Monthly Club Special 20,246: Waqford Squeers

ACROSS
1 Forced to hide a month abroad she wouldn’t be “missed” (6)
MADAME – MADE, to “hide” A M. Abroad, it’s a mademoiselle who gets “missed”

4 University visits drop off, according to champion of old poetry (8)
DOUZEPER – U “visits” DOZE, + PER [according to]. One of the twelve peers of Charlemagne

10 Cut dead old ends off, having turned up something that smells (4-5)
SNUB-NOSED – SNUB [cut dead] + (O ENDS*)

11 What finishes off army for good — plus old militias (5)
FYRDS – {of}F {arm}Y {fo}R {goo}D {plu}S

12 A handle shielded from the wind material exposed to the elements (1,2,5,6)
A LA BELLE ETOILE – A LABEL LEE TOILE

14 Old runner’s major slip: not the first (5)
OWLER – {h}OWLER. Runner as in smuggler

16 Dealer out of dope, briefly left in charge, turned corrupt (9)
INFLICTOR – INF{o} L I/C + reversed ROT

18 Ache one aims to shift restricted blood flow (9)
ISCHAEMIA – (ACHE I AIMS*). FOI

20 A home for gnomes concealing case of gold (5)
AURIC – A {z}URIC{h}

21 With toes like birds’, can’t I do as bats, and mean to push last forward? (14)
ANISODACTYLOUS – (CAN’T I DO AS*) + LOUSY [mean] pushing its last letter to the front

25 Once ashore, trailer loaded with large article (5)
ALAND – AD “loaded” with L AN

26 Set on backing fancier NZ fieldworker (3-6)
GUM-DIGGER – reversed MUG + DIGGER, as in “one who digs” = “one who likes”

27 Rarely paid much for filling up cattle enclosures (8)
FEEDLOTS – FEE’D LOTS. Cattle enclosures for filling up the cattle, i.e. where concentrated feeding takes place

28 Assembly’s voice on reflection with some weight earlier (6)
KGOTLA – reversed ALTO, with KG earlier.

DOWN
1 Gracious man’s act of self-harm, one roughly involving initiation in rites? (10)
MYSTAGOGIC MY STAG O.G. I C [gracious! | man’s | act of self-harm (own goal) | one | roughly]

2 Party, one often accompanying ER at opening of annual parliament (5)
DOUMA – DO [party] + UM [one often accompanying “er”, as in “um, er…”] + A{nnual}

3 Dutch title of hymn rendered poetically always (7)
MYNHEER – (HYMN*) + E’ER

5 See rising mould, and film that’s well established? (5)
OLDIE – reversed LO! + DIE [mould]

6 Turning up never-endingly in attic, coppers and flutes (7)
ZUFFOLI – reversed I{n} LOF{t} FUZ{z}

7 Fire devotee for ultimately petty breaches in due course (9)
PYROLATER – PRO [for] “breached” by {pett}Y, + LATER

8 Revive, dismissing one who may send off letter from the ME (4)
RESH – {ref}RESH, the referee being “one who may send off”

9 Writing poorly, perceiving abnormally upsetting stammer (8)
PSELLISM – MS ILL ESP, all reversed

13 Sibling emperor putting down European with a piece of his mind? (6,4)
BROCA’S AREA – BRO CAESAR, putting E(uropean) to the end, + A. Brain region linked to speech and language

15 Landlords at first start losing it when housing bill slashed (9)
LACINIATE – L{andlords} + IN{it}IATE, “housing” AC

17 Fathom being, primarily, both slack and firm on the inside? It’s a teaser (4-4)
FLAX-COMB – F(atho)M B{eing}, with LAX and CO within

19 Some personal ad is passed over, being in a niche area? (7)
APSIDAL – hidden reversed in {persona}L AD IS PA{ssed}

20 No longer making up any gibe when rattled (7)
ABYEING – (ANY GIBE*)

22 Forgotten deck, the lower one of two maybe now hotel (5)
DIGHT – DIGIT [two, maybe] with the “lower” I becoming H(otel)

23 Anything that’s revolting found in books (5)
OUGHT – UGH! [that’s revolting!] found in OT

24 Homeless child has question for one endowing property (4)
WAQF – WAIF has Q for I