Solving time: 10 minutes. Distracted a little by what I take to be an error in the clue at 20ac.
As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions and substitutions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds, containment, reversal and other indicators in square ones]. I usually omit all reference to positional indicators unless there is a specific point that requires clarification.
| Across | |
| 1 | Tree garden run well in a corporation (9) |
| ARBORETUM | |
| R (run) + BORE (well) contained by [in] A + TUM (corporation). A borehole may be dug to find water but the only direct definition I can find for ‘well / bore’ is qualified as Australian. | |
| 6 | Catch a police officer (3) |
| COP | |
| Two meanings. ‘Catch a packet’ and ‘cop a packet’ are slang for finding oneself in trouble or misfortune of some sort. | |
| 8 | City stores record in volcanic hill (7) |
| COLOGNE | |
| LOG (record) contained by [in] CONE (volcanic hill). SOED has CONE as: A cone-shaped mountain or peak; esp. one of volcanic origin. | |
| 9 | Learner at home with good old jargon (5) |
| LINGO | |
| L (learner), IN (at home), G (good), O (old) | |
| 10 | Noticed train shifting coach inappropriately? (12) |
| INDOCTRINATE | |
| Anagram [shifting] of NOTICED TRAIN | |
| 12 | Heard French port is bust, in part (6) |
| BREAST | |
| Sounds like [heard] “Brest” (French port) | |
| 13 | Right to support Her Majesty (6) |
| PROPER | |
| PROP (support), ER (Her Majesty) | |
| 16 | Subcontinental adder seen in unexpected hot spell (6,6) |
| INDIAN SUMMER | |
| INDIAN (subcontinental), SUMMER (adder). The origin of the expression is disputed but it seems to be North American rather than something from the Asian subcontinent. | |
| 19 | Together with chopped mango (5) |
| AMONG | |
| Anagram [chopped] of MANGO | |
| 20 | West County runner with attractive top (7) |
| EXECUTE | |
| EXE (West County runner), CUTE (attractive). The River Exe is in Devon, a county in the west of England, but the region is always known as ‘the West Country’ so I assume an ‘r’ has been omitted from the second word of the clue. This threw me a little whilst solving. | |
| 22 | Convent girl in Dublin undecided (3) |
| NUN | |
| Hidden [in] {Dubli}N UN{decided} | |
| 23 | Derby date changed for sleeping partner? (5,4) |
| TEDDY BEAR | |
| Anagram [changed] of DERBY DATE. I like the definition. | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Cunning leader missing from demo (4) |
| ARCH | |
| {m}ARCH (demo) [leader missing] | |
| 2 | Poise shown by Turing for example in times past (7) |
| BALANCE | |
| ALAN (Turing for example) contained by [in] BCE (times past – Before the Common Era) | |
| 3 | Fury endless in downmarket newspaper (3) |
| RAG | |
| RAG{e} (fury) [endless] | |
| 4 | Worry intervenes in attempt to find agreement (6) |
| TREATY | |
| EAT (worry) contained by [intervenes in] TRY (attempt) | |
| 5 | Lightweight Dicky trapped in MiG strike (9) |
| MILLIGRAM | |
| ILL (dicky) contained by [trapped] in MIG, then RAM (strike). ‘MiG’ is a brand of Russian aircraft. | |
| 6 | Dance company not giving assistance for beginners (5) |
| CONGA | |
| CO (company), then N{ot} G{iving} A{ssistance} [for beginners] | |
| 7 | Jetty accommodates one adventurer (7) |
| PIONEER | |
| PIER (jetty) contains [accommodates] ONE | |
| 11 | Shotgun moved around LA for attack (9) |
| ONSLAUGHT | |
| Anagram [moved] of SHOTGUN containing [around] LA | |
| 12 | Mind catching it in UK? (7) |
| BRITAIN | |
| BRAIN (mind) containing [catching] IT. It has been the subject of debate here on previous occasions that ‘mind’ and ‘brain’ are not the same thing , but SOED, amongst other sources, confirms that in colloquial usage the words can sometimes be interchangeable. | |
| 14 | Penny to pick up — take it (7) |
| PRESUME | |
| P (penny), RESUME (pick up) | |
| 15 | Frenzied dances go to higher level (6) |
| ASCEND | |
| Anagram [frenzied] of DANCES | |
| 17 | Flood in lower position to involve river (5) |
| DROWN | |
| DOWN (lower position) containing [to involve] R (river) | |
| 18 | Busy worker recoils at first drink (4) |
| BEER | |
| BEE (busy worker), R{ecoils} [at first] | |
| 21 | Bank not opening in cathedral city (3) |
| ELY | |
| {r}ELY (bank) [not opening] | |
Are we still in the 1950’s!