Author name: crosswordanswers

1-across – Gardening tool : DUTCHHOE

5-across – Desist : STOP

9-across – Beast-like, untamed : FERAL

10-across – Ballroom dance : TWOSTEP

11-across – Shrewdness : PERSPICACITY

13-across – Obsessive type : ANORAK

14-across – Range of mountains : SIERRA

17-across – Extremely remote : BACKOFBEYOND

20-across – Indecent : OBSCENE

21-across – Put to death without trial : LYNCH

22-across – Squirrel’s nest : DREY

23-across – Highland sword : CLAYMORE

1-down – Adroit : DEFT

2-down – Submarine missile : TORPEDO

3-down – Fairly drunk : HALFSEASOVER

4-down – Get the better of : OUTWIT

6-down – To be performed by the whole orchestra : TUTTI

7-down – Childhood plumpness : PUPPYFAT

8-down – Mediaeval allegorical drama : MORALITYPLAY

12-down – Hostility, enmity : BADBLOOD

15-down – Come across : RUNINTO

16-down – Descend by rope : ABSEIL

18-down – Social class : CASTE

19-down – Clarified butter : GHEE

1-across – Ado : FUSS

3-across – Predilection : PENCHANT

8-across – Smallest of the litter : RUNT

9-across – Publicly shared : COMMUNAL

11-across – Course of study : CURRICULUM

14-across – Pierce : SKEWER

15-across – Hackneyed phrase : CLICHE

17-across – Reactionary : RETROGRADE

20-across – Accentuation : EMPHASIS

21-across – Join up to : ABUT

22-across – Interpret : DECIPHER

23-across – Make well : HEAL

1-down – Prediction : FORECAST

2-down – Extras : SUNDRIES

4-down – Departure en masse : EXODUS

5-down – Disguise : CAMOUFLAGE

6-down – Former Indian coin : ANNA

7-down – Ring bell : TOLL

10-down – Military assistant : AIDEDECAMP

12-down – Board game : SCRABBLE

13-down – Base of column : PEDESTAL

16-down – Bear-like : URSINE

18-down – Sell : VEND

19-down – On a large scale : EPIC

5-across – Diligent : PAINSTAKING

7-across – Thread of candle : WICK

8-across – Buoyancy device : LIFEBELT

9-across – Fiction : FALSITY

11-across – Delicate : FRAIL

13-across – Deserve : MERIT

14-across – Deficiency of red blood cells : ANAEMIA

16-across – Man-driven Asian vehicle : RICKSHAW

17-across – Platform : DAIS

18-across – Dependable : TRUSTWORTHY

1-down – Skating arena : RINK

2-down – Set apart : ISOLATE

3-down – Social blunder : GAFFE

4-down – Pay out : DISBURSE

5-down – Stamp collector : PHILATELIST

6-down – Naivete : GULLIBILITY

10-down – Obtrude : STICKOUT

12-down – Experience : KNOWHOW

15-down – Hindu loin cloth : DHOTI

17-down – Responsibility : DUTY

1-across – When push comes to shove : MOMENTOFTRUTH

8-across – Exclude : BAR

9-across – Denominator : NUMERATOR

10-across – Confidence trick : SCAM

11-across – First principle : RUDIMENT

13-across – Cut back : REDUCE

14-across – Alfresco meal : PICNIC

17-across – Architectural rain spout carving : GARGOYLE

19-across – Spoken : ORAL

21-across – Reserved : LAIDASIDE

22-across – Beast of burden : ASS

24-across – Collection of undesirables : ROGUESGALLERY

1-down – Unruly crowd : MOB

2-down – Mythical sea creature : MERMAID

3-down – Less than posh : NONU

4-down – Metallic element No 76 : OSMIUM

5-down – Tremendous : TERRIFIC

6-down – Release : UNTIE

7-down – Unorthodox : HERETICAL

10-down – Laggard : STRAGGLER

12-down – Round of applause : ACCOLADE

15-down – Tell a story : NARRATE

16-down – On the wing : FLYING

18-down – Regretful : RUING

20-down – Repast : MEAL

23-down – Cunning : SLY

6-across – Polished; suave : SMOOTH

8-across – Loan shark : USURER

9-across – Indonesian holiday resort island : BALI

10-across – Well-read; educated : LETTERED

11-across – Accept the unpleasant consequences of one’s actions : FACETHEMUSIC

12-across – Collectively, the Inner and Outer Hebrides : WESTERNISLES

15-across – Debated; argued : REASONED

16-across – Be slack-jawed; ogle : GAPE

18-across – Shrewish woman : VIRAGO

19-across – Industrial work table: flat surface of a printing press : PLATEN

1-down – Jane Austen novel : EMMA

2-down – Imaginary belt in the heavens : ZODIAC

3-down – Frighten; scare : PUTTHEWINDUP

4-down – Desk: office : BUREAU

5-down – Eg, incest? : GENETICS

7-down – Demand concessions by threat : HOLDTORANSOM

11-down – ——– Chopin, Polish composer in France : FREDERIC

13-down – Abel ——, Dutch discoverer of New Zealand : TASMAN

14-down – Deadlock; situation that seems insoluble : LOGJAM

17-down – Robert —-, British prime minister, 1834-5; 1841-6 : PEEL