| Across | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | ROSTRUM | |
| Support for speaker rose mostly with Trump releasing pressure (7) | (ROS)e + (TRUMP minus P) | |
| 5 | DRASTIC | |
| Drive with a puncture briefly? That’s desperate (7) | DR + A + STIC(k) | |
| 9 | CHEAP | |
| Initial offering from church mass is paltry (5) | (C)hurch + HEAP | |
| 10 | SUBSTRATE | |
| Sort of buttress reinforced by a base (9) | A inside anagram of BUTTRESS | |
| 11 | INCLINED | |
| Fashionable clubs, affected by ruling, could be bent (8) | IN + C + LINED | |
| 12 | BUFFER | |
| One who polishes a ship’s fender (6) | Double Definition | |
| 14 | TA-TA | |
| Length of event at auditorium is so long (2-2) | evenT AT Auditorium | |
| 15 | POPULACE | |
| People generally crack a clue badly written (8) | POP + anagram of A CLUE | |
| 18 | DEBUTANT | |
| New performer manoeuvred tuba in an impressive display (8) | Anagram of TUBA inside DENT | |
| 19 | SCAN | |
| Focal point of telescope can record an image (4) | tele(S)cope + CAN | |
| 22 | APATHY | |
| Coolness defined course in unlimited ways? (6) | PATH inside w)AY(s | |
| 23 | PARASITE | |
| Hanger-on expected a position (8) | PAR + A + SITE | |
| 25 | HAILSTORM | |
| Violent weather damage seen around lot is scattered (9) | HARM outside anagram of LOT IS | |
| 26 | BLEAT | |
| Master occupied by learner’s complaint (5) | BEAT outside L | |
| 27 | SETTERS | |
| Cluey sort of people developed testers (7) | Anagram of TESTERS | |
| 28 | CHEATED | |
| Con, giving up on raging, acted deceptively (7) | (CON minus ON) + HEATED | |
| Down | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | RECEIPTS | |
| Items of test piece rarely returned revenue (8) | teST PIECE Rarely reversed | |
| 2 | SPEECH THERAPIST | |
| Related health professional, perhaps, cites the broadcast (6,9) | Anagram of PERHAPS CITES THE | |
| 3 | REPAID | |
| Minister and assistant should be compensated (6) | REP + AID | |
| 4 | MASTER PLAN | |
| Flower place included in man’s grand scheme (6,4) | (ASTER + PL) inside MAN | |
| 5 | DIBS | |
| Offer up small stake in a game (4) | BID reversed + S | |
| 6 | ARTFULLY | |
| Variety of turf handled by associate with skill (8) | Anagram of TURF inside ALLY | |
| 7 | TRAFFIC ACCIDENT | |
| Crash and affect critic terribly (7,8) | Anagram of AND AFFECT CRITIC | |
| 8 | CLEARS | |
| Opens defective set of Scrabble missing two identical letters (6) | Anagram of SCRA(bb)LE | |
| 13 | OPHTHALMIC | |
| Operation conducted by hospital reduced the false claim relating to the eye (10) | OP + H + (TH)e +anagram of CLAIM | |
| 16 | DUCHESSE | |
| A person’s right about game table that’s fancy (8) | DUE outside CHESS | |
| 17 | INDEBTED | |
| Owing money actually divided up by Bankers Trust (8) | INDEED outside BT | |
| 20 | RASHES | |
| Skin problems are reportedly connected to remains (6) | Sounds like R + ASHES | |
| 21 | BARBIE | |
| Tavern that is hosting club’s last meal (6) | (BAR + IE) outside clu(B) | |
| 24 | BOWS | |
| Bends front part of ship two different ways! (4) | BOW + (S)hip |
