| Clues across |
| 1 | Design on skin is rubbish, what’s more (6) |
| 5 | Like some well-furnished trees, or a thicker book? (7) |
| 9 | Reveal one-time attitude (6) |
| 12 | Gamble about request at dance – it’s just a game! (10) |
| 13 | Nothing in radar plot confused traffic police (4,6) |
| 14 | Ralph cut out Greek historian (8) |
| 15 | Messed with red cop, perhaps, as a diver is treated after returning to the surface (12) |
| 16 | Top factory seen above ship’s waterline (10) |
| 18 | We’re told to change chessman for art work at east end of church (10) |
| 20 | Make tea, it’s said, followed by laughter and fuss (8) |
| 22 | Start to make remarks about adhesive, mainly (12) |
| 24 | Graceful in speech: “Springs acceptable inside enclosure” (4-6) |
| 25 | Pirates screen Cuba for disruption (10) |
| 26 | Like a maze set out in thin barley (12) |
| 27 | Spry maid wandering, seen in North Africa (8) |
| 28 | Releasing can, I hung in awkwardly (10) |
| 30 | Shape one headland showing signs of decay (10) |
| 32 | Musician fiddles off main ranch (12) |
| 34 | Make a promise to marry a very loud Scot at church (8) |
| 36 | Latitude, perhaps, for decoration to be changed (10) |
| 37 | Began to dig in ear carelessly (10) |
| 38 | Wearing fewer clothes as instruction? (6) |
| 39 | Following directions, taken to court (7) |
| 40 | Welcomes in England and weeps in Scotland (6) |
|
| Clues down |
| 2 | It’s said a face-covering’s to prove effective (5) |
| 3 | Face up to danger and remove the excessive spit-and-polish by some of the brass section (4,3,4,2,3,5) |
| 4 | Not the way to raise house plants – they may get too big like this (7) |
| 5 | Grub protecting motor-cyclist? (7-6) |
| 6 | Refers to ocean coming up round inverted mat (7) |
| 7 | Reliable car I’m changing can’t be won back (13) |
| 8 | Let in again to study at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (7) |
| 9 | Throne in Imperial Palace would make prime horse-car (8,5) |
| 10 | Unusually, magistrates open a man up – purple crystalline disinfectant needed (9,12) |
| 11 | South, north or east – sound asleep? (5) |
| 17 | Fine pottery broken – no replica (9) |
| 19 | Paths of instantaneous centres of rotation or descent, maybe (9) |
| 21 | A crazy fictional imp provides increase in volume (13) |
| 22 | Found on submarines – for studying tugs? (7,6) |
| 23 | Untidy giant cleans up, sealing up rubbish like this? (13) |
| 29 | Copy one friend holding it (7) |
| 30 | “Change” is aim of members of criminal organisation (7) |
| 31 | Resisting authority, dying to hold two notes (7) |
| 33 | A barrier, we hear, to love (5) |
| 35 | Teach badly and deceive (5) |
|
