Quick cryptic No 633 by Mara

My first time blogging a MARA puzzle I think, and it was a pleasure. For some reason, I didn’t set the timer, but it felt that there was plenty to get one’s teeth into here, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this took me more than 50% over my target time of 10 minutes. Some nicely compact clues, plenty of anagrams to get started with, no obscure general knowledge required (perhaps 22d) and everything fairly clued. If others are like me and a little 15 about the parsing of 4, then that clue may cause some difficulties.

Thanks MARA, I am back to bed to nurse my head cold.

Definitions are underlined, anagrams indicated by [square brackets] and deletions with {curly ones}

Across

1 One copying another painter, rooms requiring renovation (12)

IMPERSONATOR – anagram (requiring renovation) of [PAINTER ROOMS]

9 Infant king going back for fast food (5)

KEBAB – BABE (infant) after K{ing} reversed (going back)

10 Initial word from a friend, male (7)

ACRONYM – A (a) CRONY (friend) and M{ale}

11 Swell, general waves (7)

ENLARGE – anagram (unusually indicated by waves) of [GENERAL]

12 Holiday accommodation sweltering, hell on the inside (5)

HOTEL – HOT equals sweltering, followed by {h}EL{l} (on the inside)

14 Serpent gobbling wolf, awfully delicate thing (9)

SNOWFLAKE – The serpent is SNAKE around (gobbling) an anagram of [WOLF] (awfully)

18 Love story about daughter, senior citizen (5)

OLDIE – O (love) plus LIE (story) around D{aughter}

20 Bob, perhaps, finds musical cancelled (7)

HAIRCUT – HAIR (musical, this one famously naked) and CUT (cancelled). A bob is an example (perhaps) of such a thing – currently enjoying something of a power fad as being worn by May, Merkel and Clinton

21 Queen, fruity thing (7)

SULTANA – double definition, Sultana being the wife of a Sultan (Queen, or female version of Sultan) as well as a dried or seedless grape variety (fruity thing)

23 I value being furious (5)

IRATE – I (I) RATE (value)

24 Scores perfect for the optician? (6,6)

TWENTY TWENTY – another kind of double definition, TWENTY being a score, therefore two of them make scores, and 20/20 being a measure of visual acuity oft used by opticians and others as shorthand for perfect vision (whatever that is).

Down

2 I bled, so I’m unfortunately prepared for war (9)

MOBILISED – straightforward anagram (indicated by unfortunately) of [I BLED SO I’M]

3 Bag more, unusually, in trade ban (7)

EMBARGO – Another straightforward anagram (this time indicated by unusually) of [BAG MORE], giving a nice easy start to the down clues

4 Sophisticated gallery into pliable red card (5,2,3,3)

STATE OF THE ART – It took me longer to parse this than to get the answer – gallery is the TATE inside (into) SOFT (pliable) and followed by HEART (a red card)

5 Direction taken in Japan or Thailand (5)

NORTH – Today’s hidden, tucked away (taken in) {japa}N OR TH{ailand}

6 Beat bronze (3)

TAN – Straightforward double definition, and something of an old chestnut

7 Go on hike (6)

RAMBLE – And another double definition. Nicely concise surface

8 For whom there’s terrible risk around end of piste (5)

SKIER – an unusual (for the QC) &lit, which is a clue construction where the whole clue provides the only definition, although this one also includes a part anagram (clued by terrible) of [RISK] around the end of {pist}E

13 Vigorous insect in a ditch, might you say? (9)

TRENCHANT – an insect in a ditch might be referred to as a TRENCH ANT

15 A transgression in essence initially stupid (7)

ASININE – A (a) SIN (transgression) IN (in) E{ssence} (initially)

16 Company right to arrange for a supporter (6)

CORSET – CO (company) R{ight} SET (to arrange)

17 State is complete (5)

UTTER – another double definition, where UTTER serves as both a transitive verb, as in to make a statement, and an adjective meaning complete, as in ‘utter rotter’ for example

19 One no longer performing to be precise (5)

EXACT – I used to act, but when I stopped, I became an EX ACT

22 Fish knocked up for actor Bruce (3)

LEE – Fish is EEL, reversed (knocked up in a down clue) to give the martial arts actor Bruce LEE