Clues

1-across – Decoration worn on one’s chest : TIEPIN

4-across – Minor shows discourtesy : SLIGHT

9-across – Took off commercial about keep fit exercises : APED

10-across – Decisive court action for a divorcee? : TIEBREAKER

11-across – Make rapid progress in a profession : CAREER

12-across – Music in D sharp, nothing unusual at the end of the day : RHAPSODY

13-across – Abominable service! : BLACKMASS

15-across – Fairly big orderly : TIDY

16-across – Gracious! What an uncommon chap! : LORD

17-across – He’s entitled to act badly in pantomime : DEMONKING

21-across – State carriage? : VICTORIA

22-across – Two-foot tropical tree : PAWPAW

24-across – Irish county’s team’s openers : CORKACREWS

25-across – Spots before the eyes : SEES

26-across – Defeat for party : THRASH

27-across – Notice the opening coming : ADVENT

1-down – A bit of rigging works in the end : TOPSAIL

2-down – Provide proper directions first : ENDUE

3-down – One kept in during school break : INTERIM

5-down – A trail possibly taken by cowboys to the rodeo : LARIAT

6-down – Kids drink it : GOATSMILK

7-down – Producer of a graceful child : TUESDAY

8-down – Valley requiring aidor development? : DEPRESSEDAREA

14-down – Meticulous janitor : CARETAKER

16-down – Displayed a willingness to invest? : LAIDOUT

18-down – Objected to work, took up modelling : OPPOSED

19-down – Certainly it’s not far eastern in origin : NEAREST

20-down – Tells these jokes : CRACKS

23-down – Don’t use the tawse indiscriminately : WASTE

1-across – Skeleton said to be a man : DRAUGHT

5-across – Officer, good and full : COPIOUS

9-across – Old mariner talking with verbosity : ORATING

10-across – Partied riotously – got lifted : PIRATED

11-across – Strong drink producing severe wind : NORWESTER

12-across – Maybe a giant fish : TROLL

13-across – Protests by the people : DEMOS

15-across – Are pack, perhaps, keeping me back? Certainly not! : PACEMAKER

17-across – One putting arms, say, beyond use : MUTILATOR

19-across – Army block retreat to capital : RABAT

22-across – Jumped from ale, oddly enough, to port : LEAPT

23-across – A hollow row? : BREADLINE

25-across – Music daily? Almost daily! : RAGTIME

26-across – Make what you will of this night : TWELFTH

27-across – A drop of blood : DESCENT

28-across – Depression shown on the map? : DIMPLES

1-down – Was swallowed by the waves? Swallowed is about right : DROWNED

2-down – Sorting out letters, eg having no stamp, for postman : ANAGRAM

3-down – The Speaker’s ridiculed by party leader : GUIDE

4-down – Hole in lady’s garment pocket : TIGHTSPOT

5-down – Crown worn by Queen Dido : CAPER

6-down – Turn back carriage clock – hand repeatedly off : PARTTIMER

7-down – Viewpoint that’s not in fashion : OUTLOOK

8-down – For lower pound, admitted craftsman : SADDLER

14-down – A gem of a game : SOLITAIRE

16-down – Mean beast checked out and frisked : CURVETTED

17-down – Lady is of the soft left : MILDRED

18-down – Vapour issuing from blowhole initially : TEARGAS

20-down – Some hat trick! Said to make one flush! : BRIMFUL

21-down – Note: sheet to be changed when baby does this : TEETHES

23-down – Bird of shore and river found in reeds : BRENT

24-down – In endlessly tragic situation, English show vision : DREAM

8-across – Some saline water takes all in its flow : SALTLAKE

9-across – No longer perform backwards, getting us going : EXODUS

10-across – Shakespeare turned round in this flat : DRAB

11-across – Detective has trifle which is entertaining : SHADOWPLAY

12-across – Eager to get some boned geese : ONEDGE

14-across – Approved boundary to go round most of county : ENDORSED

15-across – Wind died initially coming in closer : MEANDER

17-across – Half a buck swells ordinary tax : TRIBUTE

20-across – Term of affection provides warmth : SUNSHINE

22-across – Find me by cathedral city hiding king like a lamb : MEEKLY

23-across – Masseur with group keeps papers together : RUBBERBAND

24-across – President found in road behind Foreign Office : FORD

25-across – Locations where Aphrodite accepts end of love : VENUES

26-across – Wild West practice makes gain and loss : LASSOING

1-down – Author shows little bird dissecting string : LAWRENCE

2-down – Counterfoil reveals rise in objections : STUB

3-down – Girl resorts to fiction about pompous person : LASSIE

4-down – Postponed a song in action : DELAYED

5-down – Yes-man in company breaking a fax, perhaps : SECONDER

6-down – Nearly come to Bible story which is similar : COMPARABLE

7-down – Clergyman is smart to go round the Royal Academy : CURATE

13-down – Cheese one found in bowl going to waste : DANISHBLUE

16-down – Old woman journalist needs it to cut end of blue frock : EDITRESS

18-down – Patient is sadly not alert : TOLERANT

19-down – Joint of meat given to friend properly : LEGALLY

21-down – Bright sun due to revolve : UNUSED

22-down – This hideous female is not amused : MEDUSA

24-down – Male flirt to turn up and gush : FLOW

7-across – See 11 : YOURHARE

9-across – See 10 : TORULE

10-across – He was, some said of the Skye-bound lad, a king having no trouble failing : BORN

11-across – Caution opening game plan: author-chefs carry it out : FIRSTCATCH

12-across – Something fishy about this duck? Try some old port : BOMBAY

14-across – Taking it on the chin, lodger goes out, giving us the key : PITCHING

15-across – Fool I see in Richard’s house – or Denmark’s? : YORICK

17-across – Elevation of priest into a division of the church : ASPECT

20-across – Still beyond infinity : AFTERALL

22-across – Public transport without conductor : BUSBAR

23-across – Exhausted knight, holding mirror to naked duchess, might get nowhere : DRAWABLANK

24-across – Constable positioned at this level-crossing? : FLAT

25-across – Servant paid on demand? : BEARER

26-across – Like the Brontes? That’s so right! One’s spoken about! : SORORIAL

1-down – An engrossing game : MONOPOLY

2-down – Knutsford, literally where Conservative ran for the money in Harrods : CRAN

3-down – When fellow leaves for Spain, barely drunk : BARFLY

4-down – Proclaims, but doesn’t begin to intrude in, standing orders : STATUTES

5-down – Hush! It’s Newman’s Gone With the Wind : BREATHLESS

6-down – No veal raised in this small container : FLACON

8-down – Community work in the French department : EUROPE

13-down – Cutting communication between landowners and ramblers? : BARBEDWIRE

16-down – Po-faced lexicography here? : CHAMBERS

18-down – The direction of Westerns : THATAWAY

19-down – A two-master turning south invariably : ALWAYS

21-down – False bread maker … : FORGER

22-down – … one could prove it here : BAKERY

24-down – See 2 and 24 across : FORD

1-across – Recent medical graduates bury partners : INTERNS

5-across – Setter seen in Florida : ORLANDO

10-across – Soprano role – 1,001 duets : MIMI

11-across – Conductor excluding writer with bad return : BARBIROLLI

12-across – Return for support after game : GOBACK

13-across – They are wound and screwy : WINGNUTS

14-across – River rose exceptionally, giving rise to water supply : RESERVOIR

16-across – Frightened of the weather forecast? : WINDY

17-across – Brushed round seats and tabletop : SWEPT

19-across – A spaniel without one is more resilient : SPRINGIER

23-across – One working with trees, working for trees : FORESTER

24-across – Pals have no right to be devils : FIENDS

26-across – Novel found just behind a kind of dressing-table : VANITYFAIR

27-across – Talk openly about East Yorkshire river : AIRE

28-across – Is present given when nurse is enrolled in wartime service? : ATTENDS

29-across – A tree, when shaken, tinkles : LENTISK

2-down – So disgusting that no one takes part : NOISOME

3-down – A little sister I called Heather : ERICA

4-down – Novelist’s name on a new book – Vladimir’s first : NABOKOV

6-down – Rules broken by singer : REIGNS

7-down – Plentiful ill-gotten gain both sides of border : ABOUNDING

8-down – Erased document about lease : DELETED

9-down – Flower Power and criminal reform : CROWNIMPERIAL

15-down – Unnecessary oath from former president I’ve allowed in : EXPLETIVE

18-down – Court poet not quite an insect : WOODANT

20-down – Operative like a policeman : INFORCE

21-down – Going over a river stops bears : ENDURES

22-down – Execution may be sedate, we hear : STAYED

25-down – Demand payment? Just so! : EXACT