So without further ado…
Definitions are underlined, anagrams indicated like (TIHS)*, anagram indicators are in italics.
| Across | |
| 1 | Supporting charges in attack |
| FORWARDS - FOR (pro, supporting), WARDS (charges, as in wards of court). Football players, presumably. | |
| 5 | Endangered animals face ruin without end |
| PANDAS - PAN (face), DAS |
|
| 9 | After explosion, note ears ring long and loud |
| RESONATE - (NOTE EARS)*. | |
| 10 | You could go for a walk on this plain |
| COMMON - DD. I do go for a walk on one of these several times a week. In fact I often go for a walk on two of them because Barnes and Putney commons are next to one another and in fact I don’t really know where the boundary is. | |
| 12 | Game's tasty without starter on bit of rocket |
| RUMMY - R |
|
| 13 | Ship that’s passed cape makes major turn |
| HEADLINER - HEAD (cape), LINER (ship). Cunning definition. There was a rogue question mark in the online version of this clue. | |
| 14 | Somehow nice and confined behind closed doors |
| IN CONFIDENCE - (NICE CONFINED)*. | |
| 18 | Criminal a hero rebukes? |
| HOUSEBREAKER - (A HERO REBUKES)*. I would classify this as an &Lit since the whole thing is wordplay, and you can also consider it all to be the definition, even if everything apart from the word ‘criminal’ is unnecessary. | |
| 21 | Homesick cast and I long to have parts elsewhere! |
| NOSTALGIC - (CAST I LONG)*. I think of nostalgia as a longing for the past rather than home but this meaning is there in Collins. | |
| 23 | Duck at the source of river’s finally quacked |
| DOUSE - |
|
| 24 | Get a picture of one escort cuddling English leader |
| IDEATE - I, D(E |
|
| 25 | Flipping chaos involved in island build |
| ASSEMBLE - reversal of ELB(MESS)A. | |
| 26 | Divide up grand to be given back in old coins |
| GERAHS - reversal of SHARE, G. I confess I looked this up before submitting but it’s definitely what I would have put in under competition conditions so I’m giving it to myself. | |
| 27 | Explain hint of sedition in Tory faithful |
| CONSTRUE - CON(S |
|
| Down | |
| 1 | Coat men put over head to endure storm |
| FURORE - FUR, OR, E |
|
| 2 | One thinking up final part of scene for Carry On |
| RESUME - reversal of MUSER, |
|
| 3 | Getting out of hand, can anyone bother? |
| ANNOYANCE - (CAN ANYONE)*. | |
| 4 | Bottle of juice |
| DUTCH COURAGE - a cryptic definition: bottle is courage of course and juice is apparently a word for alcoholic drink. | |
| 6 | Island everyone goes round first, not last |
| ATOLL - A(TO |
|
| 7 | Party sweet stuffed with bits of aniseed and nuts on top |
| DOMINANT - DO, MIN(A |
|
| 8 | Soldiers stationed at front by access points? |
| SENTRIES - S |
|
| 11 | City abroad Corsican fans trashed |
| SAN FRANCISCO - (CORSICAN FANS)*. | |
| 15 | Daughter cut down on study at uni without fear |
| DREADLESS - D, READ (study at uni), LESS (cut down). | |
| 16 | Conservative that's suspended is turning red, perhaps |
| CHANGING - C, HANGING. | |
| 17 | Upset doctor kidnaps posh pilot … fake news? |
| BUM STEER - reversal of MB (doctor) containing U (posh), STEER (pilot). | |
| 19 | Boozer after a half of Dunkel and port |
| DUNBAR - DUN |
|
| 20 | Hard to endure split, having touch of enmity |
| SEVERE - SEVER, E |
|
| 22 | A tickly sensation that starts hurting |
| AITCH - A, ITCH. Because H is the first letter of 'hurting'. | |
