The Brain Teaser

No. 8,516

ACROSS

1. Why there are cold sheets on the bed at bedtime (5,5) 6. Three months' rain (4) 10. Made sure it was patterned (7) 11. Accustoming one to return the call (7) 12. Not corroded by the saltiness, oddly (9) 13. Spy who's been introduced into the factory? (5) 14. Time and time again I follow a pop singer (5) 15. Replace the excellent birdfood spoken of (9) 17. Is irritated by something and retires from the contest (9) 20. Drive the policeman into the middle of the field (5) 21. What puts you out is the wrong figure (5) 23. In case they quarrel with each other (9) 25. Port where the bird took to the water (7) 26. He somehow gets back to “I” in everything he says! (7) 27. Whom you went out with when (4) 28. Are they responsible for the casting of “General Hospital”? (10)

DOWN

1. Steals nothing to speak of (5) 2. Leaves later than and follows (4,5) 3. Be bored by and a flop at moneylending (4,2,8) 4. Should the colour seem wrong, makes up for it (7) 5. Makes the mistake of putting the underclothes over (5,2) 7. She got at the girl coming back (5) 8. What the slimmer downs with few scruples (5,4) 9. The part of the hold-up man? (10,4) 14. Scared by the lawmen and without a car, had had it (9) 16. From a penny, is even getting change, dear! (9) 18. In the lobby there's an old bag (4-3) 19. In the dog's beauty parlour, do they attend to hair? (7) 22. Warm right through to the centre (5) 24. Upset, is first to change places (5)