Solving time:  28 minutes (with help from Chambers and TEA)

Over the past few months I have really come to appreciate Gordius puzzles, plenty of wit, some topical stuff and a dash of quirkiness.  I bought the Guardian Setters’ Book of his puzzles and enjoyed some of them.  But today’s just didn’t hit the spot.  There were some clever clues but 19,25 seems nothing more to me than a weak cryptic definition at best.  Liked 4 across and 6 down reminded me of Paul at his naughtiest!

Had to use Chambers for 12 and 24.

ACROSS               (*) = ANAGRAM    (R) = REVERSAL

1  DISOWN  IS DOWN (*)

4  BURGHER  Nice cryptic def.

9  GREAT-AUNT    RAGE (*) + TAUNT

11 TAPIR    Homophone of TAPER

12 PHELONION   HELP (*) + ONION

13 LIMEADE  LIE about MEAD

17  OSTLER   Is this just a cryptic definition?

19,25  DOWN THE HATCH   Looks like a straight definition.

22  WEEKNIGHT   Falstaff was large of girth, does that make him a “wee knight”?  I thought wee referred to height but I could and probably will be proven wrong.

24  TOHOS     SHOOT (*)   New word on me.

27  LANCASTER   have seen this clue so many times before - think I used it about five years ago.

28  TORCHER  Homophone of TORTURE

29  INCHES   IN +  CHES(S)

DOWN

1   DIGITAL     GIT inisde DIAL

3   WATERFALL  Cryptic def.

4   BATTENS   See Chambers def2 for BATTEN which also goes with DOWN THE HATCHES to make the weell-known phrase.(Pedantic note: The E in hatches is not indicated - or is this OK?)

6  HAVE IT OUT    Say no more!

7  RODENT     DEN inside ROT

8 RUMPLE   John  Mortimer’s famous creation minus O.

14  MESSENGER    MESS + GREEN (*)

16  DOWN TRAIN   Spooner’s  pronunciation of TOWN DRAIN

18  REGULAR    RURAL (*) with E.G. inside

20  ENSURES     (C) ENSURES

21  TWO-BIT     W inside TOBIT  which I think is a  book of the Apocrypha

23  NATCH      TAN (R) + CH

Excellent puzzle as per. Any theme is lost on me although the grid suggests one.