The Age cryptic by RM #20,411

This was a gift. A nice way to break into the week. Straightforward puzzle, no tricks, no themes. I did wake up quite early and had this printed off and started before 6am. I was finished by 9am with regular morning interruptions (my children). First clue in was 1D, last one in was 4A but that was because I'd put 8D in backwards.

I'm going to try and name the clue styles. More so I can get better at recognising them but we can learn together - it'll be fun. No really, don't make that face, it'll be good. If I get any wrong, please correct me. I struggle with bits on many of the clues even though they weren't hard to solve overall so help, guidance and information is always appreciated.

Lots of doodles:

1A - Disagree if, and only if, cover is red plastic (6)
"Disagree" is the definition. I'm not entirely sure how we get there. I knew that "if" and "red" were important. Having "cover" in Friday's DA, I wasn't sure if this was the same kind of clue where "red" is to "cover" something but it seems to split and go backwards - is that what "plastic" is for? To show "red" has some malleability? Answer is DIFFER. "if cover" could be like "discover" meaning to remove the first letter from "if" leaving the F, plus the original IF then the stretchy, reversed RED. Maybe?

4A - 20ml or less in deep end and soon almost full either side (7)
"20ml or less" is what we're looking for and "in deeP end" = P being put "in", "and SOON" = SOON, I'm not quite sure about "almost" but "FulL either side" is instructions to use the FL. So if "almost full" = FULL - U then why add "either side? I'm still pondering this one. Answer is S(P)OONFUL.

10A - Decayed meat, heart break and threadbare coat (4-5)
I don't think I like this clue, either. The phrase isn't one I know. I may have it wrong (I don't). "Decayed MEAT" is a hint the word MEAT is "further along" in the answer, "heart brEak" = E as the "heart" of the word "break,"and "threadbare coat" = WORN like this: WOR(MEAT)(E)N to give WORM-EATEN. But my way doesn't leave anything for a definition, which must be "Decayed." I'll have to come back to this one, too.

11A - Herb your old men use most (5)
This is a Charade clue but just goes to show it's easier to guess-solve the clues than to battle through breaking them down. I'm not sure how this one is solved either! Fat load-a-good I am to learners but let's have a crack: "Herb" is our definition, "your" = THY in biblical speak and "men, use most" is an instruction to not use all of MEN - N for THYME. See, we can get this. Just need some space to talk and hash it out. I got this by thinking "old man" = Father Time/THYME but that's way off as there's not even a homophone signpost, just a coincidence.

12A - Some morticians are bewildered by condolences (14)
Anagram clue and "Condolences" is our definition and "Some morticians are bewildered," is fodder and anagrind to give us: COMMISERATIONS.

14A - Members know ingoings are outstanding (5)
Hidden Word clue: "Outstanding" is our definition and we want to think in the sense of money not amazing. "knOW INGoings," gives us OWING as an "outstanding" balance. My computer is also freaking about the word "ingoings" which doesn't seem to be a known word.

16A - Feel nostalgic for that unrestrained writer whose letters are ill-formed (9)
I got this with cross letters and guessing the definition was "Ill-formed" which for most of the puzzle I thought was "ill-informed." I don't have all of this, I think "feel nostalgic" = MISS, and "writer" = PEN but where the middle letters  come from"unrestrained" = HA for MISS+HA+PEN as MISSHAPEN I'm not sure so there has to be more to this. Oh,  a day later and as I'm editing I see it's "that unrestrained" where we should take the first and last T off tHAt to get our HA.

18A - Artificial lunar tuna stew (9)
Anagram: "Artificial" is the definition and "lunar tuna stew" is fodder and anagrind for: UNNATURAL.

20A - Cheat church out of Triton's trumpet (5)
Charade: "Triton's trumpet" is the definition and "cheat" = CON, "church out" = CH or just an abbreviation of "church," to give us CONCH.

21A - Rosa gets maple sugar fresh from the brothel (7,7)
Anagram: "Brothel" is the definition and "Rosa gets maple sugar fresh," is fodder and anagrind to give us: MASSAGE PARLOUR.

25A - Gadget for soldiers' whiskers (5)
Charade: "Gadget" is our definition and "soldiers" = GIS plural and "whiskers" = MO short slang for a moustache to get GISMO. I always spell that with a Z so I didn't get this one straight off.

26A - Aim to cut a process till it becomes mechanical (9)
Anagram: "Becomes mechanical" is our definition and "Aim to cut a process," is fodder and anagrind to give us AUTOMATIC.

27A - As the sleigh went round the garden glistened (8)
Container clue: "Glistened" is our definition and "sleigh" = SLED to go "round" the "garden" = PARK for S(PARK)LED.

28A - British ladies nearly all like swords (6)
"Swords" is our definition and "British" = B as we tend to use the first letter from proper nouns. "Ladies nearly all," is a deletion indication that we don't want all the letters of LADIES -I for B+LADES. So is this a Charades clue or a Deletion clue or are deletion clues a sub-part of charade clues?

1D - And how curs resent carolling at sunrise (4,6)
Anagram: "Carolling at sunrise" is our definition and "And how curs resent," is fodder and anagrind to give us DAWN CHORUS.

2D - University intervenes in secondary students' conference (5)
Container or Charade? "Students' conference" is our definition and "University" = U which "intervenes" or is put into "Secondary" or is it "Secondary students'" to get FORM for FOR(U)M. We don't have "forms" in American schools so I'm unsure.

3D - Smoothing things out at the soiree (7)
"Smoothing" is our definition and...well I don't know. A "Soiree" is an evening party and "smoothing" also means to even something out so maybe it's a Double Definition clue with EVENING as its answer.

5D - Bear spends a penny and has a snooze on the way back (5)
Charade: "Bear" is our definition and I had cross letters to help get the answer. Where I know "a snooze on the way back," means NAP reversed to PAN, how does "a penny" = DA for PANDA. I looked into this closer and found a Wiki on pre-decimal currency in the UK "The symbol for the penny was "d.", from the French denier, from the Latin denarius (the solidus and denarius were Roman coins)" So that would get us the D and we can use the A from the clue "A penny/D" and reverse the whole thing.

6D - Host lost his head over wealthy bird (7)
Charade: "Bird" is our definition and "Host lost his head" = HOST -H, "Wealthy" = RICH for OSTRICH.

7D - Put small fish in the grill first then have a go at the skillet (6,3)
Charade: "Skillet" is our definition and "Small fish" = FRY + IN from the clue then "Grill first" = G, but here I get lost because "have a go at" = PAN and I'm not sure why to give us FRYING PAN. Is it like giving someone a bad review?

8D - Look sideways down a spool (8)
I'm not sure what the wordplay here is. It's like a double definition or is it a cryptic definition? "Look sideways at" = LEER but a "spool" = REEL and I'm not sure which one is the definition that's to be put "down" and I'd made the wrong choice first but we put in LEER from top to bottom.

9D - Ship without right banner (8)
I liked this clue, it's a deletion too. "Banner" is our definition and we want a "Ship" that when we add an R into it as it's currently a "ship without Right," then becomes a banner: STEAMER > ST(R)EAMER.

13D - Experiencing difficulties being neat on ice (2,3,5)
Double definition: ON THE ROCKS where the "neat on ice" bit refers to drinks making. I'd first guessed Skids because that's what I do on ice and thinking of Skid Row.

15D - Stretch of water in the Mediterranean and another one in Asia (6,3)
Anagram: "Stretch of water in the Mediterranean," is the definition and "another one in Asia," is anagrind and fodder to give us IONIAN SEA. "another" as an anagrind is a new one for me.

17D - Feeling sorry for yours truly is feisty plus in a way, un-American (4-4)
Part anagram and deletion: "Feeling sorry for yours truly," is the definition and anagrinds aren't easy to spot here but it's "Fiesty plus in a way" and "un-American" means -US or remove US from "plus" then scramble what's left FIESTYPL = SELF-PITY.

20D - Toffee-coloured dromedary bites a royal (7)
Container? "Toffee-coloured" is the definition and a "dromedary" = CAMEL but I don't know how "bites a royal" = RA I'm guessing there's a deletion involved but which abbreviation for royal gives is RA I'm not sure. Answer is CA(RA)MEL or is it C(AR)AMEL and the royal  = AR?

22D - Apprentice brought in to look at the glossy finish (5)
Charade or container - does a container have to be a full word inside another? Things to google later.  "Glossy finish" is the definition and "Apprentice" = L for "learner" to be "brought in" or inserted into "look" = GAZE for G(L)AZE.

23D- Chose to spit seeds evenly (5)
Odds/Evens clue: "Chose" is the definition and "tO sPiT sEeDs evenly," gives us OPTED.

24D - Matures for a long time (4)
Double Definition: Matures / a long time = AGES.

As done as I'm going to get. Quite a few gaps for a quickly solved puzzle (Quick for me is under three hours) and lots of chances to learn more tricks and pitfalls for these clues.

I printed off Monday's Rufus from the Guardian because I like Rufus a lot and have been missing him and I have today's Picaroon but I won't get a look at those until late tonight or even tomorrow. Too much Girl Guides stuff to get done. We are all looking forward to our two weeks off coming next week. We are going to be sofa slobs for the whole time doing the comatose regeneration method.

Have a good day! I mean it.