Anyway this seemed adequately Fridayish, with a lot of definition parts that bore plenty of thinking about before their synonyms were revealed – unless of course you’re the sort of human thesaurus who instantly converts “slyboots” to “serpent”. FOI 13a, quickly followed by 20ac; LOI quite possibly 1dn which was obscure in all its component parts. COD to 26ac, which I got from the crossers, and only realised it was a beautifully constructed anagram much later, so limpid and unassuming was its surface. My thanks to the setter – but for now it’s time for bed, need to be fresh and rested in the morning to go roving in the Emerald City…
ACROSS
1 Feverish patient scoffing cold trifle (8)
PITTANCE – (PATIENT*) [“feverish”] “scoffing” C [cold]
5 Slips as one runs away from beasts on the savannah (6)
GAFFES – G{ir}AFFES [beasts on the savannah], subtracting I R [one | runs]
10 Wines administered by man in debt reversed capitalist’s suspicion (4,5,3,3)
REDS UNDER THE BED – REDS UNDER [wines | administered by] + HE [man] in DEBT reversed
11 Lash out, catching end of trowel in shrub (7)
SPLURGE – {trowe}L in SPURGE [shrub]
12 Slyboots told to go, before sneaking back inside (7)
SERPENT – SENT [told to go], PRE [before] reversed inside
13 Never mind what landlords do unaided (3,5)
LET ALONE – LET [what landlords do] + ALONE [unaided]
15 Third ball struck regularly, moving due to gravity (5)
TIDAL – T{h}I{r}D {b}A{l}L, with letters regularly struck out
18 Transporter, one in particular (5)
ARTIC – hidden in {p}ARTIC{ular}
20 Edit punctuation a little to impress with one’s style (3,1,4)
CUT A DASH – or an editor might cut an em- or en-dash
23 Top-quality type of UK bond of no interest? (7)
PREMIUM – double def
25 What Carmen did with melody, returning her drink? (7)
SANGRIA – SANG [what Carmen did] with reversed AIR [melody] – Carmen being Spanish
26 Exterior protection especially designed to be hardwearing (15)
WEATHERBOARDING – (TO BE HARDWEARING*) [“especially designed”]
27 Team of engineers apparently to stay (6)
RESIDE – an RE SIDE could be… a team of engineers
28 Name, after sprinkling, initially, in church service? (8)
CHRISTEN – N [name], after S{prinkling} in CH RITE [church | service] &lit
DOWN
1 Express contempt over first couple of errors, and depart (6)
PERISH – PISH [express contempt] “over” ER{rors}
2 Smallest doll, oddly with sprucest clothing (9)
TIDDLIEST – D{o}L{l}, with TIDIEST [sprucest] “clothing”
3 Area covered by sign early in year after loss of US tanks (7)
AQUARIA – A [area] “covered by” AQUARI{us} [(star) sign early in year (Jan/Feb), minus US]
4 Squad‘s days in custody (5)
CADRE – D [days] in CARE [custody]
6 Dying artist injured outside hotel (7)
ATHIRST – (ARTIST*) [“injured”] outside H [hotel]
7 Basic material to lie on (5)
FIBRE – FIB [to lie] + RE [on]
8 Journalist put away, passing through arch with dignity (8)
SEDATELY – ED ATE [journalist | put away], “passing through” SLY [arch]
9 Chance to thrive when king leaves court (8)
PROSPECT – PROSPE{r} [to thrive, minus R = king] + CT [court]
14 Previously keeping mum about gunners getting shot? (2,6)
ON CAMERA – ONCE [previously] “keeping” reversed MA, + RA [gunners]
16 Seizure, and doctor’s initial effort to stop it (9)
DISTRAINT – D{octor} + STRAIN [effort] “to stop” IT
17 Available workers brandishing weapon in masculine style (8)
MANPOWER – (WEAPON*) [“brandishing”] in MR [masculine style, as in designation I suppose]
19 Overused noun dropped by secure editor (7)
CLICHED – CLI{n}CH [secure, “dropping” N = noun] + ED
21 Old coins from Asian land turned up in heart of Madeira (7)
DENARII – IRAN [Asian land] reversed in {ma}DEI{ra}
22 Glass of beer? Fortified drink from south, in trade terms (6)
JARGON – JAR [glass of beer?] + upside down NOG [fortified drink]
24 On reflection, cut written work for assessments (5)
EXAMS – reversed AXE [cut] + MS [written work]
25 Languorous animal assigned position close to hearth (5)
SLOTH – SLOT [assigned position] + {heart}H
from Jeepyjay
Hey ho. No pinks at least…