Weekend Quick Cryptic 108 - Solution

Phil Jordan, Sawbill and I are continuing to produce our series of 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:

• In 4A "or something similar" can also be rendered as "and so forth".
• In 13A "in fifth place" is an insertion indicator for putting a word before the 4th letter of "put foot down".
• In 18A "given to" is a juxtaposition indicator
• In 5D Diana is a well known TV and film actress. Her surname is inserted to get the answer.

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 Number remove hat and fall asleep (3,3)
NOD OFF – NO (number) DOFF (remove hat)
4 Or something similar the man had engraved? (6)
ETCHED – ETC (et cetera; or something similar) HE’D (the man had).
8 Perhaps Ivy after party becomes a wannabe? (6,7)
SOCIAL CLIMBER – SOCIAL (party) CLIMBER (ivy, perhaps).
10 Strangely frightening pike I reel back in (5)
EERIE – Reverse hidden in pikE I REEl.
11 Move away from playing ragtime (7)
MIGRATE – (ragtime)* [playing].
13 Loved to put foot down, certain to occupy fifth place (9)
TREASURED – TREAD (put foot down) including SURE (certain) after the 4^th letter [in fifth place].
17 Large rodent starts to mark another territory around two rivers (7)
MUSKRAT – USK and R (two rivers) in first letters of Mark Another.
18 Wide berth at first given to Dora dancing (5)
BROAD – First letter of Berth, (Dora)* [dancing].
19 Speaker might say they have ties with a movement (3,4,4,2)
THE AYES HAVE IT – (they have ties a)* [movement].
21 Doctor to get less (6)
SHRINK – Double definition.
22 Country to cut back also (6)
POLAND – LOP (cut) [back] -> POL, AND (also).
 
 
Down
1 The woman was in agreement and ate greedily (6)
NOSHED – SHE (the woman) in NOD (agreement).
2 After month, lectures and paints, say, (9)
DECORATES – DEC (month) ORATES (lectures).
3 Beginning to fan weak fire (5)
FLAME – First letter of Fan, LAME (weak).
5 Start from time Diana meets Queen (7)
TRIGGER – T (time) RIGG (Diana Rigg, actress) ER (queen).
6 It could be top of the range (3)
HOB – Cryptic definition.
7 County sorted out (6)
DORSET – (sorted)* [out].
9 Affected by views, we hear, of places to stay overnight (9)
CAMPSITES – CAMP (affected) SITES, sounds like SIGHTS (views).
12 Group of stars with lawyer outside of capital (9)
ANDROMEDA – AND (with) ROME (capital) DA (district attorney; lawyer)
14 Are only set out near the beginning (5,2)
EARLY ON – (are only)* [set out].
15 Hits a thousand in places (6)
SMITES – M (a thousand in roman numerals) in SITES (places).
16 Between two newspaper employees it gets amended (6)
EDITED – IT between ED and ED  (two editors; newspaper employees).
18 Cooked boar around five - well done (5)
BRAVO – V (five) in (boar)* [cooked].
20 Rip top off organ (3)
EAR – {t}EAR (rip) missing the first letter..