Times Quick Cryptic 2086 by Tracy

8 minutes for this pleasurable solve. I worked steadily from top to bottom finishing with 13dn.

How did you get on?

Across

1

Golf club: Irish one, not English (4)

IRON – Irish (IR), one (ON)e – not English (E).

3

Pleasure-seeker‘s complaint involving a bad back (8)

GADABOUT – complaint (GOUT) around bad – backwards (DAB). WOD.

9

Former partner given sufficient warning (7)

EXAMPLE – former partner (EX), sufficient (AMPLE). As an example/warning to others.

10

Terrible just losing face (5)

AWFUL – just l(AWFUL) losing the front letter.

11

Some actors opening trunk (5)

TORSO – some of ac(TORS O)pening.

12

Miserable maids, mistreated, left (6)

DISMAL – anagram (mistreated) of MAIDS, left (L).

14

How Monopoly starts, as it always has? (4,3,4,2)

FROM THE WORD GO – COD for the literal definition. Possibly a double definition of ‘always has been’-‘from the very begining’ but I’m leaning towards a crytpic reference to the game of Monopoly always having started from the Go square.

17

Fruit and nuts, mostly (6)

BANANA – nuts (BANANA)s mostly.

19

Former chief magistrate imprisoning duke for deception (5)

DODGE – former chief magistrate (DOGE – I throroughly enjoyed a week in Venice pre Covid – where the Doge’s Palace was fascinating and helped with this clue – travel broadens the gk!), around duke (D).

22

Cold fish? Hold on! (5)

CLING – cold (C), fish (LING).

23

Adult‘s complaint heard and raised (5-2)

GROWN-UP – homophone of complaint – groan, raised (UP).

24

Famous painting in oils a man vandalised (4,4)

MONA LISA – anagram (vandalised) of OILS A MAN. I think we can agree with ‘famous’.

25

Represent chaps holding answer (4)

MEAN – chaps (MEN) holding answer (A).

Down

1

Pick out deity if name initially bandied about (8)

IDENTIFY – anagram (bandied about) of DEITY IF and (N)ame.

2

Being broadcast? Extract from Wagnerian opera coming up (2,3)

ON AIR – extracted from Wagne(RIAN O)pera- upwards,

4

Provider of beef under an age BSE affected (8,5)

ABERDEEN ANGUS – anagram (affected) of UNDER AN AGE BSE.

5

Accumulate a large amount (5)

AMASS – a (A), larges amount (MASS).

6

Rotten worker, curt (7)

OFFHAND – rotten (OFF), worker (HAND).

7

Informed, foremost of teachers getting on in years (4)

TOLD – (T)eachers, getting on in years (OLD).

8

Choose not to participate in work with aggressive solicitor? (3,3)

OPT OUT – work (OP), aggressive solicitor (TOUT).

13

Unsophisticated fictional detective picked up play on words (8)

HOMESPUN – homophone (picked up) of fictional detective – Holmes, play on words PUN.

15

Leader of Opposition helping to produce speech (7)

ORATION – (O)pposition, (food) helping (RATION).

16

Old theologian followed by boy most likely to succeed (4-2)

ODDS-ON – old (O), theologian (DD), boy (SON).

18

Article upset stage show’s backer (5)

ANGEL – article (AN), stage – leg – upset (GEL).

20

Slow learner expected to take in new chapter (5)

DUNCE – expected (DUE) around new (N) and chapter (C).

21

Crooked scheme rascal detailed (4)

SCAM – rascal (SCAM)p – de-tailed.