A very good workout for a Friday with a lot of non-obvious definitions to compliment some cunning wordplay. I did this while on the move, and don't have a time, but I'm confident I soared well past the 10 minute mark.
FOI 22ac, as I've done enough crosswords by now for that DID O type device to leap straight out at me; LOI 15ac where I was looking for an archaic word for "roughneck" for way too long. There are loads of clues here that are candidates for high praise but a couple that stuck out for me were 18ac (I'm easily tickled by political surfaces), 20dn (perhaps a trifle libertarian but it directs the brainwaves towards the wrong kind of theatre very nicely). As a classicist I only ever had one real option for Clue of the Day, the Latinate and very smoothly clued 6dn. Bravo to the setter!
ACROSS
1 Prop, you said, caught by Belfast's flankers and lock (8)
BUTTRESS - U [you "said"] "caught by" B{elfas}T + TRESS [lock]
5 In retreat, heroic national leader's instructions (6)
RECIPE - reverse all of EPIC ER [heroic | national leader (the UK's Queen)]
8 Strategy adopted by men due to work, or not? (10)
UNEMPLOYED - PLOY [strategy] "adopted by" (MEN DUE*) ["...to work"].
This is a semi-&lit but I'm not quite sure where the wordplay ends and the definition begins; it seems to me there must be partial but not complete overlap.
9 Bearing king on throne (4)
LOOK - K [king] on LOO [throne]
10 Bird and dog laze in Manhattan area, perhaps? (8,6)
COCKTAIL LOUNGE - COCK and TAIL LOUNGE [bird; dog; laze]. Not an area of the New York borough of Manhattan, but an area in which one could be served a nice Manhattan.
11 Viewpoint associated with Times sub (7)
STANDBY - STAND associated with BY [viewpoint; times]
13 Worry about woman in flood (7)
FRESHET - FRET about SHE [worry; woman]. "The flood of a river from heavy rain or melted snow." I know it was something watery but probably would have guessed at a babbling brook or suchlike.
15 Roughneck turning criminal in early period (7)
BOYHOOD - reverse YOB [roughneck "turning"] + HOOD [criminal]
18 Some current politicians hiding before backing America's leader (7)
AMPERES - MPS [politicians] "hiding" ERE [before], backing A{merica}
21 Charming helper's good faith and merry fooling around (5,9)
FAIRY GODMOTHER - (GOOD FAITH + MERRY*) ["fooling around"]. Charming not as in pleasant, but as in casting magic spells.
22 Addict to make no gains at all (4)
WINO - WIN O = win nothing = "make no gains at all"
23 Put up with drinks, initially punch (10)
ROUNDHOUSE - HOUSE [put up], with ROUND [drinks] initially
24 Get wrong place to eat on a plane? (4,2)
MESS UP - MESS [place to eat] + UP, as in up in the air, as in maybe on a plane.
25 The English lady trembling with passion (8)
HEATEDLY - (THE E{nglish} LADY*) ["trembling"]
DOWN
1 Throws out black cats (7)
BOUNCES - B OUNCES [black | cats]. Bounce as in "what a bouncer does", I think.
2 Article on overthrown officer rude in Iran? (9)
THEOCRACY - THE [article] on reversed CO ["overthrown" officer] + RACY [rude]. Iran with its Ayatollahs being perhaps the most noted modern theocracy.
3 Place covered by grass is viewed well (7)
REPUTED - PUT "covered by" REED [place; grass]
4 Question one with foxy clothing in flamboyant fashion (7)
SHOWILY - HOW I [question | one], with SLY "clothing"
5 Turn up during criminal ram-raid to give message (9)
RADIOGRAM - GO reversed [turn "up"] during (RAM-RAID*) ["criminal"]
6 About fifty tips for first date in Rome (7)
CALENDS - CA L ENDS [about | fifty | tips]. In ancient times, the calends was the first of the month.
7 Page with note about Polish sound (7)
PHONEME - P with ME, about HONE [page; note; polish]
12 It could be explosive blunder litigant's turned up (5,4)
BOOBY TRAP - BOOB [blunder] + PARTY reversed [litigant "is turned up"]
14 Horse and badger eating mineral in medicinal plant (9)
HOREHOUND - H and HOUND eating ORE [horse; badger; mineral], Horehound lozenges are good for digestion, sore throats and inflammation, I discover.
16 Foul American kills fish (7)
OFFSIDE - OFFS [an American word for "kills"] + IDE [fish]
17 Appalling hotel that is recalled by us abroad (7)
HEINOUS - H [hotel] + I.E. reversed [that is, "recalled"] by NOUS [us "abroad", specifically in France]
18 Dip in alcohol fit for diner (2,5)
AL DENTE - DENT in ALE [dip; alcohol]
19 Adept on piano, the playing is diviner! (7)
PROPHET - PRO [= professional = adept] on P [piano] + (THE*) ["playing"]
20 On-line rush for event in theatre (7)
SURGERY - on-RY SURGE [(railway) line; rush]. An operating theatre, not a playhouse.
FOI 22ac, as I've done enough crosswords by now for that DID O type device to leap straight out at me; LOI 15ac where I was looking for an archaic word for "roughneck" for way too long. There are loads of clues here that are candidates for high praise but a couple that stuck out for me were 18ac (I'm easily tickled by political surfaces), 20dn (perhaps a trifle libertarian but it directs the brainwaves towards the wrong kind of theatre very nicely). As a classicist I only ever had one real option for Clue of the Day, the Latinate and very smoothly clued 6dn. Bravo to the setter!
ACROSS
1 Prop, you said, caught by Belfast's flankers and lock (8)
BUTTRESS - U [you "said"] "caught by" B{elfas}T + TRESS [lock]
5 In retreat, heroic national leader's instructions (6)
RECIPE - reverse all of EPIC ER [heroic | national leader (the UK's Queen)]
8 Strategy adopted by men due to work, or not? (10)
UNEMPLOYED - PLOY [strategy] "adopted by" (MEN DUE*) ["...to work"].
This is a semi-&lit but I'm not quite sure where the wordplay ends and the definition begins; it seems to me there must be partial but not complete overlap.
9 Bearing king on throne (4)
LOOK - K [king] on LOO [throne]
10 Bird and dog laze in Manhattan area, perhaps? (8,6)
COCKTAIL LOUNGE - COCK and TAIL LOUNGE [bird; dog; laze]. Not an area of the New York borough of Manhattan, but an area in which one could be served a nice Manhattan.
11 Viewpoint associated with Times sub (7)
STANDBY - STAND associated with BY [viewpoint; times]
13 Worry about woman in flood (7)
FRESHET - FRET about SHE [worry; woman]. "The flood of a river from heavy rain or melted snow." I know it was something watery but probably would have guessed at a babbling brook or suchlike.
15 Roughneck turning criminal in early period (7)
BOYHOOD - reverse YOB [roughneck "turning"] + HOOD [criminal]
18 Some current politicians hiding before backing America's leader (7)
AMPERES - MPS [politicians] "hiding" ERE [before], backing A{merica}
21 Charming helper's good faith and merry fooling around (5,9)
FAIRY GODMOTHER - (GOOD FAITH + MERRY*) ["fooling around"]. Charming not as in pleasant, but as in casting magic spells.
22 Addict to make no gains at all (4)
WINO - WIN O = win nothing = "make no gains at all"
23 Put up with drinks, initially punch (10)
ROUNDHOUSE - HOUSE [put up], with ROUND [drinks] initially
24 Get wrong place to eat on a plane? (4,2)
MESS UP - MESS [place to eat] + UP, as in up in the air, as in maybe on a plane.
25 The English lady trembling with passion (8)
HEATEDLY - (THE E{nglish} LADY*) ["trembling"]
DOWN
1 Throws out black cats (7)
BOUNCES - B OUNCES [black | cats]. Bounce as in "what a bouncer does", I think.
2 Article on overthrown officer rude in Iran? (9)
THEOCRACY - THE [article] on reversed CO ["overthrown" officer] + RACY [rude]. Iran with its Ayatollahs being perhaps the most noted modern theocracy.
3 Place covered by grass is viewed well (7)
REPUTED - PUT "covered by" REED [place; grass]
4 Question one with foxy clothing in flamboyant fashion (7)
SHOWILY - HOW I [question | one], with SLY "clothing"
5 Turn up during criminal ram-raid to give message (9)
RADIOGRAM - GO reversed [turn "up"] during (RAM-RAID*) ["criminal"]
6 About fifty tips for first date in Rome (7)
CALENDS - CA L ENDS [about | fifty | tips]. In ancient times, the calends was the first of the month.
7 Page with note about Polish sound (7)
PHONEME - P with ME, about HONE [page; note; polish]
12 It could be explosive blunder litigant's turned up (5,4)
BOOBY TRAP - BOOB [blunder] + PARTY reversed [litigant "is turned up"]
14 Horse and badger eating mineral in medicinal plant (9)
HOREHOUND - H and HOUND eating ORE [horse; badger; mineral], Horehound lozenges are good for digestion, sore throats and inflammation, I discover.
16 Foul American kills fish (7)
OFFSIDE - OFFS [an American word for "kills"] + IDE [fish]
17 Appalling hotel that is recalled by us abroad (7)
HEINOUS - H [hotel] + I.E. reversed [that is, "recalled"] by NOUS [us "abroad", specifically in France]
18 Dip in alcohol fit for diner (2,5)
AL DENTE - DENT in ALE [dip; alcohol]
19 Adept on piano, the playing is diviner! (7)
PROPHET - PRO [= professional = adept] on P [piano] + (THE*) ["playing"]
20 On-line rush for event in theatre (7)
SURGERY - on-RY SURGE [(railway) line; rush]. An operating theatre, not a playhouse.