The Herald crosswords
ACROSS
1 Great ball includes a cake excess (14)
9 Little violin played backwards in game (5)
10 Reproduction Renoir’s at cutting edge (9)
11 Tell fibs about drink – fizzy drink (7)
12 Old record held to rig out bighead’s jaunt (3,4)
13 Some cyst? Yes, it’s a swelling (4)
14 Sea-bound, by and large (2,3,4)
18 Unstable USSR’S left worrying (9)
20 Small horse for £25? (4)
22 Dance, how done is incredible (7)
25 I turned out to trespass (7)
26 Insurgent otherwise expressed (9)
27 Levy suggested for small nails (5)
28 Type of gypsum wound dressing for Achilles’ killer? (7,2,5)
DOWN
1 Burden with joint of meat (6)
2 Peter goes round mire rising on the border (9)
3 A setter about to say it again (7)
4 Outstanding art form? (3-6)
5 Hospital tender (5)
6 A laboratory turns up single sea creature (7)
7 Announcer, one in tears? (5)
8 Cutting not quietly and firing (7)
15 Reprimand when tag on kilt destroyed (7-2)
16 Section of training will mean no uncertainty for him (9)
17 Smith turned over American strip of land (7)
19 Partners and advocates lacking opening (7)
20 Quick Grand Prix break (3,4)
21 Stops and relaxes after a hundred (6)
23 Join up in forlorn expectation (5)
24 Green one installed in part of church (5)
ACROSS
7 Dairy dessert in a pot (6)
8 Wide street (6)
9 Eyelid complaint (4)
10 Key lime ___, American dessert (3)
11 Hobble (4)
12 So long! (3-3)
14 On an annual basis (6)
16 Abrade (6)
19 Bumpy (6)
21 Remove the seeds from (4)
23 Owned (3)
24 Goad into action (4)
25 Place of refuge (6)
26 Inner layer (6)
DOWN
1 Stout, corpulent (6)
2 Decoy (4)
3 Basic (diet) (6)
4 Scarcely (6)
5 Gauze covering the face (4)
6 Pound with the fists (6)
13 Feather scarf (3)
15 Amazement (3)
17 One part of a meal (6)
18 Dig up (a corpse) (6)
19 Excessively (6)
20 Horse-like (6)
22 Floating bed (4)
24 Words set to music (4)
ACROSS
9 Break up, not counting autumn (4,5)
10 Hundred in desperate hope for a time (5)
11 Repeat there’s a point in ragged attire (7)
12 Forecast needs advertising ahead of proclamation (7)
13 Nearly set wrong in a serious way (9)
16 Tempted Greek character loses tan from bone (5)
17 Strict expert almost joins a rain dance (13)
20 Improve one repair (5)
21 Imitating without ring of bells is charming (9)
24 Trendy as a priest not finishing poem (1,2,4)
25 Put forward that work is involved in writing (7)
27 City includes hot but cosy corner (5)
28 Former kind of respite that gives special skill (9)
DOWN
1 Bureau no longer skating? (6)
2 Down a shade (4)
3 Cut around commercial display (6) 4
Regularly seen classier piece of luggage (4)
5 How to learn a dance in stages (4,2,4)
6 Red steer upset missing serviceman (8) 7
Restlessly ailing, I’d follow doctor and artist (10)
8 Palest success in the west (7)
14 Army exercise to outreach Mr Twist (5,5)
15 Intimidated, attend here, shaking (10)
18 Part of water where dog, Henry, runs wild (8)
19 Pasta dip in part of motorway (7)
22 Foreign affairs? (6)
23 Horse causes two exclamations (3-3)
25 Apple’s content with time signal (4)
26 God corroding houses (4)
ACROSS
7 Scots biscuit (7)
9 Opposite of ‘friend’ (5)
10 Nearest and dearest (3)
11 Man-made fibre (9)
12 ___ Bruce, 1960s US comedian (5)
14 Overlooks (7)
16 ___ Windsor, Carry On actress (7)
18 Arabian peninsula country (5)
19 Small sharp dental stick (9)
20 American police (inits) (3)
21 Try to predict (5)
22 Common, widespread (7)
DOWN
1 Readers’ group (4,4)
2 Famous British school (4)
3 Fitful, inconsistent (6)
4 Become more intense (6)
5 Cable (8) 6 Variety (4)
8 Removing (11)
13 Became less wide (8)
15 Solar timepieces (8)
17 Stupefied with horror (6)
18 Coupling (oxen) (6)
19 Clothing (4)
20 Bracken (4)