CRYPTIC CROSSWORD

Across 1.

Has a go at something that could be slabbed (7)

5. Nothing a cub could do around four but make a makeshift camp (7) 9. The head royal almost makes one a friend (9)

10. Part that goes round can go backward and forward (5)

11. Their crawl may take them to the end of the bath (8)

12. One and one that make it to an exotic island (6)

14. Brief rush around to brighten things up (9)

16. The country paper used to print the Bible (5)

17. Halt around motorway for a lively dance (5)

19. Not being off the rail, it’s hanging at eye level (2,3,4)

21. The war made it into a chaplet

(6)

22. Not knowing about grant one takes on (8)

26. Heart will pulsate like this for a hunk (5)

27. Mournful VIP in tale of wrong (9) 28. Dead, these bellmen look identical (7)

29. Her VAT’s been used to gather in the crop (7)

Down 1.

Those taken in by a sort of pseud (5)

2. Court official who destroys alibi very loudly (7)

3. Doctor’s stand-in doesn’t quite make the column (5)

4. One who oversees us proves one right to be wrong (10)

5. Bitter secretion that’s deliberately held up (4)

6. Can turn hand to anything with the rest alive to kick around (9)

7. One turned to it, but it hadn’t been tested (7)

8. Article Georgia wrote about gristle (9)

13. Picture that doubles the length of its shortened form (10)

14. Scented distillation got up with liquid (9)

15. Having a good name may put a rebel out (9) 18. Go on too long to be finished with the marathon (7)

20. Think how it would be for one to give me a gin like this (7) 23. The proprietor is new, or might be (5)

24. Administer therapy on a pleasure excursion (5)

25. A musician’s work is to make soup of it (4)