FOIs 15ac and 20ac, LOI 2dn once I finally worked out the whole thing wasn’t going to be the name of a rare type of eagle. COD to 14ac for reminded me of Peelie’s charming habit of playing records at the wrong speed, but an honourable mention to 5dn too… Great work from the setter!
ACROSS
1 House right next to moors proved inadequate (4,5)
FELL SHORT – HO RT [house | right] next to FELLS [moors]
6 Society cuts waste (5)
SLOPS – S LOPS [society | cuts]
9 Old fellow sporting nice tan (7)
ANCIENT – (NICE TAN*) [“sporting”]
10 Invoice most of island community, producing a large sum of money (7)
BILLION – BILL ION{a} [invoice | “most of” island community]
11 Music from the French composer’s last work (5)
LARGO – LA R GO [the French | {compose}R | work]
12 Got rid of current emergency procedure (4,5)
FIRE DRILL – FIRED RILL [got rid of | current]
14 Change tone of start of John Peel song? (3)
DYE – “D’ye ken John Peel with his coat so gay?”
15 Proceeds to cover favourite books? That’s useless (11)
INCOMPETENT – INCOME [proceeds] to “cover” PET [favourite], + NT [books]
17 Stab lodger, one holding son and friend (11)
GUESSTIMATE – GUEST I [lodger | one] “holding” S [son], + MATE [friend]
19 I will not be included in key staff (3)
MAN – MA{i}N [key, not including I]
20 Something fresh: fish in local cafe, with insides removed (9)
INSOLENCE – SOLE [fish] in INN CE [local | C{af}E]
22 Persian king lacking power in Mediterranean island (5)
CYRUS – CY{p}RUS [Mediterranean island, lacking P for power]
24 Dog unexpectedly tearing off, deprived of drink (7)
GRIFFON – ({tea}RING OFF*) [“unexpectedly”]. Remove the drink TEA before attempting anagram.
26 A second-rate remedy, free (7)
ABSOLVE – A B SOLVE [a | second-rate | remedy]
27 Fool employed by renowned dynasty (5)
NEDDY – hidden in {renow}NED DY{nasty}
28 Vegetable ultimately served with most of fish course, we’re told (9)
BREADROOT – {serve}D with BREA{m} [“most of” fish], + a homophone of ROUTE [course]
DOWN
1 Thrash learner, overwhelmed by disappointing test result (5)
FLAIL – L [learner] “overwhelmed by” FAIL [disappointing test result]
2 Eagle with endless pluck going over lake (7)
LUCERNE – ERNE [eagle], with {p}LUC{k} going over
3 Susan and Antonia shortly meeting American historian (9)
SUETONIUS – SUE and TONI meeting US [American]
4 Blooming old group of people no longer working (3,2,6)
OUT OF ACTION – OUT O FACTION [blooming | old | group of people]
5 Yank’s check jacket, half-length (3)
TAB – TAB{ard} [“half-length” jacket]. Americans say “can I have the check, please” when we’re ask to be brought the tab.
6 After it, youngster leaves (5)
SALAD – after S.A. [it], LAD [youngster]
7 Rock climber following one — look — on way up (7)
OLIVINE – VINE [climber] following reversed I LO [one | look]
8 Queen alone, say, continue to perform without hindrance (9)
SINGLETON – SING ON [continue to perform] “without” LET [hindrance]
13 Alcoholic drink fellow brings in matures for fund-raising event (7,4)
RUMMAGE SALE – RUM {alcoholic drink] + MALE [fellow] “brings in” AGES [mature]
14 Eating with gusto, like a couple of drinks (7,2)
DIGGING IN – DIG [like] + GIN GIN [a couple of drinks]
16 Worked out interpretation of eleven decrees (9)
EXERCISED – (XI DECREES*) [“an interpretation of…”]
18 Former Pakistani province reportedly cut off (7)
EXSCIND – EX [former] + homophone of SINDH [Pakistani province]
19 Men tucked into mostly ripe fruit (7)
MORELLO – O.R. [men] “tucked into” MELLO{w} [“mostly” ripe]
21 Socialist abandoned party in the end (5)
LEFTY – LEFT [abandoned] + {part}Y
23 Cleaned up part of church gone round by pious sort (5)
SWEPT – reversed PEW [“up”, part of church], “gone round by” ST [pious sort]
25 Writer not into books originally (3)
NIB – N{ot} I{nto} B{ooks}
Bit tenuous these days, but so useful that it still comes up in crosswords a lot.
Why is ‘it’ SA???
Both are frequent visitors to these parts, worth committing to memory.
Edited at 2018-11-24 09:23 am (UTC)