Across
A battle royal, commonly speaking? (8,5)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
Cryptic. A battle royal is a fiercely contested fight or dispute, but ‘commonly speaking’ transforms it to a slanging match involving a prolonged exchange of insults and abuse.
Breed kennelled by royalty, Pekinese (4)
Swimmer, one chasing loser (5,4)
A source of water and basic food for a packet (2,1,5)
Barking hounds bay (6)
Well, I'm polite? (8,2)
Where capital unavailable, rent facility (4)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
{l}EASE (rent) [capital unavailable]
Perfect, time and time again (4)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
MIN (time – minute), T (time again)
Bribe church staff to stop popular service finishing early (10)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
CE (church) + MEN (staff) contained by [stop] IN (popular) + DUT{y} (service) [finishing early]
Trinkets primarily observed inside, grandee having failed to close drawer, say? (6)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
T{rinkets} [primarily] contained by [observed inside] ARIST{o} (grandee) [having failed to close]
Diplomatic individual caught on tape (8)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
Aural wordplay [caught on tape]: “discrete” (individual)
Service provider broadcast its URL: it contains glitches initially (9)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
Anagram [broadcast] of ITS URL IT, contains G {litches} [initially]. Liturgy is a form of worship or service and somebody had to devise it.
Feller perhaps keeping third of bullets in revolver? (4)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
AXE (feller perhaps) containing [keeping] {bu}L{lets} [third letter of…]
Rowdy group saw you and me in Roman arena (6,7)
Down
High ball to catch however, drop the ball dog! (4,7)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
SKIER (high ball) containing [to catch] YET (however) + ERR (drop the ball). In cricket a ‘skyer’ or ‘skier’ is a hit which goes very high. ‘Drop the ball’ is an informal phrase meaning to make a mistake, and according to POD and Collins it’s chiefly North American.
Last of silage fed to a sheep, swallowed (3,2)
Military campaign where one supports launching of ball into Bastille? (9)
Songs: they'll knock you out (7)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
The second definition is perhaps more of a hint with ‘numbers’ suggesting the use of sedatives
20 across, champ! (5)
Modern hit composed in Nordic city (9)
Hurry off for audition? (3)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
Aural wordplay [for audition]: “high” (off – e.g. meat or game). Hie to the Hills in the Morning by the Scottish poet, William Meston, is one example of the usage.
Old player swollen and sore having been fouled (5,6)
Kittens? Something for them to go on! (3,6)
Duty: useless excuse to have one put on a cross (6,3)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
EXC{use} [useless], I (one), SET (put), A, X (cross). A tax on goods, such as spirits, produced for the home market.
Avant-garde movement angry about hosting platform (7)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
MAD (angry) reversed [about] containing [hosting] DAIS (platform)
National University in Nordic city (5)
Stack bordering large field (5)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
REAM (stack – of paper) containing [bordering] L (large). I wondered about ‘stack / REAM’ but POD has it.
Remove coating of dark resin (3)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
{b}LAC{k} (dark) [remove coating of…]
Type letters or click words in the clue