I solved this one in 22 minutes so I imagine some of the speed-merchants completed it before they started. I've nothing more to say at this stage so I'll just cut to the proverbial chase.
As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds, containment, reversal and other indicators in square ones]
| Across | |
| 1 | One tearing into extremely fruity trifles? (8) |
| FRIPPERY - RIPPER (one tearing) contained by [into] F{ruit}Y [extremely] | |
| 9 | Work with men at old port (8) |
| ORATORIO - OR (men), AT, O (old), RIO (port) | |
| 10 | Church feature identified in downloads, so to speak (4) |
| APSE - This domed or vaulted recess in a church sounds like [so to speak] "apps" (downloads) | |
| 11 | Swaggering adventurer’s sister about to clean clasp (12) |
| SWASHBUCKLER - SR (sister) contains [about] WASH (clean) + BUCKLE (clasp). A type of role very much associated with Errol Flynn in his day. I don't know who a modern equivalent would be. Johnny Depp perhaps? | |
| 13 | Agent crossing railway line nimbly (6) |
| SPRYLY - SPY (agent) containing [crossing] RY (railway) + L (line) | |
| 14 | Reformed persons finally make comeback (8) |
| RESPONSE - Anagram [reformed] of PERSONS, {mak}E [finally] | |
| 15 | Inferior to some quarters in spa city (7) |
| BENEATH - E N E (some quarters) in BATH (spa city) | |
| 16 | Words maybe associated with some fine gauzy fabric (7) |
| TIFFANY - TIFF (words - as in 'have words'), ANY (some) | |
| 20 | Sloth unknown in East, captured by young woman (8) |
| LAZINESS - Z (unknown) + IN + E contained [captured] by LASS (young woman) | |
| 22 | Old lady sheltering a convict in Continental resort (6) |
| MALAGA - MA (old lady) containing [sheltering] A + LAG (convict) | |
| 23 | Our new envoy foolishly crosses king — anything could happen! (3,5,4) |
| YOU NEVER KNOW - Anagram [foolishly] of OUR NEW ENVOY contains [crosses] K (king) | |
| 25 | Make an impression, and so on, with Head of History (4) |
| ETCH - ETC (and so on), H{istory} [head] | |
| 26 | Supervised old archdeacon, suppressing language (8) |
| OVERSEEN - O (old), VEN (archdeacon) containing [suppressing] ERSE (language) | |
| 27 | Bovid mammal bound to be tied to stake (8) |
| ANTELOPE - ANTE (stake), LOPE (bound) | |
| Down | |
| 2 | Provide new community for theatre the Spanish writer set up (8) |
| REPEOPLE - REP (theatre) then EL (the, Spanish) + POE (writer) reversed [set up] | |
| 3 | Protestant, before initially singing some bits, rushed to invite one in (12) |
| PRESBYTERIAN - PRE (before), S{inging} [initially], BYTE (some bits), then RAN (rushed) containing [to invite...in] I (one) | |
| 4 | Unusually apt clue covering Yankee oil producer (8) |
| EUCALYPT - Anagram [unusually] of APT CLUE containing [covering] Y (Yankee). I've not come across this before and apparantly it's nothing more than an abbreviated form of the more familiar 'eucalyptus'. | |
| 5 | Turn up with husband in tent, supplying healthy food (7) |
| YOGHURT - GO (turn) reversed [up] + H (husband) in YURT (tent). | |
| 6 | Graduate at Sorbonne who at first supported French underground (6) |
| MAQUIS - MA (graduate), QUI (at Sorbonne, who), S{upported} [at first] | |
| 7 | Characters entering for a Latin exam (4) |
| ORAL - Hidden [characters entering] in {f}OR A L{atin} | |
| 8 | Not the condition of drunkard unknown to eat cheese? (8) |
| SOBRIETY - SOT (drunkard) + Y (unknown) contains [to eat] BRIE (cheese). Semi &lit accounts for 'drunkard' doing double duty. | |
| 12 | Be perfectly aware what’s short of water, do we hear? (4,4,4) |
| KNOW FULL WELL - Sounds like [we hear] "no full well" in which case there might be a shortage of water, but are wells ever full? | |
| 15 | Uproar when brown bear traps leaders of large youth hostel (8) |
| BALLYHOO - BALOO (brown bear) contains [traps] L{arge} + Y{outh} + H{ostel} [leaders]. Kipling described Baloo as "the sleepy brown bear" apparently. | |
| 17 | This writer’s books about store, due out soon (8) |
| IMMINENT - I'M (this writer’s) + NT (books) contains [about] MINE (store) | |
| 18 | Curious thing about soft drink at bedtime (8) |
| NIGHTCAP - Anagram [curious] of THING, CA (about), P (soft) | |
| 19 | Time a girl embraces popular sovereign’s wife (7) |
| TSARINA - T (time), SARA (a girl) contains [embraces] IN (popular) | |
| 21 | English knight competed, being grudgingly admired (6) |
| ENVIED - E (English), N (knight), VIED (competed) | |
| 24 | One who employs asses regularly in ancient city (4) |
| USER - {a}S{s}E{s} [regularly] contained by [in] UR (ancient city) | |