Times Cryptic 28868

Solving time: 25 minutes

There were some tricky bits and pieces here, including an answer I never heard of, but the cluing was fair and I found it quite easy especially in the light of rather too many recent struggles.

As usual definitions are underlined in bold italics, {deletions and substitutions are in curly brackets} and [anagrinds, containment, reversal and other indicators in square ones]. I usually omit all reference to positional indicators unless there is a specific point that requires clarification.

Across
1	Angle this writer primarily adopted, lacking animal feed (8)
	FISHMEAL
	FISH (angle), ME (this writer), A{dopted} + L{acking} [primarily]
6	Composer briefly associated with a Hindu god (6)
	BRAHMA
	BRAHM{s} (composer), [briefly], A
9	Rascal nearly closed paper, swallowing hallucinatory drug (6)
	TOERAG
	TO (nearly closed – door) + RAG (paper) containing [swallowing] E (hallucinatory drug)
10	Exchanging small place in East London (8)
	SWAPPING
	S (small), WAPPING (place in East London – E1). Fortress Wapping was the famous symbol of Rupert Murdoch’s battle with the print unions in the 1980s.
11	Young hawk in European state making a comeback (4)
	EYAS
	E (European), SAY (state) reversed [making a comeback]. NHO this and apart from a couple of Mephistos this is its first appearance in the TfTT era since 2006 and before I started contributing as a commenter. On that occasion it was defined as a nestling. SOED defines it as: A young hawk in the nest, or taken from it for training; a hawk whose training is incomplete.
12	Lacking justification, as dispossessed cricket club may be? (10)
	GROUNDLESS
	A straight definition with a cryptic in support
14	Girl embracing soldier, perhaps, in Mediterranean port (8)
	ALICANTE
	ALICE (girl) containing [embracing] ANT (soldier, perhaps). Spanish port.
16	Opening of oyster bar in Scottish resort (4)
	OBAN
	O{yster) [opening], BAN (bar)
18	Hairstyle brought back in superior fashion (4)
	AFRO
	Hidden and reversed [brought back in] {superi}OR FA{shion}
19	Bully pinching hair confiner — hers, maybe? (8)
	BRUNETTE
	BRUTE (bully) containing [pinching] NET (hair confiner). The definition refers back to the hairnet.
21	Uncultivated grammarian, one pursuing game (10)
	WILDFOWLER
	WILD (uncultivated), FOWLER (grammarian). Henry Watson Fowler (1858-1933).
22	Change course, finding equestrian gear (4)
	TACK
	Two meanings, neither of them cryptic
24	Chap needing hot water in W African state (8)
	BENJAMIN
	JAM (hot water – trouble or a tricky situation) contained by [in] BENIN (W African state)
26	Riddle in French initially intriguing key family member (6)
	ENIGMA
	EN (in, French), I{ntriguing} [initially], G (key), MA (family member)
27	Female victim of murder on island (6)
	ISABEL
	IS (island),  ABEL (victim of murder by brother Cain)
28	Cold wind enveloping plant in cathedral city (8)
	EASTERLY
	ELY (cathedral city) containing [enveloping] ASTER (plant)

Down
2	Mild sarcasm from fellow in City regularly (5)
	IRONY
	RON (fellow) contained by [in] {c}I{t}Y [regularly]
3	Instrument mixed choirs finally confused with another (11)
	HARPSICHORD
	HARP (another instrument), anagram [mixed] of CHOIRS, then {confuse}D [finally]. I can see an alternative parsing that works just as well but this is the one I’ve gone with.
4	Attractive, getting involved (8)
	ENGAGING
	Two meanings, neither of them cryptic
5	Suffer financial depletion,  just before the fall? (4,4,7)
	LOSE ONES BALANCE
	Two definitions of sorts
6	Alcoholic drink, something the setter would appreciate, it’s said (6)
	BEAUNE
	Sounds like [it’s said] “bone” (something the setter – dog – would appreciate).  A red burgundy wine produced in the district around Beaune.
7	Current measure a national leader set up (3)
	AMP
	A, PM (national leader) reversed [set up]
8	His fate disheartened men working in part of pit (9)
	MINESHAFT
	Anagram [working] of HIS FATE M{e}N [disheartened]
13	Flowering plant, most unconfined, widely encountered (11)
	LOOSESTRIFE
	LOOSEST (most unconfined), RIFE (widely encountered)
15	Sublimity of some poetry son’s absorbing frequently (9)
	LOFTINESS
	LINES (some poetry) + S (son) containing absorbing OFT (frequently). SOED: sublimity – the state of being dignified or lofty in bearing.
17	Accommodates at least four pints without hesitation (8)
	QUARTERS
	QUARTS (at least four pints) containing [without] ER (hesitation). A quart is two pints, so ‘quarts’ must be at least four. To quarter somebody is to provide them with accommodation.
20	Strait-laced class, at Lancing originally (6)
	FORMAL
	FORM (class), A{t} + L{ancing} [originally]. Lancing College is a public school near Worthing.
23	Eccentric English lord’s first form of desert transport? (5)
	CAMEL
	CAM (eccentric), E (English), L{ord} [’s first]. Collins: cam – a moving piece of machinery, as a wheel or projection on a wheel, that gives an eccentric rotation or a reciprocating motion to another wheel, a roller, a shaft, etc., or that receives such motion from it
25	Patient man’s line of business (3)
	JOB
	Two meanings. The Biblical figure was renowned for his patience during periods of great suffering.