Daily Answers

8-across – Fanciful art of sheepdog training is mine? : COLLIERY

9-across – Trick after a backflip nailed by European dog : POODLE

10-across – Meals for a dog : CHOW

11-across – Extraordinary stature, I am in shock : TRAUMATISE

12-across – Cat, a killer losing tail in conflict : JAGUAR

14-across – Opera in a borstal extremely unusual : ABNORMAL

15-across – A junior officer in green, unsurpassed : ALLTIME

17-across – Dutch painter capturing cat in a neat way : LEGIBLY

20-across – Fine wine, relative filth finally coming first : GRANDCRU

22-across – Something felt to protect female suffering loss : BEREFT

23-across – Girl running round borders in garden to catch some balls, runs the wrong way : MISGOVERNS

24-across – Large cutting tool’s shaft : AXLE

25-across – Eat a lot — good taste! : PIGOUT

26-across – Poisonous compound not designed to impress one in particular : NICOTINE

1-down – Entering shopping centre, both bananas put aside for later use : MOTHBALL

2-down – Run when philanderer turns up : FLOW

3-down – Dog in the evening sun, perhaps? : SETTER

4-down – Case of puppy, 3, as the best thing with the cat? : PYJAMAS

5-down – See 24 : SPUMANTE

6-down – Old singer saves half of soup for dog : FOXTERRIER

7-down – State, I’m sorry to say, kicked around for starters : ALASKA

13-down – Top dog unsurprisingly stealing spectacles, misbehaving : UPTONOGOOD

16-down – Cat literarily a degree above hole : MACAVITY

18-down – Cat drops on cat as a means of survival : LIFELINE

19-down – Dog hugging Rover, totally gutted in sounding like a cat : PURRING

21-down – Fruit is eaten by cats and dogs, perhaps? : RAISIN

22-down – Keeping dry, fragment split in half : BISECT

24-down – Cat partial to nastiest sort of drink : ASTI

9-across – Recording of Logical Song : SOUND

10-across – Taking long way home — good theatrical closure? : STITCHING

11-across – Makes new recording with band, while mixing rest : REMASTERS

12-across – Makes number listeners must take in : EARNS

13-across – Precise playing parts later : TONIGHT

15-across – Well excited — do Give a Little Bit : SOUPCON

17-across – As discussed, mostly very musical : ASSAI

18-across – Bloody right? Not politically : RED

20-across – Announce Tramp to return with start of Crime? : EMCEE

22-across – Two stupid people contracted wise guy? : KNOWALL

25-across – London stages finale with set arranged first : WESTEND

26-across – Muslims surrounded by students revolting : SUNNI

27-across – Turned out bad, didn’t do School? : UNTUTORED

30-across – Man with another man’s woman is kinky later : ADULTERER

31-across – Run off with band to record backing : ELOPE

1-down – One takes in American show : USER

2-down – Amplifies first half of number, stage rocks : AUGMENTS

3-down – Fusses over big promotion : ADOS

4-down – One agrees American’s behind record : ASSENTER

5-down – Partner to want me? : MISSUS

6-down – Those planning school education changing rules : SCHEDULERS

7-down – Relating to an element from piece Rick picked up : NITRIC

8-down – Emerging from backstage: Supertramp Forever : AGES

13-down – See 9 : TRACK

14-down – Sugar’s stirred with it twice for musicians : GUITARISTS

16-down – Very much turned on before climax : NOEND

19-down – Decline drink before performance : DOWNTURN

21-down – Perhaps, Breakfast in America’s Goodbye Stranger at the start : CHEERIOS

23-down – Comes clean with personal statement, primarily in court : OWNSUP

24-down – Look at coloured light on gallery : LOUVRE

26-down – Show clue for Supertramp? : STAR

28-down – See 26 : TREK

29-down – Enough time for song : DUET

8-across – Army building plastic toy to entertain wife in Texas game : FORTYTWO

9-across – Revulsion has a benefit in North America : NAUSEA

10-across – Tree, redhead behind one : ACER

11-across – Commemorative elegy finally written after actor died, sadly : DEDICATORY

12-across – Archer’s game : BRIDGE

14-across – Balderdash, feature defining itself, nothing less, with name : NONSENSE

15-across – I shine brightly in game as author : WILLIAM

17-across – That woman’s order to collect is for valour : HEROISM

20-across – At lunchtime, change clothes for game : PATIENCE

22-across – 2s in the Church heading off commoners : CELEBS

23-across – Rotten melons once dropping off in such a state : SOMNOLENCE

24-across – Card in 7, perhaps? : CLUB

25-across – Like 8 on board game : SEVENS

26-across – Game in Cluedo set straight : UNCOILED

1-down – Bruckner’s Fourth, then moving to nicer orchestral works : CONCERTI

2-down – Leading traitors promoted : STAR

3-down – Heavy food, say … brought up : STODGE

4-down – See 15 : GOLDING

5-down – Hide in 25 concealed : ENSCONCE

6-down – Game, passing over to boxing judge, leaves at the count of four? : QUATREFOIL

7-down – Scottish team game : HEARTS

13-down – Ultimately short-lived relationships? : DALLIANCES

16-down – Chronicler writing article on Stalin inaccurately : ANNALIST

18-down – Scottish island in very cold game : SUBBUTEO

19-down – Man I mind, as hateful : HEINOUS

21-down – God swallows up Australian island group : AZORES

22-down – Grip top fish under edges in creel : CLENCH

24-down – Cheat in game : CRIB

1-across – Fish steeped in drink is a big change : SHAKEUP

5-across – Weed, by the way, is a 1930s’ classic : TOBACCO

9-across – Gloomy day nurse : DREAR

10-across – Dancing in hipsters all but produces kidney problem : NEPHRITIS

11-across – Consider high street chain’s rustic? : COUNTRYMAN

12-across – See 5 : ROAD

14-across – Some rocky resort of Crimea, a continental meeting place : MESOAMERICA

18-across – Foreign caste restricted by civil arm of repressive government : POLICESTATE

21-across – See 4 : LANE

22-across – Jumping flea on sailing boat, which can bite through to the vein : LEAFCUTTER

25-across – Strange start to ungainly forehand smash : UNHEARDOF

26-across – A toady said piled up : AHEAP

27-across – Showered right in sterilised environment? : SPRAYED

28-across – Rotter takes flow controller’s dregs : HEELTAP

1-down – Undo leading edge of stage and draw out : SEDUCE

2-down – See 23 : AVENUE

3-down – Pop duo’s chemistry’s working, having united : EURYTHMICS

4-down – The ’60s hit career of Lenny : PENNY

5-down – VIP first spotted in a bunch? : TOPBANANA

6-down – Tidal wave drag : BORE

7-down – Comprehensive’s gripe about woolly hat : CATHOLIC

8-down – Outside broadcast about Pluto, taking in a molten volcanic rock : OBSIDIAN

13-down – Boyfriend possibly holding end of the firearm up, being free from controls : DEREGULATE

15-down – Sulphur introduced to drink — finished in the air : SUSPENDED

16-down – Is appreciative of software containing binary regression : APPLAUDS

17-down – Who embraces decisive argument? : CLINCHER

19-down – See 24 : STREET

20-down – Appear with whip raised : CROPUP

23-down – If having upturned feet, entertain in the altogether dateless attraction of New York : FIFTH

24-down – Star, eyes rolling, appears in hit movie as a route to affluence : EASY

1-across – Ordered fireman to preserve world heritage site : MINARETOFJAM

9-across – Noble matter : COUNT

10-across – Ruddy stag party members start to arrive in Irish town : BALLYMENA

11-across – Porn content extended to go beyond agreed limit : OVERRUN

12-across – Beast in beret’s no musical backing : MONSTER

13-across – Sort of fields amongst high waters by rivers : STRAWBERRY

15-across – Spot? Yes, essentially a mole : ESPY

18-across – Father, we have sinned — last two leaving one of the Orkney Islands : PAPA

19-across – Jumbo crossword compilers? They’re often 5 : JETSETTERS

22-across – See 18 : WESTRAY

24-across – Repair of these second houses still to be detailed in expense accounts : SWINDLE

25-across – Concession from NATO? For one, that hurt : ALLOWANCE

26-across – Letter from Greece returning share in full : UNCUT

27-across – Play set in ultimately the worst off part of London : TOWERHAMLETS

1-down – Timid person tentatively starting to blame inferior cheese : MOUSETRAP

2-down – Hazel’s cooking won’t burn : NUTBROWN

3-down – Ex-PM reading book in shower? : RABIN

4-down – TV scores for skiing moves : TELEMARKS

5-down – Hurried up? : FLYING

6-down – Playing Real, gets little time on the ball : ALERT

7-down – Type of clue with answer X : ACROSS

8-down – Pretty mechanical? Just Bottom, enthralled by Puck, perhaps : FAIRLY

14-down – All in? Completely! : EVERYINCH

16-down – Some of those 5 get led astray? What a pity about that : SHELDUCKS

17-down – Pose as model in topless play : ATTITUDE

18-down – Fruit women put in babyfood as winter starts : PAWPAW

20-down – See 24 across : SHEETS

21-down – Be a surfer, initially wearing surprisingly sober clothes : BROWSE

23-down – Bombardment of note across area 11 by 5 : SALVO

24-down – Some yards per minute swimmers : SPERM