Times Crossword 25,415 - Tricky

Solving Time: 24 minutes, so harder than average. I put in several answers on a wing and a prayer rather, and was relieved to find them all correct. I think there are a number of quite tricky clues here, some clever misdirection, and a fair bit harder than yesterday's. But it all seemed very fair, so thank you setter.



cd = cryptic definition, dd = double definition, rev = reversed, anagrams are *(--), homophones indicated in ""

ODO means the Oxford Dictionaries Online

Across
1	heathendom - passion = HEAT + HEN DO + M = male
7	mewl - a dd, one being a homophone for "mule." I wasn't terribly confident entering this, but indeed a mule is an equine. Note also the converse, called a hinny..
9	fixation - following = F + I TAXI rev, +about = ON
10	cutler - all rev: about = RE, + L, + TUC, the Trades Union Congress. How many cutlers are actually still working in Sheffield, I wonder..
11	crafty - A F(OO)T in shout = CRY, the definition being "fly."
13	toiletry - cotton fabric = TOILE + TRY = to test, as in a try square for example
14	habit-forming - a dd, one jocular
17	hang out to dry - place = HANG OUT + D(EMOCRAT) in TORY
20	bristled - BRIST(O)L + ED
21	O'Neill - individual = ONE + (W)ILL as in the bard, to give (Eugene) O'Neill. I have heard of several of his plays but never actually seen or read one
22	hidden, seek and ye shall find..
23	rickshaw - piles of hay = RICKS + to sell = HAW(K)
25	keep - a dd, and another one I was nervous about, as I would not equate a keep and a dungeon, though the former might contain the latter. The word dungeon is derived from donjon, an archaic term for the central keep of a castle, but it seems a trifle tenuous to me. I don't think the daily cryptic should rely on archaic derived meanings
26	daydreamer - *(ARMED + READY) - very neat clue
Down
2	Eritrean - Queen's = ER + flag = TIRE both rev., + A N. I could see the answer but it took me a while to parse
3	tea - ThE bAr
4	Emily - green = LIME rev., + (JOURNE)Y
5	donator - *(TANDOOR)(I). Another neat clue
6	machinist - a feature = A CHIN in film = MIST - and another
7	Mother Goose - fairy = MOTH + O OGRE rev., + S(TAG)E. Another one that took me time to parse. Moth is a fairy servant of Titania, along with Cobweb, Peaseblossom, Mustardseed etc., in A Midsummer Night's Dream.
8	wherry - German fellow = HERR in W(OBBL)Y. They are interesting boats
12	flight strip - (RA)F + lands = LIGHTS + expedition = TRIP. I had some trouble with this one, being slow to see what sort of expedition was needed, and finding it hard to picture a Eurofighter or F-22 landing on a "strip"
15	finalised - *(A + INFIDELS) - yet another I took time to find. Oh, that sort of settled, not Finland(ish) after all..
16	grillade - everyone = ALL rev. in G + journey = RIDE
18	orderly - East end crowd = (H)ORDE + RLY
19	bronze - BR(ITISH) + ONZE + eleven in France, a football team..
21	oncer - *(CORNE)(T), a tricky anagram.. Oh, that sort of note
24	ska - "scar," which ODO defines as "a steep high cliff or rock outcrop, especially of limestone." Yorkshire has dozens of them. Tricky to the last clue..