Straightforward – not sure about 6 across
Across
1 EPITOMES examples E (European) PI (sanctimonious) TOMES (volumes)
6 INSTEP part of foot IN (measure – inch) STEP (?part of foot?)
9 SQUINT sight problem QUIN (1 of 5) in ST (street – way)
10 AFFECTED dd
11 TEXT message hidden in [wha]T EXT[ent]
12 PEDESTRIAN dull (ITS READ)* in PEN (writer)
14 HOME TOWN place of upbringing HOME (in) TOW (drag) N (name)
16 SKIP dd
18 VETO bar VET (check out) O (oxygen)
19 OUTGOING extrovert OUT (dismissed) GOING (condition of race ground)
21 LAUNCH PADS platforms LAUNCH (boat) PADS (walks softly)
22 AJAR left open A JAR (glass container)
24 CONFETTI paper for wedding (match)
26 IRISES blooms I (one) RISES (gets up)
27 USHERS leads PUSHERS (drug dealers) minus first letter
28 NEGLECTS ignores N (point) G (golf) in ELECTS (chooses)
Down
2 PIQUE resentment QU (question) in PIE (tart)
3 THISTLEDOWN seed that’s blown (THE WIND LOST)*
4 METAPHOR figure of speech – sounds like MET A 4
5 STANDING OVATION clever cryptic
6 INFUSE soak INF[ormation] USE (employment)
7 SAC pouch S[e]A[n]C[e]
9 ELEVATION height E (English) V (victory) in ELATION (joy)
13 RESTORATIVE for recuperation TORA[h] (Hebrew books) in RESTIVE (nervous)
15 OPERATORS machine workers OPERA (drama) TORS (high points)
17 STASHING stowing away AS (when) in (THINGS)*
20 CHUTES slides – sounds like SHOOTS (photographs)
23 AGENT one who acts for A GENT (man)
25 FOE adversary O (oxygen) in F[ailur]E
( )* = anagram [ ] = omit dd = double definition
6a IN (inch) is the part of the foot; step is the measure (dance steps I think are referred to as measures – at work so can’t check Chambers).
Nice crossword. Thanks to Orense and Jed
Step is the part “played” by the foot, I think I.e. What the foot does
Thanks Orense for a pleasant puzzle and Jed for the blog.
6ac: I like crypticsue’s explanation @1. It gives a satisfactory difference between the two uses of “part of foot”. Chambers 2011 gives us step vt to measure by pacing.