Weekend Quick Cryptic 88 - 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 my 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 and tips...

Some hints and tips:

• Of the across answers all but 12A and 17A are thematic and the last three are all butterflies.
• In 27A "winger", for once, doesn't refer to a bird.
• 11D refers to an expression that originates from Lewis Carroll's 1871 book Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There.

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 These creatures have many supporters (10)
CENTIPEDES – Cryptic definition.
7 American university's hosting introduction to education for small children (5)
MITES – [introduction to] Education in MIT’S (American university’s].
8 Secretly listen in with bug (6)
EARWIG – Double definition.
10 Maybe soldier is originally against new tanks (3)
ANT – Initial letters of Against New Tanks.
12 Understand arrest (9)
APPREHEND – Double definition.
13 Maid beginning to deliver cooked meals (6)
DAMSEL – [Beginning to] Deliver, (meals)* [cooked]. Also a sort of fly.
14 French cheeses reportedly produce wind (6)
BREEZE – Sounds like BRIES (French cheeses). Also an archaic or dialect name for a gadfly.
17 Making wealthier from corrupt reign over most of China (9)
ENRICHING –  Most of CHIN{a} in (reign)* [corrupt].
19 Egg, one with top removed (3)
NIT – {u}NIT (one) without its first letter.
20 Policeman could be in your pocket (6)
COPPER – Double definition, the second being a cryptic hint that a coin in your pocket could be a copper one. Also the name of a butterfly.
21 All-seeing giant is quarrelsome lacking energy (5)
ARGUS – ARGU{e}S (is quarrelsome) without the E (energy). Also the name of a butterfly.
23 Get a new goalie and winger? (10)
GATEKEEPER – (Get a)^ new KEEPER (goalie). An other sort of butterfly (winger).
 
Down
1 Order unopened beer that's appropriate for military use (10)
COMMANDEER – COMMAND (order) {b}EER [unopened].
2 Score a goal. That's 10 up! (3)
NET – TEN (10) [up].
3 Establish from Kremlin statement (7)
INSTATE – Hidden in KremlIN STATEment.
4 Former English politician ultimately not immune from paying tax (6)
EXEMPT – EX (former) E (English) MP (politician) and last letter of noT.
5 Ghostly spectre's back over lake (5)
EERIE – Last letter of spectrE, ERIE (great lake).
6 One still needed to complete score (8)
NINETEEN – Cryptic definition.
9 Promoter of DeVries art composition (10)
ADVERTISER – (DeVries art) [composition].
11 Day of jam leading to dispute after motor crashed (8)
TOMORROW – (motor)* [crashed] ROW (dispute). "The rule is, jam to-morrow and jam yesterday – but never jam to-day."
15 About dodgy Edgar and Mark again... (7)
REGRADE -  RE (about) (Edgar)* [dodgy].
16 Bit getting around resistance to make hole (6)
PIERCE -  R (resistance) in PIECE (bit).
18 Drink some cappuccino up (5)
CUPPA – Reverse hidden in cAPPUCcino.
22 Doctor takes a break (3)
GAP -  A in GP (doctor).