| Across | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | DISTRESS | |
| Is time in outfit agony? (8) | (IS + T) inside DRESS | |
| 5 | SEATED | |
| Occupants of house ate dinner sitting down (6) | houSE ATE D inner | |
| 10 | CONCERN | |
| Business, once in credit, now losing almost all (7) | (ONCE inside CR) + N(ow) | |
| 11 | EPIGRAM | |
| Old chestnut tree ultimately needed by two farm animals (7) | tre(E) + PIG + RAM | |
| 12 | PLAN A | |
| Computer system, plugged into PA, could be the best option (4,1) | LAN inside PA | |
| 13 | IMITATION | |
| Counterfeit’s shortcoming initially lacking? (9) | (l)IMITATION | |
| 14 | DIRECT DEBITS | |
| Backed foundation – it is behind alteration of credit payment arrangements (6,6) | (BED reversed + ITS) after anagram of CREDIT | |
| 18 | ANCIENT GREEK | |
| Alexander the Great, say, one energetic, excited king (7,5) | AN + anagram of ENERGETIC + K | |
| 21 | SPRINKLED | |
| Soft piece of ice, covered in snow, vehicle sprayed with water (9) | (P + RINK) inside SLED | |
| 23 | GRACE | |
| Favour start of gruelling competition (5) | (G)ruelling + RACE | |
| 24 | THE ARTS | |
| Creative expressions suit finishing time (3,4) | HEARTS after T | |
| 25 | OUT OF IT | |
| Head of organisation, wearing costume, is excluded from participation (3,2,2) | (O)rganisation inside OUTFIT | |
| 26 | OUSTED | |
| Religious book about American education is removed from office (6) | OT outside US + ED | |
| 27 | STICKLER | |
| Delight admitted by senior person who’s a purist (8) | TICKLE inside SR | |
| Down | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | DA CAPO | |
| A limit applied in function from the beginning (2,4) | (A + CAP) inside DO | |
| 2 | SUNDAY | |
| Open mostly in, say, a weekly timeslot (6) | (UND)o inside SAY | |
| 3 | RE-EXAMINE | |
| Review concerning chopper going over mine (2-7) | RE + (AXE reversed) + MINE | |
| 4 | SENTIMENTALIST | |
| Romantic shipped people in IT a record (14) | SENT + (MEN inside IT) + A + LIST | |
| 6 | EVITA | |
| A number of conservatives stood up for musical (5) | conservATIVEs reversed | |
| 7 | TERRIFIC | |
| Muscular problem, taking into account mistake in case, is dreadful (8) | TIC outside (ERR + IF) | |
| 8 | DIMINISH | |
| Food containing small cut (8) | DISH outside MINI | |
| 9 | REGISTERED POST | |
| Secure mailing service, for example, is needed by territory in communist place (10,4) | (EG + IS + TER) inside RED + POST | |
| 15 | ENERGETIC | |
| High-powered Green muddled quote up (9) | Anagram of GREEN + (CITE reversed) | |
| 16 | FALSETTO | |
| Singer’s group carried by loud singer (8) | SET inside (F + ALTO) | |
| 17 | SCARPERS | |
| Person not holding on following disfigurement, heads for the hills (8) | PERSON minus ON after SCAR | |
| 19 | LAWFUL | |
| Learner from hell is obeying the rules (6) | L + AWFUL | |
| 20 | SECTOR | |
| District with little time to respond at first (6) | SEC + TO + (R)espond | |
| 22 | NORGE | |
| Part of Spain or Germany and part of Scandinavia (5) | spaiN OR GErmany |
