Times 25417 - Nothing to hide!

35 minutes with time lost getting started due to blogger's nerves but once under weigh I found this very straightforward and (whisper it softly) just a little on the dull side. And I'm afraid this will be reflected in my write-up as there's really very little to say about any of it. One point though, rather unusually there is no hidden answer.

Across
1	KARATE - A, farmeR inside KATE, the shrew in Shakespeare's play or Cole Porter's musical if you prefer.
4	TURF WAR - Two definitions, one of them tichy, if I may borrow the term from another blogger.
9	NACHO - A and Hot placed regularly in NCO (officer).
10	IN PASSING - IN (accepted), PASSING (getting satisfactory grade).
11	SYNTHESIS - Anagram of SHY IS SENT.
12	MOIST - 0 (nothing) in MIST (murk).
13	VAST - S (society) in VAT (Value Added Tax).
14	BUDGERIGAR - BUDGE (move reluctantly), RIG (fiddle), A, R (rook).
18	LAY HANDS ON - Two definitions.
20	THAI - Sounds like "tie" (secure).
23	BOWER - Two definitions. The anchor is less familiar but it has come up before.
24	GREAT APES - EAT (munch) inside GRAPES (fruit).
25	ELIMINATE - Anagram of A TIMELINE.
26	PRADO - AD (notice) inside PRO (for). The famous art gallery in Madrid.
27	TIGRESS - The D of DIGRESS (stray) changes to T to give us the cat.
28	FATHOM - Fine, AT HOMe.
Down
1	KING'S EVIL - KING'S (college, one of the oldest in Cambridge), LIVE (be) reversed. An old term for scrofula. (link added on edit)
2	RECANTS - EC (financial district of London - the City) inside RANTS (rails).
3	TROPHY - OP (work), H, inside TRY (bid).
4	TAPAS - TAP (listening device), A, S.
5	ROSEMARY - ME reversed inside ROSARY (beads).
6	WAILING - AIL (become weak) inside WING (limb).
7	ROGET - R,O,GET (fetch) of Thesaurus fame. At least we have some cricket references here.
8	HIT SQUAD - HITS (damages), QUAD (bike). A team of assassins.
15	GEOMETER - Anagram of TO EMERGE. Not a word I'm over familiar with.
16	RAINSTORM - Anagram of MATRON IS Reluctant.
17	HAIRLINE - H (husband), AIRLINE (business getting up). A little humour here. I rather liked this one.
19	YAWNING - greasY,AWNING (sunscreen). What I'm doing now.
21	HIP BATH - 1, PB (lead) inside HATH (has).
22	UTOPIA - 1, POT (vessel) inside AU (gilded) all reversed.
23	BREST - The port in France sounds like "breast".
24	GLASS - G,LASS.