Weekend Quick Cryptic 102 - Solution

Phil Jordan, Sawbill and I are continuing to produce our series of Weekend Quick Cryptic crosswords. We 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. 

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

Hints and tips...

Some hints and tips:

• The Vice President at 20A is of the USA
• In 2D you need a homophone of you (you picked up) for the last of the letters firming the anagram.
• In 4D "with different opening" means take a word and change the first letter.

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 Gamebird is in the pan as cooked (8)
PHEASANT – (the pan as)* [cooked].
5 Even Alfred returns before time (4)
FLAT – ALF (Alfred) [returns] -> FLA, T (time).
9 Pale-faced like female? (5)
ASHEN – AS (like) HEN (female bird).
10 Transport with people half removed in crush (7)
TRAMPLE – TRAM (transport), {peo}PLE with the first half removed.
11 Silence as I tuck into bananas after a bit of pie (3,1,4,2,2)
PUT A SOCK IN IT – P{ie} [a bit of; first letter]. (as I tuck into)* [bananas].
13 Writer starts to take home two gold pens (6)
AUTHOR – AU and OR (gold twice) outside, [pens], initial letters of Take Home.
14 Kevin gets confused by small utensils (6)
KNIVES – (Kevin)* [gets confused], S (small).
17 Going first? (12)
PREDECEASING – Cryptic definition.
20 Cost provided by former Vice President, we hear (7)
EXPENSE – EX (former) PENSE, sounds like PENCE (Mike Pence, former US Vice President).
21 Northern house with often dingy toilet (5)
IGLOO - Alternate letters, [often], of dInGy LOO (toilet).
22 At last get to buy sons fun things (4)
TOYS – Final letters of geT tO buY sonS.
23 Chicken to follow drink (8)
COCKTAIL – COCK (male chicken) TAIL (follow).
 
Down
1 Fruit two people picked up (4)
PEAR – PEAR sounds like PAIR (two people).
2 Finish playing the sax you picked up (7)
EXHAUST – [playing] (the sax u)*, where the U sounds like [picked up] YOU.
3 Islanders are persons again displaced (12)
SINGAPOREANS – (persons again)* [displaced].
4 Idea for movement with different opening (6)
NOTION – {m}OTION (movement) with the first letter, [opening], changed to an N.
6 Initially look up plant identifying new flower (5)
LUPIN – First letters, [initially], of Look Up Plant Identifying New.
7 Paper coming from birch, say, as it is processed inside (8)
TREATISE – (as it)* [processed] inside TREE (birch, say).
8 Law rejected before monarch's approval and support (7,5)
WALKING STICK – LAW [rejected] -> WAL, KING’S (monarch’s), TICK (approval).
12 Most content with rewritten epitaphs (8)
HAPPIEST – (epitaphs)* [rewritten].
15 Article in roman house is plain (7)
VANILLA – AN (indefinite article) in VILLA (roman house).
16 Note: reheat contents up to this date (6)
HERETO – Reverse hidden in nOTE REHeat.
18 Initially Margaret Thatcher on the radio is clear (5)
EMPTY – First letters of Maragaret Thatcher, MT sounds like EMPTY.
19 Bit of water polo rescheduled (4)
POOL – (polo)* [rescheduled].