My oath, this took me a long time to start with, and not much quicker once I got going. Too much time barking up wrong trees and laboriously working out wordplay so you lucky lot don’t have to. I’m not complaining, everything being fair and obvious once spotted. The great majority of the definitions make laconic speech seem long winded, and several are cheekily disguised. So here’s the distillation of my 32 minutes effort, with clues, definitions and SOLUTIONS.
Across
1 Become almost unsophisticated in grotesque style (6)
GOTHIC Easy enough, except for me. It’s become: GO and THIC from most of unsophisticated.
5 Expanse of green and black available for rent (8)
LEASABLE Your expanse of green is a LEA, and black contributes SABLE via heralds and poets.
9 Hurry old fool on stage (4,2,2)
STEP ON IT Stage: STEP, O(ld) fool: NIT
10 Smash defence work (6)
WALLOP A wall might be a defence, and OP is definitely a work.
11 Came down hard on flipping stone, a big one (8)
MEGALITH The flipping stone, a backward GEM starts our entry followed by ALIT for came down, a H(ard)
12 Old Biblical judge, having downed litre, is duller (6)
OPIATE Gideon? Jephthah? Samson? Nope. You need the O from old, then PILATE an unwilling biblical (not to say creedal) judge washes his hands of his L to give a duller (n)
13 A few castles fitted with new tower, as ordered (3,2,3)
ONE OR TWO As I recall, the standard notation for castling in chess is O-O, so fit that with a ne version of N(ew) TOWER. 3d on Tuesday, which had a more whimsical clue.
15 Cold? No, retreating in shade (4)
CYAN C(old) plus NAY reversed
17 Charm judge in call from Jersey (4)
MOJO Well, even Jersey cows can scarce forbear to MOO, especially after ingesting a J(udge)
19 Part of cheque created is hard to change (8)
STUBBORN If you can remember cheques, they had STUBs on which you were supposed to write the details. Created provides BORN
20 Man on island I had held in scuffle (6)
FRIDAY Crusoe’s far more intelligent companion. I’D for I had in FRAY for scuffle
21 Part of set dresser keeps in binder (8)
LIGAMENT With Windlebum so recent in memory, GAME as part of a set should be a gimme. That leaves LINT, which is a dressing masquerading as a dresser.
22 Fine vessel for all to see, back in perfect state (6)
UTOPIA If you can be bothered, its A1 fine, POT vessel ,and U cinematic for all to see. All reversed.
23 Training finally complete in all aspects, but not allowed in cockpit (8)
GROUNDED Hijacker doesn’t match. Training is only there to contribute its G, and ROUNDED adequately translates the rest.
24 Sort of shy individual overwhelmed by crazy period of work (3,5)
DAY SHIFT Anagram SHY, add I for individual, and set both in DAFT for mad.
25 Come to grips with story about heartless crook (6)
TACKLE TALE from story encircles a gutted CrooK
Down
2 Coming a few weeks after the start? Our team over a year behind (2,3,3)
ON THE WAY Take a few weeks after its start and ou have (m)ONTH Our team is WE (bridge, I think) which must be reversed. A Y(ear) follows on behind.
3 Drama about securing record label in regular shape (8)
HEPTAGON The drama is NOH and reversed, and the inserted record EP has a TAG label, so not DECCA then.
4 Assured duck dish, perhaps, will go round the room (9)
CONFIDENT CONFIT may be made of duck, and it goes round the DEN.
5 First commandment: have the mutineer ahead of battle executed (3,5,2,5)
LET THERE BE LIGHT “Commandment” put me in Exodus when I needed Genesis. Respace LET THE REBEL (f)IGHT.
6 Cleaner serving instrument not quite filled with meat (7)
SHAMPOO I assume the serving instrument is a SPOOn, which coincidentally can serve as an instrument. The meat is HAM. Assemble.
7 Style of singing in clubs not able to be reproduced (3,5)
BEL CANTO My choir specialises in CAN BELTO which all but went in. Also an anagram (reproduced) of NOT ABLE TO.
8 In centre, prepares press officer a drink (8)
ESPRESSO Dam’ me, it’s the hidden.
14 Over base, inaccurate throw (5-4)
WRONG FOOT Take FOOT to be the base of something, stick WRONG for inaccurate over the top.
15 Surprise: escaped prisoner recaptured? (8)
CONFOUND Headline in the Sun CON FOUND. Write the story yourself (it’s in the clue).
16 Plant border in great pain (8)
AGRIMONY I’ve no idea what it looks like, but it’s edge: RIM in great pain AGONY.
17 As jogger, sides of mountain come in for pounding (8)
MNEMONIC Not many words starting MN, here derived from either side of MountaiN. The rest is a pounded version of COME IN. I know lots of mnemonics, but not necessarily what they’re for.
18 Hunter can show effect of sunburn (4,4)
JOHM PEEL The D’ye Ken man John comes wittily from can, and peel from too much sun. Slip slap slop.
19 Unoriginal portrait painter turns up carrying six shillings (7)
SLAVISH Van HALS is the portrait painter who volunteers to do a head stand. It gets him VI S(hillings) to pocket, which is a nest trick when dong a head stand.