1-across – Sort of low belt round double depth bikini bottom : SADDISH

5-across – The woman’s quote about dissident : HERETIC

9-across – Set free, soldier goes inside : RIGID

10-across – Describing a thing, possibly a mandolin : ADNOMINAL

11-across – The main means of taking a break from Tom’s joint? : CRUISESHIP

12-across – Bank drop reported : TIER

14-across – Antihero, used inventively, is taught to go outside : HOUSETRAINED

18-across – Determination of agent back on detachment : PERSEVERANCE

21-across – Wearing clothes of Young Conservative? : CLAD

22-across – See 17 Down : ACCOUNTING

25-across – House builders would get fired here : BRICKKILN

26-across – Part of the film host’s run : EXTRA

27-across – Never losing heart over test stage of Apollo mission? : REENTRY

28-across – Retire on getting free drink? : RETREAT

1-down – Smart southern Leith almost takes on the church : SPRUCE

2-down – Not quite useless, arthritic disease is a shelter : DUGOUT

3-down – In hell, pretended to be ill : INDISPOSED

4-down – Many a sheep strays, wasting energy : HEAPS

5-down – Name of female turning thirteen : HENRIETTA

6-down – Party politician dominated by royal’s main circle : ROMP

7-down – Figure sun on particles causes strain : TENSIONS

8-down – State the American tone applied to song and dance : COLORADO

13-down – Unhappy back beat material : MALCONTENT

15-down – Spy chief frantically clutching end of drainpipe spout : SPEECHIFY

16-down – No character shown when one’s depressed : SPACEBAR

17-down – Artistic Bill Telling’s making up the numbers : CREATIVE

19-down – Pitt: crazy old English creep! : TIPTOE

20-down – Composed hashtag: ‘no hospital – horrified’ : AGHAST

23-down – Proprietorial type of drug missing date : OWNER

24-down – Descend slope and start to test for take-off : SKIT

1-across – Performing one’s duty? : THESHOWMUSTGOON

9-across – Posting a little malicious? Sickening : MAILING

10-across – It’s plain a kiss is to ask too much : OVERTAX

11-across – In endless rage, this flies? : FUR

12-across – Abe’s pub where all want a good argument? : LINCOLNSINN

13-across – Not here for the Latin translation : INABSENTIA

15-across – One has a close relationship with a hooker : PROP

18-across – Falstaff loved this bed : SACK

20-across – Wipe garment, a novel sort of wrap : DUSTJACKET

23-across – Fall asleep on hard wood in front of film: “On the Road” screening : CRASHHELMET

25-across – Call from pigeon cage, not quiet : COO

26-across – Food dispenser placed on the floor of the car? : AUTOMAT

27-across – I sloped off to strip : DESPOIL

28-across – Scottish mystery the McLorens’ sons resolved : LOCHNESSMONSTER

1-down – Period with insects, when you’re having fun … ? : TIMEFLIES

2-down – After work, retire to a foreign country : ERITREA

3-down – Hot and stuffy, but not needing to shampoo : HAIRLESS

4-down – One won’t get drunk on this : WAGON

5-down – Doctor’s relaxed, glorious time : UROLOGIST

6-down – Be inclined to inhale gas? No more now! : THEEND

7-down – Heard dismissal of storyteller is a result needing explaining : OUTLIER

8-down – The naked President? : NIXON

14-down – To be sent in storm around Yellow Sea causes queasiness : NAUSEATES

16-down – To shoot old fowl is work of little merit : POTBOILER

17-down – Guerrilla, one put in separate clinic : PARTISAN

19-down – Coach – it slithered all over the place : CHAOTIC

21-down – Summarily dismiss, giving one the boot? : KICKOUT

22-down – Pretend article comes from native healer : SHAMAN

23-down – One’s fast in the water but slow on land : CRAWL

24-down – Precocious girl turns up without getting changed : MADAM

1-across – Revolutionary murdered by sweetie in battle : MARATHON

5-across – Sheds hair at first into bags : SHACKS

9-across – I missed Tom Cruise, amazingly, as client : CUSTOMER

10-across – Lunatic’s love for a food plant : MANIOC

12-across – Sod the planet : EARTH

13-across – Clan taking Christian day as an annual occurrence : SEPTEMBER

14-across – Sigh indicated when conclusion can’t be reached : NOENDINSIGHT

18-across – A urethra well operated on is a crowning glory : LAURELWREATH

21-across – European friend swallows excellent herbal remedy : ECHINACEA

23-across – Such unwelcome weather? In parts a little sun : RAINY

24-across – Hunt participants in hospital, not with injuries : HOUNDS

25-across – One withdrawing approval for such a fashionable label? : DESIGNER

26-across – Policeman once a stripper : PEELER

27-across – Son with long hair unable to relax : STRESSED

1-down – Conspiracy theorist hacks into my mouse : MICKEY

2-down – Beads of sweat are running initially in a line : ROSARY

3-down – Tasty shoot cooked in volume : TOOTHSOME

4-down – Snack starts to appear, with which a husband has to leave : OPENSANDWICH

6-down – Present from Hove? : HEAVE

7-down – Bed roll shortly needed for game : CRIBBAGE

8-down – Guarantee user is to negotiate with city : SECURITY

11-down – Allies report false warning of plot : SPOILERALERT

15-down – Gloomy, go to bed, having paid for cover round it : SATURNINE

16-down – In public he made a mess of top quality : BLUECHIP

17-down – No value keeping you in shed : OUTHOUSE

19-down – Addicts run out of sympathisers : FIENDS

20-down – Why bridge is more than wide enough for car : HYBRID

22-down – Poke say horse to get up : NUDGE

1-across – Doing loads of laundry, holding one article for Americans : WASHINGTONIANS

8-across – Fleece coat taken from tiny, caped figure : ROBIN

9-across – What The Guardian offers with bizarre glee, stifling a disapproving comment at first : TUTELAGE

11-across – Improves image of new business that has succeeded later : TARTSUP

12-across – Wine, dry white ultimately? It’s for one in the party : ROSETTE

13-across – A little glower from subscriber losing face : EMBER

15-across – Leader to lead with a venerable lady in the family : TOPBANANA

17-across – Maybe retired proofreader picked up fund of money : EXCHEQUER

20-across – Some work, not nothing, followed by soft drink : JULEP

21-across – Mistreated male Arctic bears oddly ignored cupcake : CUCKOLD

23-across – High officials specifically given rise at work : VIZIERS

25-across – Concerned with stance in job, in dropping off item for gents : POSTURAL

26-across – Rating of chess games? Run off to arrange a match : ELOPE

27-across – Doctor probing experimental chemistry and physics, of a sort : THERMODYNAMICS

1-down – Watch others play with e.g. gun before magistrates : WARMTHEBENCH

2-down – Dry batter Garry’s cut : SOBER

3-down – You don’t pay for lodging in this lake location : INNISFREE

4-down – Decline to say why snooker player picks up cue : GOTOPOT

5-down – Some rock clubs plugging unhip Queen composition : OUTCROP

6-down – More than one key feature of supermarkets, we hear : ISLES

7-down – Almost Biblical event he ignored in dark time : NIGHTFALL

10-down – Bags of pressure on dodgy dealers after dodgy deal : PEDALPUSHERS

14-down – Nitwit poking second husband makes a bit of a scene : BACKCLOTH

16-down – Inhaling joint, relax in swimming area, a channel of the Persian Gulf : ALJAZEERA

18-down – Suffer ruin, broken by Tory Brexiteers : UNDERGO

19-down – Fun in bar after backing track : REVELRY

22-down – Furry beast right to leave pig, rat, snake or weasel? : OTTER

24-down – Source of complaint that is about grasping officer : ECOLI

1-across – Tackle bloke about right old carry-on : RIGMAROLE

6-across – Elite ground-breaking tool : PICK

8-across – It soothes chaps suffering piles to swallow a clove regularly : LIPSALVE

9-across – Drink case of lovely stout : PORTLY

10-across – Part of this nameless, backward French city : LEMANS

11-across – Nattering endlessly about computer system : INTRANET

12-across – Origin of peppermint sweetie, or humbug : PHONEY

15-across – Challenged, gets help : GAINSAID

16-across – Fellow contracted rash, or spots : FRECKLES

19-across – Wayward monarch drove Tesla : ERRANT

21-across – Congenital criminal tucked into free lunch : LIFELONG

22-across – Starts to shame indolent mates with exercises : SITUPS

24-across – Hide contents of garage, car and house : GEMINI

25-across – Sadly, charisma is something very old-fashioned : ARCHAISM

26-across – Periodically using 8 is key, for example : ISLE

27-across – Consequently losing face, Italian leaves crime for farming : HUSBANDRY

1-down – Pachyderm dropping beginning to obstruct English river : RHINE

2-down – Pipeline is large-scale benefit, according to Spooner : GASMAIN

3-down – Reference work finally abridged : ATLAS

4-down – Fluttering pigeon welcoming new dawn : OPENING

5-down – Some of them pat his elbow and show understanding : EMPATHISE

6-down – That female cycling in hills, maybe? : PERHAPS

7-down – Galileo rudely interrupting extremely contrarian student : COLLEGIAN

13-down – She merits being represented as a recluse : HERMITESS

14-down – Cry of curtailed desire in buff : YELLOWISH

17-down – Shift border dividing post-Soviet states and Europe : CHEMISE

18-down – Non-standard language is turning up in non-verbal messages : SIGNALS

20-down – Find yourself following well-worn track in area around Oakham : RUTLAND

22-down – Bones curve when seen from below : SACRA

23-down – Pale, tense boy ignoring personal hygiene problem : PASTY