From Prize Crossword 24,457 - 2 August 2008
dd = double definition
cd = cryptic definition
rev = reversed or reversal
ins = insertion
cha = charade
ha = hidden answer
*(fodder) = anagram

Not that difficult a Saturday Prize puzzle. I like many of the creative definitions used in the clues such as 6 (helping) 10 (top)
11 (available alternatives) etc

Across
5 VANDAL V and A L (left) The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world’s largest museum of decorative arts and design
6 DOLLOP A play on having a surgical operation for a doll
9 BOGART Ins of art in BOG. Humphrey DeForest Bogart (1899–1957) was an Academy Award-winning American actor and film star.
10 PULLOVER Rev of the ins of EV (middle letters of elEVen) in ROLL-UP, a hand-rolled cigarette. Top is the def for this woolly jumper. I wonder whether “brand of” should be there in the clue as roll-up is not actually a brand but a slang description of a hand-rolled ciggie
11 MENU Sounds like “Man U” for that famous football club. I like the very original definition
12 MERCANTILE Ins of ER (the Queen, a royal) CANT (hypocrisy) in MILE which I think must be an allusion to the Royal Mile in Edinburgh
13 MEGALOBLAST *(global teams)
18 POLYANTHUS sounds like Polly Anne (two girls) THUS (so)
21 LIEF Lie (fib) F
22 CANON LAW Ins of ANON (anonymous or unattributed) in CLAW (nail of a bird of prey)
23 CRANIA Ins of RAN (managed) in CIA (spooks)
24 SPARSE SP (starting prices or odd) arse (bum)
25 SEQUIN S (first letter of Sing) EQUIN (e)

Down
1 ANTABUSE Abuse of ant for a drug in tablet form containing disulfiram, used in the treatment of alcoholism.
2 BANTAM Rev of MAT (mouse pad) NAB (catch)
3 ROLL-CALL Cha of roll (register) call (phone)
4 ALMOST Ins of O (nothing) in ALMS (charity) + T (time)
5 VIOLET Deletion of N from violent (wild)
7 PAELLA Rev of LEAP (bound) + LA (the foreign, French feminine definite article) The dish is a stew containing saffron, chicken, rice, vegetables, seafood, etc.
8 SPARROW-HAWK Ins of ROW (rank) HAW (fruit as in hawthorn) in SPARK (flash)
14 ANNALIST Anna (a former coin of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, one sixteenth of a rupee) LIST (catalogue)
15 SYLLABUB Ins of the rev of B (black) ALLY (friend) in SUB (rev BUS) for a dish of cream curdled (eg with wine), flavoured and frothed up.
16 MORASS Ins of RA (artist) in Kate MOSS (supermodel) for BOG (first half of Bogart)
17 BENIGN Ins of G (gravitational force) in Benin (African country)
19 YEOMAN Cha of YE (solvers once or you the solvers) Oman (West Asian Sultanate)
20 SUCKER Sounds like “succour” (relief)