| Across | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | POSITION | |
| Put one in support with one in operation (8) | I inside POST + I + ON | |
| 5 | RABBIS | |
| Church leaders and associates of Arab bishops (6) | aRAB BIShop | |
| 9 | CLOSING UP | |
| Blocking what bad teams are good at in competition (7,2) | LOSING inside CUP | |
| 11 | MERIT | |
| Good leader of men retrieved flag (5) | (M)EN + (TIRE reversed) | |
| 12 | ENTAIL | |
| Call for thanks in return for business (6) | TA inside (LINE reversed) | |
| 13 | LENTILS | |
| Time of fasting is broken by large vegetarian meal for one (7) | LENT + (IS outside L) | |
| 15 | TENDER-HEARTED | |
| Hand in notice, accepting gallery’s responsibility is sensitive (6-7) | TENDER + (HEED outside ART) | |
| 17 | BREASTSTROKER | |
| Swimmer’s agent keeping, for instance, time in period of little action (13) | BROKER outside [(AS + T) inside REST] | |
| 21 | IMPLIED | |
| Little devil didn’t tell the truth as suggested (7) | IMP + LIED | |
| 22 | BLITHE | |
| Born double-jointed and sprightly (6) | B + LITHE | |
| 25 | GRAFT | |
| Work hard to join branch (5) | Double Definition | |
| 26 | PERMITTED | |
| Licensed agent returned wearing gloves? (9) | REP reversed + MITTED | |
| 27 | DESIRE | |
| Fancy term used to address someone in legal document that’s 16? (6) | SIR inside (DEE)D | |
| 28 | SMUGGLED | |
| Superior was in first position after girl initially ran (8) | SMUG + [LED after (G)IRL] | |
| Down | Answers and Clues | Explanations |
| 1 | PACKED | |
| Crowded ship finally reorganised a deck (6) | SHI(P) + anagram of A DECK | |
| 2 | SPORT | |
| Show off piano in catalogue (5) | P inside SORT | |
| 3 | TUITION | |
| ESP lacking in training (7) | INTUITION minus IN | |
| 4 | ORGY | |
| Drunken revelry our guy attended without us? (4) | (OUR + GUY) minus the Us | |
| 6 | AMMONIA | |
| Load of bullets distributed in a basic compound (7) | AMMO + anagram of IN A | |
| 7 | BARRISTER | |
| Counsel backed gentleman taking part in trade deal (9) | SIR reversed inside BARTER | |
| 8 | SET ASIDE | |
| Save time in treatment of disease (3,5) | T inside anagram of DISEASE | |
| 10 | PILCHARD | |
| Fish sauce served up with leafy vegetable (8) | LIP reversed + CHARD | |
| 14 | MESSED UP | |
| Seems deranged fool, not all there, made a mistake (6,2) | Anagram of SEEMS + (DUP)E | |
| 15 | THESPIANS | |
| The one inside covers players (9) | THE + (I inside SPANS) | |
| 16 | ABRIDGED | |
| Notice about card game should be shortened (8) | AD outside BRIDGE | |
| 18 | SPITTER | |
| Pressure admitted by model person responsible for a dishonourable discharge? (7) | P inside SITTER | |
| 19 | KILLING | |
| Royal with internal injury that’s exhausting (7) | KING outside ILL | |
| 20 | TENDED | |
| Looked after temperature all over (6) | T + ENDED | |
| 23 | TOTAL | |
| Get numbers together to say something briefly (5) | TO + (TAL)K | |
| 24 | TRAM | |
| Public transport shortened walk in New Zealand (4) | (TRAM)P |
