9-across – Weaving fibres conceal small boy, one with big flowers : RAFFLESIA

10-across – Letters from Athens read out in capital : CAIRO

11-across – Wood, a funny man about what he was : AMBOYNA

12-across – The last sort of tax to be unveiled? : STEALTH

13-across – Wood cutter when drunk? : SHAW

14-across – English painter enters American joint for a little measure : MICROMETER

15-across – Pious people faint after Shia’s conversion : HASIDIM

17-across – Pious person’s joke about educated woman : PURITAN

19-across – See 24 : BRASSBOUND

22-across – Drink like a fish? : BASS

23-across – Tune to get higher, but end with a drop : AIRLIFT

24-across – Follow acknowledgement in money before spring being converted in 13 3 for 17 acrosses : CAPTAIN

26-across – Was coming back to cook : DEVIL

27-across – Work — artwork — in lacework requires needlewoman : CLEOPATRA

1-down – Model studies Shakespeare : TREADSTHEBOARDS

2-down – Holidaying with long-haired weirdies in bars, not stressed : OFFBEATS

3-down – Hamlet’s thing to do with 25 : PLAY

4-down – Thinking of avoiding the unpleasant spectacles, am I? : ESCAPISM

5-down – Operation with 27 in 13 3 for 17 acrosses : CAESAR

6-down – Noisy bird, with possibly unfinished crest, half American! : SCREAMER

7-down – Quarter note? : BILLET

8-down – Traditional feast of Wagner’s work gets us up into its sequel : MOTHERINGSUNDAY

16-down – Learner of 26, 13 3 for 17 acrosses : DISCIPLE

17-down – Chosen article being inserted, lost head : PANICKED

18-down – Still climbing, holding by oneself a social gathering : TEAPARTY

20-down – Come into prominence somewhere near river : ARRIVE

21-down – Choose to upset leaders of science, for one : OPTICS

25-down – Conductor of Water Music hence : PIPE

1-across – Round of Golf here: item in Kent College prospectus : SANDWICHCOURSE

8-across – These growths have their points : CACTI

9-across – Rents due to be rendered without relief : UNRESTED

11-across – Opt for the return of gold plate : ELECTRO

12-across – In France no one in the field is able to stay fast : NONSLIP

13-across – Irish activist is out of condition : PROVO

15-across – Silly fellow poked bard in rib : BIRDBRAIN

17-across – Blend basil into alcoholic drinks : LIBATIONS

20-across – Like a bore, the boy brings it back : TIDAL

21-across – Mountains of wine in Tuscany : CHIANTI

23-across – The conductor’s card : MAESTRO

25-across – Save bread! An angel will do it : BANKROLL

26-across – Good Lord! Few spoke here : CORFU

27-across – Picture of Patience in file of recruits : JOBDESCRIPTION

1-down – Guards on the Underground? : SECRETPOLICE

2-down – Just the job for the corner-man! : NICHE

3-down – Stylish cover for a laptop! : WAISTCOAT

4-down – A Frenchman’s charge for electricity : COULOMB

5-down – One finds why people are late : CORONER

6-down – Yours only houses a porcupine : URSON

7-down – Weighing machine exposed crooked deal with tyres : STEELYARD

10-down – The backbone of a porcupine? : SPINALCOLUMN

14-down – Essential accompaniment moved Gobbi a lot : OBBLIGATO

16-down – Cow, perhaps, a pest on the lawn : BUTTERCUP

18-down – Sinister contents of room in ’ouse of ’orrors : OMINOUS

19-down – One who gets the taste for embroidery : SAMPLER

22-down – Bare, with no arms : NAKED

24-down – Rat is gnawing bones : TARSI

1-across – Bound to return grand, do so after customs search? : REPACK

4-across – Hence 5 request : SOLICIT

9-across – Over fifty? Wrong! : FORTYFIVE

10-across – Train, one behind his partner? : GROOM

11-across – Heavy metal fan composer’s knocked over, given oxygen : GREBO

12-across – Vessel morphing to a lab vessel : CANALBOAT

13-across – See 17 : EXPRESS

15-across – Producing square eggs, might you lose? : MISLAY

17-across – E, say, on this for the trip of a lifetime once? : ORIENT

19-across – What toothless parrot might have to do when talking to do well : SUCCEED

22-across – Standard 21, as may be pronounced? : TRICOLOUR

24-across – When turning, bend back bones : SACRA

26-across – See 5 : EAGLE

27-across – Quite unfortunate about the gutlessly self-important : POOTERISH

28-across – Man manipulating the whole currency, nothing less : MASSEUR

29-across – Small and plump, short and 23 : STUBBY

1-down – One moving home’s new free housing great, with roof missing : REFUGEE

2-down – See 7 : PUREE

3-down – Describing old tea only brewed in Leicester, say, less hot : CEYLONESE

4-down – I’m still deciding to support backbone : STERNUM

5-down – Lawyer on beer: lager not entirely wasted : LEGAL

6-down – See 20 : CHOCOLATE

7-down – Something concentrated on river in book : TOMATO

8-down – Go over shortly, as something thrown : DISCUS

14-down – Hero’s left leaving Capulet or, WS’s writings suggested, his departure tempered melancholia? : PARTINGIS

16-down – See 14 : SUCHSWEET

18-down – Story written up about old soldier : TROOPER

19-down – See 14 : SORROW

20-down – 14 16? : DEATHBY

21-down – Run school division : STREAM

23-down – Orders last of cake — though evidently shouldn’t? : OBESE

25-down – Top a ton, one of four if human? : CLIMB

1-across – Poultry and moussaka? Oddly, nothing after : MUSKDUCK

5-across – Boatman’s settled in dead-end street or strip : DIVEST

9-across – Part of verse has line with something missing: gravity — it’s lightweight : FOOTLING

10-across – Spirits of dead-end kids: rebellious, outspoken, tuneless : SPOOKS

12-across – Perhaps stocks of Lada Ltd in Russia unreliable : INDUSTRIALS

15-across – Dead-end career next? : LATER

17-across – Pressure-formed, it’s de-ice spray for farmers : PESTICIDE

18-across – Flirting with dead-end relationship : DALLIANCE

19-across – Polish anthem endures in the heart : EMEND

20-across – Almost catches customer: not exactly cricket : GRASSHOPPER

24-across – Gather for a drink after day is done : DRUMUP

25-across – Drama of dead-end soul-searching wrongly denying anger : HUISCLOS

26-across – Shocking Scene One from brother’s production of Three Sisters? : NIECES

27-across – Set out again from a dead-end street in need of repairs : RESTATED

1-down – Drama in posh part of London, reported by Cockney woman : MYFAIRLADY

2-down – Stopped dead-end kids also taking pennies at checkout : STOODSTILL

3-down – Dead-end pub serves these parts of Yorkshire : DALES

4-down – Boat in canal, rot swirling in contrasting motion : CONTRAPUNTAL

6-down – Showing no concern for four in dead end : IMPASSIVE

7-down – Head over heels, aching for love : EROS

8-down – International meeting set up on time : TEST

11-down – A classy purée, ordered with bream etc : PARSLEYSAUCE

13-down – Boatman at helm of tug gets a good deal : RIVERPILOT

14-down – Attacked with hammer in deserted complex : TENDERISED

16-down – Measure of liquidity in climate of anger about bank sitting on gold : RAINGAUGE

21-down – Charge out non-resident’s take-away dinners : ONSET

22-down – Letters written in dead-end Middle East port : ADEN

23-down – Ill-mannered about dead-end street in Paris : RUDE

9-across – Swimming under drawbridge, perhaps, saving king, a girlfriend : INAMORATA

10-across – Might a match be like a straw? : DRAWN

11-across – Sailor having to do your job — pardon? : ABSOLVE

12-across – Boatman’s destroyer putting knowledge before relaxation? Not sure : LORELEI

13-across – Not good to be back : EVIL

14-across – Ceremony where member gets into scrap against unknown revolutionary — I see it! : BARMITZVAH

16-across – Brown, dark-shaped vessel : TANKARD

17-across – Preacher bitter about job : APOSTLE

19-across – Split with love held by god to be awful : HORRENDOUS

22-across – Biblical character delivered from 13 : LEVI

24-across – Tarnished then, Eiffel’s ultimate girl with green body let in, as cousin of 18 23’s lady? : LIBERTY

25-across – Following man, say, gripping racket : HEEDING

26-across – Cousin of 18 23’s island named so well, islander maintains : ELLIS

27-across – Baby given one piece of cake, as basic measure : CUBICINCH

1-down – Smoke in this heater, it drifts round top of grate — inside less warm : CIGARETTEHOLDER

2-down – Article found in car under female, selling one’s soul? : FAUSTIAN

3-down – See 24 : WORLD

4-down – Preserve that speech, agenda in funny children’s book : JAMESAND

5-down – Cousin of 18 23’s place left among serving women : HARLEM

6-down – A speech under leadership of director shows love : ADORATION

7-down – Physiologist parking a car on its roof, not entirely : PAVLOV

8-down – See 24 : ENLIGHTENINGTHE

15-down – Plant beginning to grow inside developing base, grass : SAGEBRUSH

17-down – Timeless custom to support a little growth, producing capital : ABUDHABI

18-down – See 4 : THEGIANT

20-down – Coarse trio at heart, smooth : RIBALD

21-down – Stage effect putting track in rollers : DRYICE

23-down – See 4 : PEACH