Across
Following wrong order like soldiers returned from leave? (4,2,5)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
A double definition of sorts and hopefully a gentle one to get everyone going. First used in the 1860s, I haven’t been able to pin down a clear etymological basis for the expression.
I’m impressed by conference releasing prisoner (3)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
POWWOW is our conference, and POW is our prisoner. Deduct one from the other and you have the answer.
Church area unkempt for a long time (5,4)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
Lovely clue with a smooth and believable surface. It’s always a bit tricksy when prepositions form part of the anagrist which is the case with FOR here, joined by A and LONG T in the mixer.
Wanderer compos mentis in Glesga? (5)
Did you say pâté out of this world? Au contraire! (7)
Rock singer’s learning, ready for Romania (7)
Cheap adhesive (5)
Alsatian? That’s poodle transformed with CGI! (6,3)
Uranium and fruit devoured by an android (9)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
And you could say the same about the surface of this clue. U and TOMATO give us our filling and AN comprises the pieces of bread in this sandwich clue.
Dance music on game shows (5)
Passed by valley keeping especially to the west (7)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
Our valley here is a DALE which surrounds ESP for “especially”, and which is then reversed (to the west).
Gaseous element consumed in recent delivery (7)
More mature one training at school between runs (5)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
Another very gentle one. Run can be R so “runs” can be RR. Into that we insert I and PE for “training at school”.
Delays speaker aboard westbound train (9)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
Clever wordplay here, though again, the literal allows for a fairly easy biff once you have a few checkers. Speaker = ORATOR, which goes inside (“aboard”) a reversal (“westbound”) of AIM, in that sense of “train”.
Make careless error, with which mood becomes low? (3)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
I loved this one. A quirky clue where you need to see that MOOD becomes MOO (i.e LOW) by having NO D.
Go-go dancing with elderly politician in the past (5,6)
Down
Bible incomplete? Voice criticism (3)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
Bible can be BOOK from which you take off the last letter, to get the answer.
Smoke starts off in garage filling vehicle (5)
Queen once overwhelmed by strain hides here (7)
In which one may grow the best cannabis? (9)
Concerning number of roach trails seen at intervals? (5)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
“Interval” clue.
Worker in ruse endlessly referencing Buddhist works (7)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
Ruse = TRICK from which we subtract the last letter and insert our favourite type of worker (ANT). I started researching TANTRA but very soon realised it is an extremely dense and complicated subject. Its association with sex by the western world appears to be something of a sideshow.
Success keeps me bold, playing in tournament ... (9)
... serving for the match? (7,4)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
…as is this one. A bit like “ready” for cash, whenever one sees “match” one should always be on the alert for something to do with nuptials. A fairly gentle cryptic clue but none the worse for that.
Figure toned and rather developed (11)
Beaten about at noon, had little sleep (9)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
CAPPED can be a synonym for “beaten” into which is placed AT (in plain sight) and N for “noon”. “Little” here in the sense of a short specific period of sleep.
Listing omitting a great historic city (9)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
Listing is LEANING from which A is omitted. RAD is a fairly modern synonym for “great”.
Violent wind and low cloud right by a lake (7)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
The setter is giving us a bit more help by providing a description of the type of wind we are looking for, and MISTRAL is one of the better known, being a strong, cold, dry northwesterly wind from the Massif Central/Alps down the Rhone valley into the Mediterranean. The wordplay is MIST for “low cloud” + R + A + L.
Laugh from retired officer engaged in tiresome task (7)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
LT for lieutenant is our officer which is reversed (retired) and inserted into CHORE.
Duck unable to speak in Disney film? (5)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
If a zero were unable to speak it would be a DUMB O.
Female dismissed by more attractive maiden? (5)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
The wordplay was very helpful here (F taken away from FAIRER) but if I knew that MAIDEN is a type of clothes airer, it was buried deep in the cranium. My last one in.
Sack poor writers in Bow for speaking out (3)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:
Poor writers are HACKS which if you are a Cockney becomes ACKS, and if you further say it out loud, becomes our answer. I am not sure I have seen a homophone and a Cockney device used on the same word, so it may be something of a rare bird.
Type letters or click words in the clue