2: Ultimately, dconstruire, to the French intellectual, is simple (9)
3: Rifles protect lady from 16-down overhead (11)
4: Miser manufactured Finn's kilt (9)
5: Reptile eventually climbing a hill (5)
6: Bite and flip over -- one way to win a wrestling match (3)
7: Marry large bumpkin (5)
8: OJ rants about USC football players (7)
9: However, you expect trouble at first (3)
11: Left with pal carrying new gold case (11)
13: How might thirteen yearn to meditate? (4,5)
15: Crooked Nile ran on, just not in a straight line (9)
16: Faint pout encompasses beast of burden (4,3)
19: Pitchers were transported south (5)
20: at peoples uptown bar for starters? (3)
21: Love our following morning (5)
23: Bumped into yours truly at junction (3).