Usually I put my notations in numerical order but today I put them in solved order. I found I broke into the bottom of the puzzle first and worked my way up, with 3D being my last clue in. Here's my pic:
1A - Extra player expected defeat (6)
"Defeat," is our definition and an "extra player" = SUB short for substitute or the guy who sits on the bench waiting for an injury to occur so he can play (that shouldn't sound as mercenary as it does) "expected" = DUE to make SUBDUE.
4A - Iron uniform on 500 in fight (4)
"Fight," is our definition and "iron" = FE as the symbol for iron on the Periodic Table, "uniform" = U as part of the phonetic alphabet and "500" = D the Roman numeral to make FEUD.
7A - Coach put upstart in reserves? (3)
"Coach," is our definition and "Up-start" is a one-word instruction to take the "start" of Up and put it in a two letter word for "reserves" = BS and I don't know why - I could wager a guess at "Business Standard" or something like that, or does Australia have reservists' army? Our answer is B(U)S.
10A- First lady hugging Miley topless is a bad look (4,3)
"Is a bad look," is our definition and "first lady" = EVE the biblical first lady who is "hugging Miley, topless" means we take off the -M from Miley leaving ILEY and put that into EVE to make EV(IL EY)E. Sweet clue.
11A - Instrument for gas automobile? One not available (7)
"Instrument," is what we are looking for and a "gas" = O for oxygen, "automobile" = CAR, "one" = I and "not available" = NA which is a standard abbreviation. To make us an OCARINA.
12A - Baby tally (3)
Double definition: TOT.
13A - Old fashioned weapons have fishes boiling in boat (10)
"Old fashioned weapons," is our definition and "fishes" = LINGS (seems a common "fish" used in puzzles) "boiling" = HOT all within a "boat" = SS to make S(LINGS)(HOT)S. The "boiling" = HOT part took me the longest to sort out as I was looking for synonyms like "cook."
15A - Opt again for fishing gear. Extremely euphoric time (7)
"Opt again," is our definition and "fishing gear" = REEL and "extremely EuphoriC" = EC plus "time" = T to make REELECT.
16A - Innocent girl at ring venue topless (7)
"Innocent girl," is our definition and "rING vENUE topless" = INGENUE.
18A - Revolver concealed by Poirot at orphanage (7)
"Revolver," is our definition and "concealed by" is a very blatant hidden word signpost which if we look closer to "poiROT AT ORphanage" reveals ROTATOR.
20A - Tomahawk swings on politician over French article case (7)
"Case," is our definition and a "tomahawk" = AXE which "swings" or is reversed to EXA, "politician" = MP (Member of Parliament) and a "French article" = LE to make an EXAMPLE.
22A - Python doctor gets hug from yours truly. It goes both ways (10)
"It goes both ways," is our definition and I was able to get this from cross letters and definition. "Python" = PALIN as in Michael Palin from Monty Python which I didn't get until just now as I've been looking at snakes and vets and other things instead. "doctor" = DR who gets a "hug" = O (xoxo the Os are hugs and Xs kisses) from "yours truly" = ME to make PALIN(DR)(O)(ME)
24A - Censor joke (3)
Double definition: GAG.
27A - Foreign objects gave former lover Oscar spasm on April first (7)
"Foreign objects," is our definition and "former lover" = EX, "Oscar" = O from phonetic alphabet again, "spasm" = TIC and "April first" = A to give us EX(O)(TIC)(A)
28A - Old lady has hot loaf regularly for breakfast (7)
"Breakfast," is what we are looking for, or a breakfast food. "Old lady" = GRAN and "hOt LoAf regularly" = OLA for GRANOLA.
29A - Freeze TV (3)
Double definition: SET.
30A - Towering metallic centre (4)
"Towering," is our definition and "meTALLic centre" = TALL.
31A - Los Angeles test sides (East and South) had coffees (6)
"Coffees," is our definition and "Los Angeles" = LA and "TesT sides" = TT and "East and South" = ES to give us LATTES.
1D - Son cried, being brushed (5)
"Brushed," is our definition and "Son" = S and "cried" = WEPT to make SWEPT.
2D - Fragile Pom talked now and then (7)
"Fragile," is our definition and "Pom" = BRIT but I'm not sure how the "talked now and then" part gives us TLE. Answer is BRITTLE.
3D - Most difficult to be edgiest (9)
"Most difficult," is our definition and this was my last clue put in the grid. I solved with cross letters and definition. I tried "to be" = IS but couldn't sort the use of "edgiest."
5D - Go unhinge house construction. I'm sick of it (6,2,6)
"I'm sick of it," is our definition and "go unhinge house construction" is fodder and anagrind to make ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!
6D - Demise of French hat manufacturing (5)
"Demise," is our definition and "of French" = DE as the French word for "of", "hat manufacturing" is partial fodder and anagrind to give us: DE(ATH)
7D - Integrated beak, we hear, with metal (5-2)
"Integrated," is our definition and "beak we hear" means we want a synonym-homophone of "beak" = BILL/BUIL that is followed by a "metal" = TIN which gives us BUIL(T-IN)
8D - Sydney footballer takes top mark, within three points! (4)
"Sydney footballer," is our definition and "top mark" = A that will go "within three points" = three compass points to make SW(A)N.
9D - Realised Neeson returned important letter (10,4)
"Important letter," is our definition and "realised" = REGISTERED and "Neeson returned" = LIAM reversed to MAIL to give us a special delivery and must be signed for letter sent REGISTERED MAIL.
14D - Part of DNA comes from savageness? (4)
"Part of DNA," is our definition and this is a hidden word clue and the answer "comes from savaGENEness" = GENE.
15D - Fraud essentially borrowed 18+ model? (4)
"Fraud," is our definition and "essentially borROwed" = RO as the middle letters or "essential" part of the word "borrowed", "18+" = R as the age rating of movies and R is for over eighteens, and "model" = T to give us RORT. This is a word I'd never heard of before moving to Australia. Aussies love this word, it must feature at least once in ever news hour usually describing poor sport's behaviour or parliament debates.
17D - Eighth month back with Meninga during dinner in the country (9)
"Country," is what we are looking for and "eighth month, back" means August, shortened to AUG and put back or reversed to GUA, "Meninga" = MAL for Malcolm Meninga who I had to google because I thought it was a place name and not a person which left me two letters short, this gets put into a word "during dinner" = TEA to give us GUA(TE(MAL)A)
19D - Thundergod reportedly escaped melt (4,3)
"Melt," is our definition and "Thundergod reportedly" means we want a homophone of a thunder god = THOR/THAW and "escaped" = OUT for THAWED OUT. This is a time when my accent works with the homophone - and it's painful to the ear. Don't make me say it as it'll be like this.
21D - Oinkers dismissed wolfs? (4,3)
"Wolfs," is our definition and this is a cryptic definition for PIGS OUT.
23D - Identify one 'eated moron (5)
"Moron," is our definition and "identify" = ID, "one" = I and "'eated" = 'OT where the apostrophe hints to a Cockney clue so it's Heated/HOT to make ID(I)(OT).
25D - Chews on empty gun...was stupid (5)
"Chews on," is our definition and "empty GuN = GN as we remove the middle letter, "was stupid" is partial fodder and anagrind to give us: GN(AWS)
26D - Poet was oddly into church furniture (4)
"Church furniture," is our definition and "PoEt WaS oddly" = PEWS.
We're done! Now sitting back and looking closer and with our hint of a theme being visible, an eagle eye will notice that each side of the puzzle is a 22A palindrome:
subdue feud bus, swan gene gnaws, set tall lattes, swept rort pews.
All so wonderfully clever! I enjoyed this puzzle so much I ended up sharing many of the clues with The Cryptic Crossword Learners group on Facebook, then I just shared the whole puzzle because it's very Newbie friendly and I thought everyone would get some benefit.
As always if you have alternate solutions or are able to help with red clues please share in the comments. Hope Tuesday is kind to you.
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