Solving time, 17 mins
* = anagram < = reversed
ACROSS
1 F (LE AB) AG able-bodied seaman
5 S (A BIN)E Ancient people in Italy
8 I BEG YOUR PARDON (brooder guy pain)*
10 PIN (NAT) E Decay My last entry
11 T(he) ROUT
12 AUGMENT ‘Men’ for ‘us’ in August
14 LEAN S ON
15 F (IRE) ARM
17 AUBERG(in)E
19 yeaR EMIT
20 Richard Brinley SHE R(ID)AN
22 COME TO THE POINT Double definition
24 H (EARS)E High explosive
25 SUP REMO (more)*
DOWN
1 F AIL
2 EVENING PRIMROSE (removes ripening)*
3 BA (YON) NE City in New Jersey
4 G RUNT Favourite clue
5 S (A POD) I LLA (all is)<
6 BIRETTA Hidden reversal
7 NEOCONSERVATIVE (in one craves vote)*
9 STANCE (ascent)*
11 AFFIRM a “firm”
13 TO MB ST ONE
16 A NT BEAR
18 B (RIT P) OP rit = ritenuto (musical direction): getting slower
21 ETH OS (the)* Ordinary Seaman
22 OTTO (man) Refers to Otto cycle, a type of engine cycle
I struggled a bit with pinnated, since it’s not a word I’ve come across much. I was looking at things like dianated (being date around Ian). Nat doesn’t seem a very common name these days, so I initially didn’t consider it.