22 across: Dove adjusted peck in nets, wings away from beak (8)

Two-word single word answers, i.e. horseradish or basketball, are always the hardest to guess from cross clues, but there’s something decidedly cheeky about this one that makes it even more difficult: adjusted peck in nets, wings away from beak = pcenik nets ea = peacenik = dove.

That in looks lilke the containment indicator, so much so that one doesn’t think that in is part of the initial anagram. Decidedly cheeky by DA, and brilliant!

9 across: Vocal Finn’s mate offers bean (4)

Anyone else keep thinking of the singing Finn family of New Zealand because of that delightfully misleading vocal that begins the clue? I was convinced the answer was somehow lima because Neil Finn’s son is Liam Finn. In short, brilliant: vocal Finn’s mate = vocal Sawyer = soya = bean.

17 across: Greenback invoice hurt assassin (5)

I love a clever aural clue, and here’s another: greenback invoice hurt = n in voice injure = ninja = assassin.

1 across: Quit smoking fallout – (2, 4)

This one goes out to all the lovers of punctuation out there: quit smoking fallout = end ash = en dash = –.

23 across: Hip motorboat renovated prow (6)

Fantastic clue made up of words in the same semantic range: motorboat renovated prow = launch renovated prow = haunch = hip.

5 down: Force millions out of business (6)

Another clue with a great sentence meaning with words of the same semantic range: millions out of business = commerce – mm = coerce = force.