Times for the Times

After a slow start at the top of the grid, I found the rest yeilded more easily so finished in an average time. I've never heard of the type of drama at 2dn but with all the letters could make a reasonable guess, and my LOI was 3dn (should have looked at the setter's name!). COD to 9dn - bravo.

Definitions underlined.

Across
1	Confirm you might find cricket lover here? (6)
	ATTEST - a cricket lover might be 'AT {a} TEST {match}'.
4	Visit prison reported to be pretty (6)
	SCENIC - sounds like (reported) "see nick" (visit prison).
8	Supplies cut short by supporter for time being (13)
	PROVISIONALLY - PROVISIONs (supplies) without the last letter (cut short) then ALLY (supporter).
10	Fatuous characters in Twain anecdote (5)
	INANE - hidden in (characters in) twaIN ANEcdote.
11	Stuff your face and get too hot in Bow? (7)
	OVEREAT - 'overheat' (get too hot) said with an East London accent (in Bow), so dropping the 'h'.
13	Escape from party with top-class athlete (2,1,6)
	DO A RUNNER - DO (party), A (top-class), and RUNNER (athlete).
17	Band in blissful state (7)
	NIRVANA - double definition.
18	Subject those people start to enjoy (5)
	THEME - THEM (those people) and the first letter of (start to) Enjoy.
19	Fair-minded democrat beaten up in side street (13)
	DISINTERESTED - D (democrat) then an anagram of (beaten up) IN SIDE STREET.
21	Half-cut priest dined in grounds (6)
	ESTATE - half of the letters from (half-cut) priEST, then ATE (dined).
22	Solicitor in bed, drinking whiskey (6)
	LAWYER - LAYER (bed) contining (drinking) W (whiskey, phonetic alphabet). 'Layer' here refers to a course, bed or stratum.

Down
1	One who helps a posh couple? (2,4)
	AU PAIR - A, U (upper class, posh), and PAIR (couple).
2	Doctor Who ranted, making a sort of drama (3-6)
	TWO-HANDER - anagram of (doctor) WHO RANTED. A play, film, or television program with only two main characters.
3	Scoundrel found in southern port? (5)
	SWINE - S (southern) and WINE (port).
5	Tory heading European research centre? It’s a worry (7)
	CONCERN - CON (Tory) on top of (heading) CERN (European research centre).
6	Row endlessly about nothing (3)
	NIL - LINe (row) missing the final letter (endlessly) and reversed (about).
7	Ostler occasionally attending shy creature (6)
	COYOTE - every other letter from (occasionally) OsTlEr next to (attending) COY (shy).
9	To guard against infection I clean out potty (9)
	INOCULATE - anagram of (potty) I CLEAN OUT.
12	Seriously, it’s too soon to hold retreat (9)
	EARNESTLY - EARLY (too soon) containing (to hold) NEST (retreat).
14	Opposed to a holy man pocketing reward (7)
	AGAINST - A ST (saint, holy man) containing (pocketing) GAIN (reward).
15	Propositioned general, a little uneasy (2,4)
	ON EDGE - hidden in (a little) propositiONED GEneral.
16	Romantic proposal (6)
	TENDER - double definition.
18	Article gets thank you letter (5)
	THETA - THE (article) and TA (thanks).
20	Drunkard finding nothing in street (3)
	SOT - O (nothing) inside (in) ST (street).

Another gentle Wednesday I think; pleasantly satisfying while it lasted, which was around 15 minutes before writing the blog. I managed to find a way to bang on about one of my favourite books in reference to 9a; I had to ask Mrs K if 5a was indeed a plant; otherwise not much else to say.





Across
1 Cajolery frequently succeeded in ongoing saga (4,4)
SOFT SOAP - OFT (frequently) S (succeeded) in SOAP.

5 Attempt to save plant (6)
THRIFT - double defintion. Thrift is a flowering evergreen, Armenia maritima also called sea pink. You've probably seen it but not known what it was. Like me.

8 Scheming felon caught in Vienna in disguise (10)
CONNIVANCE - CON (felon) (VIENNA)* with C inserted.

9 Two parties that never got off the ground? (4)
DODO - DO (party) twice. Extinct bird endemic to Mauritius, and a character (a caricature of the author C L Dodgson a.k.a. Lewis Carroll) in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

10 Where to see scholars getting on train? (8,6)
BOARDING SCHOOL - Cryptic &lit.

11 Warning about echo in that place (7)
THEREAT - THREAT about E.

13 Children ultimately in pathetic fight for play area (7)
SANDBOX - N (end of children) in SAD, BOX = fight
.
15 Tentative article replaced by another in journal (7)
DITHERY - DIARY, replace A by THE.

18 Rope seaman primarily leaves alone (7)
STRANDS - STRAND = rope, S = seaman primarily.

21 Biographer's material, what's known of it? (3,5,2,4)
THE FACTS OF LIFE - double definition, the second referring to 'it' as sex.

22 Source of light to cry over (4)
BULB - BLUB reversed.

23 Flavouring ingredient, mixture of melon and peach (5,5)
LEMON GRASS - (LEMON)*, peach meaning to inform as a verb = grass.

24 Four outsiders in theatre with unfinished business (6)
TETRAD - T E (outsiders in theatre) TRAD(E).

25 Revolutionary went off round city, one finds (8)
DETECTOR - ROTTED = went off, 'revolutionary' = DETTOR, insert EC for the City.

Down
1 Under fire, however, players blew it (7)
SACKBUT - SACK = fire, BUT = however.

2 Mine, I agree, finally hit bottom (9)
FUNDAMENT - FUND = mine, as in 'mine of information', AMEN = I agree; T = end of hiT.

3 Rotters hosting oddly dull do (7)
SWINDLE - SWINE (rotters) has D L (odd letters of dull) inserted.

4 In contact with foreign leader this month (7)
AGAINST - AGA = foreign leader' INST = this month.

5 Powerful transport turning right to start with (9)
TRENCHANT - RT = right, 'turning' = TR; ENCHANT = transport.

6 Timber cross we'd erroneously inscribed (7)
REDWOOD - ROOD (cross) has (WE'D)* inserted.

7 Contrarily put on Grease though opera's wanted (7)
FIDELIO - Reverse OILED IF (put on Grease, though).

12 Sent by plane across India, member was sick (9)
AIRMAILED - insert I (India) into ARM (member), AILED = was sick.

14 Foodie heading for tavern after exam in postwar capital (3,6)
BON VIVANT - BONN (postwar capital of W. Germany) insert VIVA (exam) add T (heading for tavern). French literally 'good living'.

16 Enter unwanted suggestion, commonly coarse (7)
INTRUDE - (H)INT = suggestion commonly, RUDE = coarse.

17 Lean over counter in repair shop (7)
HEELBAR - HEEL (lean over) BAR (counter).

18 Internal contraction due to extremely speedy boa? (7)
SYSTOLE - S Y (extremely speedy) STOLE (boa). Contraction of the heart muscles; the word systolic is more commonly heard, in reference to blood pressure.

19 Judge associated with the top people: I'm surprised he's been driven out (7)
REFUGEE - REF (judge) U (top people) GEE ! (I'm surprised !).

20 Poet's son writes about uprising (7)
SPENSER - S (son) PENS, RE (about) reversed.


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