Difficulty: Medium
Adding red stars below to questions that were difficult for me.
Across
1. Uncle Arthur's day off? It isn't apparent.
Unclear [hidden word]: Remove "thurs" (day) from "Uncle Arthur's" to get "unclear".
* 4. Ranks as a creature of Carroll's imagination
Snark [anagram]: of "ranks". A snark is a mysterious animal featured in The Hunting of the Snark by Lewis Carroll.
7. Politician is about to see mischief-makers
Imps [charade]: "mp" (politician - Member of Parliament) with "is" around it gives "imps".
8. Overtures returned with interest
Advances [double def.]: An overture could mean a proposal towards a new relationship (making advances), and "advances" can mean to increase in price (such as increasing due to an interest rate).
10. Don't remain wholly calm
Go to pieces [cryptic]: Perhaps "&lit" style? It seems to me that "Go to pieces" is a bit more than "not wholly calm".
12. A fighting man I leave to join up
Solder [charade or deletion?]: A soldier (fighting man) with the "I" deleted leaves solder, which is joining metals with solder.
13. Rigid habit of the medieval ages
Armour [cryptic]: habit as attire
15. Minds leaving the country
Brain drain [cryptic]
* 18. Held out longer
Extended [double def.]: To hold out is to extend, and a longer version of a song (e.g.) is an extended version.
* 19. Birds that may be eaten hot or cold
Pies [cryptic/double def?]: Pies can be eaten hot or cold, and a pie is a short-form for "magpie". This one was difficult for me - I didn't think of "pie" as magpie, and we have no magpies around here.
20. It's the herb season, we hear
Thyme [homophone]: Thyme sounds like time, which can be a time of the year like a season.
21. Yet it's a misplaced feeling of gratification
Satiety [anagram]: of "Yet it's a". Satiety is a feeling of fullness.
Down
1. Being an employer helps to make you single-minded
Using [hidden word]: inside "you single"
2. Head south for the big cities
Capitals [charade]: A capital can be the head of a column or pillar + "S" for south. Not all capitals are big cities though...
3. Free to think again
Redeem [cryptic/double def?]: If you free someone by paying a ransom, you are redeeming them. Think again might be "re-deem".
* 4. People used to be knocked down in this traffic
Slave trade [cryptic]: This was tough, since I didn't know that "knock down" can mean "to sell at auction by a blow of the hammer or to a bidder," which would fit with the slave trade.
5. A way through on foot
Arch [cryptic]: your foot has an arch of course, and it's a way through a wall (e.g.).
6. His mark was made in India
Kashmir [anagram]: of "his mark". Kashmir is the north-most part of India and parts of surrounding countries.
9. It's put in by an attendant
Appearance [cryptic]: If you attend something, you put in an appearance.
* 11. Sincere Latin
Bona fide [cryptic?]: Bona fide means in good faith, which is fine for sincere.
12. A reptile makes an unusual present
Serpent [anagram]: of "present".
14. Several kinds of birds
Divers [double def./cryptic]: "Divers" is an old word meaning several or various; and there are many kinds of diving birds.
16. Dirty point on a pen
Nasty [charade]: N (compass point) + a + sty (a sty is a kind of (pig) pen)
17. Wait for support
Stay [double def]: A stay is a kind of support (for stiffening corsets and such, as well as more general supports or braces); and of course to wait is to stay.
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