Daily Answers

7-across – See 12 : CARAMEL

8-across – Car shows vigour around street, reaching 50 : BRISTOL

9-across – Car’s board to break — a bit : DASH

10-across – One seeking to form a contract with special agent? Not I! : NEGOTIANT

12-across – Male spins off after putting race car in reverse — that’s sweet : CREME

13-across – Trespass, while refining crude : INFRINGE

15-across – Craft fancy robe in car : FIRE

16-across – Car from Leeds : EDSEL

17-across – Car operating perfectly starts to make a comeback, then place number one returned — here? : POLE

18-across – Car knowledge assimilated by college official : DELOREAN

20-across – Rover possibly, growling : HUSKY

21-across – Negative attitude in belief inspiring achievement : DEFEATISM

22-across – Seemingly the same thing, core of victory and Triumph! : TWIN

24-across – Red small Mini? : SCARLET

25-across – Good character offered drug after drug : HEROINE

1-down – Car upset Muhammad Ali’s boxing? : LADA

2-down – Fabric in bread and water : CASHMERE

3-down – Malevolent type average, that is : MEANIE

4-down – Appreciative, having fat and gruel in a stew : GRATEFUL

5-down – In Senna’s car, indomitable former Formula One champion : ASCARI

6-down – See 15 : BOAT

11-down – Slides, as sliding slides : GLISSANDI

12-down – British general, leader in Calcutta as it happens : CLIVE

14-down – 17 down like a bird? : GULLY

16-down – Promoted jerks leave Heath : ELEVATED

17-down – See 17 across : POSITION

19-down – A Morris, neat car : OXFORD

20-down – Bee car : HUMMER

21-down – Dodge for nothing : DUCK

23-down – Some Bugatti on Automobile Island : IONA

8-across – Thatch reducers’ craft? : CLIPPERS

9-across – Operetta composer: Pardon one’s falling between two extremes : LEHAR

10-across – Fly’s salty secretion : PEAR

11-across – Day before vessel problem is an elusive major universal influence : DARKMATTER

12-across – Street trader cyclist casually reported : MEDLAR

14-across – Having something on top, getting at the bananas in the sack : BEHATTED

16-across – Down to bra and panties, exit discreetly? : SLIPOFF

18-across – People are jetted by this airline in singular way : SPABATH

21-across – Railway’s Capital Rover, say, terminated outside French region : DORDOGNE

23-across – Jolly blubber-covered male hogging centre of bed : CHERRY

24-across – Rebuke: for instance, shrill tart : SHARPWORDS

26-across – Green hanky material? : LAWN

27-across – Super-sounding grid : GRAPE

28-across – Grand Midlands town not about to go flashy : GLEAMING

1-down – Racy? Live, live, live, flower! : BLUEBELL

2-down – Senate and people of Rome question being replaced by head of union branch : SPUR

3-down – Still without its first back bar retailer : VENDOR

4-down – Put down a biblical teacher : ASCRIBE

5-down – Blue left in stick : PLUM

6-down – Just a bit firm, oysters from here : WHITSTABLE

7-down – Rig out the second person who was keen? : GRIEVE

13-down – Adriana, lip-curling Stones connoisseur : LAPIDARIAN

15-down – Poetic invocation used in local round dance : HIP

17-down – Raising of flag, ultimately obscure : FIG

19-down – Having a fling, working at the wheel? : THROWING

20-down – Make water boil for Earl Grey etc : PEERAGE

22-down – Superior’s performing drunk : ONHIGH

23-down – Baby salad ingredient collection : COSSET

25-down – Question about English dairy product : WHEY

26-down – Halt : LIME

1-across – With chores unfinished, wife in temper cleans jug : WORMWOODSCRUBS

8-across – Getting knocked back, call Latin lover : LEMAN

9-across – Game played at Her Majesty’s residence? : ROUNDERS

11-across – Obscure British film screening in the vicinity : BENIGHT

12-across – Hanging a scoundrel, endlessly corrupt : CURTAIN

13-across – With heart not in lechery, back away from call girl : LYDIA

15-across – In speech, fool gets foolish in Shakespearean location : DUNSINANE

17-across – Different way to enter beach? Sun could be here : NEWSSTAND

20-across – Gathering fruitcake for snack in diner? : DONUT

21-across – South African maybe putting greenery in set location : ELSTREE

23-across – It’s played in two acts, with nothing amiss : TOCCATA

25-across – Place with cross, gloomy rocker plugging a record for spinning : GOLGOTHA

26-across – Light running clothes could be made from this : RAYON

27-across – Wilde gutted, play done with amateurs getting haughty verdict : WEARENOTAMUSED

1-down – Spring off, clutching weapon, unlikely to fall : WELLBALANCED

2-down – City dweller heading for rolling country : ROMAN

3-down – Success for one girl showing flute? : WINEGLASS

4-down – Unit showing strength in field from old desert battles : OERSTED

5-down – Hint — it’s two things found in can : SOUPCON

6-down – Traveller not so rainswept after lowering head : RIDER

7-down – A toff backed to secure Republican victory, like George W Bush? : BORNAGAIN

10-down – Sick nurse taught for free : UNRESTRAINED

14-down – Run below hills and fall : DOWNSLOPE

16-down – During one month, love unusual and improper behaviour : INDECORUM

18-down – Salutation with special function in ancient language : AVESTAN

19-down – Take away shipment finally transported to the North : DETRACT

22-down – Le Père Goriot: somewhat revolting fellow! : ROGER

24-down – Gondola’s back alongside vessel in gulf : ABYSS

5-across – Fabulous creature like a transvestite? : DRAGON

6-across – Endless traffic problem leads to toll : TARIFF

9-across – Perhaps gorillas eat less fruit : GRAPES

10-across – Entrance with drawback? : HALLWARD

11-across – Captured by CCTV — a neutrino! : VANE

12-across – Licence for each business : PERMISSION

13-across – Tenses up pecs left Rita’s head giddy! : PLUPERFECTS

18-across – O, much wit, then led astray? : OSCARWILDE

21-across – See 5 down : GRAY

22-across – Change key after party rejected music : NOCTURNE

23-across – Arsenal’s French striker misses one, takes new position : GROUND

24-across – Accent disguises government’s posh language … : TONGUE

25-across – … with books by the hundred : WOTTON

1-down – Soup maker? : CAMPBELL

2-down – Penny is very good to counter rumour : GOSSIP

3-down – Stop talking on the phone? : CALLTIME

4-down – It’s funny having looked over children’s TV programme : TISWAS

5-down – Worshipping a lower light : DORIAN

7-down – More upset in France : FERMOR

8-down – Cooked tea right? It’s to be seriously questioned : CHARGRILLED

14-down – Mighty intense : POWERFUL

15-down – Main towers? : TUGBOATS

16-down – Guard caught stealing gold after drugs : ESCORT

17-down – It’s mostly hiding in red wine : TANNIN

19-down – Pretending to stand in : ACTING

20-down – Drink, say, on lifting trophy : EGGNOG

1-across – Wind up close to Stonehenge, stone almost blown over : ENRAGE

4-across – Start high, then go down : OFFSET

9-across – Please send money urgently or Click here to claim your prize are plots to be rejected : SPAM

10-across – About two hundred bananas eaten up — three hundred more despised! : UNACCEPTED

11-across – House for the fifth primate? : ORANGE

12-across – Most bizarre, keeper’s header has beaten Stoke 1- 0 : KOOKIEST

13-across – Concert at which I perform karaoke likely to improve? : PROMISING

15-across – Hero going after rebel in uprising? : LION

16-across – Busy route going over across yacht : MAXI

17-across – Self-indulgence thus with kissers is beginning to mount : SOLIPSISM

21-across – Interrupting date, parent wearing nothing returns in checks : EXAMINES

22-across – Revolutionary musical director’s opening a case : DATIVE

24-across – Drunk, I’m at peace swigging last of gin, set free : EMANCIPATE

25-across – Bloody career’s ending, time to retire : RARE

26-across – Series of tests on small items of clothing : SASHES

27-across – Positive thing about old network : PLEXUS

1-down – See 2 : EMPEROR

2-down – One is among divine royalty, as leader : ROMAN

3-down – Throne’s occupant left in 2011, according to a 2 1, initially upset with Augustus : GLUTEUS

5-down – Cap for football player, a contribution : FACTOR

6-down – Pietism aggravated split in the Americas for 2 1 : SEPTIMIUS

7-down – In conclusion, royalist thinking it’s an offence : TREASON

8-down – Place snail owns spiralling, as a working rule : PARKINSONSLAW

14-down – 2 1 saw in the Guardian a burden retaining human resources : MAXIMINUS

16-down – See 3 : MAXIMUS

18-down – Be permanently present at the bottom of a shaft, drinking ditchwater, primarily : INDWELL

19-down – See 6 : SEVERUS

20-down – One new face serving porridge? : INSIDE

23-down – See 14 : THRAX