| Across | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | STAPLE | |
| Principal is to join paper (6) | Double definition | |
| 4 | REVERSAL | |
| Odd bits of rust appearing in display switch (8) | (R)u(S)t inside REVEAL | |
| 10 | BUILDING SOCIETY | |
| Barrister’s first guilty decision ruined prominent lender (8,7) | (B)arrister + anagram of GUILTY DECISION | |
| 11 | ESTEEMED | |
| Honoured guests at the centre came down heavily (8) | gu(ES)ts + TEEMED | |
| 12 | POSSET | |
| Model nearly finished congealed milk-based drink (6) | (POS)e + SET | |
| 13 | TEEN | |
| Youngster’s tin pinched from tuckshop (4) | CANTEEN minus CAN | |
| 14 | STABLEMATE | |
| Companion’s bishop played in no-win situation (10) | B inside STALEMATE | |
| 18 | METACARPAL | |
| Touched a fish, a large bony thing (10) | MET + A + CARP + A + L | |
| 19 | SPAR | |
| Part of rigging a boxing match (4) | Double definition | |
| 22 | SPLICE | |
| Some of cricket bat’s power demonstrated in cut (6) | P inside SLICE | |
| 24 | STEERING | |
| Mechanism used to control energy, twice reset in line (8) | (E + E) inside STRING | |
| 26 | ENTREPRENEURIAL | |
| Distracted, inept learner rues not finishing business (15) | Anagram of (INEPT LEARNER RUE)s | |
| 27 | DYNAMITE | |
| New-fangled diet keeping many up is explosive (8) | Anagram of DIET outside (MANY reversed) | |
| 28 | MENDER | |
| Troops recalled embarrassed person in recovery (6) | MEN + (RED reversed) | |
| Down | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | SUBJECT | |
| National coach turned up on aeroplane carrying clubs (7) | BUS reversed + (JET outside C) | |
| 2 | AGISTMENT | |
| Stock-keeping cost in agriculture is, time after time, divided by people (9) | AG + IS + [(T + T) outside MEN] | |
| 3 | LEDGES | |
| Sides put on the back of large shelves (6) | EDGES after L | |
| 5 | EASY | |
| Tune a system’s components – it’s not difficult (4) | tunE A SYstem | |
| 6 | ENCLOSED | |
| End in itself is not out in the open? (8) | CLOSE inside END | |
| 7 | SEEKS | |
| Searches for saying of religious people (5) | Sounds like SIKHS | |
| 8 | LAYETTE | |
| Baby’s set of clothing still inside after hours (7) | YET inside LATE | |
| 9 | ANTEATER | |
| Pest exterminator retired in retreat after an evening meal (8) | (RET reversed) after (AN TEA) | |
| 15 | BLASTING | |
| Explosions may be continuing after appearance of bomber at the front (8) | LASTING after (B)omber | |
| 16 | AMPLIFIED | |
| Expanded financial services company lied about one fee initially (9) | AMP + LIED outside [I + (F)ee] | |
| 17 | ICE CREAM | |
| Cooked rice came with cold dessert (3,5) | Anagram of RICE CAME | |
| 18 | MISLEAD | |
| Fool is crazy about place surrounded by water (7) | MAD outside ISLE | |
| 20 | REGULAR | |
| Gun retrieved by a resistance fighter (7) | LUGER reversed + A + R | |
| 21 | BEMUSE | |
| Be first to make and run through puzzle (6) | BE + (M)ake + USE | |
| 23 | LATIN | |
| Romantic language is mostly dead at home (5) | (LAT)e + IN | |
| 25 | TROT | |
| Go off after start of triathlon’s run (4) | ROT after (T)riathlon |
