Weekend Quick Cryptic 63 - Solution

My fellow TimesforTheTimes contributors Phil Jordan, Sawbill and I are continuing to produce Quick Cryptic crosswords to fill the gap left by the Saturday Times not having one. The plan is for us to take turns, publishing one a fortnight, and this week it's Phil's turn. 

You can find a link to the crossword here and the answers below. Feel free to leave any comments or questions here as you would do on TfTT. You can find an index to the complete series of crosswords here.

Before looking at the answers, if you would like some additional help, click the label below.

Hints...

Some hints and tips:

• 9A is not an anagram of "laces ten".
• Swapping sides in 21A can be done in two ways to get the same answer.
• 4D may be unfamiliar (as it was to me) but the checkers and wordplay leave no doubt as to the answer.
• The graduate at 19A is either American or a medic.

And click on this label to get the solution.

Solution and explanation of the answers...

Definitions underlined in bold italics, (Abc)* indicating anagram of Abc,  {deletions} and [] other indicators.

Across

4 Poorly love? Pervert! (5)
SICKO – SICK (poorly) O (0; love).
7 Restrain Spooner's intrepid journalist (4,4)
HOLD BACK – Spoonerism of BOLD (intrepid) HACK (journalist).
8 Sailor and undergraduate aim to meet band (4)
ABBA – AB (Able-bodied seaman) BA (undergraduate aim).
9 Laces ten bad drinks (8)
ENTWINES – (ten)* [bad] WINES (drinks).
10 Give permission for arsenic to be dispatched (6)
ASSENT – AS (Chemical symbol for Arsenic) SENT (dispatched).
13 Noblemen discovered in Cuba, Ron said (6)
BARONS – Hidden in CuBA RON Said.
14 Bright rodents return to railway (6)
STARRY – RATS (rodents) [returned] -> STAR, RY (railway).
15 Loved America - did one reach East Delaware at the outset ? (6)
ADORED – First letters of America Did One Reach East Delaware [at first].
18 It's a pain for ambassadors to harbour a returning scoundrel (8)
HEADACHE – HE, HE (his/her excellency twice; ambassadors) containing, [harbouring], A, CAD (scoundrel) [returning] -> DAC.
19 Racing graduate tells porkies (4)
FIBS – F1 (formula one; racing) BS (graduate).
20 Mixed steroids 50 for 1 - maybe these seniors will use them! (8)
OLDSTERS – (sterolds)*, replacing the I for an L [50 for  1]. Bodybuilding geriatrics? You keep strange company, Phil!
21 He entices monarch to swap sides (5)
LURER – RULER (monarch) swapping the R and L.
 
Down
1 Old city not quite top-rated (6)
THEBES – THE BES{t} (top-rated) [not quite].
2 Stick or split (6)
CLEAVE – Double definition… e.g. cleaving a log and cleaving of your tongue to the roof of your mouth.
3 Be opposed to item (6)
OBJECT – Double definition.
4 Patchy horse found in southern gardens, hairless (8)
SKEWBALD – S (southern) KEW (gardens) BALD (hairless). Not a word I knew but the checkers and wordplay left no cause for doubt.
5 Continuous din a bad error on the radio (8)
CLANGOUR – Sounds like [on the radio] CLANGER (bad error).
6 Surgical procedure takes advantage of works (6)
OPUSES – OP (operation; surgical procedures) USES (takes advantage of).
11 Sailor's tortured fears are hidden (8)
SEAFARER – [tortured] (fears)* with ARE inside, [hidden].
12 He tells of climbing island's peak (8)
14 Train fish (6)
SCHOOL – Double definition.
15 Relaxed with a coquette (2,4)
AT EASE – A TEASE (coquette).
16 Make allowances when not in front of the cameras (6)
OFFSET – OFF SET (when not in front of the camera).
17 Stamp - Bond may describe his superior thus (6)
EMBOSS – Double definition, the second a cryptic hint - James Bond worked for M