Weekend Quick Cryptic 121 - 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 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:

• The theme is Burns Night which is this Saturday, 25th January. See below the solution image for the full explanation.
• In 1A "on" is a link word
• The 1000 guineas in 5A will happen on 5th May 2025 at Newmarket.
• The second definition in 11A was in the British Army from the 1960s to 1990s.
• In 15D Ermintrude is a character from The Magic Roundabout.
• In 16D the horn is a type of clarinet.

And click on this label to get the solution.

Solution and explanation of the answers...

The theme can be summarised as follows:

The title is the start of the Selkirk Grace:

    "Some hae meat and canna eat,

    And some wad eat that want it,

    But we hae meat and we can eat,

    Sae let the Lord be Thankit!"

...which is traditionally said at the start of Burns SUPPERS of HAGGIS, CHIEFTAIN of the PUDDING RACE, TATTIES and NEEPS with a WEE DRAM of whisky.

Definitions  underlined in bold italics , ( Abc )* indicating anagram of Abc,{deletions} and [] other indicators.

 

Across
1 Spotted Dick on course (7)
PUDDING – Double definition
5 Ms Darling goes topless for 1,000 guineas, perhaps? (4)
RACE – {g}RACE Darling without the first letter [topless]. Grace Darling, a lighthouse keeper’s daughter is famous for her  participation in the rescue of survivors from the shipwrecked Forfarshire in 1838.
7 Called man "Ed" mistakenly (5)
NAMED – (man Ed)* [mistakenly.
8 Couples consuming a dry Scottish vegetable dish (7)
TATTIES – A TT (teetotaller; dry) in TIES (couples, the verb).
10 The greatest surrealist painter loses daughter (3)
ALI – {d}ALI (surrealist painter) without the D (daughter). The boxer Muhammed Ali was widely known by the epithet “The Greatest”.
11 Head of clan was one seen heavily armoured in the battlefield (9)
CHIEFTAIN – Double definition, the second referring to the tank that was the main battle tank of the British Army from the 1960s to the 1990s
13 Man's eaten a horse? That's something distinctly Scottish (6)
HAGGIS – A GG (gee-gee; horse) in HIS (man’s(.
14 Sapper's prompt to deliver from danger (6)
RESCUE – RE’S (Royal Engineer’s; sapper’s) CUE (prompt).
17 Well informed about dribbling (2,3,4)
ON THE BALL – Double definition.
19 You and I finally observe a call of nature (3)
WEE – WE (you and I) and final letter of observE.
20 Piece of pie grabbed  by senior policeman's providing more than one evening meal (7)
SUPPERS – First letter of [piece of] Pie in SUPER’S (senior policeman’s).
22 Swedes seen reversing getting to grips with parking (5)
NEEPS –SEEN [reversing] -> NEES, [getting to grips with; i.e. holding] P (parking). The word means TURNIPS, but the sort of turnips used in a haggis supper are known in England as swedes.
23 Abridged theatrical work is short (4)
DRAM - DRAM{a} (theatrical work) without the last letter [abridged].
24 Study A and E arrangement for 24 hours (7)
TUESDAY – (study a e)* [arrangement].
 
Down
1 Edited Plath sonnet depicting athletic contests (11)
PENTATHLONS – (Plath sonnet)* [edited].
2 Very critical about some campaign in Madingley (7)
DAMNING – Reverse hidden [about some] in campaiGN IN MADingley.
3 Sort of reasoning your setter's followed in initially dreaming up cryptic trickery (9)
INDUCTIVE – IN, initial letters of [initially] Dreaming Up Cryptic Trickery, I’VE (your setter’s).
4 Slope off over terrible itch like a moody teenager (6)
GOTHIC – GO (slope off), [terrible] (itch)*.
5 React oddly to grass (3)
RAT – Odd letters of ReAcT.
6 Cockney friend's tableware (5)
CHINA – Double definition.
9 Without hearing, perhaps, covering case of larceny unwisely (11)
SENSELESSLY – SENSELESS (without hearing, perhaps) over [covering] outside letters of  [case of] LarcenY.
12 Working for oneself catching fish in European country (9)
FREELANCE – EEL (fish) in FRANCE (European country).
15 He tends Ermintrude and her daughter (7)
COWHERD – COW (Ermintrude in The Magic Roundabout) and HER D (daughter).
16 Singer and French horn (6)
BASSET – BASS (singer) ET (and in French). A basset horn is a type of clarinet
18 Light recorder (5)
TAPER – Double definition.
21 Another tree found among hazel, maybe? (3)
ELM – Hidden in hazEL Maybe.