* Fourteen solutions are seven common word pairs with a single letter interchanged. The definition for each is contained in the clue for the other word in the pair.
** Fourteen other clues contain a superfluous word; when correctly linked, these give two-word definitions of the seven common word pairs: Mills & Boon (publishing people), law and order (civil obedience), Cakes and Ale (Somerset Maugham book), hale and hearty (very well), slap and tickle(sex play), kiss and tell (intimate revelation), park and ride (transport system).
The remaining seven clues are normal.
Across
8** dramatise AID MASTER (anag) [‘sex’]
9* bills B(ook)/ILLS [def for 27 dn; Phoebe, personification of the moon]
10** sheikhs shakes (hom) [‘Publishing’]
11** scarper S(outh)/CARPER [‘Somerset’]
12 Nintendo N(ew)/INTEND/O(lympic)
15** Hilton HILT/ON [‘transport’]
18* raw (d)RAW [def for 30 ac]
19** surmise SUR(pr/M)ISE [‘revelation’]
20* ace EC/A(re) (rev) [def for 24 dn]
21** dulcet DU<LC(hom)>ET [‘civil’]
22 methanol HOTEL MAN (anag)
25** Abraham Abraham Lincoln or Abraham Darby (hom) [‘play’]
28 sea duck DUCK(nothing) after ‘see’ (hom)
30* older (f)OLDER [def for 18 ac]
31** oblations 0 + AT LISBON (anag) [‘private’]
Down
1* Yale (r)ELAY (rev) [def for 23 dn]
2* tackle ELK/CAT (rev) [def for 6 dn]
3* kits (s)KIT(S) [def for 28 dn]
4 weds/Weds double def
5 ablative A + TABLE IV (anag)
6* slip S<L(arge)>IP [def for 2 dn]
7** estrange SET (anag) + RANGE [‘book’]
8** Dyson D(irector)/NOSY(rev) [‘system’]
13** newel oNE WELcome (hidden [‘very’]
14* dark D(isplay)/ARK [def for 17 dn]
16** train T(h)R(e)A(t)/IN [‘obedience’]
17* ripe RIP/(extortionat)E [def for 14 dn]
18 Red Baron RE<(ol)D/(jo)B>AR/ON
19** shepherd SHE/P<H(enry)>ER/D(ate) [‘Well’]
23* hearth HEART + (research)H [def for 1 dn]
24* lakes (b)LAKE’S [def for 20 ac]
26 rude (p)RUDE(s)
27* moon MO(ment)/ON (leg side) [def for 9 ac]
28* sell S(w)ELL [def for 3 dn]
29** UFOs OF US (anag) [‘People’]
