25 minutes on the dot, distracted perhaps by the incessant roar of a butterfly flapping its wings in the far, far distance. I don’t think there’s anything too tricky here, though there are a couple of pretty convoluted clues which require a bit of work. Perhaps the musical instrument will delay some, but I would have thought the geography at 25 was well enough known, even in the far flung corners of the Empire.
I am grateful to George for stepping in during my exile from reliable internet access a fortnight ago: we are now back to our regular pattern.
Here’s my reasoning, with the usual Clues definitions SOLUTIONS.
Across
1 Armour, black and silver, generating a measure of response? (4-3)
MAIL-BAG How many of them would be a measure of success in generating responses. MAIL armour, B(lack), AG (or if you insist, even if it doesn’t work for highlighting purposes, Ag) silver
5 Drink with prostitute in company? (5-2)
START-UP Which would be one sort of company. It’s SUP, drink, with TART (prostitute) in. That “in” has a role to play in the wordplay
9 Opening perhaps when fully ready? Not quite (3)
RIP Not quite ready is RIP(e)
10 Cautious about sailor boy’s explanation for random behaviour (5,6)
CHAOS THEORY My last in, though it should have been quicker. Cautious gives you CHARY, into which you place O(rdinary) S(eaman), THEO. “Boy” usually indicates a short form of a name. Can’t someone stop that dam’ butterfly flapping around in the Amazonian jungle? Perhaps then we’d all get some peace.
11 House initially missing members, unable to have impact (8)
HARMLESS The H initial of House plus “not having arms”, members here indicating limbs.
12 Historic city — parking hard — food store must accept that (6)
DELPHI P(arking) and H(ard) – think pencils – within DELI, food store. Delphi famous for oracles, games and being the world’s belly button (sic)
15 Boorish fellow‘s influence in ousting leader (4)
LOUT Influence, CLOUT, with its leader dismissed
16 Large American house containing nothing very bad (10)
VILLAINOUS Your large American house is a VILLA IN US. Chuck in a 0, nothing
18 RADA tutor in classic film (10)
STAGECOACH RADA being the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Stagecoach the movie (John Ford, 1939) famous for introducing John Wayne and just about every Western cliché before they became clichés.
19 Wealthy East German abandoning exotic bird (4)
RICH Remove OST (German for East) from the ostrich, helpfully described as “exotic”
22 Page nine capturing official opener (6)
PREFIX P(age) IX (9 in Latin) and an inserted REF, your match official.
23 Instrument with strings partly cut? Yes, badly damaged (8)
PSALTERY To a cut PARTLy, add YES, and mutilate the letters until they agree to take the shape of this modern version of the Psalmist’s instrument.
25 Area’s thrust up, forming Scottish hill (7,4)
ARTHURS SEAT An anagram, and quite an apposite one, of AREAS THRUST, up being the indicator. Overlooks Edinburgh, and yet another probably not Camelot.
27 United over missing out on first place (3)
ONE DONE, over, missing its first
28 Do better than penny in expenditure (7)
OUTPLAY P(enny) in OUTLAY, expenditure
29 No point here in leading ambassador into flat (7)
PINHEAD The traditional Angels’ dance floor at the not sharp end of a pin. IN before H(is) E(xcellency) accommodated within PAD for flat.
Down
1 Organise most of hemisphere of planet? (7)
MARSHAL The planet is Mars, and the hemisphere is HALF. Almost.
2 Demanding millions in restoration of reputation (11)
IMPORTUNATE An unlikely looking anagram (restoration) of M(illions) and REPUTATION
3 Clip and fold (6)
BUCKLE I spent far too long trying to think of a sheep fold. It’s still just a straight double definition.
4 Inform wife repeatedly about marriage vow? One becoming disillusioned? (5,5)
GRASS WIDOW A member of a twosome much neglected for a foursome. GRASS inform, then repeated W(idows) placed around I DO, your wedding vow.
5 Average nameless boys (2-2)
SO-SO Two SONs without their N(ames)
6 Like sportsperson allowed in a friendly, finally dropping out (8)
ATHLETIC Allowed, LET, in A THICk, as in thick as thieves for “friendly”.
7 Couple now and then meeting, getting upset to some extent (3)
TWO An awful lot of clue for a short answer. If you join NOW to THEN , and reverse them, you’ll see our solution lurking in the middle.
8 Photos capturing reconstruction of shy scientist’s study (7)
PHYSICS PICS, photos, containing an anagram of SHY.
13 Sweet opening for Ekberg, coming in for attractive part (11)
PROFITEROLE The opening of Ekberg is, of course, E. Place that in a translation of “for attractive part”, PRO FIT ROLE, the Times getting down and dirty with the “fit” bit. Anita Ekberg was a well fit Swedish-Italian actress in the sort of movies that required her mainly to be, well, fit.
14 Disgraced member to want silence amid sound of alarm? (5,5)
BLACK SHEEP As in “of the family”. The sound of alarm is the rather unstrident BEEP, into which you are to place LACK SH for “need silence”
17 Sure I’d misplaced almost all the rest (8)
RESIDUAL Anagram of SURE I’D plus almost ALl
18 Singer, very much embracing musical work, was progressing quickly (7)
SOPRANO Very much SO, taking in OP for musical work and RAN for “was progressing quickly”
20 Countryman deceived about conclusion to explanatory notice (7)
HAYSEED Another place to lose time looking for a nationality. Deceived HAD around (explanator)Y conclusion and SEE for notice.
21 Excess emotion (in extreme instances) is a source of intolerance (6)
GLUTEN Excess GLUT, plus the extremes of E(motio)N
24 Notice pressure to oust it from piece of prose (4)
ESPY An ESSAY is a piece of prose, evict the S(ex) A(ppeal) – see above under Ekberg – and insert the P(ressure)
26 Spot on to decline a drink (3)
TOT Spot on is TO A T. Throw away the A
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