Solving time: 31 minutes
Not the tidiest of solves for me as I wrote in several partial answers that needed to be revisited, plus I had whole words missing in every quarter until quite late in the proceedings. If only 1ac had gone in early it might have been a whole different story.
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]. “Aural wordplay” is in quotation marks. I usually omit all reference to juxtaposition indicators unless there is a specific point that requires clarification.
 Across |
|
| 1 | Is ”chaps too disturbed” appropriate for them? (10) |
| SOCIOPATHS | |
| Anagram [disturbed] of IS CHAPS TOO. I’ve underlined the whole clue as it’s all relevant to the definition. |
|
| 6 | Troublemakers are weak types, lacking weight (4) |
| IMPS | |
| {w}IMPS (weak types) [lacking weight] | |
| 8 | Receiver of post — man said to faint? (8) |
| MAILDROP | |
| Aural wordplay [said]: MAIL / “male” (man), DROP (faint) | |
| 9 | A new attempt by artist to produce material (6) |
| ANGORA | |
| A, N (new), GO (attempt), RA (artist) | |
| 10 | Players needing drink before start of match (4) |
| TEAM | |
| TEA (drink), M{atch} [start] | |
| 11 | Judge coming down heavily maybe — or holding back (10) |
| REFRAINING | |
| REF (judge), RAINING (coming down heavily maybe) | |
| 12 | Take a second job and while away time, getting frivolous? (9) |
| MOONLIGHT | |
| MOON (while away time), LIGHT (frivolous) | |
| 14 | Accommodation for the bosses? (5) |
| BOARD | |
| Two definitions | |
| 17 | Wickedness coming to church subsequently (5) |
| SINCE | |
| SIN (wickedness), CE (church) | |
| 19 | Nice seats arranged for film buffs (9) |
| CINEASTES | |
| Anagram [arranged] of NICE SEATS | |
| 22 | Compel a fellow to become publicity bod (5,5) |
| PRESS AGENT | |
| PRESS A GENT (compel a fellow) | |
| 23 | Ham trimmed at the edges is what soldiers need (4) |
| AMMO | |
| {g}AMMO{n} (ham) [trimmed at the edges] | |
| 24 | Is husband behind bar cast out? (6) |
| BANISH | |
| BAN (bar), IS, H (husband) | |
| 25 | English at home always — waiting for one to come? (8) |
| ENGINEER | |
| ENG (English), IN (at home), E’ER (always). Another one where it’s difficult to know what to underline so I’ve done the lot, though I’m sure it’s not just the English who wait in all day for fitters to turn up. | |
| 26 | Grey adult initially reluctant to come forward (4) |
| ASHY | |
| A{dult) [initially], SHY (reluctant to come forward) | |
| 27 | Reprobate entered age falsely (10) |
| DEGENERATE | |
| Anagram [falsely] of ENTERED AGE | |
| Down |
|
| 1 | Notes on paper occasionally (9) |
| SOMETIMES | |
| SO + ME (musical notes), TIMES (paper) | |
| 2 | City with fashionable past (7) |
| CHICAGO | |
| CHIC (fashionable), AGO (past) | |
| 3 | Picture left — one nibbled by rodent? (8) |
| PORTRAIT | |
| PORT (left), then I (one) contained [nibbled] by RAT (rodent) | |
| 4 | Extreme cold, suggesting a big problem? (3,2,3,7) |
| TIP OF THE ICEBERG | |
| TIP OF (extreme), THE ICEBERG (something cold) | |
| 5 | Way a prisoner is in prison (6) |
| STALAG | |
| ST (way), A, LAG (prisoner) | |
| 6 | Old nun with guise terribly naive (9) |
| INGENUOUS | |
| Anagram [terribly] of O (old) NUN GUISE | |
| 7 | Wife maybe has role — loveless dictator (7) |
| PARTNER | |
| PART (role), NER{o} (dictator) [loveless] | |
| 13 | Need to have inventive parent? (9) |
| NECESSITY | |
| A cryptic hint adds support with reference to the saying ‘Necessity is the mother (parent) of invention’ | |
| 15 | Daughter is on programme of studies in Communication (9) |
| DISCOURSE | |
| D (daughter), IS, COURSE (programme of studies) | |
| 16 | Figure shut in with endless pain (8) |
| PENTAGON | |
| PENT (shut in), AGON{y} (pain) [endless] | |
| 18 | Small box advertisements — they are intrusive (7) |
| INROADS | |
| INRO (small box), ADS (advertisements). SOED: inro – an ornamental box with compartments for seals, medicines, etc., formerly worn by Japanese on a girdle. | |
| 20 | Paint Paddy applied over small area (7) |
| TEMPERA | |
| TEMPER (paddy), A (small – abbreviation for – area) | |
| 21 | With the female coming in, the old man made haste (6) |
| DASHED | |
| SHE (the female) contained by [coming in] DAD (the old man) | |
25:34 – smoothish solve with only minor hiccoughs. NHO INRO so biffed that one. I felt the clues were fair, though I have never seen any use of INGENUOUS without the DIS. thanks!
45:08
Slow, but I got there in the end.
REFRAINED held me up for a long while.
LOI STALAG.
How much better 13ac would have been if it had read “be” instead of “have”!
I would’ve got a PB at under 10 mins if it weren’t for the fact that I couldn’t get MAILDROP despite staring at it for 3 whole mins, so DNF!