching L (last letter of ball). | |
| 22 | An irregularity to leave one’s country (6) |
| DEFECT – double definition. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Drug in cooking vessel (3) |
| POT – double definition. | |
| 2 | Go in and use rocks like volcanic rock (7) |
| IGNEOUS – anagram of (rocks) GO IN and USE. | |
| 3 | Those at random admitting using ecstasy in residential area (7,6) |
| HOUSING ESTATE – anagram of (at random) THOSE, with USING E (ecstasy) inside. | |
| 5 | Resort wealthier than London stadium (5,4,4) |
| WHITE HART LANE – anagram (resort) of WEALTHIER THAN. | |
| 6 | Disapproving word: it arises in musical direction (5) |
| TUTTI – TUT (disapproving word) and IT written upwards (arising). | |
| 7 | Type of edible flesh — some heart to cook (9) |
| HORSEMEAT – anagram of (cook) SOME HEART. | |
| 8 | Hard back (5) |
| STERN – double definition. | |
| 10 | Wreck lodgings occupied by artist — it’s party time! (5,4) |
| MARDI GRAS – MAR (wreck) plus DIGS (lodgings) occupied by RA (Royal Academician, artist). | |
| 14 | Fund intended to secure loan, ultimately (7) |
| FINANCE – FIANCE (one’s intended) securing last letter of loan. Very sneaky misdirection. | |
| 15 | Sturdy author (5) |
| HARDY – double definition. | |
| 17 | Chanel needs a drink (5) |
| COCOA – COCO (Chanel) with A. | |
| 20 | Boring routine, pity unfinished (3) |
| RUT – RUTh (archaic word for pity), missing its last letter (unfinished). | |
Other than that I found this quite tough but I’m not sure why. LOI 14D.
Last in RESIGN with joint favourites, INCESSANT and FINANCE.
After quite a long time I lacked a lot of answers including the long 3d-I couldn’t see what the answer might be. But having got Estate the rest became clear and my LOI was 20d Rut(I wasn’t able to parse it) which I only got after getting Defect (last but one).
A very good puzzle I thought. David