Thanks to Hypnos for an enjoyable Sunday solve with some nice surfaces. Definitions are underlined in the clues.
Across
1 Trade TUC misrepresented – giving basis for emotional expression? (4,4)
TEAR DUCT : Anagram of(… misrepresented) TRADE TUC.
Defn: … of weeping.
5 Unknown character in a run-down district gets place of refuge (6)
ASYLUM : Y(character representing an unknown quantity, in maths and science) contained in(in) [ A + SLUM(a run-down district in town) ].
9 Join family in tram or ground covering yard (5,4)
MARRY INTO : Anagram of(… ground) IN TRAM OR containing(covering) Y(abbrev. for “yard”, unit of length).
11 Record middle of America free of cold (5)
ENTER : “center”(middle;centre, as spelled by Americans) minus(free of) “c”(abbrev. for “cold”).
12 One half of TV duo uncovered, we’re told, animal (7)
ANTBEAR : ANT(half of TV duo, Ant and Dec) + homophone of(…, we’re told) “bare”(naked;uncovered).
13 What could be inspired in prankish humorist Dom? (7)
JOLLITY : LIT(metaphorically ignited;kindled;inspired, say, a positive feeling like jollity, in someone) contained in(in) JOLY(Dom, or Dominic John Romulus Joly, English comedian and TV personality, noted for reality shows featuring pranks played on unsuspecting members of the public).
A WIWD (wordplay intertwined with definition) clue.
14 Figures in a ring related to an area? (8,4)
DIALLING CODE : Cryptic defn: Figures in telephone numbers related to;specifying a certain area, eg. 65, the international dialling code for Singapore.
18 Affair bringing stories with it (12)
RELATIONSHIP : RELATIONS(stories;accounts of events) + HIP(with it;embracing the latest fashion).
Defn: An emotional and sexual association between two people.
21 Prominent feature about a container restricted for Italian tipple (7)
CHIANTI : CHIN(a prominent feature on one’s face) containing(about) A + “tin”(a container, usually of metal) minus its last letter(restricted).
Defn: …, specifically red wine from the Tuscany region.
22 Negative utterance varied amid hundred of wandering types (7)
NOMADIC : NO(utterance of a negative response) + anagram of(varied) AMID + C(Roman numeral for 100;hundred).
24 Male in difficulty with a foreign dance (5)
RUMBA : M(abbrev. for “male”) contained in(in) RUB(the central difficulty;snag in a situation) plus(with) A.
25 Wealthy figure, artist, at home with Charles’ mother – it entails minimal effort! (2-7)
NO-BRAINER : NOB(a figure;person of wealth, or high social standing even) + RA(post-nominal letters for a member of the Royal Academy of the Arts;an artist) + IN(at home) plus(with) ER(abbrev. for “Elizabeth Regina”, Prince Charles’ mother).
Defn: …, mental effort, that is.
26 Fake element in trainers at zoo (6)
ERSATZ : Hidden in(element in) “trainers at zoo“.
27 A lot trained after time with aid for drivers – like the AA? (8)
TEETOTAL : [ Anagram of(… trained) A LOT placed after(after) [T(abbrev. for “time”) ] placed after(with) TEE(item used to support the ball off the ground, thus aiding the golfer when he/she drives off the tee).
Defn: Describing members of the AA, Alchohoics Anonymous, and not the Automobile Association in this instance.
Down
1 Test held up silent comedian and actor (3,5)
TOM HARDY : Reversal of(… held up, in a down clue) MOT(abbrev. for the Ministry of Transport test for most vehicles over 3 years old in the UK) + HARDY(Oliver, silent movie comedian, half of the Laurel and Hardy duo).
Answer: English actor.
2 Gentleman enthralled by top appointed authority in Indian city (8)
AMRITSAR : MR.(form of address for a gentleman) contained in(enthralled by) AI(A1;top grade, with the Roman numeral for 1) + TSAR(a person appointed by a government to authorise and oversee policy in a specific area, as in “a drug tsar”).
3 Irish writer, mostly respected senior figure penning end to novel (5)
DOYLE : “doyen”(a respected senior figure in a particular field) minus its last letter(… mostly) containing(penning) the last letter of(end to) “novel“.
Answer: Roddy.
4 Right-wing fellow round movement infused with nationalist hostility (13)
CONFRONTATION : CON(short for “Conservative”, politically right-wing) + F(abbrev. for “fellow”) + ROTATION(a round;circular movement around an axis) containing(infused with) N(abbrev. for “nationalist”).
6 Group neatly staged rock without label (6,3)
STEELY DAN : Anagram of(… rock) [ “neatly staged“] minus(without) “tag”(a label).
Answer: American jazz rock group.
7 Bring up trouble about a broadcast medium in European country (6)
LATVIA : Reversal of(Bring up, in a down clue) AIL(to trouble;to afflict) containing(about) [A + TV(a broadcast medium) ].
8 Sacrificial figure with extremists in territory taken in by BBC news presenter (6)
MARTYR : The 1st and last letters of(extremists in) “territory” contained in(taken in by) MARR(Andrew, BBC news presenter).
10 Distasteful thing first person on Italian island raised (13)
OBJECTIONABLE : OBJECT(a material thing) + I(first person pronoun) + ON + reversal of(… raised) ELBA(island that’s part of Tuscany, Italy).
15 Take orders after extended rest and stay hidden ahead? (3,2,4)
LIE IN WAIT : WAIT(to take meal orders, as a waiter does) placed below(after, in a down clue) [LIE IN](an extended rest;lying in bed past the usual time of getting up and about).
16 House in confines of wood trailed by division in crime narrative (8)
WHODUNIT : HO(abbrev. for “house”) contained in(in) the 1st and last letters of(confines of) “wood” placed above(trailed by, in a down clue) UNIT(a division of an organisation).
17 Ghostly sort of crate put in small place (8)
SPECTRAL : Anagram of(sort of) CRATE contained in(put in) [ S(abbrev. for “small”) + PL(abbrev. for “Place”, as in a street address) ].
19 A working party announced increase in growth (6)
ACCRUE : A + homophone of(… announced) “crew”(a working party;a gang of workers).
20 Drunk Greek character given first of strong soluble powder (6)
LITMUS : LIT(slang for being drunk;intoxicated with liquor or narcotics) + MU(12th letter of the Greek alphabet) plus(given) the 1st letter of(first of) “strong“.
23 Some antitheft fences signified (5)
MEANT : Hidden in(… fences) “Some antitheft“.
Found this trickier than usual for a Sunday. I was held up by every clue containing a reference to an obscure (at least to this non-Brit) local figure, and further led up the proverbial by what I mistakenly thought was going to be a pangram.
We got there in the end, but held up on 1dn and 20dn. In 1dn we didn’t immediately think of Hardy as a silent comedian, being more familiar with Laurel and Hardy films from the sound era. And we thought ‘soluble powder’ a very poor clue for LITMUS; there must be hundreds of soluble powders that come more readily to mind than litmus which is more commonly thought of as an acid/base indicator or a dyestuff.
But there was plenty to like – for example the misdirection in associating ‘drivers’ with ‘AA’ in 27ac. Others we liked included MARRY INTO, RUMBA and MEANT.
Thanks, Hypnos and scchua
I got held up on 1d because i’d never heard of Tom Hardy. No cinema where I live…… I agree with Swatty@1, a bit harder than the usual Sunday but an extra hour to solve it this week.
Thx to S&B