The Herald crosswords
ACROSS
1 Tea room with disgusting attempt to gain appeal (5,9) 9 A politician taken in by fool's parody (7) 10 Hurry to receive book on an insectivore (3,4) 11 Pot on this plate arranged with pruned bloom (4,5) 12 Due success stopping own goal (5) 13 Exposed king housed by cleric in revolution (5) 15 Constant smear involving American journalist (9) 17 Ornaments being broken depress us (7,2) 19 Produce singular playing piece (5) 22 Speak against office dismissing two females (5) 23 Argue about women hiding good puzzles, perhaps (4,5) 25 Meadow some time containing fine plant forms (7) 26 Grub regularly consumed by exotic Asian reptiles (7) 27 Tense matching gift with ideal (7,7)
DOWN
2 Hamish half-cut with dummy in sleeping place (7) 3 Sit jumpers on bottom of closet (5) 4 Award points to collect exercise books (9) 5 Beginning to feel mere speck of snow (5) 6 Playing, alas, not in competition, perhaps (9) 7 I head around Rhode Island from peninsula (7) 8 Mad scrap with English blocking goal (7) 9 Flower blue at the centre on brooch (5) 14 Critical date peers rescheduled (9) 16 Look after drink and change, with head down (9) 17 Follow daughter, first woman on dock (7) 18 Foreign territory space I value (7) 20 A large coat concealing an annual (7) 21 Homes in cleanest street (5) 23 Grass with interest from the police (5) 24 Rough golf game, really loud (5)
ACROSS
1 General term for creatures such as cod, haddock etc (5,4) 8 Fort ___, US gold stronghold (4) 9 Awake at night (9) 10 Turn sharply (4) 13 ___ faced, expressionless (5) 16 Passive, lifeless (5) 17 Upper storey (5) 18 Make an allusion (5) 19 Queen of ___, biblical character (5) 20 Initial appearance (5) 21 Fringe benefits (5) 24 Yank (4) 27 ‘I Kissed a Girl’ singer (4,5) 28 Large measures of weight (4) 29 Tools with blades (9)
DOWN
2 Curved piece of metal for catching or holding something (4) 3 Adds (up) (4) 4 Earliest (5) 5 Wood treatment (5) 6 Spare part for a bicycle (5,4) 7 Get loose (9) 11 Vanish, melt away (9) 12 Narrating again (9) 13 Narrow band of fabric (5) 14 Put forward, propose (5) 15 Units of length (5) 22 Expunge (5) 23 Light canoe (5) 25 Last but one match in a tournament, informally (4) 26 Gratis (4)