Across
Millions piercing septums, upsetting parents (8)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
(SEPTUMS + M)* AInd: upsetting .
Looks forward to amateur gym equipment being delivered (6)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
A[mateur] “weights” (gym equipment) Homophone HInd: being delivered .
Nine cats and an insect, for instance? (8)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
&Lit: NINE CATS is a anagram of AN INSECT . [Edit. And also of INSTANCE . Thanks Nidoking @ comment #4 ] The clue with the best PDM in the puzzle, even though I have seen similar clues they are extremely difficult to solve.
Carpenter who put special coat on (6)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
The “special coat” is a reference to Joseph from the book of Genesis and his “Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat”. I don’t think he was a carpenter so I presume the first definition references Joseph the New Testament [step]dad of Jesus.
Disney song from animated figure (6,2,4)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
Cryptic Def: I suppose if a circle is alive it is animated. Last one in
Young Jesuit leaving initials on large outfit (6,4)
Little creature left snake shedding its skin (4)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
L[eft] [m]AMB[a]
Avocado green walls one found in bog? (4)
See 3 Down
Desserts of fried plantains gobbled up by bachelors (6,6)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
(PLANTAINS)* AInd: fried, inside BAS (bachelors). First one in. Methuselah being nice to us including that extra hint as plantains being a type of banana cultivar What we in UK know as a dessert banana is the Cavendish
Man who fought with family member rejected excuses (6)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
ALI (Man who fought, ref. Muhammad Ali) SIB< (family member, sibling, rejected)
Playing Snake with a PC fried floppy discs (8)
Fuel runs out just outside of Eccleshall (6)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
DIES (runs out) E[ccleshal]L. Hopefully not on the M6, otherwise not a bad place to get stuck
Thatcher possibly gets other side to operate stripped back state (8)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
BARONESS swap O for E (other side of OperatE) Reference to Maggie Thatcher becoming a baroness.
Down
Guess this is how nocturnal creatures sleep? (4)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
BATS (nocturnal creatures) reversed. Bats sleep upside down
Lead (among others) losing lead (among others) (2,2)
20a
(and 20 Across) Professional charged with match fixing (8,10)
Impressionist notes top tip from Cézanne (5)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
MI MI (notes in the Sol-fa scale) C[ezanne]. Impressionist in the Rory Bremner sense, rather than the Claude Monet sense.
Novelist fellow putting on sheep's clothing, might you say? (5)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
WOOL (sheep’s clothing) F[ellow]
Certain trendy writer has flipped desk (10)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
IN (trendy) I’VE< (writer has, reversed (flipped)) TABLE (desk)
Serial scorer's off bench, so getting some work done (10)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
(BENCH SO) AInd: off , ERG (some work). Schoenberg championed the twelve-tone scale, also known as Serialism .
Old soldiers possibly filling one with pride (6)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
EG (possibly) in LION (one with pride)
Plank of a lord gallivanting around globe (10)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
(OF A LORD)* AInd: gallivanting , around ORB (globe) This wordplay kept me guessing till writing this blog. I could see some anagram was involved but only just now realised Globe gives the missing ORB.
Answer in holy book can start to ease isolation (10)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
A[nswer] in QURAN (holy book) TIN (can) E[ase]
Backers of business help to exploit union member (6)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
[busines]S [hel]P [t]O USE (exploit)
Hotel cat nettled about swallowing a bit of squid? (8)
Your smoke detector must incorporate one (5)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
&Lit: I (one) inside NOSE (your smoke detector) and smoke detectors are built for noise
One's fleeced a shopping centre after put-up job (5)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
A MALL (a shopping centre) all reversed (it’s a put-up job)
Characters at top of ship keep eyes peeled for island (4)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
S[hip] K[eep] [e]YE[s]
King drawn in by fool's questions (4)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
K[ing] in ASS (fool)
Type letters or click words in the clue