Crossword Help Forum
Forum Rules

Polish off claret - just a bit of decanter is left (6)

Anag CLARET with D for L.

Clean up old Bolshoi production? (6)

Censure by Left ends the Conservatives accepting donations, especially Russian backed. (6)

(TCADER reversed, using Left ends as indicator)

Rose to perform for censor (6)

Polish scoundrel doing backstroke in water (6)

CAD backward in RET

Respond about a Democrat then hide the text(6)

Change involved inspired action (6)

Newspaper chief on take has routine black out (6)

Thanks to all those who entered this pre-winter/summer solstice competition.

A good variety of 'red+act' interpretations from jono 2, paul 4, dorrien 8, aristo 12, and tyke 14.
Lots of smoothly worded anagrams – chrise 3, paul 5&6, mprs 7, SS 9, and buddy 11.
Simplesimon followed the acrostic route in 10&13.
I liked FJ's 'hidden' in 17, and the composites from jimmy 15, dorrien16 and jono 18.

Difficult to whittle it down to a short list, but I ended up with SS 10&13, buddy 11, jimmy 15, jono18.
I've chosen simplesimon's (possibly topical) 13 as this week's winner. Is there a term for a 'reverse acrostic'?
I liked the device, and the way the acrostic indicators were woven into the clue.

Censure by Left ends the Conservatives accepting donations, especially Russian backed.

Well done, SS!. Your prizes are; some music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2ywZ-GP_D8

Nothing to do with the word, but inspired by aristo's clue
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9viv_A60Mk

Also unrelated, inspired by jono's Titian clue.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvjmIqG3GT8

Cheers.

congrats SS, like the device (but does the clue not need censor rather than censure as the def.?)

thanks for hosting, shortlisting and clips mattrom,