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.

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.