Financial Times 14,080 by Cinephile

Prize puzzle from the Weekend FT of August 11, 2012

I found this to be an exceptionally good and enjoyable Cinephile. The clues I especially like are 7A (TAPE), 11A (PRIEST), 14D (DOWNGRADE) and 28A-7D-3D-6D (THE FLOWERS THAT BLOOM IN THE SPRING).

Across
1. MENINGITIS – ME[a]NING (significance when article is missing) + IT IS (it is)
7. TAPE – double definition
9. SPAT – double definition
10. UNDERTAKER – double/cryptic definition
11. PRIEST – [I pry, thou] PRIEST [, he pries] (art looking)
12. WING BEAT – anagram of BEGAN in WIT (intellegence)
13. GRADIENT – A DIE (straight type) in GRANT (allowance)
15. OPEN – indirect hidden word [tw]OPEN[ce]
17. GNAW – hidden word
19. THERMALS – double definition
22. STAGNATE – NAT (small boy) in STAGE (theatre)
23. SNATCH – anagram of CHANTS
25. DILAPIDATE – P[p] + IDA (princess — as in Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Princess Ida”) together in DILATE (talk at length). Dilate, as most often used, means to make something such as the pupil of an eye wider but it can also mean to widen in the sense of to speak or write at length on some subject.
26. LEFT – double definition
27. AGUE – A (a) + GUE[ss] (conjecture beginning)
28, 7d, 3, 6: THE FLOWERS THAT BLOOM IN THE SPRING – anagram of NOT THE FALL PRIMROSES THING WE BOTH. The answer is the title of a song from Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado. Tra la!

Down
2. EMPEROR – E (English) + MP (politician) ER[r]OR (heartless mistake)
4. GAUNTLET – GAUNT (haggard) + LET (permission)
8. PREFACE – REF (umpire) in PACE (step)
14. DOWNGRADE – anagram of WRONG in anagram of DEAD
16. SEASHELL – A (a) + SHE (woman) together in SELL (dispose of)
18, 5: NOTHING TO DO WITH THE CASE – NOTHING TO DO (no job) + anagram of WITCHES HATE
20. LUCIFER – double definition
21. SADIST – DIS (hell) in SAT (enthroned). My understanding is that Dis was the Roman God of hell. Is it correct to use Dis to refer to hell itself?
24. ALLOW – ALL (everybody) + OW (cry with pain)