Nice crossword with many examples of the vocabulary found more often here than anywhere else. Some good charades, a dose of wit, and two deceptive hidden words!
Definitions underlined.
| 7 | French citizen getting level with one Welsh lady? (8) |
| PARISIAN – PAR (level), I (one), and SIAN (Welsh lady). | |
| 8 | Bring home a little corn: satisfaction, at last! (4) |
| EARN – EAR (a little corn) and last letter of satisfactioN. | |
| 9 | File assembled about iron tower builder (6) |
| EIFFEL – anagram of (assembled) FILE, around FE (iron). | |
| 10 | Composer initially lost in crowd (5) |
| HOLST – first letter (initially) of Lost, inside HOST (crowd, as in ‘a host of…’). | |
| 11 | Proper sound of water on grass? (3) |
| DUE – homophone (sound) of “dew” (water on grass). | |
| 12 | Some trespasser goes backwards, seeing fearsome woman (6) |
| OGRESS – hidden in (some) tresspaSSER GOes, written backwards. | |
| 14 | Do ropy exercising and limp (6) |
| DROOPY – anagram of (exercising) DO ROPY. | |
| 16 | Father meeting with arbitration service causes row (6) |
| FRACAS – FR (father) and ACAS (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service). | |
| 18 | It’s said to raise a smile (6) |
| CHEESE – cryptic definition. What is said to make the subjects of a photograph look like they’re smiling. | |
| 19 | Noise made by dove, and one hundred and two ducks (3) |
| COO – C (one hundred) and two Os (duck, zero in cricket). | |
| 20 | Vicar, if returning, gets some money (5) |
| FIVER – REV (vicar) and IF, backwards (returning). | |
| 21 | Series of prayers are not finished in optimistic surroundings (6) |
| ROSARY – Are (are, without last letter) inside ROSY (optimistic) surroundings. | |
| 23 | Girl meeting lieutenant gets jar (4) |
| JOLT – JO (girl) and LT (lieutenant). | |
| 24 | BA, unless ordered otherwise, reserved public transport routes (3,5) |
| BUS LANES – anagram (ordered otherwise) of BA UNLESS. | |
| 1 | Parent to be reluctant to go and feign illness? (8) |
| MALINGER – MA (mother, parent) and LINGER (to be reluctant to go). | |
| 2 | Quarrel, it’s recalled, very loud (4) |
| TIFF – IT is backwards, and FF (fortissimo, very loud). | |
| 3 | Uses metal joints around one (6) |
| WIELDS – WELDS (metal joints) around I (one). | |
| 4 | Gradually shifted plain Cheddar sandwiches (6) |
| INCHED – hidden (sandwiched) in plaIN CHEDdar. | |
| 5 | Words of praise: that isn’t rare! (4,4) |
| WELL DONE – if your steak isn’t rare, it could be well done. | |
| 6 | Determination to protect against ice (4) |
| GRIT – double definition. | |
| 13 | Volunteers turning up in one-time grotto to dig (8) |
| EXCAVATE – TA (volunteers), written up (turned up) in EX-CAVE (one-time grotto). | |
| 15 | Father’s attempts to make tarts (8) |
| PASTRIES – PA’S (father’s) and TRIES (attempts). | |
| 17 | Writer to plagiarise in Home Counties? (6) |
| SCRIBE – CRIB (to plagiarise) in SE (south east, home counties). | |
| 18 | Body copper finally found in thicket (6) |
| CORPSE – last letter of (finally) coppeR, inside COPSE (thicket). | |
| 20 | Infantry, excessively loud, turned up (4) |
| FOOT – TOO (excessively) F (forte, loud), written up. | |
| 22 | Steep slope’s beginning above tree (4) |
| SOAK – first letter (beginning) of Slope on top of OAK (tree). | |
Otherwise, FOOT-JOLT combo last in. Wasn’t aware of the usage of “foot” to mean foot soldiers.