Enjoyable puzzle
Across
1 COWSLIP rabbit in Watership Down COW (heifer) SLIP (lose footing)
5 DECAMP leave suddenly D[e]E CAMP (affected)
8 SNODGRASS Thomas Jefferson DONS< (fellow aback) GRASS (rat)
9 NORTH statesman hidden in [u]NORTH[odox]
11 ASPIC relish A S[ausage] PI (very good) C (cold)
12 TROUT FARM hatchery OUT (visible) in (RAFT)* RM (marines)
13 EXERCISE dd
15 ABBESS head of convent A B (bishop) BESS (Elizabeth)
17 ERRANT wayward E (English) RR (bishop) ANT (social worker)
19 DOMESTIC dd
22 VINGT-ET-UN pontoon (cards) (VETTING)* UN (French a)
23 PIQUE ill-feeling PIQUE[t] (card game curtailed)
24 RIOJA wine O (nothing) (JAR I)*
25 ESOTERICA mysterious objects (I CREATE SO)*
26 PROSIT salutation PRO (for) SIT (model)
27 FANTASY dream F (female) (A NASTY)*
Down
1 CAST AN EYE OVER look casually at CAST (actors) AN EYE (lamp) OVER (extra)
2 WHOOPEE love (make) HOOP (ring) in WEE (very small)
3 LOGIC reason I (one) in LOG (record) C (clubs)
4 PRACTISE work CT (court) in PRAISE (admiration)
5 DESPOT tyrant S (south) in DEPOT (military station)
6 CONSTABLE painter CON (with in Spanish) STABLE (firm)
7 MARGATE seaside resort MAR (damage) GATE (barrier)
10 HOME SECRETARY cabinet member (SOME TREACHERY)*
14 CANE-TOADS bufo marinus C (caught) (ONE DATAS)*
16 SOUND OFF speak angrily SOUND (safe) OFF (dropped)
18 RANCOUR bitterness RAN (managed) COUR[t] (provoke endless)
20 TEQUILA drink (QUIET)* LA Los Angeles
21 AT REST dd
23 PREEN groom RE (about) in PEN (writer)
( )* = anagram [ ] = omit dd = double definition < = reverse
Thanks Falcon for a nice straightforward puzzle with lots of good clues, and Jed for the blog.
My main gripe with this puzzle is that I thought that all three of the “double definition” clues were a bit feeble, especially 21dn. To me, this type of clue is at its best when two words of different origins have converged in spelling. Here the double definitions were really small differences in meaning from the same root word.
thanks Jed and Falcon
I enjoyed the surface of some treachery in the cabinet