Hello all. I liked this puzzle, which took me about average time (20s over). Obviously I appreciated the clues featuring cats, but really there are so many good ones here that I can’t pick out a small number for special mention. Just have a scan again through the clues to see how smoothly they read and you should see what I mean. Thanks Teazel!
Definitions are underlined in the clues below. In the explanations, quoted indicators are in italics, specified [deletions] are in square brackets, and I’ve capitalised and emboldened letters which appear in the ANSWER. For clarity, I omit most link words and some juxtaposition indicators.
| Across | |
| 1a | Pinch a bit (7) |
| SNAFFLE — Two definitions. (I had to rely on the first.) A snaffle is a type of bit for a horse | |
| 5a | One is a fool to take exercise (4) |
| DOPE — DO (to take) + PE (exercise) | |
| 7a | Command a fraternity of knights (5) |
| ORDER — Another double definition | |
| 8a | Front of lorry with one secure storage unit (7) |
| CABINET — CAB (front of lorry) + I (one) + NET (secure) | |
| 10a | Cat is almost grave (3) |
| TOM — All but the last letter of (almost) TOMb (grave) | |
| 11a | These endless marks of approval for remote parts of country (3,6) |
| THE STICKS — THESe without the last letter (endless) + TICKS (marks of approval) | |
| 13a | Snooty type returned top-quality little tree (6) |
| BONSAI — SNOB (snooty type) reversed (returned) + AI (A1, top quality) | |
| 14a | Come down by gold carriage (6) |
| LANDAU — LAND (come down) by AU (gold) | |
| 17a | Money earned, from such in-stock garments? (5-4) |
| READY-MADE — READY (money) + MADE (earned) | |
| 19a | At last install a power circuit (3) |
| LAP — The final letter of (at last) instalL + A + P (power) | |
| 20a | As local inhabitant, study one form of Buddhism (7) |
| DENIZEN — DEN (study) + I (one) + ZEN (form of Buddhism). “As” is a link word here – “as {definition}, {wordplay}” is equivalent to “{wordplay} as {definition}” | |
| 22a | Behave badly in a court — revolting (3,2) |
| ACT UP — A + CT (court) + UP (revolting) | |
| 23a | Go mad, following insolence (4) |
| FLIP — F (following) + LIP (insolence) | |
| 24a | Barrister? A senior one faces pressure (7) |
| PLEADER — LEADER (a senior one) faces P (pressure) | |
| Down | |
| 1d | Like some guns mobster and hood arranged together (11) |
| SMOOTHBORED — MOBSTER and HOOD are anagrammed (arranged) together. (Chambers and Oxford include a hyphen, but Collins has this as a single unhyphenated word as here) | |
| 2d | Stomach can be awfully bad with old people (7) |
| ABDOMEN — An anagram of (awfully) BAD + O + (old) + MEN (people) | |
| 3d | With excellent degree, boy may finally become White House occupant (5,4) |
| FIRST LADY — Along with FIRST (excellent degree), we have LAD (boy) and the last letter of (… finally) maY | |
| 4d | This artist does a lot of eating out (6) |
| ETCHER — A cryptic definition | |
| 5d | Give a name to unopened flower that’s coming up (3) |
| DUB — BUD (unopened flower) that’s reversed (coming up, in a down entry) | |
| 6d | Photo captures an outbreak of terror (5) |
| PANIC — PIC (photo) contains (captures) AN | |
| 9d | Time to publish daily: material very thin (6,5) |
| TISSUE PAPER — T (time) + ISSUE (to publish) + PAPER (daily) | |
| 12d | Title of business admen rate poorly (5,4) |
| TRADE NAME — ADMEN RATE anagrammed (poorly) | |
| 15d | Allowed to be put into legal document, or taken out (7) |
| DELETED — LET (allowed) is to be put into DEED (legal document) | |
| 16d | Chap regularly raised beer: is it so tempting for a Persian? (6) |
| CATNIP — Alternate letters of (… regularly) ChAp + the reversal of (raised) PINT (beer) | |
| 18d | Cancel yearbook, having lost one article (5) |
| ANNUL — ANNU[a]L (yearbook) without (having lost) one A (article) | |
| 21d | Nothing to fasten garment (3) |
| ZIP — A final double definition to zip things up | |
Thanks for your all your comments today, which as usual I read with interest. Special thanks to those who have responded to questions. Again as usual I saw the comments as they dropped into my inbox, but couldn’t respond during the workday and am rather too tired now to add much.