Times 26379 – Gaping gaps here, to whit.

After yesterday’s amazing NINA I finished this, parsed, in 17 minutes and spent a couple searching for another, to no avail; the day you get one is of course the day you don’t think to look. Anyway this was a fairly straightforward job with a few unusual words (10a, 14a, 27a) all of which could be guessed from wordplay I imagine. Not much chemistry for us, unless you include 17d, but my avatar gets a mention.

Across
1	COFFIN – Insert F F (francs, although ought to be Fr really) into COIN: D box.
4	GAP YEAR – (PAY)* inside GEAR = harness, D time out of education.
9	MEANS – Double def.
10	RAPTORIAL – RAPT = enthralled, ORIAL sounds like Oriel (Oxford college); D like an owl, raptor-like.
11	LIFESAVER – (IF SEVERAL)*, D I may sit by the pool.
12	HOTLY – T (central letter of culTure) inside HOLY; D angrily.
13	ALLY – PALLY = like a chum, remove P, D associate.
14	TREMATODES – MAT = dull, O(L)D = old, left to wither; insert all into TREES = oaks; convoluted parsing, D parasites, genus of flukes or flatworms.
18	TARANTELLA – ANT = worker, between TAR and ELLA: D dance, an Italian folk dance.
20	CHAD – CH = church, A(I)D; D country.
23	BITCH – BIT = nipped, CH = small child; D female beast.
24	TIP-AND-RUN – Double def., one whimsical.
25	DUNGAREES – DUNG= muck, ARE, (B)ES(T); D overalls.
26	HOO-HA – HO for house, the A HO reversed; D commotion.
27	THEURGY – THE URG(E), Y = unknown; D magic. Theurgy is ritual behaviour invoking Gods, often considered a form of magic.
28	ARTERY – ER inside ARTY; D vessel.

Down
1	COMPLIANT – COMPLAINT = protest, has the I ‘rising slightly’; D easily handled.
2	FEARFUL – F, EARFUL = diatribe; D scared.
3	INSIST – IN = home, SIST(ER) = girl, without ER; D hold firm!
4	GAPER – APE = mammal, inside GR = gross; a bivalve mollusc.
5	PROPHETS – D more than one holy man, sounds like PROFITS = gains.
6	EXISTED – EX (old lover), IS, TED (yesteryear’s rocker); D survived.
7	RELAY – REPLAY = second game, loses P; D broadcast.
8	TRAVERSE – RAVERS = people going wild, inside TE = note; D cross.
15	MILEPOST – (POLE)* inside MIST; D that may mark a traveller’s progress.
16	SEDENTARY – (YES DAREN’T)*; D inactive.
17	IN THE AIR – Double def. A bit of a weak clue.
19	RETINUE – E TIN (English money) inside RUE; D company.
21	HORMONE – Today’s hidden word, in TOUC(H OR MONE)YLESS; D body regulator.
22	ANCHOR – AN, CHOR(E); D holder-down.
23	BIDET – Insert I’D into BET = bank (on); D facility for washing.
24	TEENY – TEEN = young girl perhaps, Y = yen, D mini.