| Across | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | PARLANCE | |
| Standard number of shots fired with weapon in a manner of speaking (8) | PAR + LANCE | |
| 5 | ABACUS | |
| A coach fitted with air-conditioning for summer (6) | (A + BUS) outside AC | |
| 9 | CUISINE | |
| Head of university is surrounded by nice cooked food (7) | [(U)niversity + IS] inside anagram of NICE | |
| 10 | SPANNER | |
| Tool – one picked from nine in box (7) | (NINE minus I) inside SPAR | |
| 11 | DECORATING | |
| Honouring code developed by class (10) | Anagram of CODE + RATING | |
| 12 | WEKA | |
| NZ rail passengers returned from Lake Wakatipu? (4) | lAKE Wakatipu reversed | |
| 13 | RAT RUN | |
| Right turn taken out of control after a short cut (3,3) | R + (anagram of TURN after A) | |
| 14 | DESCRIBE | |
| Bishop bound by creed is ordered to report (8) | B inside anagram of (CREED IS) | |
| 17 | REACHING | |
| Evangelism, without initial pressure, is penetrating (8) | PREACHING minus P | |
| 18 | FIENDS | |
| Wicked people, right, lacking in mates? (6) | FRIENDS minus R | |
| 21 | FADE | |
| Decline an ironclad promotion? (4) | FE outside AD | |
| 22 | SQUARE MEAL | |
| Frisky mare tucked into grass with substantial nourishment (6,4) | Anagram of MARE inside SQUEAL | |
| 24 | STORAGE | |
| Space for keeping stuff held by publicist or agent (7) | publiciST OR AGEnt | |
| 25 | BALLOON | |
| Everyone involved in benefit is swell (7) | ALL inside BOON | |
| 26 | DISMAY | |
| Consternation is beginning to mount in set time (6) | [IS + (M)ount] inside DAY | |
| 27 | BEGRUDGE | |
| Resent move on the banks of, for example, river (8) | BUDGE outside (EG + R) | |
| Down | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | PICADOR | |
| “Find a way in,” stated bullfighter on horseback (7) | Sounds like PICK A DOOR | |
| 2 | RAIN CATS AND DOGS | |
| Pour sand into carton as dig relocated (4,4,3,4) | SAND inside anagram of CARTON AS DIG | |
| 3 | A BIT ROUGH | |
| Contents of cabin next to channel is lacking taste? (1,3,5) | c(ABI)n + TROUGH | |
| 4 | CREATE | |
| Coin and euros found in strongbox (6) | E inside CRATE | |
| 6 | BRAN | |
| Health food, Uncle Tobys say, reduced by 20% (4) | BRAN(d) | |
| 7 | CONVENIENCE FOOD | |
| Person imprisoned on evidence of badly prepared grub (11,4) | CON + anagram of ON EVIDENCE OF | |
| 8 | SURFACE | |
| The best board rider to emerge? (7) | SURF-ACE | |
| 10 | SINKER | |
| Weight problem that’s difficult when short on time (6) | STINKER minus T | |
| 15 | CHISELLER | |
| Vital energy supplier is a cheat (9) | CHI + SELLER | |
| 16 | UNIQUE | |
| Incomparable place to study, quite deficient in IT (6) | UNI + (QUITE minus IT) | |
| 17 | REFUSED | |
| Denied sports official took drugs regularly (7) | REF + USED | |
| 19 | SILENCE | |
| Small niece ordered around large mum (7) | S + anagram of NIECE outside L | |
| 20 | GAMBLE | |
| Walk past opening of gate to punt (6) | AMBLE after (G)ate | |
| 23 | GALA | |
| There’s no end to bird festival (4) | GALA(h) |
