I found this one particularly straightforward, and (unusually for me) finished it in one session, more or less top-left to bottom-right. Maybe the months of practice have finally taken.

  • 1ac: PHENGITES: Filler for old windows (eight panes cracked, one missing): *(EIGHT PANES) - A (one)
  • 8ac: GADGET: Get away from doings, wandering: GADGET (doings) - GET
  • 11ac: LOPER: Wooden part giving support in classical opera: classicaL OPERa
  • 12ac: CULTURE: Growing bacteria left in wound, former practice: L(eft) in CUT (wound) + URE (obs. practice)
  • 13ac: UPHOER: Part of paraphernalia for awning erected by versatile hero?: UP (erected) + *(HERO)
  • 14ac: DIRAC: Physicist, reverse of barren, given constant: ARID (barren) reversed + C(onstant)
  • 16ac: PAIRED: Like couple fiddling with diaper: *(DIAPER)
  • 17ac: BISTRO: No home of haute cuisine, drowning recipe in gravy?: R(ecipe) in BISTO (gravy; ref. Bisto)
  • 19ac: SATURNALIA: A performance during endless Frankish orgy: A TURN (performance) in SALIA(n) (Frankish)
  • 21ac: REALISABLE: Ariel skippingly before dark: ‘That may be accomplished’: *(ARIEL) + SABLE (dark)
  • 26ac: BRASIL: Herb enveloping centre of burrito – a foreign country for Escoffier?: burRito in BASIL (herb)
  • 27ac: LALDIE: Women not quite swallowing their first whacking Scotch: LADIE(s) (women) with L (first of “ladies”) inside
  • 29ac: RAGGA: Type of rap music from Asia, including a touch of grunge: RAGA (music from Asia) around G (touch of “grunge”)
  • 30ac: TAPETI: Rabbit? What might that be, tucking into tree with tasty roots?: A PET (what a rabbit might be) inside TI (tree with tasty roots)
  • 31ac: CANE RAT: Brisk northerly around a long time, bane of plantation owners?: CANT (brisk) around ERA (a long time)
  • 32ac: RICIN: Toxic stuff, dose of arsenic irrationally knocked back: arseNIC IRrationally reversed
  • 33ac: KET: Road kill in Scotland, south-east area, not north: KENT (south-east area) - N(orth)
  • 34ac: REVERENCE: Homage shown as famous rider goes round enclosure: REVERE (famous rider; ref. Paul Revere) around ENC(losure)
  • 1dn: PLUMBER-BLOCK: Case for revolving shaft made of US wood, sheathed in lead, secure: LUMBER (US wood) in PB (lead) + LOCK (secure)
  • 2dn: HOP-VINE: Twining stem: there’s five in tree below house: V (five) in PINE (tree) under HO(use)
  • 3dn: NERITA: Marine gasteropod caught by mariner it attacked: mariNER IT Attacked
  • 4dn: GROK: Rumble starts in gastric region all right: G(astric) R(egion) + OK (all right)
  • 5dn: ICE HOUSE: Freezer (sort of) antiquated, so juice, scrapping starter, he mixed: *(SO (j)UICE HE)
  • 6dn: ELIAN: Fan of writer, one in grip of stylish vigour: I (one) in ELAN (stylish vigour); ref. Charles Lamb
  • 7dn: STRIGA: Reverse of dressed, clothed in sexiness, reveals a fine streak! GIRT (dressed) reversed in SA (“sex appeal”)
  • 8dn: GUARDLESS: Free of custody, lad’s urges will roam free: *(LADS URGES)
  • 9dn: ARCED: Making a bow, parts of wood are transposed: I suppose this is CEDAR with AR moved to the front, but I don’t really see how that could be deduced ab initio.
  • 10dn: DEAD-BALL LINE: Dull dance, note, limit of play: DEAD (dull) + BALL (dance) + LINE (note)
  • 15dn: ASSAILANT: Attacker who’s very little latitude, soldier possible: ASSAI (very) + L(atitude) + ANT (soldier)
  • 18dn: DRABETTE: Coarse linen put on in messy trade: BET (put) in *(TRADE)
  • 20dn: IDIOTIC: Foolish one doubled holding diamonds, reverse of quickly: II (one doubled) around D(iamons) + CITO (quickly) reversed
  • 22dn: LIDGER: Record of old accounts concealed in girdle: *(GIRDLE)
  • 23dn: LAPPIE: Cape Town rag to wrap part of picnic lunch?: LAP (wrap) + PIE (part of picnic)
  • 24dn: MARAE: One must have mum with attention rising in meeting place: MA (mum) + EAR (attention) reversed
  • 25dn: TIGRE: The inimitable Georges’s regular eponym? (Think leaders): first letters of phrase &lit.; ref Georges Clemenceau
  • 28dn: YARR: B-bit of sun brought up weed in cornfield: R-RAY (B-bit of sun) reversed