| Across | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | COMES | |
| Appears to criticise one abandoning businesses (5) | COMPANIES minus (PAN + I) | |
| 4 | CATATONIC | |
| Unresponsive pet needing a shot in the arm (9) | CAT + A + TONIC | |
| 9 | MONTAGE | |
| Artistic work on label owned by the writer (7) | (ON + TAG) inside ME | |
| 10 | SCRAPER | |
| Salesperson bends back cleaning tool (7) | (REP + ARCS) reversed | |
| 11 | PAINSTAKINGLY | |
| Paint a royal hugging head of state with much care (13) | (PAINT + A + KINGLY) outside (S)TATE | |
| 14 | DILI | |
| Fellow not welcome in hard-working East Timorese town (4) | DILIGENT minus GENT | |
| 15 | DIARRHOEA | |
| Sortie retrieved a hero treated for dysentery (9) | RAID reversed + anagram of A HERO | |
| 18 | INTRICATE | |
| Fancy home with ordinary clothing about (9) | IN + (TRITE outside CA) | |
| 19 | SNOT | |
| Air filter many switched around (4) | TONS reversed | |
| 21 | SCREENWRITERS | |
| Westerner is wrongly taking credit for film’s essential personnel (13) | Anagram of WESTERNER IS outside CR | |
| 24 | BAPTISE | |
| A point is used in live call (7) | (A + PT + IS) inside BE | |
| 26 | INKWELL | |
| Calligrapher may use one in back of book skilfully (7) | IN + BOO(K) + WELL | |
| 27 | ENTANGLED | |
| Snared gannet at sea managed (9) | Anagram of GANNET + LED | |
| 28 | ROTOR | |
| Run out to bowler’s final spinner (5) | RO + TO + BOWLE(R) | |
| Down | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | CAMP | |
| Vice not gripping large section (4) | CLAMP minus L | |
| 2 | MANIPULATOR | |
| Worker turned up in Filipino city to rest primarily (11) | UP reversed inside MANILA + TO + (R)EST | |
| 3 | SPADIX | |
| Fleshy spike of flowers – half a dozen – seen growing outside home (6) | SIX outside PAD | |
| 4 | CLEPSYDRA | |
| Timing mechanism is not needed in refurbished disc players (9) | Anagram of DISC PLAYERS minus IS | |
| 5 | TESLA | |
| Famous electrical engineer’s contribution to Descartes’ Law (5) | descarTES LAw | |
| 6 | TERRIERS | |
| Enthusiastic people do the wrong thing inside banks (8) | ERR inside TIERS | |
| 7 | NIP | |
| Pinch a small drink (3) | Double Definition | |
| 8 | CURRY PASTE | |
| Kneaded pastry stored in preserve with spicy ingredient (5,5) | Anagram of PASTRY inside CURE | |
| 12 | GROUNDSHEET | |
| Get separated by patrol with the woman under cover (11) | GET outside (ROUND + SHE) | |
| 13 | ADMISSIBLE | |
| Commercial weapon stationed outside front of base is lawful (10) | (AD + MISSILE) outside (B)ASE | |
| 16 | ACETIFIED | |
| Hotshot, bound over in case, turned sour (9) | ACE + (TIED outsdie IF) | |
| 17 | NIGERIAN | |
| National remaining irritated with minutes lost (8) | Anagram of REMAINING minus M | |
| 20 | BEAKER | |
| Potassium nitrate’s back in exhibit’s glass jar (6) | [K + NITRAT(E)] inside BEAR | |
| 22 | WHEEL | |
| Rotate tungsten end of golf club (5) | W + HEEL | |
| 23 | BLUR | |
| A confused impression given by short promotional statement (4) | (BLUR)B | |
| 25 | POT | |
| Cover up container of plants (3) | TOP reversed |
