Sunday Times 4515 (9 Dec 2012) by Dean Mayer

Solving time: 1:24:13

After last week's walk in the park, Dean's offering this week was always going to be tough.

I stared at it for about 20 minutes before I entered my first answer, having read through all the clues as far as 23d. It got me a foothold in the SE corner and I gradually expanded from there. I think the last three (4/9/10) took another 20 minutes all on their own.

I seemed to have a lot of question marks scribbled down at the end of this one, which undoubtedly contributed to my slow time - 10a, 13a, 25a, 26a, 4d, 6d - although I think 6d is fine now I look at it again. I cover my doubts against each clue below, and any or all of them may well be my own lack of understanding, of course.

cd = cryptic def., dd = double def., rev = reversal, homophones are written in quotes, anagrams as (--)*, and removals like this

Across
1	OUT OF THIS WORLD - dd
10	CAD + M(I)UM - I wasn't happy about this definition. Cadmium, as an element, is a silvery-blue in colour, but Cadmium Sulphide is often used as a yellow pigment. The yellow colour though, comes from the sulphur and not the cadmium. Cadmium is also used to make oranges and reds, so the yellow seems something of an arbitrary choice.
11	CO(LOG)NE
12	MARRIED MEN = MA + (REMINDER)*
13	DUCK - I must be missing something here. All I can see is two words meaning zero being used to clue a third, but there must be more to it than that, surely?
15	NARRATORS = ARRAN rev + TORS - I rather liked this one for it's easy surface and simplicity.
17	A + SPENt
18	HOVE + L
19	ENDEAVOUR = END + "EVER"
21	GOLF = GO + L + Footpath - Golf precedes Hotel in the phonetic alphabet. A devious definition that had me groaning when I finally saw it. My COD.
22	PLA(CID)NE + SeriouS
25	TOGGLED = GOT (took) rev + G (good) + LED (little light) - I'm not sure whether the definition is 'with switch' or just 'switch' as neither seems quite the right part of speech to me.
26	C + RIMS + ON - Is 'see' for C not an undeclared homophone?
27	AUDIO ENGINEERS = (DIE NEAR IGNEOUS)* - Although I nearly discounted this anagrist as containing far too many vowels.
Down
2	UNDERPRIVILEGED - cd - i.e. what is common to such people is having very little
3	ORIGINALLY = O + (I + GIN) in RALLY - Another one I particularly liked. I think it's the use of RALLY = 'stages' that appeals.
4	TIMID = DIM + IT all rev - another definition that confused me slightly. Timid is an adjective and doormat is a noun so I fail to see how the two can be synonymous.
5	INCREASED = (AS NICE RED)*
6	WILY = W1 (Mayfair) + LadY - AD (plug) removed from LADY. I guess Mayfair for W1 is OK, although the postal district of W1 covers a much larger area than just Mayfair - Soho, Chinatown, Marylebone & Fitzrovia are all in there too. It's no different to using EC or ECI for City, I suppose, just not as common.
7	REGIUS PROFESSOR = (GOES FOR SURPRISE)*
8	DOES + KIN
9	ACUMEN - A tricky bit of wordplay that uses CUM meaning 'with' from the Latin, as in 'garage-cum-workshop', so it's A-CUM-EN = one letter with another.
14	FAR AND WIDE = FA (nothing, as in Sweet F.A.) + RAN (published) + (WE DID)* - another tricky bit of wordplay
16	OVERLADEN = (NEVER LOAD)*
18	HIGH TEA = lIGHT (easy to digest, not initially) in HE (ambassador) + A
20	R + I + SING
23	CACTI - rev hidden - my FOI, after about 20 minutes!
24	A + LSO (London Symphony Orchestra)