Friday 20 March

Across

8 Originally, baker oversupplied lightly – 13 – he often leaves éclair in safe place (4-4) 9 Zero tolerance finally adopted during time off (5) 10 Slightly rotten greeting yelled (4) 11 Intrude, all agitated and surly (3-7) 12 The reverse of ‘dark’ and ‘night’? (6) 14 And also not included in song: Hamilton’s lead wanting direction (3,5) 16 Gunman’s order delivered with difficulty, it’s implied (5,2) 18 Excellent: room’s confining, at last, Bruno Mars (7) 21 Zoned out: this is ignoring the writer’s parts (8) 23 Figure set around mostly satisfactory constant (6) 24 Border has shown up throttling power in world? Not half (10) 26 Relief: American sizes successively decreasing (4) 27 I’m surprised by cellists’ kit that’s heard in woodwinds (5) 28 Rebutted curt prig with one book, The Agony and the Ecstasy? (8)

Down

1 Amino acid tipped for synthesis in volcanic island (8) 2 Playing autoharp; regrettably a pro’s left it in a state (4) 3 Using cunning, zip about No 4 in Second Eleven (6) 4 Dance, as Marillion song on the radio (7) 5 A drowned valley that’s conveyed by piping (4) 6 Deduce spoof largely concocted with AI instructions? (10) 7 Hopefully, with finale from tenor to replace bass, producing calm (2,4) 13 Was Spice Girl impersonating duck that’s low-pitched and resonant? (10) 15 Middle of Feb, day in early May, or one late in Dec? (3) 17 Sunhats: oddly ignored means of preserving life (3) 19 Composition part #2 (8) 20 Sicilians possibly expelling a Milanese, awkwardly (7) 22 Character in Globe – Roneo? – Not quite (6) 23 Former student crowned by those people – wise guys (3,3) 25 Peep Show regularly lost money in Philippines (4) 26 Miles – perhaps not 500 – in cars offered here (4)