Clues
Across
- 1 Cite failure in Musk’s revolutionary phase? Time to decide (8, 3)
- 7 Rocky affair instills fiber (6)
- 8 It’s ultimately undemocratic, so you stop political steal (4)
- 9 Abundance of fancy trifle, for starters - is that yours? (9)
- 11 Playing tennis - ass shows dirty streak (9)
- 13 Turn away reservations with partial ticket (4)
- 14 High-flier who once came unstuck (6)
- 15 Men claim: ‘done with empty nihilism and power structures’ (11)
Down
- 2 Meadow flower at top of page (4)
- 3 Joe’s resting place, or Spooner’s candy wire? (6, 5)
- 4 Lack of focus caused by internal conflict, we hear? (11)
- 5 Laconic sage - troubled actor (7, 4)
- 6 Empty-headedness, lacking leader’s sharp wit (6)
- 10 Mark drumbeat (6)
- 12 Squirt, dribble, and finally halt (4)
Setter’s notes
A slightly-larger-than-usual one. I’m sure I’ll get it in the neck for some of these down clues — and deservedly so.
Across
- 1 An anagram (“failure”) of CITE, inside “Musk” = ELON + “revolutionary phase” = DAY (one turn of the Earth) — ELECTION DAY.
- 7 An anagram (“rocky”) of AFFAIR — RAFFIA, a fibre.
- 8 The last letters (“ultimately”) of “undemocratiC sO yoU stoP” — COUP, a political steal.
- 9 An anagram (“fancy”) of TRIFLE + the starters of “Is That Yours” — FERTILITY, “abundance”.
- 11 An anagram (“playing”) of TENNIS ASS — NASTINESS.
- 13 “Reservations” = BUTS, turned away — STUB.
- 14 A cryptic-ish definition: the high-flier whose wax wings came unstuck — ICARUS.
- 15 “Men” = GENTS, claiming “done with” = OVER + the empty shell of “NihilisM” = NM — GOVERNMENTS.
Down
- 2 “Meadow” = LEA + the top of “Flower” — LEAF, a page.
- 3 Joe (coffee) rests on a COFFEE TABLE, which the Reverend Spooner might call “TOFFEE CABLE” — candy wire.
- 4 Sounds like (“we hear”) “internal conflict” = INNER TENSION — INATTENTION.
- 5 An anagram (“troubled”) of LACONIC SAGE — NICOLAS CAGE.
- 6 “Empty-headedness” = VACUITY, minus its leader — ACUITY, “sharp wit”.
- 10 Double definition: a mark and a drumbeat — TATTOO.
- 12 “Dribble” = RUN + the final letter of “halT” — RUNT, “squirt”.