Less hard than yesterday's puzzle by the looks of things (has everyone else become as obsessed with Starstruck's Crossword SNITCH app as I have?) but this definitely contained a few speed bumps to stymie a blazing fast solve. I had most of the clues done and dusted in a little over 5 minutes but just a handful took me from there to 8; rather embarrassingly, given that I'd just come from writing up a TLS blog, it was two literary clues that gave me the most trouble...
My time would have been much more impressive if I'd been able to look at H_E_I at the end of 9dn and immediately ALIGHIERI... as it was my brain was wrestling with the anagram fodder for quite some time and not coming up with much better than the likes of GARTH MARENGHI. Similarly the girl at 3dn, where I wasn't looking for a surname so kept trying the likes of DOROTHEA in vain. 18ac was also a big holdout as clearly metonyms are a little above my solving pay grade. Honourable mentions to 12ac where the "Asian native in no hurry" took thematically appropriate ages to arrive, and 21dn whose gleaming penny only dropped a while after submitting.
So thanks to the setter for a very strong crossword indeed. COD-wise we could go for the very politically topical 1ac or indeed 2d, and I've already said how much I enjoyed the definition in 21dn, but really it has to be the splendid and difficult-to-untangle anagram at 9dn. The Iliad is even about rage, and indeed has "rage" or a close Greek equivalent for its first word... I had to Google to check such a perfect anagram wasn't decades old, and discovered that it has appeared in a certain setter's Independent and FT puzzles of the past, but of course it's quite possible that this is the same person again! The classicist in me would be happy to see this clue in every puzzle (probably) so it's all good...
Across
1 Conservative forte at end of day unclear (6)
CLOUDY - C LOUD [Conservative | forte] + {da}Y
4 Yankee eccentric in burning American plane (8)
SYCAMORE - Y CAM [Yankee | eccentric] in SORE [burning]
10 Reptile displays pride in Tarsus recklessly (9)
STEGOSAUR - EGO [pride] in (TARSUS*) ["recklessly"]
11 Small portion without starter's more than enough (5)
AMPLE - {s}AMPLE [small portion "without starter"]
12 Trader, Asian native in no hurry to plug financial publication (7)
FLORIST - LORIS [Asian native in no hurry] "to plug" FT [financial publication]
13 Cork spokesman's initial remark surpassing others (7)
STOPPER - S{pokesman} + TOPPER [remark surpassing others]
14 Working class making start (5)
ONSET - ON SET [working | class]
15 Daughter leaving waterside in distress, so to speak (2,2,4)
AS IT WERE - (WATERSI{d}E*) ["in distress"]
18 Force one to have home and family life (8)
FIRESIDE - F I RESIDE [force | one | to have home]
20 Copy material crook regularly supplied (5)
REPRO - REP [material] + {c}R{o}O{k}
23 Bear cat in bag hunter's opening (7)
STOMACH - TOM [cat] in SAC [bag] + H{unter}
25 Judas for one bitter, perhaps, about situation (7)
APOSTLE - ALE [bitter, perhaps] about POST [situation]
26 Withdrawpermission (5)
LEAVE - double def
27 Laurel for instance always an environmentalist (9)
EVERGREEN - EVER GREEN [always | an environmentalist]
28 Chosen people, endlessly wealthy, driven by power (8)
ELECTRIC - ELECT [chosen people] + RIC{h} ["endlessly" wealthy]
29 Breadwinner finally comes in to provide food bowl (6)
CRATER - {breadwinner}R "comes in to" CATER [provide food]
Down
1 Movement of money remains fluid in firm given direction (4,4)
CASH FLOW - ASH FL [remains | fluid] in CO W [firm (given) direction]
2 Emperor in love with America becomes demanding (7)
ONEROUS - NERO [emperor] in O US [love (with) America]
3 Girl made grand in swindle over small amount (9)
DOOLITTLE - DO O LITTLE [swindle | over | small amount]
5 Dray horses like running free in upland location (9,5)
YORKSHIRE DALES - (DRAY HORSES LIKE*) ["running free"]
6 Mission accomplished — like another mission — on all fronts! (5)
ALAMO - A{ccomplished} L{ike} A{nother} M{ission} O{n}
7 In theory, paid for by The Times? (2,5)
ON PAPER - double def with cryptic def, playing on "on" as in "on the house", "on me", etc
8 Erstwhile editor with artist making room for discussion (6)
EXEDRA - EX ED RA [erstwhile | editor (with) artist]
9 Rage in The Iliad troubled influential writer (5,9)
DANTE ALIGHIERI - (RAGE IN THE ILIAD*) ["troubled"]
16 Militarist marines ahead in punt (9)
WARMONGER - RM ON [marines | ahead] in WAGER [punt]
17 Ruler agonising over northern part (8)
GOVERNOR - hidden in {agonising}G OVER NOR{thern}
19 Irish cardinal collecting silver for a time (4,3)
IRON AGE - IR ONE [Irish | cardinal] "collecting" AG [silver]
21 Job description has worker keeping allegiance, under pressure (7)
PATIENT - ANT [worker] "keeping" TIE [allegiance], under P [pressure].
"Job description" as in "a description of Job in the Bible".
22 Princess is no spring chicken, last in line (6)
ISOLDE - IS OLD [is | no spring chicken] + {lin}E
24 A set of books taking in extremely gullible representative (5)
AGENT - A NT [a | set of books] "taking in" G{ullibl}E
My time would have been much more impressive if I'd been able to look at H_E_I at the end of 9dn and immediately ALIGHIERI... as it was my brain was wrestling with the anagram fodder for quite some time and not coming up with much better than the likes of GARTH MARENGHI. Similarly the girl at 3dn, where I wasn't looking for a surname so kept trying the likes of DOROTHEA in vain. 18ac was also a big holdout as clearly metonyms are a little above my solving pay grade. Honourable mentions to 12ac where the "Asian native in no hurry" took thematically appropriate ages to arrive, and 21dn whose gleaming penny only dropped a while after submitting.
So thanks to the setter for a very strong crossword indeed. COD-wise we could go for the very politically topical 1ac or indeed 2d, and I've already said how much I enjoyed the definition in 21dn, but really it has to be the splendid and difficult-to-untangle anagram at 9dn. The Iliad is even about rage, and indeed has "rage" or a close Greek equivalent for its first word... I had to Google to check such a perfect anagram wasn't decades old, and discovered that it has appeared in a certain setter's Independent and FT puzzles of the past, but of course it's quite possible that this is the same person again! The classicist in me would be happy to see this clue in every puzzle (probably) so it's all good...
Across
1 Conservative forte at end of day unclear (6)
CLOUDY - C LOUD [Conservative | forte] + {da}Y
4 Yankee eccentric in burning American plane (8)
SYCAMORE - Y CAM [Yankee | eccentric] in SORE [burning]
10 Reptile displays pride in Tarsus recklessly (9)
STEGOSAUR - EGO [pride] in (TARSUS*) ["recklessly"]
11 Small portion without starter's more than enough (5)
AMPLE - {s}AMPLE [small portion "without starter"]
12 Trader, Asian native in no hurry to plug financial publication (7)
FLORIST - LORIS [Asian native in no hurry] "to plug" FT [financial publication]
13 Cork spokesman's initial remark surpassing others (7)
STOPPER - S{pokesman} + TOPPER [remark surpassing others]
14 Working class making start (5)
ONSET - ON SET [working | class]
15 Daughter leaving waterside in distress, so to speak (2,2,4)
AS IT WERE - (WATERSI{d}E*) ["in distress"]
18 Force one to have home and family life (8)
FIRESIDE - F I RESIDE [force | one | to have home]
20 Copy material crook regularly supplied (5)
REPRO - REP [material] + {c}R{o}O{k}
23 Bear cat in bag hunter's opening (7)
STOMACH - TOM [cat] in SAC [bag] + H{unter}
25 Judas for one bitter, perhaps, about situation (7)
APOSTLE - ALE [bitter, perhaps] about POST [situation]
26 Withdrawpermission (5)
LEAVE - double def
27 Laurel for instance always an environmentalist (9)
EVERGREEN - EVER GREEN [always | an environmentalist]
28 Chosen people, endlessly wealthy, driven by power (8)
ELECTRIC - ELECT [chosen people] + RIC{h} ["endlessly" wealthy]
29 Breadwinner finally comes in to provide food bowl (6)
CRATER - {breadwinner}R "comes in to" CATER [provide food]
Down
1 Movement of money remains fluid in firm given direction (4,4)
CASH FLOW - ASH FL [remains | fluid] in CO W [firm (given) direction]
2 Emperor in love with America becomes demanding (7)
ONEROUS - NERO [emperor] in O US [love (with) America]
3 Girl made grand in swindle over small amount (9)
DOOLITTLE - DO O LITTLE [swindle | over | small amount]
5 Dray horses like running free in upland location (9,5)
YORKSHIRE DALES - (DRAY HORSES LIKE*) ["running free"]
6 Mission accomplished — like another mission — on all fronts! (5)
ALAMO - A{ccomplished} L{ike} A{nother} M{ission} O{n}
7 In theory, paid for by The Times? (2,5)
ON PAPER - double def with cryptic def, playing on "on" as in "on the house", "on me", etc
8 Erstwhile editor with artist making room for discussion (6)
EXEDRA - EX ED RA [erstwhile | editor (with) artist]
9 Rage in The Iliad troubled influential writer (5,9)
DANTE ALIGHIERI - (RAGE IN THE ILIAD*) ["troubled"]
16 Militarist marines ahead in punt (9)
WARMONGER - RM ON [marines | ahead] in WAGER [punt]
17 Ruler agonising over northern part (8)
GOVERNOR - hidden in {agonising}G OVER NOR{thern}
19 Irish cardinal collecting silver for a time (4,3)
IRON AGE - IR ONE [Irish | cardinal] "collecting" AG [silver]
21 Job description has worker keeping allegiance, under pressure (7)
PATIENT - ANT [worker] "keeping" TIE [allegiance], under P [pressure].
"Job description" as in "a description of Job in the Bible".
22 Princess is no spring chicken, last in line (6)
ISOLDE - IS OLD [is | no spring chicken] + {lin}E
24 A set of books taking in extremely gullible representative (5)
AGENT - A NT [a | set of books] "taking in" G{ullibl}E