Times Cryptic 28778

As my timing suggests, I did not find this particularly easy but it was an enjoyable solve and I was never in any doubt that I would complete it.

As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions and substitutions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds, containment, reversal and other indicators in square ones]. I usually omit all reference to positional indicators unless there is a specific point that requires clarification.

Across
1	At sea crew initially persisted in bad manners (10)
	DISRESPECT
	Anagram [at sea] of C{rew} [initially] PERSISTED
6	Bar allowed female to take up new position (4)
	REEF
	Free [allowed] becomes REEF when F (female) takes up a new position. Last Tuesday we had REEF defined as ‘bank’ and Pip commented:  Reef is rock or coral and a bank is sand. I think the same can be said of ‘bar’. REEF defined as ‘bank’ also appeared in The Guardian puzzle last Friday.
8	Destroy with moving victory at beginning of winter (8)
	DECIMATE
	DEC 1 (beginning of winter), MATE (moving victory at chess). I think by now we all know the original meaning of decimate, but usage allows for changes of meaning and ‘destroy’ is fine. The astronomical first day of winter in the northern hemisphere is December 21, but according to the meteorological calendar, the first day of winter in the UK is always December 1. Every play in chess is a move, so with a bit of a squint one might claim that a checkmate is a ‘moving victory’. Incidentally, I was surprised yesterday when several experienced QC solvers including at least two TfTT bloggers were caught out by MAR I clued as Beginning of month.  I wonder if they fared better with this one.
9	The ways of one’s ancestors, might one say? (6)
	ROUTES
	Sounds like [might one say] “roots” with reference to the distinctive ethnic or cultural identity of one’s ancestors
10	Composer dropping in for something to eat (4)
	CHOP
	CHOP{in} (composer) [dropping ‘in’]
11	P for Porsche fanatic? (10)
	PETROLHEAD
	P{etrol} [head]. A reverse-type clue. The definition is by example as a petrolhead may be into any type of car, or cars more generally.
12	Sailor’s hat boy and I found in lake (9)
	TARPAULIN
	PAUL (boy) + I contained by [found in] TARN (mountain lake). I haven’t checked the whole archive but TARPAULIN as a hat has come up at least once previously, in a 15×15 in December 2019. On that occasion it was defined simply as ‘old hat’ but the clue used ‘sailor’ in the wordplay to provide TAR. I didn’t know it then either but as with today’s clue the answer was easy to construct.
14	Music producer’s boss claiming £50 (5)
	CELLO
	CEO  (boss – Chief Executive Officer) containing [claiming] L (£ as in  L.S.D.) +L (50)
17	Bore with complaint on way back (5)
	DRILL
	RD (way – road) reversed [back], ILL (with complaint)
19	Uncompromising student once having say about home (9)
	OBSTINATE
	OB (student  – Old Boy), then STATE (say) containing [about] IN (home)
22	Regime in which Mary Poppins would feel at home? (5,5)
	NANNY STATE
	Cryptic
23	Sex before church is a sin (4)
	VICE
	VI (sex – 6 in Latin), CE (Church of England)
24	High official, namely one accompanying queen (6)
	VIZIER
	VIZ (namely), I (one), ER (queen). I know this title from Aladdin, Sinbad, Arabian Nights etc where there was usually a Grand Vizier around.
25	Stupidly I take men a hallucinogen (8)
	KETAMINE
	Anagram [stupidly] of I TAKE MEN
26	Nicaragua guerrilla nursing a fever (4)
	AGUE
	Hidden in [nursing] {Nicaragu}A GUE{errilla}
27	Stopping work and hitting the sack (10)
	RETIREMENT
	Two meanings of sorts

Down
1	Single-minded reactionary resolved to protect old volunteers (9)
	DEDICATED
	DECIDED (resolved) containing [to protect] TA (old volunteers – Territorial Army, now Army Reserve) reversed [reactionary]
2	“Help!” victim called out (7)
	SUCCOUR
	Sounds like [called out] “sucker” (victim e.g. of a swindle]
3	A politician drowning in beer and scotch (5,3)
	STAMP OUT
	A + MP (politician) contained by [drowning in] STOUT (beer)
4	Bitter at 27 time? This might help (8,7)
	ELECTRIC BLANKET
	Cryptic with reference to the second meaning at 27ac. Edit: ‘Bitter’ as in ‘bitterly cold’.
5	Blunder by scientist ultimately creating a monster (6)
	TERROR
	{scientis}T [ultimately}, ERROR (blunder). ‘The Terror’ in the title of many a horror film turns out to be a monster of some sort.
6	A possible clue for when crude (5-4)
	ROUGH-HEWN
	A reverse-type clue by which ‘when’ might be clued as an anagram [ROUGH] of HEWN. As recently as 19th November we had: When cryptic maybe is crudely fashioned (5,4).
7	Seeing something, I cry out loud (7)
	EYEBALL
	Sounds like [out loud] “I bawl” (cry). I suppose seeing something is to ‘eyeball’ it, but I associate the word more with staring hard, often aggressively. Edit: Ah! Thanks to Kevin for pointing out what I missed, that an EYEBALL is a ‘seeing something’!
13	Papa alone, so I organised a dance (9)
	POLONAISE
	P (papa – NATO), then anagram [organised] of ALONE SO I.  Chopin, mentioned at 10ac, wrote around 20 of these.
15	Ask too much of English king in public (9)
	OVEREXERT
	E (English) + REX (king) contained by [in] OVERT (public).
16	Witness from trial, breaking schedule, turned up (8)
	ATTESTOR
	TEST (trial), contained by [breaking] ROTA (schedule) reversed [turned up]
18	University terrified by head of department leaving (7)
	READING
	{d}READING (terrified) [head of d{epartment} leaving]. Considering almost every sizeable town or city in the UK has a university I’ve never understood why Reading appears to have some sort of favoured status amongst Times setters.
20	A cardinal holding island back? That’s ludicrous (7)
	ASININE
	A + NINE (cardinal), containing [holding] IS (island) reversed [back]
21	One generating a lot of interest? (6)
	USURER
	Cryptic. A moneylender, especially one charging an excessive rate of interest.