Mudd kept me busy for a while with this one. 21D strikes me as an interesting case: I believe it works perfectly as a cryptic definition yet the cryptic-ness of it seems rather obvious.
Across
1. WELL TEMPERED – WELL (fit) + TEMPER (rage) + ED (journalist)
10. UNCHAIN – [l]UNCH (meal, no starter) + AI (perfect) + N (noon)
11. RISOTTO – SIR (knight) backwards + OT + TO (to)
12. AARON – A (a) + NORA backwards (girl)
13. SCORNFUL – CORN (maize) + F (strong) in S[o]UL (soul in need of love)
15. ASTON VILLA – A (amateur) + ON (on) + V (against) in STILL (yet) + A (a)
16. FLAT – double definition
18. DABS – D (died) + ABS (stopping system). ABS stands for anti-lock braking system.
20. HELICOPTER – anagram of CHEER PILOT
22. PRUSSIAN – P (soft) + RUSSIAN (old red)
24. TUTTI – TUT (old king) + IT (it) backwards
26. CABARET – BARE (plain) in CAT (lion perhaps)
27. EXPANSE – EX (old) + PANS (vessels) + E[thiopia]
28. NEW BRUNSWICK – R[aisins] in NEW (fresh) + BUNS (cakes) + WICK (something burning)
Down
2. EXCERPT – R (right) in EXCEPT (but)
3. LEARNING – L (left) + EARNING (in work)
4. ETNA – ANTE (something upped) backwards
5. PORTCULLIS – PORT (drink) + CULL (systematically kill) + IS (ones)
6. RISER – hidden word
7. DUTIFUL – anagram of FLUID + [o]UT
8. SUGAR AND SPICE – G (good) + RAND (money) in ASPIC (jelly) all in SUE (little girl)
9. TOILET TRAINED – cryptic definition
14. WINE TASTER – IN (in) + ET (film) in WASTER (loafer). I originally thought the answer was TIME WASTER (clued by “loafer”) — see comments below.
17. SOUTHPAW – anagram (Rocky) of HAS TO W[ind] UP
19. BOURBON – cryptic definition
21. TITANIC – cryptic definition
23. SCREW – double definition
25. MEAN – double definition
You’re barking up the right tree on 14D (WINE TASTER)
The film being ET, and “loafer”=waster. Bizarro surface reading though.
I agree that 21D is an unusual beast. However, it didn’t really float my boat (for want of a better phrase!).
Ah, it is no wonder I could not make sense of 14D. Thanks for the tip.