I struggled through drooping eyelids through this, untroubled by any inkling of excitement for 25 minutes*. So many of the clues were of the “stick this into/onto that” variety, so many indeed that I ran out of ways to say “wrap this with that”. Sorry. Definitions were mostly one word and prosaic. I did make one mistake through not checking my anagram fodder, and in truth I did intend going back to it to work through the wordplay properly, but missed out on the opportunity (eyelids drooped still further) and submitted too soon.
*Oh all right, 1 down raised the tone a bit
Clues Definitions SOLUTIONS
Across
1 Pay for tea, dipping into resources (8)
PURCHASE Tea become CHA and is put (rather messily, in all likelihood) into PURSE
5 Oppressive temperature in chamber (6)
CLOSET Oppressive: close followed by T(emperature)
9 Republican's quitting a good deal further behind (3)
AFT I think this is R(epublican) removed from RAFT, both that and good deal meaning a large number.
10 Retreating in disarray, some ultimately join up again (11)
REINTEGRATE A straightforward anagram (“in disarray”) of RETREATING and somE ultimately.
12 List of exam scores, perhaps, English included, worth promoting? (10)
MARKETABLE the list of exam scores is off course a MARK TABLE. Add an extra E(nglish)
13 Enthusiasm prize student’s full of (4)
ZEST Hidden in prizeZE STudent
15 Journalist on hill brought down (6)
FELLED Journalist is, as ever, ED, tacked onto the end of FELL for hill.
16 Devoted nurses going too far to dance (7)
GAVOTTE Devoted: GAVE gently embraces OTT, over the top or going too far
18 Fruit spirit in pot without lid knocked over (7)
TANGELO Sprit is ANGEL, place in a topless POT reversed. You don’t even have to derive POT from another word.
20 Short bar put out (6)
ABRUPT Put out the letters of BAR PUT
23 Web-hosted vote's succeeding (4)
NEXT Vote (with a stubby pencil on a string) is X. The NET is hosted by the web (or is it the other way round?) and in turn nurses the S
24 Crooked mat, they say, for a corner (5,5)
RIGHT ANGLE Crooked WRY, mat: TANGLE. Put the two together and feed them into the sound mimicking apparatus
26 Queen wearing shapeless minidress gets chilly reception (5,6)
SHORT SHRIFT Queen provides just the R, wrap lovingly with a SHORT SHIFT
27 The lady closing gates with haste (3)
SHE provided by the last letters of gates with haste. Not novel? There’s novel at least!
28 Rejected noodle: go for baked food (6)
PASTRY Noodle is SAP, (variants on idiot) which is “rejected”. Go provides TRY
29 Cashed in, as each new driver is apparently overdrawn? (8)
REALISED EA(ch) new driver L IS “in the RED”. Clever, eh?
Down
1 Vital fluid — granny given litre infusion? (6)
PLASMA When you think about it, granny is PA’S MA. When you get over the excitement, throw in a L(itre)
2 He's stopped working on island (7)
RETIREE on: RE, island: TIREE last of the Inner Hebrides going westwards.
3 Terse report on 21’s bloodsuckers (10)
HORSEFLIES You’ll discover 21 is Pegasus. Our solution is as laconic a report as it’s possible to imagine on seeing what Pegasus does. Mind you, (earworm alert) I’ve seen a peanut stand
4 Suggestions drawn up with European attention to formality? (4,3,6)
SPIT AND POLISH Suggestions TIPS written upwards, with AND, European (of a kind) POLISH
6 Long-established toy on offer originally (4
LEGO Today’s product placement, the world’s most expensive plastic. Today’s cricket: On is the side of a cricket pitch also known as LEG. Offer donates the required O
7 Spring holiday with least to offer? (7)
SPAREST Spring: SPA, holiday REST. My oath, this is dull.
8 Pedant regularly blocking taxes for covenants (8)
TREATIES The even letters of pedant, EAT inserted into TRIES from taxes (verb)
11 Eg. help writer with a mobile phone supplier? (9,4)
TELEGRAPH WIRE and not LINE as I set down with no justification. Collect and redistribute EG HELP WRITER and A
14 Extra staff set up permitted household fitting (10)
OVERMANTEL Extra gives OVER (not cricket, just surplus). Staff: MAN and permitted: LET “set up”. As you will know from these columns, CB Fry was able to jump up onto one from a standing start
17 Holds water, taking firm position to drink (6,2)
STANDS UP Firm position STAND, drink SUP.
19 Harmful beast one's restrained by common sense (7)
NOXIOUS Beast: OX, contained within NOUS, common sense
21 Stallion keeps steady, crossing America northwards (7)
PEGASUS Keeps steady: PEGS, throw in a reverse USA
22 Cutting base, man needs large saw (6)
BEHELD. Spot the definition. Man: HE plus L(arge) cut into base: BED.
25 Where most inmates have time to get a move on (4)
STIR One of the many synonyms for prison, where people do time, and as a verb to get moving.