Weekend Quick Cryptic 76 - 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 Sawbill'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. 

DO COME TO THE 2D. We are planning another London get together on Saturday 24th June from 1200 at The George, Borough High Street, Southwark, Greater London, SE1 1NH. All are welcome. Your Weekend Quick Cryptic Compilers and several TfTT bloggers and regular commenters will be there. We are also expecting Mick Hodgkin, the Times Puzzles Editor, Richard Rogan, Times Crossword Editor and Pete Biddlecombe, Sundays Times Crossword Editor and founder of Times for The Times to drop in. If you intend coming along, please drop me a line to Johninterred's Email, or send me a message via the "Contact Me" box in the sidebar, so we can have some idea of numbers and reserve sufficient table space.

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

Hints...

Some hints and tips:

• It helps to know your NATO phonetic alphabet for a couple of the clues.
• In 20A "up" refers to going to university.
• In 22A the field is an agricultural one.

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
1 Winds and releases it somehow (10)
EASTERLIES – (releases it)* [somehow].
8 British and French XI in third place? (6)
BRONZE – BR (British) ONZE (XI, eleven in French).
9 I'm among VIPs in flight (6)
STAIRS – I  [‘m among] STARS (VIPs).
10 Policeman outside the Spanish food shop (4)
DELI – DI (Detective Inspector) [outside] EL (The in Spanish).
11 Excellent crispy pork skin left out (8)
CRACKING – CRACK{l}ING (crispy pork skin) without L [left out].
12 Puts on carriages (6)
STAGES – Double definition.
14 Oppose sister changing (6)
RESIST – (sister)* [changing].
16 Announce Carol and I are moving in the afternoon (8)
PROCLAIM – (carol I)* [moving] in PM (afternoon).
18 Test chopper flying back with Mike (4)
EXAM – AXE (chopper) [flying back] -> EXA, M (Mike in the NATO phonetic alphabet).
20 Did they previously go up? (6)
ALUMNI – Cryptic definition.
21 Pointless to rub down edges of unit on the inside (6)
FUTILE – FILE (rub down) with [edges of] U{ni}T [inside].
22 They may stand out in their field (10)
SCARECROWS – Cryptic definition.
 
Down
2 Meet up in beer garden (5)
AGREE – Reverse hidden [up in] bEER Garden. Good of Sawbill to advertise our get together in June. Maybe, as editor, I should have added “from 12pm on the 24^th June at The George” to the clue!
3 Looking after and finishing on time (7)
TENDING – T (time) ENDING (finishing).
4 Eggs brooded now and again (3)
ROE – Alternate letters of bRoOdEd [now and again].
5 App a migrant's developed (9)
INSTAGRAM – (a migrant’s)* [developed].
6 Small cistern smelled awful (5)
STANK – S (small) TANK (cistern).
7 Permits old lady to sing at the beginning (6)
GRANTS – GRAN (old lady) To Sing [at the beginning].
11 Co-star I call having lost lines in a state (5,4)
COSTA RICA – CO-STAR ICA{ll} without the ls [having lost lines].
13 Excitement from bird song outside hotel (6)
THRILL – TRILL (birdsong) outside H (hotel in the NATO phonetic alphabet).
15 Lets her change in tent, say (7)
SHELTER – (lets her)* [change].
17 Searches for hairdresser's equipment (5)
COMBS – Double definition.
19 Let everyone bowl without limits (5)
ALLOW – ALL (everyone) bOWl [without first and last letters; without limits].
21 Iron Duke, finally, in charge (3)
FEE – FE (chemical symbol for Iron) {Duk}E [finally].