The Sunday Crossword No 3048, Sunday 19 May 2019

ACROSS
1   Best-laid plans (that is, what's expected to succeed) (2,4,3,3) OF MICE AND MEN [GK]
10 Former European politican talks emptily, making excuses (7) EXEMPTS {EX}{E}{MP}{TalkS}
11 Time out before study in space age unit (3,4) GAP YEAR {GAP}{YEAR}
12 King rode off before giving command (5) ORDER {RODE}*<=>{R}
13 Was familiar with where to buy cold meats: they say, in a big city (3,5) NEW DELHI (~ knew deli)
15 Lecturer with big book about gravy boat culture finally finds desired piece of terminology (2,3,5) LE MOT JUSTE {L}{TOME<=}{JUS}{boaT{c...rE}
16 What an employer does is manipulates (4) USES [DD]
18 Care of company address for Chanel (4) COCO {CO}{CO}
20 Outfit with attempt to convey 'pizazz' (3-2-3-2) GET-UP-AND-GO {GETUP}{AND}{GO}
22 Dramatic drop in bill at seedy bar (4,4) NOSE DIVE {NOSE}{DIVE}
24 Conservative pursues cut back, at first taking on the money (5) EXACT {AXE<=}{C}{Ta...g}
26 They might spell trouble, 200 wains (7) WICCANS {CC+WAINS}*
27 Sporting achievement in show (4,3) HOME RUN [DD]
28 Sh! The man I saw crawling around – you know... thingummy... (5-3-4) WHATS HIS NAME*

DOWN
2   Release, from loud wind instrument, a contemplative sound (7) FREEDOM {F}{REED}{OM}
3   Exemption from prosecution right for nuclear pollution (8) IMPURITY IMPU(-n+r)RITY
4   Comfort to be found in tea set (4) EASE [T]
5   Half of lectures skipped after negative feedback's beginning: university student's remiss (10) NEGLECTFUL {NEG}{LECTures}{Fe...k}{U}{L}
6   Languidly moved bike (5) MOPED [DD]
7   Largely unnecessary heckles (7) NEEDLES NEEDLESs
8   Gather up old lamps to collect mint in long-running TV show (3,6,4) TEN OCLOCK NEWS {NET<=}{O}{CLOCK{NEW}S} Lamps/Clocks?
9   Novel, starting point for film (13) TRAINSPOTTING*
14 Oversees 'Pies Versus Stew' (10) SUPERVISES*
17 Salem's gone berserk: an Arthur Miller play's subject (8) SALESMAN {SALEM*}{AN}
19 Wimbledon champ, bully, gets easy money (4,3) CASH COW {CASH}{COW}
21 Taj Mahal's setting captured in simple drawing (7) DIAGRAM {DI{AGRA}M}
23 Naiad, fabulous goddess (5) DIANA*
25 Said what you might find on collar of Siamese (4) THAI (~tie)

GRID