Double Crossword

ACROSS

CRYPTIC CLUES 1 In a state of excitement as bath robe is stripped off (6) 5 Ship’s complement’s reported for pleasure trip (6) 10 Lights holders as her candle is spluttering (11) 11 Bit of grass short of a meadow (3) 12 Analysis of the Middle East, for example (5) 13 Quickly gathered corrosion steered one to higher ground (7,2) 14 Giant beast and the planet he wrecked (8) 16 Paying in readies, having dropped silver with Chinese spelling (6) 19 Mete out abuse to Iran (6) 20 Painful, croaky noises from carpenter’s stand (8) 23 Let a vet in fresh air (9) 25 Ropy stuff at the heart of classic model (5) 26 Lost dollars from sales of beer (3) 27 Collections of stories to assemble, Goliath’s one! (11) 28 Like beer beyond the borders of Yorkshire and stay drunk (6) 29 Arab leader hikes production by the hour (6)

DOWN

2 Passing test in RNA synthesis (9) 3 Blooming red (5) 4 Cobblers call an arena in Spain (8) 5 Vital energy’s said to be in blue vein, say (6) 6 Openhanded flushes in tricks (9) 7 Trustworthy and, therefore, top (5) 8 Live from hand to mouth with a pretty kettle of fish? (6) 9 Smother mother with fold (6) 15 Toughs out gaol, on his ... (9) 17 ... measure, to the court’s credit (9) 18 Sailors copulate frequently (8) 19 Throw up first of alcohol to be consumed in celebration (6) 21 Bend centre and tip to join up (6) 22 To some measure, Labour leader was included in political grouping (6) 24 Relative pronouns’ finally removed from the Nicene version (5) 25 Make an impression with soft centre (5) Down: