Clues
Across
- 1 Gets arty, with creative spin on action plan (8)
- 6 Slice off end of bread, idiot! (3)
- 7 Like some music that may send you to sleep (5)
- 8 Sailor, a saint in canvas (9)
- 10 African country expressed in tough anagram (5)
- 12 Fall back for expansive chat (3)
- 13 Unfortunately caves and pays up front (8)
Down
- 1 Need a drink, period! (8)
- 2 Pass on joint, dropping pill (5)
- 3 Head honcho’s no low-hanging fruit (3, 6)
- 4 Something to be mindful of, underground (3)
- 5 Awful phony relative in a trance (8)
- 9 Reason to record pitch at regular intervals (5)
- 11 Offer assistance with unfinished opera (3)
Setter’s notes
I hope this one doesn’t put you to sleep. It was tinkered with on and off over a couple of weeks, and I was pleased to finally get it out the door.
Across
- 1 An anagram (“with creative spin”) of GETS ARTY — STRATEGY, an action plan.
- 6 “Bread” = LOAF, with its end sliced off — OAF, “idiot”.
- 7 Double definition: like some (pop) music, and a flower that may send you to sleep — POPPY.
- 8 “Sailor” = TAR + “a saint” = PAUL + IN — TARPAULIN, canvas.
- 10 Hidden (“expressed”) in “touGH ANAgram” — GHANA.
- 12 “Fall” = SAG, back (reversed) — GAS, “chat”.
- 13 An anagram (“unfortunately”) of CAVES AND — ADVANCES, “pays up front”.
Down
- 1 “A drink” = SHORT + “period” = AGE — SHORTAGE, “need”.
- 2 “Joint” = REEFER, dropping “pill” = E — REFER, “pass on”.
- 3 Double definition: the head honcho, and fruit that’s not low-hanging — TOP BANANA.
- 4 Cryptic definition: “Mind the GAP” on the Underground.
- 5 An anagram (“awful”) of PHONY + “relative” = SIS — HYPNOSIS, “a trance”.
- 9 “Record” = LOG + “pItCh” at regular intervals = IC — LOGIC, “reason”.
- 11 The opera AIDA, unfinished — AID, “offer assistance”.