Weekend Quick Cryptic 112 - 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 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. [Edit: Apologies to early solvers. There was a mistake in the clue for 1D which had a change - now corrected].

Hints and tips...

Some hints and tips:

• 12 across answers relate to the theme. Did you spot them all?
• For 15A it helps to know your salad leaves.
• 1D may be unfamiliar but follow the wordplay of an anagram and then an initial letter.
• One of the down clues is a triple definition.

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 Ardent desire that's out of place in soaps (7)
PASSION – [out of place] (in soaps)*.
5 Eat out after daughter's engagement (4)
DATE – D (daughter) (eat)* [out].
7 Leaves Greek island (3)
COS – Double definition.
8 I hear father cuts these vegetables (8)
PARSNIPS – Sounds like PA (father) SNIPS (cuts).
10 Green source of oil? (5)
OLIVE – Double definition.
11 I'm over beginning oil painting with pigment laid on thick (7)
IMPASTO – I’M PAST (over) and first letter of Oil.
13 Pungent red ingredient central to Arab recipe (6)
RADISH – Middle letters, [central to], of aRAb, DISH (recipe).
15 Leafy comestible is tucked into on the house (6)
FRISÉE – IS inside, [tucked into], FREE (on the house).
17 Medic after position as researcher (7)
POSTDOC – POST (position) DOC (doctor; medic).
18 Lemon hybridised to yield another fruit (5)
MELON – (lemon)* [hybridised].
20 Small orange type of duck (8)
MANDARIN – Double definition.
22 Reportedly spend a penny on this vegetable (3)
PEA – Sounds like PEE (spend a penny).
23 Runner perhaps gets disqualification possessing drug (4)
BEAN – E (drug) in BAN (disqualification).
24 Produce from English allotment (7)
SHALLOT – hidden in EngliSH ALLOTment
 
Down
1 Use Pop art, CGI and bit of hand-waving for presentation of statistics (10)
PICTOGRAPH - [use] (Pop art CGI)* and first letter, [bit of], Hand-waving.
2 South American for starters has incredibly fishy dish (5)
SUSHI - S (South) US (American) and first letters [for starters] of Has Incredibly.
3 Wowed by announcement of media boss (9)
IMPRESSED – Double definition, the second a cryptic hint – the media boss might say I’M PRESS ED.
4 Some minor Dickensian from Scandinavia (6)
NORDIC – Hidden in, [some], miNOR DICkensian.
5 Finally drowned in noise (3)
DIN – Last letter, [finally], of drowneD, IN.
6 Office workers get outrageously tipsy on case of Teacher's (7)
TYPISTS – [outrageously] (tipsy)* and outside letters of [case of] Teacher’S
9 Somehow afford a net at both front and back of boat (4-3-3)
FORE-AND-AFT – [somehow] (afford-a-net)*.
12 Burning desire for extremely pretty European country (9)
PYROMANIA – Outside letters of, [extremely] PrettY, ROMANIA (European country).
14 Princess's relaxation is a cause of sickness (7)
DISEASE – DI’S(Princess Diana’s) EASE (relaxation).
16 Nuts need assiduous cultivation of rich natural soil initially (6)
ACORNS – initial letters of Assiduous Cultivation Of Natural Soil.
19 Turn up some fragile palaeolithic piece of coat (5)
LAPEL – Reverse hidden, [turn up some] in fragiLE PALaeolithic.
21 Assume Spanish nobleman is academic (3)
DON – Triple definition.