Cryptic crosswords

Spoiler alert: here are the last three clues from this year’s 3D Crosswords I think I know but can’t parse:

4: Retreating, bachelor avoids spiteful woman (5) D?B?A Debra
10: Richard Tiffany’s stuff used in The Faerie Queene (4) GE?E Gere
32: Bolt upright at the start, Pickles regularly lays back down at the end (5) U?A?N Usain

Edit: Wikipedia says “Richard Tiffany Gere is an American actor”

Excellent thanks

10: Richard Tiffany’s stuff used in The Faerie Queene (4) GE?E Gere

Annoyingly, I think that's a reference to 'gear' (stuff) in the style of the Faerie Queene, which was written in a deliberately archaic way. Christ, that's oblique.

Thanks, that seems good. It’s unsatisfying when the last few clues are a groan rather than an aha. I did search the full text of the Faerie Queene, and it doesn’t have “gere” in it… boo

My theory is all cryptic clues are essentially bad jokes taken to varying degrees of ridiculousness.

32: Bolt upright at the start, Pickles regularly lays back down at the end (5) U?A?N Usain

This one is annoying. U for 'upright at the start', regularly lays is 'a' and 's', but back so it's 'sa', down at the end could be the 'n' at the end of down. But I can't tell you where the 'i' comes from. Is the setter called Pickles or something?

Is the setter called Pickles or something?

Yep, doh

Edit: thanks. The numbers on the crossword grid ↑ are different to the “day” ones I used, and in theory at least December was supposed to be the hardest. It wasn’t, November’s pyramid one was a bastard

Heh.

Can I interest anyone in a copy of this year’s 3D crossword calendar? I have a spare.

For those not on the minute cryptic-
Enjoy.
https://crosswordlabs.com/embed/lufguss

Today I learned you could have hyphens in crosswords...