13 across
College
official
–
idle,
vain,
absent
now
and
again
(4)
College official – idle, vain, absent now and again (4)
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The definition is at the beginning of the clue.
How the clue works
The indicator "now and again" tells us to take alternate letters from "idle vain" — specifically the 2nd, 4th, 6th and 8th letters give us D, E, A, N. That spells DEAN, which fits the definition College official.