Across
Brief press about fool blocking state (7)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
This is IMPEL without the last letter, surrounding ASS. I was certainly duped into thinking “blocking” was a containment indicator, so well played setter.
Police almost get man behind bars (7)
Group ready to establish firm (3)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
Quadruple definition.
Time Out to better The Face? (6,5)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
Cryptic. I didn’t know The Face was a magazine, which on reflection is pretty obvious. A very nice cryptic, I would say. Published from 1980 to 2004, The Face was relaunched in 2019.
Feeble quote about pursuing course of action (8)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
Reversal of CITE behind [pursuing] PATH.
Child visiting area in work to play (6)
Manage to avoid ignominious score in test? (4)
Make money from openings provided by India's small enterprises (10)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
The idea here is that you look at the last three words of the clue and notice that one is capitalised and the second and third aren’t, so you would describe the openings as “capital I [followed by] s and e. Whether CAPITALISE is actually a synonym for making money is moot, as it means providing capital or converting into capital, which doesn’t necessarily equate to making money (investments can go up and down). Close enough though. This clue was my nemesis, causing me to stare bleakly at the unhelpful checking letters at the end as the minutes ticked round, trying to get an IF in there; an I in there, and not understanding why the word couldn’t be something to do with financing, or monetising, or profiting.
Detail many works with passion (10)
Arrest suspects to populate jails (4)
Managing part of machine storing means of authentication (6)
Understood I'm allowed to embrace power (8)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
(IM + LICIT) around P.
Publicity surrounding heartless wise man had improved (11)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
Publicity here is AD (not PR) which you put around a wise man without its middle. No, not a sage, or a guru, nor even a magi in its generic sense but specifically MELCHIOR without his middle two letters. You then have to add ATE for “had”. Difficult w/p so if the correct synonym for “improved” immediately jumped out at you, you did better on this clue than me!
Feel bad coverage must be removed from newspaper (3)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
MAIL without its first letter. Coverage could refer to the outside letters of a word as well, but here it is just the first/top letter. On edit: It is indeed the outer letters which should be removed from DAILY.
City lent money to auditor introduced by firm (7)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
The CO bit is straightforward. “Lent money” implies a past tense of “loan” so the words here must mean a nounal phrase meaning “money that has been lent”.
Football team lease empty historic ground (7)
Down
Popular drink, by turns mild and short on taste (7)
Savoury casserole with stewed apricots (6,5)
Give advance payment to authorise rent from tenant? (6)
Time, demonstrating commitment, wants top editor removed (10)
Musical technique in 20th-century song cycles (4)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
This must be SCAT where the first letter cycles to the end. Another cunning bit of w/p where you need to lift and separate between “Musical” and “technique”, and where “cycles” does make a lot of sense in the surface reading. Apart from CAPITALISE, this answer together with the crossing COPLAND, caused me most difficulties. SCAT is a word I knew but, looking it up, now realise I didn’t know what it meant. Apparently, in jazz, the use of nonsense syllables and other wordless effects in singing.
History exam dealing with life in the country (8)
A church service making a simple point? (3)
Corrupt party led by deputy (7)
Peers across at mother's bottom — it's out of order! (11)
Qualification reduced credit for demonstrating negotiating skills (10)
Forbidding relative at home to wear dog's coat (8)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
(AUNT + IN) inside the outer letters of DOG.
Pre-eminent American in charge of antiquities? (7)
Joint coverage in a report carried by Press Association (7)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
(A TELL [report]) inside PA. Great definition.
Page provided guidance for one withdrawing guarantee (6)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
P + LED [provided guidance] and then a reversal of EG [for one].
Provider of notes on staff deserved to lose case (4)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
EARNED with the outer letters removed. Our second composer and third musical reference. Another lovely clue with a believable, misleading surface, but possibly tough if you don’t know the composer.
Fish swim, not run (3)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
(R)EEL.
Type letters or click words in the clue