| Across | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | BATTLE-SCARRED | |
| Veteran cricketer confused scarlet and red (6-7) | BAT + anagram of SCARLET + RED | |
| 9 | OREGANO | |
| Flavour enhancer or, say, a number (7) | OR + EG + A + NO | |
| 10 | RETIREE | |
| Someone no longer working on exhaust pipe at the rear (7) | RE + TIRE + pip(E) | |
| 11 | LUCRE | |
| Members of sinister cult brought back riches (5) | sinistER CULt reversed | |
| 12 | HEAVINESS | |
| Male ass bearing grape-grower’s weight (9) | (HE + ASS) outside VINE | |
| 13 | TEAMWORK | |
| Meat cooked right in Chinese pan is a joint effort (8) | Anagram of MEAT + (R inside WOK) | |
| 15 | DESPOT | |
| Person with more than enough power to clean up mess? (6) | DE-SPOT | |
| 18 | ROTTER | |
| Weasel-like animal following river beast (6) | OTTER after R | |
| 19 | BASS HORN | |
| Academic’s clipped old orchestra member (4,4) | BAS + SHORN | |
| 22 | FARMSTEAD | |
| Disoriented mates died east of remote agricultural settlement (9) | (Anagram of MATES + D) after FAR | |
| 24 | BEARS | |
| Wild animals are running amok in evacuated buildings? (5) | Anagram of ARE inside B(uilding)S | |
| 25 | EVIL ONE | |
| I have returned with single character that cannot be trusted (4,3) | IVE returned + LONE | |
| 26 | DROVING | |
| What a jackaroo might be doing is drifting behind back of herd (7) | ROVING after her(D) | |
| 27 | SPENDING MONEY | |
| Agent, taking care of resolution by married one, allocated allowance (8,5) | SPY outside (ENDING + M + ONE) | |
| Down | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | BOOKLET | |
| Trunk containing fine Time publication (7) | (BOLE outside OK) + T | |
| 2 | TRENCHANT | |
| Ditch worker for biting (9) | TRENCH + ANT | |
| 3 | LEAVE | |
| Dump large quantity of yeast, for example (5) | (LEAVE)n | |
| 4 | SHOEHORN | |
| Adjusted hose connected to warning device to fit into a tight space (8) | Anagram of HOSE + HORN | |
| 5 | ABROAD | |
| Unlimited grog fenced by a criminal overseas? (6) | g)RO(g inside (A + BAD) | |
| 6 | RETAINERS | |
| Financial inducements are stated by troubled trainees (9) | R + anagram of TRAINEES | |
| 7 | DIRGE | |
| Network played back end to the sad song (5) | GRID reversed + th(E) | |
| 8 | GET SET | |
| Be prepared to experiment, for example, in a lift (3,3) | (TEST + EG) reversed | |
| 14 | WHETSTONE | |
| Who shortened and revised test? One with tool designed to produce an edge (9) | WH(o) + anagram of TEST + ONE | |
| 16 | PROBATION | |
| Expert staff embracing one testing time (9) | (PRO + BATON) outside I | |
| 17 | HANDED IN | |
| Submitted representation of a “hidden” magnetic pole? (6,2) | Anagram of A HIDDEN + N | |
| 18 | RIFLED | |
| Plundered heart of Africa and took off? (6) | af(RI)ca + FLED | |
| 20 | NOSEGAY | |
| Heard why mature son picked up a bunch of flowers (7) | (Y + AGE + SON) reversed | |
| 21 | LEGEND | |
| Stretch final explanation of what’s what (6) | LEG + END | |
| 23 | REINS | |
| Cargo of hardware in security checks (5) | hardwaRE IN Security | |
| 24 | BLOOM | |
| Great growth containing large flower (5) | BOOM outside L |
