Times for the Times

I found this relatively gentle overall, finishing in under 7 minutes, though I was definitely helped by having come across 10ac before and that therefore being my FOI, rather than a source of puzzlement. There were some really nice moments in this grid though, 12ac, 16ac and 14dn particularly tickling my fancy. All in all a good Friday, and I anticipate agreement. Thanks setter!

Definitions underlined, (ABC)* indicating anagram of ABC, {} deletions and [] other indicators.

Across
1 Diverts variety acts with half of recording? (5,5)
TURNS ASIDE - TURNS [variety acts] with A-SIDE
6 Twelve back-to-back refusals (4)
NOON - NO + reversed NO
9 Innovative artists in revolutionary city flourish (3,4)
NEW WAVE - reverse WEN [as in The Great Wen that is London] + WAVE [flourish]
10 One grazing animals gets air exercising (7)
AGISTER - (GETS AIR*). This has come up in Times puzzles before, thank goodness
12 Vagrant blacked out a lot (10)
BUCKETLOAD - (BLACKED OUT*)
13 Wrath in country deprived of land (3)
IRE - IRE{land}
15 Forest close to airport burning (6)
ARDENT - ARDEN [as in the forest in As You Like It] + {airpor}T
16 Faithful friend concealing Conservative party's latest fraudulence (8)
QUACKERY - QUAKER [as in, member of the religious Society of Friends] "concealing" C, plus {part}Y
18 Butt from corner disposed of outside area (8)
HOGSHEAD - HOG [corner] + SHED "outside" A
20 Ships seized by war-mad admiral? (6)
ARMADA - hidden in {w}AR-MAD A{dmiral}
23 Last of seamen to swig drink (3)
NOG - {seame}N {t}O {swi}G
24 Nonconformists waste nothing they say (10)
REFUSENIKS - REFUSE [waste] + homophone of NIX
26 Missile turned over HQ, crossing river (7)
TORPEDO - reversed O DEPOT, "crossing" R
27 Not always where top columnists work? (2,5)
AT TIMES - somewhat ingratiating double def
28 Celebrated dynasty (4)
SUNG - double def. This is the Wade-Giles romanization, bad luck if you put SONG (which doesn't mean celebrated) or SANG (which isn't a dynasty). If you somehow put SENG though I have no sympathy
29 Provocative church featured in local chronicle (10)
INCENDIARY - CE in INN DIARY
Down
1 Leader leaves men in dry shelter (4)
TENT - {m}EN in TT [teetotal = dry]
2 Turned back, being hurt again? (7)
REWOUND - or RE-WOUND, as in "wound for a second time"
3 Mr Ed supporting son who's standing provokingly? (8-5)
STALKING-HORSE - S supported by Mr Ed the TALKING HORSE. A political candidate put forward to divide the opposition, e.g.
4 Nosily picks up small coins (6)
SCENTS - S CENTS. "Nosily picks up" as in, "picks up with one's nose"
5 Face villain failing to initiate exchange (8)
DIALOGUE - DIAL plus {r}OGUE
7 Strikers on team? Not likely! (7)
OUTSIDE - if you are on strike, you are OUT, and a team is a SIDE. As in "an outside chance"
8 Breeder runs many dodgy houses I hesitate to say (10)
NURSERYMAN - (RUNS MANY*) "houses" ER...
11 Forcibly conditioned with art, not love? (13)
INDOCTRINATED - (C{o}NDITIONED ART*), &lit
14 Pals inspiring another's schemes (10)
MACHINATES - MATES "inspiring" CHINA
17 Rugby player hits low note, roughly a fortnightly occurrence (4-4)
HALF-MOON - HALF [rugby player] + MOO [low, like a cow] + N
19 Pioneering Russian paper set up in advance (7)
GAGARIN - reversed RAG in GAIN
21 A barrister recalled eponymous heroine before 6 once (3-4)
ACK-EMMA - A + reversed KC [king's counsel] + EMMA [Austenian heroine], for a.m. or pre-noon as spelled out in the good old days. I feel like I never heard of pip or toc or ack emma for decades and then suddenly they're all over the place in crosswords...
22 I'm off to appraise housing development (6)
ESTATE - EST{im}ATE
25 My investment company's base (1,3)
I SAY - ISA [investment, as in Individual Savings Account] + {compan}Y

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Some quite tricky things going on in an inventive puzzle from Orpheus: I was a 9:30 DNF, with a couple of optimistic guesses at 20ac before giving up and clicking on the answer. I was held up elsewhere in the SW, with 12d needing a bit of thought, and both elements of 13ac being closer to a guess than peripheral knowledge. I vaguely remember struggling with long answers like 2d and 3d when I first started these things, and I certainly needed them today for the tricky 1ac. Nice one - many thanks to Orpheus!

Across
1	Ethnic group eccentric’s source of information on course (8)
	RACECARD - RACE (ethnic group) CARD (eccentric, rake, etc.)
5	Brandy and stuff going west (4)
	MARC - CRAM (stuff) "going west"
8	Group of languages used in urban tutorials (5)
	BANTU - "used in" urBAN TUtorials
9	Mail worker’s position at head of staff (7)
	POSTMAN - POST (position) at head of/in front of MAN (staff, as a verb). The " 's " is possessive in the surface reading and a contraction of "is" for "equals" in the cryptic (also in 1ac).
11	Bury loose cash where motorways cross (11)
	INTERCHANGE -INTER (bury) CHANGE (loose cash)
13	Goodman, for example, consuming large fish (6)
	BLENNY - BENNY (Goodman, for example) consuming L(arge).
14	Folk regularly request small vessels for wine, say (6)
	FLASKS - FL (FoLk "regularly") ASK (request) S(mall)
16	Bar Eritrean eccentric, one holding up 1 down? (11)
	TRAINBEARER - anagram (eccentric) of BAR ERITREAN. Train as in a trailing dress.
18	A requirement one’s retained for cake flavouring, perhaps (7)
	ANISEED - A NEED (a requirement) with I'S (one's) retained. I'm not sure I'd thank you for an aniseed flavoured cake. (Well I would, but I'm not sure I'd mean it.)
19	Books ambassador left outside lodging-place (5)
	HOTEL - OT (Old Testament = books) has HE (His Excellency = ambassador) and L(eft) outside. Tricksy construction.
20	Sound made by piano technician? Something fishy here (4)
	TUNA -"sound made by [saying]" TUNER (piano technician). Tricky enough, with options aplenty and an oblique definition. I was thinking things like ting and tank.
21	Moderated rage displayed by top journalist (8)
	TEMPERED - TEMPER (rage) by ED[itor] (top journalist)

Down
1	Formal garment initially receiving award (4)
	ROBE - R ("initially" Receiving) OBE (award)
2	Concern for others — that’s something to think about (13)
	CONSIDERATION - double defintition
3	Put up with features (11)
	COUNTENANCE - double definition
4	Provide information about sound of gunshot (6)
	REPORT - double definition
6	Silly idiot ran trams — in this capacity? (13)
	ADMINISTRATOR - anagram (silly) of IDIOT RAN TRAMS. "This" refers back to the running/managing of trams.
7	Study poetry? The opposite (8)
	CONVERSE - CON (study) VERSE (poetry). To con for to study crops up frequently enough.
10	Award given to student for exceptional erudition? (11)
	SCHOLARSHIP - somewhere between an &lit and a double definition.
12	Remove painting by Kandinsky, possibly (8)
	ABSTRACT - double definition. To abstract as in to extract.
15	Stick one’s nose in, hearing gong (6)
	MEDDLE - "hearing" MEDAL (gong) gets you the answer.
17	Good young fellow, and contented (4)
	GLAD - G(ood) LAD (young fellow)

Not as easy as yesterday, but no real problems solving. Parsing a couple wasn't quite so straight forward though, and I'm prepared to admit I'm wrong on 2dn...

As it's a Corelli, I was looking out for a literary theme, but to no avail. Perhaps you've had better luck?


Definitions underlined.

Across
1	Boxer grabbing an Indian every so often is joking (7)
	PUNNING - PUG (boxer) containing (grabbing) every other letter from (every so often) aN iNdIaN.
5	Tribe of 50 in prison (4)
	CLAN - L (fifty) in CAN (prison).
9	Medical officer to exploit timid creature (5)
	MOUSE - MO (Medical Officer) and USE (exploit).
10	Catch two short of a dozen, and cheer (7)
	HEARTEN - HEAR (catch) and TEN (two short of a dozen).
11	Self-centredness, IMO, gets out of hand (7)
	EGOTISM - anagram of (out of hand) IMO GETS.
12	Not entirely logical — often up in the air (5)
	ALOFT - hidden in (not entirely) logicAL OFTen.
13	Stomach ringer, Yankee (5)
	BELLY - BELL (ringer) and Y (yankee).
15	Girl’s casual trousers (5)
	JEANS - double definition.
20	Finally, tea is drunk we had requested (5)
	ASKED - last letters of (finally) teA iS drunK wE haD.
22	Ringroad has part that’s got spoken about (7)
	ORBITAL - BIT (part) with ORAL (spoken) containing it (about).
24	Frantically bind edge, after cutting sheets etc (7)
	BEDDING - anagram of (frantically) BIND EDGe excluding the last letter (after cutting).
25	Fine southern cathedral city (5)
	WELLS - WELL (fine) and S (southern).
26	Fish found in rock, missing head (4)
	HAKE - sHAKE (rock) without the first letter (missing head).
27	Tale, altered in the middle, following the setter’s puzzle (7)
	MYSTERY - SToRY (tale) with the letter 'e' replacing the 'o' (altered in the middle) after MY (the setter's).

Down
1	Girl with salesman turned to see mother (6)
	PAMPER - PAM (girl) and a reversal of (turned) REP (salesman).
2	Nineteen euro needed for a shrink’s special cell (7)
	NEURONE - hidden. Remove some of the letters from the front and back of (for a shrink) nineteeN EURO NEeded.
3	Old people I notice close by, within hearing (5)
	ICENI - I then a homophone of (within hearing) "see" (notice) and "nigh" (close by). I have always (it seems wrongly) pronounced this eye-see-knee.
4	Get back whence you came! Sentiment about Henry and me (2,4)
	GO HOME - GOO (sentiment) containing (about) H (Henry), then ME.
6	Gents maybe assuming bike races to be a children’s game? (5)
	LOTTO - LOO (gents maybe) containing (assuming) TT (bike races). Didn't equate this with a children's game.
7	Number I catch in New York (6)
	NINETY - I and NET (catch) in NY (New York).
8	Leave caveat to be resolved (6)
	VACATE - anagram of (to be resolved) CAVEAT.
14	Beethoven maybe primarily dealt with imperfection in ear (6)
	LUDWIG - first letters of (primarily) Dealt With and Imperfection, all in LUG (ear). He did alright, and earns my COD.
16	Girl a shade upset by fib (7)
	NATALIE - A and TAN (shade) reversed (upset) then LIE (fib).
17	Graduate hiding in tree, beneath king’s citadel (6)
	KASBAH - BA (graduate) inside (hideing in) ASH (tree), all after (beneath) K (king).
18	Odd, exotic jewel, a fair attraction (6)
	DODGEM - anagram of (exotic) ODD, then GEM (jewel).
19	Flamboyant Alf turned bashful (6)
	FLASHY - reversal of (turned) ALF, then SHY (bashful).
21	Camera makers put out by lack of light — not right (5)
	KODAK - KO (knock out, put out) and DArK (lack of light) missing the 'r' (not right).
23	Gets out some crockery? (5)
	BOWLS - double definition.

... in 1928 the IX Olympiad began in Amsterdam, and in 1984 the XXIII in Altanta; how will the XXXII Tokyo  Olympiad be remembered, I wonder, prompted by the answer to 8d?
I found the top half of this puzzle easier than the lower half, taking about half an hour all told, then spent a while reading about 26a who, it seems, was not your run-of-the-mill philosopher and verging on bonkers.
Nothing unknown or hard to parse here, although it took me a while to get my LOI 19d, it being a northernism not in my everyday vocab.

Across
1	One who’s cunning by filling seats from the back (8)
	SLYBOOTS - STOOLS (seats) has BY inserted and then is reversed (from the back).
6	Upset with vegetables I had rejected (6)
	DISMAY - YAMS I'D reversed.
9	Jaws of whale possibly catching swimmer back in seaside town (5,8)
	GREAT YARMOUTH - A GREAT MOUTH (the jaws of a whale possibly) has RAY reversed inserted.
10	Sweet easily chewed? (6)
	TENDER - double definition.
11	More than one intended to invest new money (8)
	FINANCES - FIANCES has N inserted.
13	Ten labouring on a chain — harsh (10)
	ASTRINGENT - A, STRING, (TEN)*.
15	Oddly, the Welsh river in England (4)
	TEES - alternate letters as above.
16	Fancy woman seen with that bloke (4)
	WHIM - W(oman), HIM.
18	Biscuit type and bloomer to the left? (6,4)
	BRANDY SNAP - BRAND (type), then PANSY reversed.
21	Gaudy stock stuffed in pocket (8)
	TINSELLY - SELL (stock) inside TINY (pocket, small).
22	Day coats unfashionable in dyed sheepskin (6)
	MOUTON - MON (day) coats OUT (unfashionable). I knew the French for sheep so just popped it in. Apparently in N. America they mess about with sheepskin to make it look like beaver skin, and call it mouton fur.
23	Teen chose wrong oven dish (6,2,5)
	CHEESE ON TOAST - (TEEN CHOSE)*, OAST an oven for roasting hops.
25	Fireman back shortly, fine to go in (6)
	STOKER - STER(N) = back shortly, insert OK= fine.
26	Old philosopher stops gathering old information (8)
	DIOGENES - DIES (stops) insert O and GEN (info). Diogenes was a rather odd character, it seems, he lived in a large jar in the marketplace and wandered around with a lamp in daylight.

Down
2	Pickled, like worms, say? (7)
	LEGLESS - amusing cryptic definition, pickled as in inebriated.
3	The necessary goodness in stuffing ingredient (11)
	BREADCRUMBS - BREAD (a necessary thing), CRUMBS ! (Goodness !).
4	Heading off rat, aquatic animal (5)
	OTTER - ROTTER (rat) loses R.
5	Pixie lover's sent up a bit (7)
	SNAFFLE - al reversed; ELF (pixie) FAN'S (lover's). A horse tack thing.
6	After vandalising Monet, dad and I ran! (9)
	DOMINATED - (MONET DAD I)*.
7	Individual cut, minimal amount of money (3)
	SOU - SOUL loses L.
8	Competitor in lather out of bounds having caught obstacle (7)
	ATHLETE - Lather "out of bounds" gives ATHE, insert LET = obstacle, legal meaning.
12	Nothing in season, Augusta having exported American plays (3,1,7)
	NOT A SAUSAGE - remove US from AUGUSTA = AUGTA, anagram that with SEASON: (SEASON AUGTA)*. Does this phrase work abroad?
14	Device administering drug when mountain climbing rule is broken (9)
	NEBULISER - BEN (mountain) climbs = NEB, (RULE IS)*.
17	Bob, say, helmeted Irish copper? (7)
	HAIRCUT - IR CU (Irish copper) is "helmeted", i.e. has HAT put around it.
19	Free choice at junction, regardless (7)
	ANYROAD - Any road being a free choice at a junction; ANYROAD means the same as anyhow, oop north.
20	Column penned by perhaps bitter advocate (7)
	APOSTLE - POST (column) inside ALE (perhaps bitter, beer).
22	“Head for Munich”, German saying (5)
	MOTTO - M (head for Munich) OTTO (German chap popular in crosswords).
24	Time to dispense with leader — oh no! (3)
	EEK - WEEK (time) dispenses with W. EEK! I've finished blogging already! Just need to add a few words of intro and a meaningful title.

​

Solving time: 38 minutes. Quite straightforward. I imagine the speed merchants will report very fast times.

Edit 07:20: After reading reports from the first seven conributors it seems the puzzle was not as straightforward as I had thought. Perhaps the picture will change when the UK contingent turn up.

As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions and substitutions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds, containment, reversal and other indicators in square ones]. I usually omit all reference to positional indicators unless there is a specific point that requires clarification.

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Across
1	One who’s given pledge with complete ease, we hear? (9)
	WARRANTEE - W + ARRANT plus EE sounds like EASE.
6	Lamb originally slaughtered for a Hebrew prophet (5)
	ELIAS - ELIA, + S[laughtered], Charles Lamb again.
9	Part of hospital technology the French authorise (7)
	ENTITLE - ENT + IT + LE, a compendium of crosswordese.
10	Society shunned by NE European scholar (7)
	ETONIAN - E[s]TONIAN, a scholar in the sense of a schoolboy.
11	US politician defending one’s religious faith (5)
	DEISM - DE(I'S)M, the most common abbreviation.
12	Group of universities that is vaguely organised centrally? (3,6)
	IVY LEAGUE - anagram of I.E. + VAGUELY, and I have no idea why centrally is there either.
13	Beware entrance to such underground hollows (5)
	CAVES - CAVE +   S[uch].   Cave caves!
14	Ringer’s appearance acolytes initially approve of (9)
	LOOKALIKE - LOOK+ A[colytes] + LIKE.
17	African city reached by libertine in thirty-one days (9)
	MARRAKECH - MAR(RAKE)CH, surprisingly, not a chestnut.
18	The cheek of some musicians! (5)
	BRASS - Double definition.
19	Eg Henry’s report of labourer chased by dangerous reptile (9)
	NAVIGATOR - Sounds like NAVVY + GATOR - that Portuguese king.
22	Figure of Greek character with medical degree (5)
	RHOMB - RHO + M.B.
24	Men in company crossing over major river (7)
	ORINOCO - OR IN (O) CO, more cryptic cliches.
25	Outward appearance of water sport champion (7)
	SURFACE - SURF ACE.   Surfing is featured in the Olympic Games this year.
26	Saunter extremely meekly around old Kent area (5)
	MOSEY - M(eekl O S.E.)Y.
27	Creepy type calls, mostly having nothing on! (4,5)
	RING SNAKE - RINGS + NAKE[d].

Down
1	Brandish knife finally in outback (5)
	WIELD - WI([knif]E)LD.   Wield usually means more than brandish.
2	When a sportsman’s shot he’s expected to make a recovery (9)
	RETRIEVER - Cryptic definition of a bird shooter's canine companion.
3	Plant given airtime as broadcast (9)
	ARTEMISIA -  Anagram of AIRTIME AS.
4	Scattered glitter on oxherd, an unsophisticated neighbour (3,4,4-4)
	THE GIRL NEXT-DOOR - Anagram of GLITTER ON OXHERD- that I'd like to see!
5	Each and all: though not all dads’ female offspring, do we infer? (5,7,3)
	EVERY MOTHERS SON - Cryptic hint.
6	Raise fine collected by the first lady (5)
	EVOKE - EV(OK)E.
7	Sugary coating unwelcome on aircraft (5)
	ICING - Double definition.
8	Crazy old nurse’s point? Not so (9)
	SENSELESS - SEN + SE + LESS.
13	Firm master’s first in class, a source of leftist propaganda once (9)
	COMINFORM - CO + M[aster] + IN FORM.
15	Warning initially given by teacher over waxy secretion (9)
	AMBERGRIS - AMBER + G[iven] + SIR upside-down.
16	Lover shortly taking time in Royal Academy area (9)
	INAMORATA -  IN A  MO + RA(T)A.
20	Conveyors of blood belonging to relative in sanatorium (5)
	VEINS - hidden in [relati]VE IN S[sanatorium].
21	Splendour of head of green parrot (5)
	GLORY - G + LORY.
23	Note ultimately made after upsetting part of speech (5)
	BREVE - VERB upside-down + [not]E.

Across
1	Rebuilt each, partly following a model (10)
	ARCHETYPAL - straight anagram: 'rebuilt' EACH PARTLY.
8	Dances with wife following a puzzle (6)
	JIGSAW - JIGS (dances) + A + W (wife (W) following A).
9	Very unfortunate time, with export from Cuba brought back (6)
	TRAGIC - T (time) + RAGIC (CIGAR (export from Cuba) 'brought back').
10	This could supply water — what do you think? (4)
	WELL - double definition. "Well? What do you think?".
11	Inclination to write song (8)
	PENCHANT - PEN (to write) + CHANT (song).
12	Uncommon panic about Conservative (6)
	SCARCE - SCARE (panic) 'about' C (Conservative).
14	Meaning to get stuff from abroad? (6)
	IMPORT - double definition.
16	Note heartless opponent finding monument? (8)
	MEMORIAL - MEMO (note) + RIvAL ('heartless' opponent).
18	Compete to restrain constant crime (4)
	VICE - VIE (compete) 'restraining' C (constant).
20	Flan rapidly cut by that man (6)
	QUICHE - QUICk (rapidly 'cut', i.e. with last letter removed) + HE (that man).
21	About to show signs of exertion, returning for a quick snooze (6)
	CATNAP - CA (contraction of circa, Latin for about) plus PANT (show signs of exertion) 'returning' (i.e. reversed).
22	Gloomy note disrupted study of insects (10)
	ENTOMOLOGY - straight anagram ('disrupted') of GLOOMY NOTE.

Down
2	About to capture hydrogen in river (5)
	RHINE - RE (about) 'capturing' H (hydrogen) + IN.
3	Swindler almost entirely ruthless, sadly (7)
	HUSTLER - anagram ('sadly') of most of the letters ('almost entirely') of RUTHLESs.
4	Draw tops of the old windows (3)
	TOW - tops, i.e. first letters of, The Old Windows.
5	Chance of success? Work up talent, I fancy (9)
	POTENTIAL - PO (work 'up', i.e reversed in this down clue) + anagram ('fancy') of TALENT I.
6	Restraint for dogs beginning to hunt beyond meadows (5)
	LEASH - LEAS (meadows) + H (beginning to Hunt).
7	Champion, with something short of a bullseye (6)
	WINNER - W (with) + INNER (something short of a bullseye).
11	Identification adopted by current leader (9)
	PRESIDENT - ID (identification) 'adopted' by PRESENT (current).
13	New reporter cuddling that woman’s little angel (6)
	CHERUB - CUB (new reporter) 'cuddling' HER (that woman). I am glad to see that Pedro is obviously an equal opportunities employer, balancing things up as he does against 'that man' in 20A!
15	Crucial US city to important figure, on reflection (7)
	PIVOTAL - LA (US city) + TO VIP (to important figure) 'on reflection', i.e. all reversed.
17	Individual bringing in copper when required (2,3)
	ON CUE - ONE (individual) 'bringing in' CU (copper, chemical symbol Cu).
19	Family beginning to generate loud noise (5)
	CLANG - CLAN (family) + G (beginning to Generate).
21	Odd bits of charm in English river (3)
	CAM - just what it says on the tin: the 'odd bits' of ChArM.