Financial Times 17916 Moo

Thank you, Moo. Definitions are underlined in the clues.

Across
1. Might monk appear like this to people? (7)
INHABIT : [IN HABIT](how a monk might appear, clothed in his robe].
Defn: …/to live in or take up residence in a place.

5. Peacemaker turning down Time award (7)
DIPLOMA : “diplomat”(a peacemaker/one who helps others find common ground) minus(turning down) “t”(abbrev. for “time”).
Defn: … given to one who has successfully completed a course of study.

9. Idiot changing political allegiance for a joke (5)
PRANK : “plank”(informal term for an idiot/a stupid person) [ with “l”(abbrev. for “left”, favouring left-wing/socialistic views) replaced by “r”(abbrev. for “right”, favouring right-wing/conservative views) ](changing political allegiance).

10. Vote loser somehow becoming president (9)
ROOSEVELT : Anagram of(… somehow becoming) VOTE LOSER.
Defn: Former US ….

11. Plead with immature trainee to give up (9)
INTERCEDE : Last letter deleted from(immature/not fully developed) “intern”(a trainee/novice) + CEDE(to give up/to surrender).

12. Elite knocking back brandy English introduced (5)
CREAM : Reversal of(knocking back) MARC(brandy distilled from the remains of, say, grapes, that have been pressed for wine-making) containing(… introduced) E(abbrev. for “English”).
Defn: …/the best of a group of people or things.

13. Those left behind (4)
RUMP : Double defn: 1st: Small or unimportant remnant of something originally larger; and 2nd: The behind/buttocks of a person.

15. Open University tutor welcoming radical head’s community work (8)
OUTREACH : OU(abbrev. for the Open University) + TEACH(to tutor/train) containing(welcoming) 1st letter of(… head) “radical”.
Defn: … by an organisation relating to the community’s welfare.

18. People shopping for shoes across the pond (8)
SNEAKERS : Double defn: 1st: …/informing on/selling out others; and 2nd: In America/across the pond, shoes worn for sports or casual occasions.

19. Adverse effects of island bar opening (4)
TOLL : “atoll”(a ring-shaped island) minus(bar/except for) its 1st letter(opening).
Defn: Undesirable/… of something.

22. A Conservative, drunk outside racecourse (5)
ASCOT : A + [ C(abbrev. for “Conservative”, a member of the Conservative Party) contained in(… outside) SOT(a drunk/a habitual alcohol drinker ].
Defn: … in England.

24. Who shot JFK? (9)
CAMERAMAN : Cryptic defn: A pun of “shot” – with a camera, not a gun. John F. Kennedy was shot in both senses, and the film “JFK” in the former sense.

26. Vital to bring in social worker (9)
IMPORTANT : IMPORT(to bring in/ship in from abroad) + ANT(a social insect, one of whose castes is the worker).

27. Interrogate Greek crook in Wagga Wagga (5)
GRILL : GR(abbrev. for “Greek”) + ILL(unwell/“crook”, a term used in Wagga Wagga, Australia).

28. VIP’s £1,000 getting double dose of MDMA (7)
GRANDEE : GRAND(£1000) plus(getting) E,E(twice/double dose of abbrev. of “Ecstasy”/MDMA, the synthetic drug).

29. Where one might find piece others left out (7)
HOLSTER : Anagram of(… out) [OTHERS + L(abbrev. for “left”) ].
Defn: …/a firearm.

Down
1. Broadcast by mischief-maker causes damage (6)
IMPAIR : AIR(to broadcast on radio or television) placed below(by, in a down clue) IMP(mischief-maker/small devil).
Defn: To ….

2. Arthur and Ben suffering indigestion (9)
HEARTBURN : Anagram of(… suffering) [ARTHUR plus(and) BEN].

3. Hells Angel’s president visiting Britain (5)
BIKER : IKE(nickname of former US President, Dwight Eisenhower) contained in(visiting) BR(abbrev. for “Britain”).

4. Group amorously inclined in weird European rest home (9)
THREESOME : Anagram of(weird) [ E(abbrev. for “European” + REST HOME ].

5. Doctor looking down on a scrounger (5)
DRONE : DR(abbrev. for “Doctor”) placed above(looking down on, in a down clue) ONE(quantity specified by the article “a”).
Defn: …/one who lives off the work of others.

6. Far-sighted contemporary protecting half of city (9)
PRESCIENT : PRESENT(contemporary/existing or occurring now) containing(protecting) 1st 2 letters of(half of) “city”.

7. Fat old cow’s complaint about ending of allowance (5)
OBESE : O(abbrev. for “old”) + BSE(abbrev. for “bovine spongiform encephalopathy”, a disease/complaint affecting cows and other cattle) containing(about) last letter of(ending of) “allowance”.
Defn: Very ….

8. Fall for Donald Trump? (6)
AUTUMN : The season that for Donald Trump and other Americans is refered to as “fall”.

14. Rendered incapable (9)
PLASTERED : Double defn: 1st: Coated a brick or stone surface with plaster/a sand and cement mixture; and 2nd: …/helplessly drunk.

16. Competition putting marriage under strain (4,5)
TEST MATCH : TEST(to put … under strain/to stress) MATCH(a marriage).
Defn: An international cricket ….

17. Messed about, I consult male writer (9)
COLUMNIST : Anagram of(Messed about) [I CONSULT + M(abbrev. for “male”) ].
Defn: … of a regular article/column in a newspaper or magazine.

20. Cockney on the mend in London borough (6)
EALING : ‘EALING(Cockney pronunciation of “healing”/on the mend).

21. One taking position by side of river? (6)
ANGLER : ANGLE(position/a point of view that one takes of a problem or issue) plus(by) 1st letter of(side of) “river”.
Defn: … to catch fish.

23. Oil producer in Mexico praised for cutting back (5)
COPRA : Hidden in(in … for cutting back) “Mexico praised”.
Defn: …/that from which coconut oil is extracted.

24. London gangsters reportedly making crack (5)
CRAZE : Homophone of(… reportedly) “Krays”(Ronald and Reginald, twins who were gangsters in London in the 50s and 60s).
Defn: A small … in the glaze of pottery.

25. Booze-up fit for a king (5)
REGAL : Reversal of(…-up, in a down clue) LAGER(a light beer/booze).