16:29 for this fairly challenging puzzle (although it would have been a bit quicker if I hadn't bunged in THUMB STITCH at 13D). Not sure where I got that from - it doesn't even exist. Lots of interesting definitions rather than the usual single-word ones, and I liked the clever wordplay in e.g. 12A, 4D and 8D where part of a word is replaced to get to the solution. COD to 26A though. LOI 2D when I decided it couldn't be anything else (and I still don't like it).
| Across |
| 1 | With thick coat on back, plays truant from school ... (8) |
| STUCCOED - CUTS (plays truant from) reversed + COED (school). |
| 6 | ... fine school, missing my appearance (6) |
| FACADE - F(ine) + ACADEMY (school), with MY missing. |
| 9 | So Christmas pudding may appear following meat course at last (6) |
| FLAMBÉ - F(ollowing) + LAMB (meat) + (cours)E. |
| 10 | Prisoner’s alias? (8) |
| NICKNAME - cryptic definition. |
| 11 | God! Writer has lost one lot of gold (4) |
| THOR - AUTHOR (writer) minus AU (one lot of gold, as OR could be another lot). |
| 12 | Quietly happy remark: there’s room for me (10) |
| COMPLACENT - COMMENT (remark), with ME in the middle replaced by PLACE (room). |
| 14 | Is likely to be effective, we hear, as school subject (8) |
| WOODWORK - sounds like "would work". |
| 16 | Khrushchev losing it on the way back, it’s related (4) |
| AKIN - NIKITA (Khrushchev) reversed, without IT. |
| 18 | Pole virtually redundant (4) |
| SPAR - nearly SPARE (redundant). |
| 19 | Weeds are universal in the early hours (8) |
| MOURNING - U(niversal) inside MORNING (the early hours). |
| 21 | Favouring country sports in spring, energy bursting all around (5-5) |
| GREEN-WELLY - WELL (spring) inside (energy)*. |
| 22 | Shortly pack basic food for the tropics (4) |
| TARO - TARO(t) (a pack, shortly). A tropical root vegetable. |
| 24 | Crime nearly pinned on psychoanalyst, one hard to get on top of (8) |
| JUNGFRAU - FRAU(d) (crime nearly) next to JUNG (psychoanalyst). A mountain in the Bernese Alps. I think the definition's a bit out of date - you can catch a train to within 2000 feet of the top now! |
| 26 | Near end of play perhaps, finally lose voice (6) |
| ACTIVE - ACT IV (near end of play perhaps) + (los)E. |
| 27 | Prepare to sleep in wooden seat (6) |
| SETTLE - double definition. |
| 28 | Not liking to catch companion breaking eggs (8) |
| HATCHING - CH (Companion of Honour) inside HATING (not liking). |
| Down |
| 2 | Cultivate slope with horse (5) |
| TILTH - TILT (slope) + H(orse). Wrong part of speech in the definition - TILTH can only be a noun according to Chambers. |
| 3 | Dare America to ruin this special relationship? (11) |
| CAMARADERIE - (dare America)*. |
| 4 | Approval for a time in warm clothing to burn? (8) |
| OVERCOOK - OVERCOAT (warm clothing), with OK (approval) replacing A T(ime). |
| 5 | Stick to tragedy?That’s ridiculous (4,4,2,5) |
| DON'T MAKE ME LAUGH - double definition, one of them cryptic. |
| 6 | Too easy, one length in front (6) |
| FACILE - I (one) + L(ength) inside FACE (front). |
| 7 | Tory / trick (3) |
| CON - double definition and contender for easiest write-in of the year I think! |
| 8 | Size of boarding house at first obscured by dark (9) |
| DIMENSION - PENSION (boarding house) with the first letter replaced by DIM (dark). |
| 13 | Secures dwarf that sewer may employ (5,6) |
| CHAIN STITCH - CHAINS (secures) + TITCH (dwarf). |
| 15 | Timely drink in old Indian city (9) |
| OPPORTUNE - PORT (drink) inside O(ld), PUNE (Indian city). |
| 17 | Temporary pole army just fixed (8) |
| JURYMAST - (army just)*. |
| 20 | Turn hastily away from wife, to hand drinks round (6) |
| SWERVE - W(ife) inside SERVE (to hand drinks). |
| 23 | Inhabitant of Tower fearing to be executed (5) |
| RAVEN - CRAVEN (fearing) minus the first letter. |
| 25 | Corporation is good for Berlin (3) |
| GUT - double definition, as it's the German word for "good". |