Fifteensquared

Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of December 10th

My choice clues in this puzzle are 3D (WHERE ITS AT) and 17D (PASTORAL). I also like 8D (LABURNUM). And I am unsure about 24D (THRASH?) although I think it’s a great clue if I have it right.

Across
9. BEETHOVEN – BEET (source of sugar) + H (hot) + OVEN (cooker). Good to keep in mind that ‘barman’ can be cryptic for composer.
10. HYENA – [monke]Y in HEN (female) + A (a)
11. ENTHRALL – H (hospital) in anagram of ANTLER
12. PLATEAU – LATE (dead) in PAU[l] (Saint almost)
13. TIN – NIT (egg) backwards. The word ‘nit’ refers to the egg of a parasitic insect, especially when found on a person.
14. INCARNATION – IN (in) + CARNATION (flower)
17. PRESS – double definition
18. NAG – double definition. An old usage of ‘trout’ refers to an interfering old person.
19. ASSAM – hidden word
21. SMARTY-PANTS – SMART (hurt) + [militar]Y + [dictatorshi]P + ANTS (soldiers)
23. EAT – E[levenses] + A[nd] + T[ea]
25. ONE-STAR – anagram of TREASON
27. POPULAR – U (you) in POPLAR (tree)
28. ALDER – A (a) + L[umberjack] + RED (cherry) backwards
29. CAGELINGS – AGE (mature) in CLINGS (clasps)

Down
1. OBJECT – double definition
2. SENTENCE – double definition
3. WHERE ITS AT – anagram of TERSE WITH A
4. EVIL – LIVE (be) backwards
5. SNAPDRAGON – SNAP (photograph) + DRAGON (monster)
6. WHOA – WHO (question) + A (a)
7. YEMENI – anagram of ENEMY + I (one)
8. LABURNUM – A (a) + BURN (blaze) both in LUM (chimney). I like this clue because it uses the Scottish word ‘lum’.
15. CONSPIRACY – CONS (kids) + PIRACY (theft)
16. ADAMS APPLE – PP (pianos) in ADAM’S ALE (water). I don’t hear it these days but when I was a boy people occasionally used this term, Adam’s Ale, to mean water.
17. PASTORAL – PAST (history) + ORAL (test)
20. STERLING – double definition
22. AGENDA – AGE (time) + anagram of AND
24. THRASH – H (hard) in TRASH (refuse). If the definition is ‘stuff’ then I can find no justification for this answer but there are very few words that fit T_R_S_ and THRASH is the only one I can fit to the wordplay. (See comments below.)
26. TART – double definition
27. PAGE – double definition