13:40 on a printout, but with one silly error. I put BUTTING IN at 19ac before I had any checkers (not that it would have made any difference), meaning to go back to it and check the wordplay later. Of course, I forgot. I also have a whinge about the enumeration for 11ac, but apart from that it was an interesting puzzle with a few helpfully-clued obscurities. Slightly clumsy to use frenzy and frenzied for mania and manic in 2dn and 15dn, but I only noticed that while typing up the blog.
| Across |
| 1 | Individual not half hacked off kept at it (10) |
| PERSEVERED - PER(son) (individual not half) + SEVERED (hacked off). |
| 6 | A party starts with loud Portuguese dance (4) |
| FADO - A + DO (party), after F (loud). |
| 8 | Male in a fund-raising event with tin knocked back drink (8) |
| ARMAGNAC - M(ale) inside A RAG (fund-raising event) + CAN (tin) reversed. |
| 9 | European money provides defensive erection around home (6) |
| FORINT - FORT (defensive erection) around IN (home). The currency of Hungary, not worth much - 346 of them to the pound! |
| 10 | Spirits of the dead endlessly appearing - it's hairy (4) |
| MANE - MANES (Roman spirits of the dead) minus the last letter. |
| 11 | System for training singer could produce awful solo, in fact (5,5) |
| TONIC SOLFA - (solo in fact)*. The enumeration should be (5,3-2)? I can't find any alternative without the hyphen in any of my dictionaries, although it is one American online dictionary (which doesn't count - harrumph). |
| 12 | Storage boxes guides carried across street (3,6) |
| TEA CHESTS - TEACHES (guides) around ST(reet). |
| 14 | Outburst when script full of rubbish gets returned (5) |
| STORM - MS (script) around ROT (rubbish), all reversed. |
| 17 | Drug giving children inner power (5) |
| SPEED - SEED (children) around P(ower). |
| 19 | Interrupting something destined to grow fashionable (7,2) |
| CUTTING IN - CUTTING (something destined to grow) + IN (fashionable). |
| 22 | Sit restlessly, perhaps, in a position of great depression (4-6) |
| ROCK-BOTTOM - ROCK BOTTOM (sit restlessly perhaps). |
| 23 | Political group stop monarch being deposed (4) |
| BLOC - BLOCK (stop) minus the K for king (monarch). |
| 24 | Capital of country besieged by army (6) |
| TIRANA - IRAN (country) inside TA (Territorial Army). Actually it's the capital of Albania. |
| 25 | Opportunity for buying a lot, so be excited (4,4) |
| BOOT SALE - (a lot so be)*. |
| 26 | Once defeated, only some surrender (4) |
| CEDE - hidden in "Once defeated". |
| 27 | See style that exudes energy in famous author (10) |
| CHESTERTON - CHESTER (see) + TONE (style) minus the E for energy. Probably best known for his Father Brown detective stories. |
| Down |
| 1 | My pals, being naughty, had to be kept in - group of kids messing about? |
| PLAYMATES - (my pals)* around ATE (had). |
| 2 | Country gets nothing right after revolution - frenzy ensues (7) |
| ROMANIA - O (nothing) + R(ight) reversed, then MANIA (frenzy). |
| 3 | Behind vehicle one attaches useless objects (8) |
| VANITIES - I (one) + TIES (attaches), behind VAN (vehicle). |
| 4 | Brutal concrete's unfortunately getting OK for building again (15) |
| RECONSTRUCTABLE - (brutal concrete's)*. |
| 5 | Brilliant form of therapy? There's something not quite right (6) |
| DEFECT - DEF (brilliant, hip-hop slang) + ECT (electroconvulsive therapy). |
| 6 | Neglected female obtained American soldiers for cuddling (9) |
| FORGOTTEN - F(emale) + GOTTEN (obtained, in American English) around OR (other ranks, soldiers). |
| 7 | Dull-looking quartet said to be ruined (4,3) |
| DONE FOR - sounds like "dun four" (dull-looking quartet). |
| 13 | See how chum is getting along when the game is up (9) |
| CHECKMATE - CHECK MATE (see how chum is getting along). |
| 15 | Frenzied female protecting a sort of religious believer (9) |
| MANICHEAN - MANIC (frenzied) + HEN (female) around A. A follower of the 3rd-century Persian prophet Mani. |
| 16 | Get rid of a politician with tough exterior (5,3) |
| STAMP OUT - A + MP (politician) inside STOUT (tough). |
| 18 | Supply personal documentation entering show (7) |
| PROVIDE - ID (personal documentation) inside PROVE (show). |
| 20 | Brave worker overcome by irritation (7) |
| GALLANT - ANT (worker) under GALL (irritation). |
| 21 | US agency's order set up in accordance with ancient law (6) |
| MOSAIC - CIA'S (US agency's) + OM (Order of Merit), all reversed. As in the Mosaic Law, that given to the Jews by Moses at Mount Sinai. |