Financial Times 18,531 by NEO

A relatively difficult challenge from the usually gentle NEO. FF: 7 DD: 9 mini theme around len deighton's spy stories. ACROSS 1 PROPHESY Oracle to support dissent on being excluded (8) PROP ( support ) HEreSY ( dissent, without RE – on ) 9 ASPERGES Sprinklers keep grass high — potassium lacking (8) [ kEEP GRASS ( without K – potassoum ) ]* 10 OSCARS Limousines perhaps for Hollywood event (6) cryptic def; read OS ( oversize ) CARS 12 EMERY Polish gallery remembers retrospective exhibits (5) hidden, reversed in "..gallerY REMEmbers.." 13 MARGARITA Drink to spoil walking style around river area (9) MAR ( spoil ) [ GAIT ( walking style ) around R ( river ) ] A ( area ) 14 ESTHER Job following this husband entering compound (6) H ( husband ) in ESTER ( compound ) 16/29 FUNERAL IN BERLIN Happy Days composer holds nothing back in film (7,2,6) [ FUN ( happy ) ERA ( days ) BERLIN ( composer, irving ) ] containing reverse of NIL ( nothing ) 19 SEDATED Out to some degree in chair touring Land’s End (7) SEATED ( in chair ) around D ( LanD, end letter of ) 21/4 PADDLE STEAMER Confuses crew coming in by boat (6,7) [ ADDLES ( confuses ) TEAM ( crew ) ] in PER ( by ) 23 ESPIONAGE Psychic powers in time assimilating old 3 5’s business (9) [ ESP ( psychic powers ) IN AGE ( time ) ] containing O ( old ) 25 COMMA 100 rounds fired in retreat — this gives pause (5) C ( 100, roman numerals ) OMMA ( reverse of AMMO – rounds ) 26 BAOBAB Graduates gathering round black tree (6) [ BA BA ( graduates ) around O ( round ) ] B ( black ) 27 ATTENDEE One present a shirt for nurse to wear (8) [ A TEE ( shirt) ] around TEND ( nurse ) 28 EGGNOG Drink and say medal should be returned (6) EG ( say ) GNOG ( medal = GONG, reversed ) DOWN 1 PLAYER Musician in quiet band (6) P ( quiet ) LAYER ( band ) 2 OPPRESSED Subdued reviews seen in newspaper article (9) PRESS ( reviews ) in OP ED ( newspaper article ) 3/5 HARRY PALMER 16 29 spy brings plague to pilgrim (5,6) HARRY ( plague ) PALMER ( pilgrim ) 6 ABSTAINED A bishop in disgrace made Lenten observance? (9) A B ( bishop ) STAINED ( in disgrace ) 7 MIAMI City article blocking delicate Parisian sewer? (5) A ( article ) in MIMI ( delicate parisian sewer? ) 8 RASCALLY Wretched like Conservative in political meeting (8) [ AS ( like ) C ( conservative ) ] in RALLY ( political meeting ) 11 GRAF Airmen under gravitational effect in Zeppelin? (4) G ( gravitational effect ) RAF ( airmen ) 15 HOT POTATO Mutton dish at last in bistro — contentious issue? (3,6) HOT POT ( mutton dish ) AT O ( bistrO, last letter ) 17 ROLE MODEL Cake embracing European form, for example (4,5) ROLL ( cake ) containing [ E ( european ) MODE ( form ) ] 18 ASSEMBLE American ship with incomplete device put together (8) A ( american ) SS ( ship ) EMBLEm ( device, incomplete i.e without last letter ) 20 DRAW No winner in this lottery? (4) double def 21 PRESTON Fast train’s terminus in Lancashire location (7) PRESTO ( fast ) N ( traiN, end character ) 22 TAVERN Faulty TV near bar (6) [ TV NEAR ]* 24 PRONG Point behind — no good (5) PRO ( behind ) N ( no ) G ( good ) 25 CREWE Wife pulled into North American railway town (5) W ( wife ) in CREE ( north american )