Solving time: 14 minutes
I came a little unstuck during this. I got off to a slow start, kept hopping around the grid looking for easy pickings and made the near fatal error of miscounting letters at 5dn so missing the anagram until the very last minute.
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 | Chopper for one gaining unauthorised access perhaps (6) |
| HACKER | |
| Two meanings | |
| 4 | Stress I’d avoided in car crash? (6) |
| ACCENT | |
| ACC{id}ENT (car crash) [I’d avoided] | |
| 8 | Step around rear of house in silence (5) |
| PEACE | |
| PACE (step) containing [around] {hous}E [rear of…] | |
| 9 | Relative, Italian, with a dessert of hers (7) |
| GRANITA | |
| GRAN (relative), IT (Italian), A. ‘Hers’ refers back to the Italian Grandma and indicates the answer is a dessert is from that country. It’s a variation on a sorbet. | |
| 10 | Back stage for this hair preparation (3) |
| GEL | |
| LEG (stage) reversed [back] | |
| 11 | Miraculous place rented to artist (9) |
| CANALETTO | |
| CANA (miraculous place), LET (rented), TO. According to the Bible, the wedding at Cana was the occasion of Jesus’s first miracle turning water to wine. | |
| 12 | Not accept one’s to break into time off (6) |
| RESIST | |
| I’S (one’s) contained by [to break into] REST (time off) | |
| 13 | Narrow water, even in the sound (6) |
| STRAIT | |
| Aural wordplay [in sound]: STRAIT / “straight” (even) | |
| 16 | Improvising when adjusting a big blind (2-7) |
| AD-LIBBING | |
| Anagram [adjusting] A BIG BLIND | |
| 18 | For example, a rounded figure and personality (3) |
| EGO | |
| EG (for example), O (a rounded figure) | |
| 19 | Call promises of payment untrustworthy (7) |
| DUBIOUS | |
| DUB (call), IOUS (promises of payment) | |
| 20 | Room at the Top in Greek (5) |
| ATTIC | |
| Two meanings. Characteristic of Greece or of Athens. | |
| 22 | To enjoy taking part in quarrel is hateful (6) |
| RELISH | |
| Hidden [taking part] in {quar}REL IS H{ateful} | |
| 23 | Having twinges after exercise? Very good (6) |
| PEACHY | |
| PE (exercise), ACHY (having twinges) | |
| Down |
|
| 1 | To go on one leg needs hard work (3) |
| HOP | |
| H (hard), OP (work – opus) | |
| 2 | Wine and tea, no end of delight (7) |
| CHABLIS | |
| CHA (tea), BLIS{s} (delight) [no end] | |
| 3 | Bravo in resolving rookie excess where pupils present work (8,5) |
| EXERCISE BOOKS | |
| B (Bravo – NATO alphabet) contained by [in] anagram [resolving] ROOKIE EXCESS | |
| 5 | In lifelong travel, a codger collapsed (6-2-5) |
| CRADLE-TO-GRAVE | |
| Anagram [collapsed] of TRAVEL A CODGER. My last one in. I thought it was an anagram but miscounted the letters and gave up on that idea for far too long. |
|
| 6 | Be second through the way out (5) |
| EXIST | |
| S (second) contained by [through] EXIT (way out) | |
| 7 | A number regarding afternoon meal (3,3,3) |
| TEA FOR TWO | |
| Cryptic with reference to the 1924 song performed here as a stride piano solo by Art Tatum. A fascinating presentation of his piano roll recording. | |
| 9 | Good individual left (4) |
| GONE | |
| G (good), ONE (individual) | |
| 10 | Men regard unusual flower (9) |
| GERMANDER | |
| Anagram [unusual] of MEN REGARD | |
| 14 | A month for first time in 20, free of germs (7) |
| ASEPTIC | |
| ATTIC (20 Across) becomes ASEPTIC when the first T (time) is exchanged for SEP (month) | |
| 15 | Rests, heading off annoying insects (4) |
| LIES | |
| {f}LIES (annoying insects) [heading off] | |
| 17 | Tag line attached to murdered man (5) |
| LABEL | |
| L (line), ABEL (murdered man). In the Bible, Abel, son of Adam and Eve, was murdered by his brother, Cain. | |
| 21 | Exclaim, seeing take-off Mimi misses (3) |
| CRY | |
| {mimi}CRY (take-off – as noun) [Mimi misses] | |
Put me in the “pretty tricky for a QC Monday” camp. I knew everything except the flower, but that doesn’t mean answers went in easily, and thank the Lord for the V in the anagrist in Cradle To Grave which could only go one place once some of the crossers were set. thanks, jack
A miserable 22 minute DNF. Struggled throughout and put NITS instead of LIES.
Didn’t enjoy this at all because I found several clues impenetrable.
Need a new target after finally achieving 5 solves in under 2 hours last week.
Well over an hour on big crossword. Took ages to make any headway and then a DNF by one lousy letter (not a typo or spelling error, just a mistake).
Incredibly frustrating to have two very narrow fails.
Great minds think alike.
Perhaps your new target should be to achieve “5 solves in under 2 hours” twice in a year!
Or just not have a target which clearly adds nothing positive to your experience and just seems to make you a miserable bugger 🤷♂️