Across
Defensive work from a side playing China at first (8)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
anagram/”playing” of (a side)*, with PAL=”China” first ‘China’ rhyming slang, ‘china plate’ for ‘mate’ = friend, pal
It may keep one warm, although one’s not cool (6)
Awful cakes left with nothing on top (4)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
BAD=”Awful”, going around (covering/caking) L for “left”
Cocktail of lime – men add extra designation (which each other across answer has here) (6,4)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
definition can be just “extra designation”, with the additional indication that ‘middle names’ can be found in the grid anagram/”Cocktail” of (lime men add)*
Cheap old whiskey drunk by Grant (3-3)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
O (old) + W (Whiskey, NATO alphabet); both inside (drunk by) LEND=”Grant”
Artist periodically seeing red frames shows anger (8)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
definition: anger as a verb, to anger/irritate someone periodic letters from [A]-R-[t]-I-[s]-T; with IRATE=”seeing red” going around (framing) these letters
Palace of Versailles excursion not finishing soon (7)
Fish lie low, oddly, in Hants river (7)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
definition: a type of fish [wiki] odd letters taken from L-[i]-E [l]-O-[w]; inside TEST (the river Test in Hampshire)
Enormity from rogue seen stopping loving gestures (8)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
anagram/”rogue” of (seen)*, going inside (stopping) HUGS=”loving gestures”
Lots disheartened about novel maths theorems (6)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
definition: a lemma is a mathematical theorem or result that is proven as part of proving a larger result L-[ot]-S with its inner letters (heart) removed, around EMMA, the Jane Austen novel
Person who has issue receiving letters about diet (10)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
definition: “diet” meaning a parliamentary assembly PARENT=”Person who has issue”, going around (receiving) MAIL=”letters” reversed/”about” “issue” as in children, offspring
Republican Party without energy for overhaul (4)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
R (Republican), DO=”Party”; around (going outside/”without”) E for “energy”
Figure Jade knocked back is a greedy so-and-so (6)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
definition: ‘gannet’ is slang for a greedy person TEN=”Figure” + NAG=”Jade”; all reversed / “knocked back” ‘jade’ and ‘nag’ can both refer to a horse that is old
Handle thief following specific way of working (8)
Down
A horny male caught in rain, perhaps Romeo (8)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
A (from surface) + RAM=”horny [as in having horns] male”; both caught inside POUR=”rain”
E.g. part of Leicester thoroughfare sheltering home (4)
What musicians perhaps did in heavy traffic at the seaside? (6)
Rock star’s curse about broken 2 (7)
Shopping centre periodically evicted a grimier poet (8)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
Stéphane Mallarmé the French poet [wiki] MALL=”Shopping centre” + A [g]-R-[i]-M-[i]-E-[r] with letters periodically removed/evicted
With the current drink, master gets hammered (10)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
DOWN=”drink” as a verb, plus anagram/”hammered” of (master)*
Make a mess of French word for rodent (6)
Nigella mixing with men doing some decorating (10)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
anagram/”mixing” of (Nigella men)*
Is very theatrical account welcomed by public school’s head? (8)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
AC T (short for “account”), inside OVERT=”public”; plus S-[chool’s] first letter/”head” edit thanks to Crispy – AC for “account”, not ACT
Son walked awkwardly dressed like a baby (8)
Thinks a lot of rising stars meet security guards (7)
Statesperson, you heard, thanks Chinese people (6)
Shakira, perhaps, or half-cut Lana Turner (6)
Cedric Kane’s 11 (4)
I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:
replacing “11” with the solution to 11ac, MIDDLE NAME, makes the clue: Cedric Kane’s middle name (4) with “name” as the definition for RICK and wordplay RICK as the “middle” of [Ced]-RIC K-[ane]
Type letters or click words in the clue