The Herald crosswords

ACROSS

1 Release, hand over broken

cane (11)

9 Wimp takes advantage of

operation (7)

10 Banned sort of beard (7)

11 Telling untruths unknown in

fish (5)

12 Dirty room prepared for

communal sleeping-area (9)

13 Plant I landed on, crashing (9) 15 Girl to assist, mostly,

in French (5)

17 The thank-you letter (5)

19 Remand lad, unusually,

in ideal world (9)

22 Plant dairy product next

to the vessel (9)

25 Interrogate cook (5)

26 Sound kitchen utensil

is bigger (7)

27 I interrupt meek non-jewish

person (7)

28 Primitive Mary I turned out (11)

DOWN

1 Daughter joins union for bit

of flirting (9)

2 Pasta will hang down in the

middle of the road! (7)

3 Insipid diva gets confused

about piano (5)

4 Recommendation of judge

embracing new century (9)

5 No wealthy wife entered

county town (7)

6 Muse during the opera

tonight (5)

7 Walked slowly and risked

losing head (6)

8 Some had taken Yankee for

an East African (6)

14 Impropriety, maybe

I’m crude? No (9)

16 Handicap left one with strength (9) 17 In addition, catch inside

Caribbean island (6)

18 Declare Ted turned away (7)

20 Name-tag changing colour (7)

21 Researched legal document

about luncheon voucher (6)

23 Belonging to those people,

the taxmen (5)

24 Druid, for example,

opening up article (5)