CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 Got idea of reproducing showy plant (7) 5 Get left out of football action for changing direction (7) 9 Sailor conducts trips round with small drums (7) 10 Cat’s habitat degraded (7) 11 Established measure of heat of French region (9) 12 Raise one’s glass to study? (3,2) 13 Puzzle without final clue is device to paralyse (5) 15 Miser brag envisages a whale of a perfume (9) 16 Give definite word of assent to original vision of sky (9) 18 Flashy dressers show up as small bigwigs (5) 21 See the answer in credit facilities (5) 22 Drunkenly crept in to take on American university (9) 24 Arizona master makes out with Indian greeting (7) 26 Stand up for telepathy that’s no good (7) 27 Dogs thrown in streets (7) 28 Oral complaint, orally, caused by type of sugar cane (7)

DOWN

1 Most desirable collection of contributions will deteriorate and ... (2,2,3) 2 ... label debts as unreliable (7) 3 Peace progress has cuter management (5) 4 News agency had an idea of something similar to force (10,5) 5 They always sit on the fence for votes and stay completely dry (5,10) 6 Taxi will take to community problem-solvers (3) 7 Greeting curtailed and broken up by whole number (7) 8 Sugar getting round politician who’s big swimmer (7) 12 Takes notice of score (5) 14 Highways admitting a situation of oldfashioned measurements (5) 16 Cats that run on iron tails (7) 17 Allow in once more to study with German (7) 19 Communicatingbymeansofmiddle-sized cry of pain (2,5) 20 Ray of light shows students going over to structural member (7) 23 Dance with salty flavour (5) 25 It’s so Scottish to send return postage (3)