Times 27889 – PS: Please, Please, Please Stop

ACROSS

1 Against reactionary work by academic from down under (10)
ANTIPODEAN – ANTI OP reversed (‘reactionary’ – see the Myrtilusian critique below) DEAN
6 Go for Glaswegians, a violent lot (4)
GANG – double definition (DD); the Scots-language part best known from the lines in Burns’s ‘To a Mouse’: ‘The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men / Gang aft agley’ [Go oft astray]
9 Well fed agent hired at end of June (7)
REPLETE – REP LET [jun]E
10 Conclude working in retirement is hell (7)
INFERNO – INFER (conclude) ON reversed
12 Enjoyed English cider Jo manufactured at home (8,2)
REJOICED IN – anagram* of E (English) JO CIDER plus IN (at home)
13 Letter spelled out change in direction, largely (3)
VEE – VEE[r]
15 Angry words of one caught in traffic (6)
TIRADE – I in TRADE (as in traffic slaves)
16 Sailors despondent in the shade (4,4)
NAVY BLUE – NAVY BLUE; candidate for clue that is most sheepish about its crypticity
18 Displaying curiosity about royal ornament (4,4)
NOSE RING – ER in NOSING
20 Jack wants something with milk in it — a shake (6)
JUDDER – J UDDER
23 Cry in the Bullring, a mess with husband gone (3)
OLE – [h]OLE; candidate for clue most likely to be entered without anyone reading beyond half way
24 Not a Nepali misbehaving — someone else entirely (10)
NEAPOLITAN – NOT A NEPALI*
26 Examine popular party holding power (7)
INSPECT – P in IN (popular) SECT (party)
27 Gas bubble the retort displays (7)
BLETHER – hidden in bubBLE THE Retort; Scottish variant of blather, I am told
28 Outspoken denial from Berlin cardinal (4)
NINE – sounds like ‘Nein!’ [mein General, etc]
29 Charlie nervously creeps by a world infested by trolls? (10)
CYBERSPACE – C (Charlie) plus CREEPS BY A* (‘nervously’ doing the anagrinding)

DOWN

1 Bald Cockney lacks any manners (4)
AIRS – A non-hirsute Eastender might be described as having no ‘airs
2 Maybe fifth bowler might be thus described? (3,4)
TOP GEAR -a bowler hat might be called top gear and for some cars fifth gear is top. The first car I drove (aged 12 – a Ford Prefect) had three forward gears, while my current gas-guzzling Golf GTI has six.
3 Ascendancy of bent copper near end (13)
PREPONDERANCE – COPPER NEAR END*
4 Doctor finding headless fish in swamp (6)
DRENCH – DR [t]ENCH
5 Gambling occasionally on fall of cards? It’s of some moment (1,3,4)
A BIG DEAL – alternate letters of [g]A[m]B[l]I[n]G DEAL (fall of cards)
7 Emergence of a challenger to dictator (7)
ARRIVAL – sounds like A RIVAL
8 Kind of tart whose company’s not wanted (10)
GOOSEBERRY – two’s company, three’s a blooming nuisance
11 Deception that Charlie Chaplin for one was engaged in? (5,8)
FUNNY BUSINESS – nuff said; I really like Modern Times
14 Burst into tears, nasty head being very loud (10)
STENTORIAN – INTO TEARS* N[asty]; Stentor was the loud fellow in the Greek army before Troy, as I recall
17 Grunts of young one on the line (8)
INFANTRY – INFANT on RY
19 Crushes a relative (7)
STEPSON – DD; STEPS ON / STEPSON
21 Money companion invested in theatre (7)
DRACHMA -CH in DRAMA; old money, really
22 With new leader, man becomes sad (6)
SOMBRE – [h]OMBRE becomes SOMBRE
25 Mere daydream, but vicar’s drifted off (4)
ERIE – [rev]ERIE; a big mere, but a mere nonetheless