Across
1 Across Ogre fry, scrambled, a counterfeit (7) → FORGERY Anagram
Anagram of “ogre fry”.
4 Across Stag angst hides crews (5) → GANGS Hidden word
Hidden inside “stag angst”.
6 Across Southeast, São, sent back to desert pools (5) → OASES Reversal
SE SAO reversed.
7 Across Canvassing while punting grips fifty (7) → POLLING Container
L inside POLING.
9 Across Note, then steer into the wind, a bold pretense (5) → BLUFF Charade
B + LUFF.
10 Across Mum plus, rearranged, single payment (4,3) → LUMP SUM Anagram
Anagram of “mum plus”.
11 Across Formal opera news, at last, Spanish 'the' (3) → LAS Initialism
Last letters of: formal, opera, news.
12 Across Allow him to slip into oblivion (5) → LETHE Charade
LET + HE.
14 Across Metal rod sounds like dancer's rail (3) → BAR Homophone
Sounds like “barre”.
15 Across Yes-men, scrambled, plus end of alphabet, catalysts (7) → ENZYMES Anagram
Anagram of “yes men z”.
18 Across Portents at cores of dog, imp, sea, inn, use (5) → OMENS Middle letters
Middle letters of: dog, imp, sea, inn, use.
19 Across Lewd sin, reshaped, a fraud (7) → SWINDLE Anagram
Anagram of “lewd sin”.
20 Across Coldest season, beheaded, bury (5) → INTER Deletion
WINTER without its initial W.
21 Across Ye den, rearranged, poor (5) → NEEDY Anagram
Anagram of “ye den”.
22 Across Shed a rah cheese concealed in reverse, a guessing game (7) → CHARADE Hidden backwards
Hidden backwards inside “shed a rah cheese”.
Down
1 Down Wild roll beats of soccer players (11) → FOOTBALLERS Anagram
Anagram of “roll beats of”.
2 Down Saves, secures reshuffled (7) → RESCUES Anagram
Anagram of “secures”.
3 Down Restful, flea use in a jumble (7) → EASEFUL Anagram
Anagram of “flea use”.
4 Down Sticky goo, ale, elm, regularly a clay creature (5) → GOLEM Alternate letters
Every other letter of “goo ale elm”, starting with the first.
5 Down Trouble contained by north and south fastens (5) → NAILS Container
AIL inside NS.
7 Down Civil, then south-southeast, showing courtly grace (9) → POLITESSE Charade
POLITE + SSE.
8 Down Safari zone, gallium, lake, series cut short, wartime win (4,7) → GAME RESERVE Charade
GA + MERE + SER + VE.
13 Down Former partner, aural, and one, unusual curios (7) → EXOTICA Charade
EX + OTIC + A.
14 Down Complain over a cuppa for invalid's broth (4,3) → BEEF TEA Charade
BEEF + TEA.
16 Down Slang pizza, rage, old African currency (5) → ZAIRE Charade
ZA + IRE.
17 Down Frantically, exceedingly (5) → MADLY Double definition
Two separate definitions of the same word.
