Weekend Quick Cryptic 118 - 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.  Did you find the Nina? 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:

• Can you spot the seasonal song title in the unchecked letters? It starts at the bottom on the right-hand side and goes clockwise round the outside of the grid.
• In 8A the serf was Spartan.
• The wordplay in 13A  means you have to take the S in the author's name and move it to the front.
• You need to know your old cities for 15A. If you are still stuck, the Nina should help.
• The second word in 6D can also be defined as a performer's act.
• 21D is a semi-&lit where the whole clue is the definition and only self-reference "this" is not part of the wordplay

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
7 Sprayed hose to calm things down (6)
SOOTHE – [Sprayed] (hose to)*.
8 After end of enslavement serf gets everything (3,3)
THE LOT – Last letter of enslavemenT, HELOT (Spartan serf).
9 Part of Israeli deal is maybe something unrealistic (8)
IDEALISM – Hidden in, [part of], IsraelI DEAL IS Maybe.
10 List of tasks creates a lot of fuss (2-2)
TO-DO – Double definition.
11 Has returned to area central to Iraq that's a huge desert (6)
SAHARA – HAS [returned] -> SAH, A (area) and middle letters of [central to iRAq
13 French author moving south to head for Brussels? (6)
SPROUT – PROUST (French author) moving the S (south) to the beginning of the word [to head] -> SPROUT. It is a little known fact that Proust did a European tour and after Denmark, visited Belgium. Just kidding. I made that up to account for his  geographic location implied by the clue surface. The ? is to indicate a Definition By Example – other sorts of sprouts are available. P.S. As I learned from The Times Daily Word Watch earlier this week, what we have here is an “anatopism” as Proust would travel North to Brussels.

14 Small child's drink (3)
TOT – Double definition.
15 Sophisticated old city bar close to failure (6)
URBANE = UR (old city) BAN (bar) and last letter of [close to] failurE.
17 White man out on bail (6)
ALBINO – (on bail)* [out].
19 Coming from the East End yob sadly holds a restraining order (4)
ASBO – Reverse hidden [coming from the East End] in yOB SAdly.
20 Merry old king's regulation salad dish (8)
COLESLAW – COLE’S (Old King’s; Old King Cole was a merry old soul…) LAW (regulation).
22 Ignoring cold, mountaineer is able to move freely (6)
LIMBER – {c}LIMBER (mountaineer) removing [ignoring] the C (cold)
23 Source of old equipment at home (6)
ORIGIN – O (old) RIG (equipment) IN (at home).
 
Down
1 Pass daughter a viral infection (4)
COLD – COL (mountain pass) D (daughter).
2 Some boycott a war-torn capital (6)
OTTAWA – Hidden in, [some], boycOTT A WAr-torn.
3 Think meat diet is wrong (8)
MEDITATE – (meat diet)* [is wrong].
4 A bit of news? About time! (4)
ITEM – [about] (time)*.
5 New sort of apple is crisper (6)
NEATER – N (new) EATER (sort of apple).
6 Act of kindness of excellent performer (4,4)
GOOD TURN – GOOD (excellent) TURN (performer).
12 Anagram clues require our solver to identify characters initially - as does this one! (8)
ACROSTIC – First letters of, [initially,] Anagram Clues Require Our Solver To Identify Characters
13 Something charged following accommodation in stable for horse (8)
STALLION – STALL (accommodation in stable) ION (something charged).
16 After a short time leading embryology graduate creates a tiny life-form (6)
AMOEBA – A MO (a short time), first letter of, [leading], Embryology, BA (graduate).
18 Cry over a home revolution in part of the Balkans (6)
BOSNIA – SOB (cry) [over] -> BOS, A IN (home) [revolution] -> NIA.
20 One vehicle over time becomes another (4)
CART – CAR (one vehicle) [over] T (time). Over here is a juxtaposition indicator for a down clue.
21 X is a sort of this (4)
AXIS – (X is a)*  [sort of]. A semi-&lit where the whole clue is the definition and only “this” is not part of the wordplay.