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Deuce or King in game of chance? Not specified (7)E???L?S

The answer is "Dickens" so yowrongur "L" is

That was garbled
Dickens = Deuce = Devil
So, K (king) in "dice" and "ns" as "not specified"

Thank you.

I have all the answers but don't get three of the clues.
14a: Discerns age-old Scotch, traditionally golden, not neat? (7)
5d: Keeping cleaver identically trimmed for resinous tree (6)
28d: It is offered by bothie, unadorned, that is provided for one (5)

14ac: wate is an alternative to wit, and is an old Scottish word meaning discerns. Red = traditionally golden.
5dn: keeping = stor[e] cleaver = ax[e]
28dn: unadorned = bald. Replace a (one) with ie (that is).

Stumped by another replacement clue! Thanks, peterm. So wate is really third-person singular, like discerns?

According to Chambers, yes. Can you explain 36ac? I don't understand the "short waistcoat (literally?)" bit.

I just assumed that this word for footpad literally means short waistcoat (I know, not a very complex clue), though I thought it was more of a bullet belt, which would certainly make more sense as a name for a bandit- though the bandit might have been named for the waistcoat and then the belt for the bandit...

I've looked it up in a Spanish dictionary and googled, but I can't find any connection with waistcoat. Maybe one of the other Azed regulars can come up with something.