Sydney Morning Herald 2025-06-30

Pretty easy one to start the week! 4D is a fun clue, and some nice words in 15D and 25A that were clued very fairly.

Across

1
Odds and ends related to overhauling pesticide bans (4,3,6)
BITS AND PIECES — anagram (overhauling) of PESTICIDE BANS
8
Brief detail regarding French cheese (4)
BRIE — BRIEf without last letter (detail)
9
Autodidactic Left's changed nothing (4-6)
SELF-TAUGHT — anagram (changed) of LEFTS, AUGHT (nothing)
10
Cyber crim arrives by chopper (6)
HACKER — double def.
11
Utter havoc, realise leaders must go! (8)
VOCALISE — haVOC reALISE without first letters
12
Sort of school that's mostly awry after a short time (9)
SECONDARY — AwRY (mostly awry) after SECOND (a short time)
14
Fellow's son could sound like a snake (4)
HISS — HIS (fellow's) S (son)
15
Welsh emblem visible on the back of the keel (4)
LEEK — reversal (on the back of) of KEEL
16
To put English off underwear, try science (9)
CHEMISTRY — CHEMISe (underwear) without e (English), TRY
20
Sing about hood looking angry (8)
SCOWLING — CHEMISe (underwear) without e (English), TRY
21
Shy about a B&B being run-down (6)
SHABBY — SHY around A BB
23
Sid refused to disinfect debts so they're going viral (10)
INFECTIOUS — disINFECT without sid, IOUS (debts)
24
Is prostrate in the face of falsehoods (4)
LIES — double def.
25
By similar standards, lumberman gets cosy deal (13)
COMMENSURABLY — anagram (deal) of LUMBERMAN COSY

Down

1
Bombardment of pub fury (7)
BARRAGE — BAR (pub) RAGE (fury)
2
Fine tune the first faint signal (5)
TWEAK — T (first letter of the) WEAK (faint signal)
3
Confident fool devoured half (7)
ASSURED — ASS (fool) URED (half of devoured)
4
Do as promised. Take the offal out of the merchandise? (7,3,5)
DELIVER THE GOODS — cryptic def.
5
Trendy discretion is not impaired (6)
INTACT — IN (trendy) TACT (discretion)
6
Lecture is about nasty deeds (9)
CRUELTIES — anagram (about) of LECTURE IS
7
Half the school miss out on doctrinal splits (7)
SCHISMS — SCH (half of school), anagram (out) of MISS
13
Finished with hollow tree, it'll be too much (9)
OVERWHELM — OVER (finished) WH (with without middle letters) ELM (tree)
15
Sparing with words after an accident with colic (7)
LACONIC — anagram (accident) of AN COLIC
17
One who maltreats Scrooge takes us in (7)
MISUSER — MISER (Scrooge) with US inside
18
Polish cored berry till tough and stretchy (7)
RUBBERY — RUB (polish) BERY (berry without central letter)
19
Prudence, for one, would call out dodgy victualler (6)
VIRTUE — anagram (dodgy) of VIcTUallER without call
22
Even Mandela is starting to brag off script (2,3)
AD LIB — ADLI (even letters of Mandela is), B (first letter of brag)