I've no solving time to offer for this one as I was interrupted and lost track of it, but somewhere between 40 minutes and an hour.
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]
| Across | |
| 1 | Shimmering in image around retina's start - of one perhaps (8) |
| MIGRAINE : Anagram (shimmering) of IN IMAGE containing [around] R{etina} [start]. Disturbed vision is one of the symptoms of migraine. Take as much or as little as you need of the clue as the definition. | |
| 5 | Party with great chat (6) |
| CONFAB : CON (party), FAB (great). I've always preferred 'conflab' myself, but both are valid. | |
| 9 | Knitted cashmere? I don't know (6,2) |
| SEARCH ME : Anagram [knitted] of CASHMERE | |
| 10 | Screen employees coming back into agency (6) |
| CINEMA : MEN (employees) reversed [coming back] and contained by [into] CIA (agency) | |
| 12 | Hate crime, alternatively (5) |
| ABHOR : ABH (crime - Actual Bodily Harm), OR (alternatively) | |
| 13 | Disgusted after losing rugby, Pacific nation gets sedentary (9) |
| NAUSEATED : NAU{ru} (Pacific nation) [after losing rugby - Rugby Union], SEATED (sedentary). I didn't know this country in Oceania. | |
| 14 | Pitch drink containers in bins (5,7) |
| FIELD GLASSES : FIELD (pitch - sport), GLASSES (drink containers). 'Bins' is short for 'binoculars'. | |
| 18 | Chippendale, say, for PM? (7-5) |
| CABINET-MAKER : Two definitions of sorts, the second referring to the Prime Minister's role of appointing (and sacking) Cabinet ministers. | |
| 21 | The opposite of bad poet being listened to (4,5) |
| VICE VERSA : VICE (bad), then VERSA sounds like [being listened to] "verser" (poet). I thought this was a made-up word, but it's genuine! | |
| 23 | Doctor welcoming green colour scheme (5) |
| DECOR : DR (doctor) containing [welcoming] ECO (green) | |
| 24 | Cross Noah initially put in his boat? (6) |
| NARKED : N{oah} [initially], ARKED (put in his boat?) - the second part tongue-in-cheek as indicated by the question mark | |
| 25 | Depressed players dropped (4,4) |
| CAST DOWN : CAST (players), DOWN (dropped) | |
| 26 | Tip remains of cigarette in a line on page (2,4) |
| EN DASH : END (tip), ASH (remains of cigarette). This is the shorter of the two dashes often seen in printing, the other being the 'em dash'. | |
| 27 | Tiresome letters featuring what one had for lunch? (8) |
| OMELETTE : Hidden in [featuring] {tires}OME LETTE{rs} | |
| Down | |
| 1 | Model cut after motorway accident (6) |
| MISHAP : M1 (motorway), SHAP{e} (model) [cut] | |
| 2 | They use axes: fruit chopped has to be hollowed out (6) |
| GRAPHS : GRAP{e} (fruit) [chopped], H{a}S [hollowed out] | |
| 3 | Backing off, agreeing to accept nothing - that'll produce noise from squeezed middle (9) |
| ACCORDION : ACCORDIN{g} (agreeing) [backing off] containing [to accept] 0 (nothing) | |
| 4 | Toilet in all-female preserve being given handle? (12) |
| NOMENCLATURE : LAT (toilet) contained by [in] NO MEN (all-female) + CURE (preserve). 'Handle' is slang for 'name'. 'Lat' is short for 'latrine', more usually appearing in the plural form as 'lats'. | |
| 6 | Old climber like Jacob? (5) |
| OVINE : O (old), VINE (climber). 'Jacob' is a breed of sheep. | |
| 7 | Escape exam as fast as possible (8) |
| FLEETEST : FLEE (escape), TEST (exam). I can't find confirmation that this is a word but it sounds vaguely familiar in the context of someone being 'fleetest of foot'. Having said that, I think it would mean the fastest of a particular group rather than as fast as possible. | |
| 8 | Rather dull, getting flatter (8) |
| BLANDISH : Two meanings of sorts | |
| 11 | What's disturbed rural blag with weapon? (7,5) |
| BURGLAR ALARM : Anagram [disturbed] of RURAL BLAG, then ARM [weapon] | |
| 15 | Reported cane toad swimming on top of lake (9) |
| ANECDOTAL : Anagram [swimming] of CANE TOAD, L (lake) or L{ake} [top of] - either would work in a Down clue | |
| 16 | Shilling and cents repay search through rubbish (8) |
| SCAVENGE : S (shilling), C (cents), AVENGE (repay) | |
| 17 | Outside broadcasts restored in secret? (8) |
| OBSCURED : OBS (Outside Broadcasts), CURED (restored) | |
| 19 | Approach from company's restricted by legislation (6) |
| ACCOST : COS (company's) contained [restricted] by ACT (legislation) | |
| 20 | British football team in Lyon getting medal (6) |
| BRONZE : BR (British), ONZE (football team in Lyon - French for 11) | |
| 22 | Opinions on western society are competing (5) |
| VIEWS : VIE (are competing), W (western), S (society) | |
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