Times Quick Cryptic 2776 by Jimmy

Solving time: 8 minutes

This is the 6th offering from Jimmy, one of the new setters, since May this year. So far I’ve found his puzzles to be at the easier end of the scale, but how did you do?

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]. “Aural wordplay” is in quotation marks. I usually omit all reference to juxtaposition indicators unless there is a specific point that requires clarification.

Across
1	Wine from cold picnic baskets (8)
	CHAMPERS
	C (cold), HAMPERS (picnic baskets)
5	Maybe Sean Connery’s caught coming in drunk (4)
	SCOT
	C (caught) contained by [coming in] SOT (drunk). I was going to say the invasion of the living continues, but I see Sir Sean died in 2020. However did I miss that!
8	Troublemaker with extremely evil urge (5)
	IMPEL
	IMP (troublemaker), E{vi}L [extremely]
9	Spanish artist’s image — like so (7)
	PICASSO
	PIC (image), AS (like), SO
11	Tips for raw oysters, even caviar? (3)
	ROE
	R{aw} + O{ysters} + E{ven} [tips]. The DBE is indicated by the question mark.
12	Disaster narrowly avoided on earth in giant houses (4,5)
	NEAR THING
	Hidden in [houses] {o}N EARTH IN G{iant}
13	Dad’s attempt to make a flan, say (6)
	PASTRY
	PA’S (Dad’s), TRY (attempt)
15	Judge a female beast of burden? (6)
	ASSESS
	ASS-ESS (female beast of burden)
18	Extra time travelling around? This shows the fare (9)
	TAXIMETER
	Anagram [travelling around) of EXTRA TIME
19	Barman regularly scrubbed a couple of cups (3)
	BRA
	B{a}R{m}A{n} [regularly scrubbed]. An inventive clue to this makes a nice change.
20	Journey in trains running on time (7)
	TRANSIT
	Anagram [running] of TRAINS, then T (time)
21	Fruit — soft and fleshy (5)
	PLUMP
	PLUM (fruit), P (soft)
22	Listener’s search for believer (4)
	SIKH
	Aural wordplay [listener’s]: SIKH / “seek” (search for)
23	Rogue may bless parliament (8)
	ASSEMBLY
	Anagram [rogue] of MAY BLESS

Down
1	American’s crisp about two Republicans, you heard, in tweet (7)
	CHIRRUP
	CHIP (American’s crisp) containing [about] R+R (two Republicans) + U (“you”) [heard]
2	Tech company’s smartphone product — article from Paris (5)
	APPLE
	APP (smartphone product), LE (definite article from Paris]
3	Desperate Dan implores Bob, Eve and Anna, say (11)
	PALINDROMES
	Anagram [desperate] of DAN IMPLORES. For the surface, Desperate Dan was a cartoon strip character in the now defunct Dandy comic.
4	Cancel and rue heartless toll (6)
	REPEAL
	R{u}E [heartless], PEAL (toll)
6	One enters grand residence in part of Spain (7)
	CASTILE
	I (one) contained by [enters] CASTLE (grand residence)
7	Hot pants and new, good underwear (5)
	THONG
	Anagram [pants] of HOT, then N (new), G (good)
10	Act out a bit of verse in tragedy (11)
	CATASTROPHE
	Anagram [out] of ACT, then A, STROPHE (bit of verse). I was going to paste in a description of ‘strophe’ but it was all too long-winded.
14	Perhaps some beer gives you a desirable physique (3-4)
	SIX-PACK
	Two definitions of sorts
16	Distinctly cunning around stringed instrument (7)
	SHARPLY
	SLY (cunning) containing [around] HARP (stringed instrument)
17	Standing in street, American receives thanks (6)
	STATUS
	ST (street) + US (American) contains [receives] TA (thanks)
18	Little kids grabbing tail of tree bears (5)
	TOTES
	TOTS (little kids) containing [grabbing] {tre}E [tail of…]. ‘Tote that barge, Lift that bale…’ [Ol’ Man River]
19	Promotional material Britpop band put on book (5)
	BLURB
	BLUR (Britpop), B (book). I think this is the third recent appearance of  this pop group.