Tricky and enjoyable puzzle although I was caught out by having limited understanding of answers at 22a and 5d
ACROSS
2 Frank cracks when accepting one’s offers to stand
CANDIDACIES CANDID frank I one in ACES cracks
9 Shells windows that haven’t opened
ORMERS shells [d]ORMERS
10 Couple of yobs switched source of sedative?
LOTUS plant = sedative LOUTS yobs with a couple of letters switched
12 Madder form of verse with hint of assonance at the end
RUBIA herbaceous madder plant RUBI form of verse? A hint of Assonance
13 Hail once starts to affect colourful shore
ACCOAST greeting Affect Colourful COAST shore
14 Something marvelous about special Jewish festival
PESACH Passover Special in PEACH
16 Incomplete question posed by line of university
DOUBLE-YOU letter DOUB[t] question LEY line O[f] U university
17 Revise recipe domestic servant returned
RECENSE revise REC[ipe] ESNE< domestic servant reversed
22 Man following precedence in Catholic service
PLACEBO vespers for the dead PLACE precedence BO man
23 Waiting sailor, one occupying shore at Leith
TARRIANCE waiting TAR sailor I one in RANCE Scottish shore
26 Bloke in charge of apples
MALEIC of apples MALE bloke IC in charge
27 Warily reluctant to include old cat’s cry for no clear reason
SOMEWHY no clear reason (Old MEW cat’s cry) in SHY warily reluctant
28 Grassland completely turned over? Certainly not
LLANO grassland ALL< NO certainly not
29 Currency units along with English pound
TOEAS Papua money TO along with English AS pound = 12 ounces
30 Priest agreed child should return bird
DIKKOP bird (P priest OK agreed KID child)<
31 Student of Hollywood, say, is captured by form of art cinema
AMERICANIST student of things American IS in (ART CINEMA)*
DOWN
1 Supporting big business, scoundrel is blocking my funds
CORPORATIST (RAT scoundrel IS) in COR my POT funds
2 Bottle displayed by historic team with time
CRUET sauce bottle CRUE crew T time
3 One’s staff accepting nonsense? Bad luck
AMBS-ACE bad luck BS bull**** in A MACE
4 Severe action misplaced in Congo?
DRACONTIC extremely severe, like the laws of Draco, archon at Athens 621BC (ACTION)* in DRC Democratic Republic of Congo
5 Last month: Liberal avoiding defamation shows relationship with power
DECIBELrelationship with power DECember [L]IBEL
6 Colt, less restrained, heading off Scottish stallion
COOSER stallion (Scot) [L]OOSER less restrained (colt is a young horse)
7 I agree to reduce duplication in European country
ITALY I TALLY I agree minus L one of the duplicated letters
8 Station’s fame rising after American steps in
EUSTON station US American in NOTE< fame rising
11 Optical instrument causes poor sight ultimately to be treated
STAUROSCOPE instrument for studying mineral crystals under polarized light (CAUSES POOR [sigh]T)*
15 Laconical, possibly, in describing sewer
CLOACALIN describing sewer (LACONICAL)*
18 Appropriate to spar in argument over this
SPATHIC spar like (mineralogy) SPAT argument HIC this (Latin)
19 Removes bill from bill of exchange – unexpectedly asked about that
DEBEAKS removes bill BE bill of exchange in (ASKED)*
20 Tree with a hollow sound
WABOOM or wagenboom tree whose wood is used in making wagon wheels With A BOOM
21 Arrival getting attention, being behindhand
ARREAR behind ARRival EAR attention
24 Yard containing American source of fibre
RAMEE nettle plant American in REE yard
25 Container holding in wine
PINOT wine IN in POT
( )* = anagram [ ] = omitted < = reversed