The Sunday Crossword No 3029, Sunday 06 Jan 2019

ACROSS
1   Withdraw and wander across border, not hard (6) REMOVE {R{hEM}OVE}
4   Poor saint given the blame (8) STRAPPED {ST}{RAPPED}
9   Flimsy place in Australia with pest outside (5-4) PAPER-THIN {PA{PERTH}IN}
11 Combine in retreat, filled with love, following a principle (5) AXIOM {M{O}IX}<= after {A}
12 Precious stone in course of robbery lost (5) BERYL [T]
14 Plaster in unfinished project (9) ROUGHCAST {ROUGH}{CAST}

15 Certain tin, once damaged, fixed (13) INCONTESTABLE {TIN+ONCE}*{STABLE}
18 Act heartily, in unreal style, embracing it (13) THEATRICALITY {ACT+HEARTILY}* over {IT} Semi&lit
20 Drive away into plain and go too far (9) OVERSHOOT {OVER{SHOO}T}
22 Fool soldiers in compound (5) NITRE {NIT}{RE}
23 Smell air for meat at regular intervals (5) AROMA {AiR+fOr+MeAt}
24 Articulate poetry about Indonesian island (9) VERBALISE {VER{BALI}SE}
26 Group around judge filled with self-esteem (8) CATEGORY {CA}{T{EGO}RY}
27 Resolution keeping experts going without a break (6) RECESS {RE{aCES}S}

DOWN
1   Country club ripe for reform (8) REPUBLIC*
2   Mother quietly forming plan (3) MAP {MA}{P}
3   Government ending in ruin, engulfed by corruption and acrimony (9) VIRULENCE {VI{RULE}{ruiN}CE}
5   Hard thing to say to new visitor involving mixture of wit and hesitation (6-7) TONGUE TWISTER {TO}{N}{GUE{WIT*}ST}{ER}
6   Embarrass sailor when joined by husband (5) ABASH {AB}{AS}{H}
7   Student of stamps from Hawaii absorbed by illustration on catalogue (11) PHILATELIST {P{HI}LATE}{LIST}
8   Protest over central features of latest downgrade (6) DEMOTE {DEMO}{laTEst}
10 Allotted place held by one who’s admired more than US president (7,6) HERBERT HOOVER {HER{BERTH}O}{OVER}
13 Create problems getting back to other ground (4,3,4) ROCK THE BOAT*
16 Inwardly, not half grabbed by courageous idea (9) BRAINWAVE {BRA{INWArdly}VE}
17 Write about railway climbing above spot up in mountains (8) PYRENEES {P{RY<=}EN}{SEE<=}
19 Doctor’s account about one work of decorative art (6) MOSAIC {MO'S}{A{1}C}
21 Jargon from south and north taken in by convict (5) SLANG {S}{LA{N}G}
25 Essential part of Arctic ecosystem (3) ICE [T] &lit

GRID