Clues
Across
- 1, 5D Ska tune arrangement adopts rather quiet, brassy vibe? (9)
- 4 Athenian symbol in horse shed by bay (3)
- 6 Overheard elevated murmuring sound of poetry (5)
- 8 Function of bronze (3)
- 9 From Athens? Smartypants? About right! (5)
Down
- 1 Theatre district’s “really hot” - Time Out (4)
- 2 Cream tea’s filling and low in fat (5)
- 3 A rethink, on vacation to floating menagerie? (3)
- 5 See 1A.
- 7 Declare strain, bearing heavens (3)
Setter’s notes
Another dose of this load of convoluted old nonsense joyous celebration of the English language. I’m more uncertain than usual about a couple of clues here — particularly the definition at 1 Across and the homophone at 6 Across.
Across
- 1 & 5 Down “Rather quiet” = MP (mezzo piano), inside an anagram (“arrangement”) of SKA TUNE — STEAMPUNK.
- 4 “Bay” = HOWL, with “horse” = H shed — OWL, the symbol of Athens.
- 6 Sounds like (“overheard”) “elevated” = HIGH + “murmuring sound” = COO — HAIKU.
- 8 Double definition: a trigonometric function, and bronze (as in a suntan) — TAN.
- 9 “Smartypants” = GEEK, about “right” = R — GREEK.
Down
- 1 “Really” = SO + “hot” = HOT with “time” = T out — SOHO, the theatre district.
- 2 The filling (central letter) of “tEa” = E + “low in fat” = LITE — ELITE, i.e. “cream”.
- 3 A, as it is, + “rethink” vacated (just its outer letters, R and K) — ARK.
- 5 See 1 Across.
- 7 Four definitions: declare (as in “air your views”), strain (a melody), bearing (manner) and heavens (the sky) — AIR.