Across
Architect's means of keeping the rain out (10)
Shut up about grand echo (4)
Prop entirely losing line for seconds in rugby formation (7)
Survive during plot being blown up by explosives (7)
Naive heel in charge following fool in the White House? (10)
Fright when envelope falls off part of airship (3)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
{s}CAR{e} (fright) [when envelope falls off]. ‘Car’ is just a general term for accommodation in a wide variety of vehicles, so we have an unsignalled DBE here. The specific name for the passenger section of an airship was a gondola.
One rejected song penned by Papa Haydn initially (6)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
ARIA (song) contained [penned] by P (papa – NATO) + H{aydn} [initially]. A social outcast. Joseph Haydn actually had the nickname ‘Papa’.
Like upper Nile region with Vikings perhaps in charge (8)
Old princess has upset a servant (8)
Minute yellow rodent returned — it's in many walls (6)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
M (minute), OR (yellow – heraldry), then RAT (rodent) reversed [returned]
Clothing needing good attention (3)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
{g}EAR (clothing) [needing – without – good]
Sea engulfing stricken giant two-master (10)
Soak back of suede on dry hide (7)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
SEC (dry), RET (soak), {sued}E [back of…]
Girl swallowing doctor's instrument (7)
Position quote in speech (4)
Concerned with setting, study words aurally, reading regularly (10)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
CON (study), TEXT (words), {a}U{r}A{l}L{y} [reading regularly]
Down
Wrapper cake's missing at home (4)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
MUFF{in} (cake) [missing at home)
Ship's dog having short run (7)
Unique earlier power cable is relaid (13)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
Anagram [relaid] of EARLIER P (power) CABLE
Small bird — cat finally got the thing (6)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
TOM (cat), {go}T [finally], IT (the thing)
Person wrecking web programme has raised regret after it (8)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
SA (it – Sex Appeal), BOT (web programme), then RUE (regret) reversed [raised]. With both IT and SA appearing in consecutive clues I thought a link to Mick H’s latest newsletter entitled Why rizz is the biz might be of interest for those who haven’t seen it.
What could be a feature? (7)
Go wrong in the Spanish horse race? One could turn to wine? (10)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
EL (the in Spanish) , then ERR (go wrong) contained by [in] DERBY (horse race). You’d need more than one!
Feature of foot, toe pear shaped, on more than one unknown fossil (13)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
ARCH (feature of foot), then anagram [shaped] of TOE PEAR, then Y + X (more than one unknown). I’ve said enough about this in my intro but would only add that it has never appeared before, even in a Mephisto.
A chief going heavenwards? The man so ascending is for deification (10)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
A, TOP (chief) reversed [going heavenwards], HE (the man), then SO reversed [ascending], IS
Character like Heathcliff or one in another novel (8)
Fruit with a lot of starchy seeds put in a container for jam (7)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
RIC{e} (starchy seeds) [a lot of…] contained by [put in] A + POT (container for jam)
One raised around a second bird (7)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
UNIT (one) reversed [raised] containing [around] A + MO (second – moment). This South American bird has come up 4 times over the years and always gives me trouble. Attention to wordplay is needed here if one doesn’t know the word in order to avoid reversing A MO along with UNIT and coming up with TINOMAU.
Witty remark about a jolly groundhog (6)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
MOT (witty remark – bon mot) containing [about] A + RM (jolly – jargon for Royal Marine)
Spoil dumped on lake is clayey rock (4)
Type letters or click words in the clue