Sunday Times 4516 (16 Dec 2012) by Tim Moorey

Solving time: About an hour

I did about half of this in a dentist's waiting room, and then on the bus on the way back to work. I finished it the following day over another half-hour or so, concluding in the SE Corner.

There were a few clues here I wasn't keen on, but on the whole I thought it was a pretty good puzzle.

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

Across
1	ABLE = ALE about Bother - I liked the devious use of 'beer cans' as part of an excellent surface
4	IN THAT CASE = (ANAESTHeTIC)* - another well hidden definition 'Since the situation is so', with 'bad' being the anagrind. Removing the Ether from ANAESTHETIC is spolit slightly by the fact that it has two Es, but it is only slightly.
9	MADCAP = ADC (aide de camp) in MAP (plan)
10	ENTRANCE - dd
11	SCANSION = IS rev in (S + CANON)
13	OCEANS = (CANOES)* - &lit
14	GROUND-HOGS = GO (try) + H (hard) all rev in GROUNDS (base) - I have to agree with the unanimous consensus on the forum that this is a one word answer. I have not been able to find a dictionary that lists it as hyphenated.
16	ALTOgether - clever!
17	BYRD = DRY + B all rev - although I couldn't justify why cold and dry were synonymous.
18	ART DEALERS = (TRADERS)* about (A + LEly)
20	TAURUS = THESAURUS with (HE'S) removed
21	decEMBer's + OLDEN
23	COLOR + ADO - 'it's way of' implies the American spelling of COLOUR
24	SAG BAG = GAB / GAS both rev, both words for lengthy talk. Not sure what benefit 'to the end' brings to the clue. I suppose 'flexible to the end' refers to the way beanbags mould themselves to the sitter's backside.
26	PRESENT-DAY - dd
27	THEA = THE AA (competitor of the RAC) with last letter removed - another clever one
Down
2	B + nOAh
3	EX-CON - Lord Archer being both an ex-convict and an ex-Conservative
4	I + MP + LIvED - the setter managed to avoid the more obvious breakdown!
5	THE END OF THE ROAD - dd
6	ATTACKS = "A TAX"
7	CHAIN + MAIL
8	SACHERTORTE = (ORCHESTRATEd)* - I like the good use of Ravel as an anagrind.
12	CURRY FlAVOUR
15	UNDERDOGS - dd - the cryptic def is suggesting that DOGE is found beneath DOG in the OED. I'm not convinced it works in the plural, or at least it doesn't work as well. There some on the forum who loved this one, but I wasn't keen.
18	A + B + STAIN
19	EMBASSY = S/S in (MAYBE)*
22	LEGIT / LEG IT!
25	peAceTimE