Cryptic crossword - The Scotsman 29/06/2012

Across

8 Head gardener to weed out trade in ground elder (8)

9 Lion a German cut open to reveal wild ass (6)

10 Partners put up with old king (6)

11 Indispensable differential of triangle (8)

12 Many flock to see talking bird (4)

13 He begins race for ten, perhaps (3,7)

15 Fireweed came up brown (7)

17 Somehow entails Gaelic cheers (7)

20 Asked if mother took money for producing forecast (7,3)

22 Flying mammals retreat from sharp attack (4)

24 Cool cat backs one performance (8)

26 Conducts a search for what’s fresh in literary paper (6)

27 Rejection of deal over Northern Ireland (6)

28 Ticked off birds — Hermione, for example — when Edward came round (8)

DOWN

1 Company only prepared to form dependent territory (6)

2 Arrest boy during strike (8)

3 Put in windows in rat-nest, renovated and covered by fee (10)

4 Suitor got married when in trouble (7)

5 Eat without chewing and go to seed (4)

6 Harass girl who’s taken in by fighter pilot (6)

7 Corrupted by ten years poring over books (8)

14 Reported box on track 99 is able to read minds (10)

16 Works not fully open makes the grade (8)

18 Example that’s canniest licked into shape (8)

19 This fungus sounds much worse than poisonous! (7)

21 Short trip going by way of bagatelles (6)

23 Closely linked to everything that’s dead (6)

25 Citrus fruit that sounds repulsive (4)

Thursday’s solution

Across: 1 Mood, 3 Displacing, 10 Singleton, 11 Impel, 12 Elegy, 13 Nocturne, 15 Magnate, 17 Arising, 19 Natters, 21 Stagger, 22 Decrease, 24 Thing, 27 Arson, 28 Component, 29 Condensers, 30 Stud.

Down: 1 Mastermind, 2 Ounce, 4 Intense, 5 Panacea, 6 Adieu, 7 Impending, 8 Gold, 9 Playmate, 14 Aggregated, 16 Gathers in, 18 Inaction, 20 Seances, 21 Steamer, 23 Range, 25 Inert, 26 Talc.