Thanks, first off, to Jed for covering my FT shift last week. This was a nice puzzle to come back to: fairly straightforward, but enjoyable and inventive. Thank-you, Falcon.
ACROSS
1. FACE CARD Face [overlook] + card [eccentric]
5. CAUCUS A within Cu [copper] Cu [still copper…] + s [south, quarter]
10. REMIT Double definition
11. FIRST HAND First [leading] + hand [crew member]
12. STAG NIGHT Tag [mark] within anagram of things
13. RURAL R [river] + Ural [river] – didn’t this same clue crop up a couple of weeks ago?
14. CIRCLE Double definition
15. STETSON Stet [put back] + (mas)s + on
18. MINIMUM Mini [skirt] + mum [mother]
20. BIGWIG Big [significant] + Brutus [wig]
22. CAPRA Cap [top] + RA [Royal Academy, artist]
24. SCIENTIST (Boffi)n within anagram of ICI tests – lovely &lit
25. BOSSA NOVA Boss [control] + a + nova [star]
26. RIOJA Rio [port] + J [jack] + a
27. ENDING Double definition: Meg and Mog both end in G
28. IDOLATRY Anagram of adroitly
DOWN
1. FOREST E [Eastern] within anagram of frost
2. COMPANION Double definition
3. CUT-AND-COME-AGAIN Double definition
4. REFUGEE Anagram of ge(t) free U [superior]
6. ATTORNEY GENERAL Anagram of on treaty + general [military officer]
7. CHAIR Ch [church] + air [look]
8. SIDELINE Deli [food store] within sine [mathematical function]
9. GRATIS Rat [informer] within GIs [soldiers]
16. SPIT IT OUT It + I [Italian] within spout [pontificate]
17. AMICABLE Mica [mineral] within able [fit]
19. MOSCOW Mos [Medical Officer’s] + cow [milk provider]
20. BRIGAND Brig [prison] + and [also]
21. STEADY Double definition
23. POSED P(aper) + OS [outstanding] + ed [editor]
Thanks to setter and blogger.
I read 15a as STET ( put, as in stay put) back ON all after S ( end of mass).
Quite enjoyable, cut and come again new to me but gettable.
! saw 15a as Ferret
Thanks Falcon for an enjoyable puzzle and Ringo for the blog.
15ac: Chambers 2011 defines stet as a verb meaning “to restore after marking for deletion” (or, as a noun, an instruction to do this). To me, this means you need “put back” as the just to indicate STET. I therefore favour Ringo’s parsing to the one proposed by Ferret@1 and flashling@2.
Correction to 3: Please ignore the words “as the” after “put back”: poor editing on my part.