This crossword No. 28953 clues and answers were published on Thu 29 Dec 2022 and the puzzle can be visited by following The Guardian Cryptic Crossword No. 28953 link.
All Across Clues and Answers:
1-across – Athlete once trying to smuggle chocolate bars? : MARATHONRUNNER
8-across – Black horses, first of three having escaped : SABLE
9-across – Second course that was designed for the better : TICKTACK
11-across – Recollection of horse eating pork — is that witty? : EPIGRAM
12-across – See 25 : EXPRESS
13-across – ’ouse introducing marginally better card game : OMBRE
15-across – Some fumes enter all old parts of the gut : MESENTERA
17-across – In the morning, harassment of editors gradually paid off : AMORTISED
20-across – Spiel, dark stuff : PITCH
21-across – Typically English establishment, Australian native inside? : TEAROOM
23-across – Paul in debt, probably asking for a stroke? : MEOWING
25-across – Where everyone was rightly under suspicion, hellish working for a Chinese newspaper? : MURDERON
26-across – Landowner seen, hide daughter : LAIRD
27-across – Letter opener that is removed from armoire, admired as quirky : DEARSIRORMADAM
All Down Clues and Answers:
1-down – Trump in love underneath post-graduate : MASTEROFARTS
2-down – Scholar delivering sermon, endless gossip : RABBI
3-down – See 25 : THEORIENT
4-down – Best knitted top, one buttoned up : OPTIMUM
5-down – Fraudulent schemes in a game : RACKETS
6-down – Don overturned tennis umpire’s call : NOTUP
7-down – Dropping old stick, heel on loafer’s broken it : EXCREMENT
10-down – Massive feat of engineering seen by a bird soaring over Barking from the south : ASWANHIGHDAM
14-down – See red garment worn by orphan, one abandoned : BLOWAFUSE
16-down – Scary girl or stinker almost flipped, of course : NOPROBLEM
18-down – Owner of sword I plant while not going down : SAMURAI
19-down – Microphone initially grasped by idle singer? : DOMINGO
22-down – Rank skirt, but not top : ORDER
24-down – With climbers furious, short of peak, expedition leader dug in : IVIED
This crossword has in total 28 where 14 are across and 14 are down.