The Herald Crosswords
ACROSS 1 Where ministers face magistrates? (5,5) 6 Look – a fellow with brains! (4) 9 Roma's home ground? (5,5) 10 Last year's problem affecting viewer (4) 12 Rotten article – tape not for publication (3,3,6) 15 Pollute river, dumping wrecked crates in (9) 17 State of a house on the borders of Ireland (5) 18 Chap covered in oil, mostly? Maybe! (5) 19 Unfortunately, it's a chef's work to cook these! (9) 20 Spreading out plastic sheet could be the deciding factor (3,3,6) 24 Positive response by English viewers (4) 25 Realism is including genetically modified sources in cooked pastrami (10) 26 What wet concrete does for tennis? (4) 27 Pedigrees of noble idols are questionable (10) DOWN 1 Destiny of English footballers with heartless technique (4) 2 Blades or Owls against Reading, surprisingly taking the leaders (4) 3 Few cars about – why stop? (7,5) 4 Order forecast, ignoring PR (5) 5 Able to contend, not disheartened (9) 7 Hotpot – easy to cook for medical practice (10) 8 Rodent filmed playing by river in York (10) 11 Pill needed for training aid in gym? (8,4) 13 Explosive assertion about daughter's skill (10) 14 Frayed tempers can give one vertigo here (10) 16 Hereditary ruins of Lancaster (9) 21 A good half of ground must get trouble (5) 22 People welcoming one's appearance (4) 23 Put up total supporting European birds (4) ACROSS 1 Painful grief (6) 4 Power (5) 8 Collect together in quantity (5) 9 Instrument with steel plates struck by hammers (7) 10 Oriental (7) 11 Augur (4) 12 Mischievous fairy (3) 14 Ms Blyton, children's writer (4) 15 Welsh emblem (4) 18 Churchyard tree (3) 21 Do as you're told (4) 23 Suspended (7) 25 Fishing boat (7) 26 Consumed (5) 27 Brittle bread of Passover (5) 28 Valuable possessions or qualities (6) DOWN 1 see 17dn 2 Love affair (7) 3 Wobbly (8) 4,13dn Novel by Daniel Defoe (4,8) 5 Vigorous enjoyment (5) 6,20dn Where to book the holiday (6,6) 7 Part of act of play (5) 13 see 4dn 16 Long letter (7) 17,1dn Trousseau, or kinky artist? (6,6) 19 Pier (5) 20 see 6dn 22 Put on stage (5) 24 Too (4)