2, 3 and 4d got me off to a quickish start as FOsI, but 5d was less familiar and slowed me up. Overall, a high-quality puzzle from the Don with much to enjoy. I imagine that the SCC may struggle a little with the novelty of some of the devices, but with 8 meaty anagrams or part anagrams, everyone should be able to make a start.
Across
1 Lovely cleaner of high-quality porcelain (8)
CHARMING – CHAR (cleaner) and MING (high-quality porcelain from the Ming dynasty in China). Remember CHA / CHAR – with an R it is a cleaner or daily help (or sometimes a fish or to burn something), without an R it is tea.
6 There’s little good in lad who is a malign influence? (4)
BOGY – G{ood} inside BOY (lad). BOGY is defined as the Devil or a goblin, as well as some more or less savoury meanings!
8 Cautious in conflict, coming to enemy finally (4)
WARY – WAR (conflict) and {enem}Y (finally).
9 Like problematic jar of marmalade? End up with one chucked! (8)
UNOPENED – Anagram (chucked) of [END UP] with [ONE]. An UNOPENED jar of marmalade can be a problem, unless one has one of those little vacuum breaker gizmos that make opening it a doddle.
10 One praising novel art aloud (8)
ADULATOR – Anagram (novel) of [ART ALOUD]. My first thought on reading the clue was IDOLATOR which was close, and then I saw the anagram.
12 Remain to offer support (4)
STAY – Double definition, the second as in the STAY of a corset.
13 Star perhaps getting a black eye (6)
SHINER – Almost a straight double definition.
16 Entertained by churchmen, delightful scientific monk (6)
MENDEL – Referring to Gregor MENDEL, scientific Augustinian friar, recognised as the founder of Genetics, and hidden inside (entertained by) {church}MEN, DEL{ightful} in this clue.
17 Everyone at the back of hotel room (4)
HALL – ALL (everyone) behind (at the back of) H{otel} (phonetic alphabet).
18 I’m so funny in fancy lace garment (8)
CAMISOLE – Anagram (funny) of [I’M SO] inside another anagram (fancy) of [LACE]. With STAYs in 12 across and CAMISOLES here, this QC is quickly becoming foundational!
21 Card some organised for colleagues (8)
COMRADES – Anagram (organised) of [CARD SOME].
22 Show contempt for hospital food (4)
DISH – DIS (show contempt for, as in the slang transitive verb) and H (hospital). I am more used to seeing DIS spelled as DISS, but either is ok apparently.
23 Greek characters sat back after end of voyage (4)
ETAS – more than one ETA (Greek character). SAT (reversed or back, to give TAS) after E (end of {voyag}E.
24 Tiny dame, surprisingly explosive (8)
DYNAMITE – Anagram (surprisingly) of [TINY DAME].
Down
2 Difficult to hide ring in collection (5)
HOARD – HARD (difficult) hiding / containing O (ring).
3 Man bringing a bit of sunshine (3)
RAY – Double definition
4 Native home on Scottish island son escapes from (5)
INUIT – IN (home) and UI{s}T (Scottish island after S{on} has ‘escaped’. Part of the Outer Hebrides, UIST or The Uists is a group of 6 islands. This clue brought a smile, remembering the old joke about the Eskimo lottery – you have to be Inuit to win it!
5 Drink stuff – stiff stuff! (7)
GROGRAM – GROG (drink – as a retired Naval Officer I remember it well!) and RAM (stuff). GROGRAM is a stiff fabric of silk and mohair.
6 Bishop leading the French chants offers benedictions (9)
BLESSINGS – B{ishop} ahead of / leading LES (the in French) and SINGS (chants). This took me longer than it should have.
7 Enraged drunk – one may explode (7)
GRENADE – Anagram (drunk) of [ENRAGED].
11 Letters descend on crickets’s HQ (9)
LANDLORDS – That kind of ‘letters’ again – LAND (descend) on LORDS (HQ for the game of cricket).
14 Pay absolute attention to new author taking in English (4,3)
HEAR OUT – Anagram (new) of [AUTHOR] and E{nglish}.
15 What old lawn needs to be, we hear? It’s faded (7)
RECEDED – Sounds like (we hear) RE-SEEDED.
19 Mum’s working for a member of a secret society (5)
MASON – MA’S (Mum’s) and ON (working). I heard on TV yesterday that a mason would claim to be a member of a society with secrets, rather than a member of a secret society!
20 Composer’s final jazz piece included in catalogue (5)
LISZT – {jaz}Z (final piece) included in LIST (catalogue).
22 End of crossword – I am needing a bit of illumination? (3)
DIM – {crossword}D (end of) and I’M (I am).
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