Daily Answers

1-across – I, possibly, poke chicken with a piece of wood : HALOGEN

5-across – Idiot finding ludicrous flaw in success : HALFWIT

9-across – President Thingamabob, partially recalled : OBAMA

10-across – Saw worker with president embracing writer : CARPENTER

11-across – President no wiser, he stumbles past close of tenure : EISENHOWER

12-across – Country where I was a candidate : IRAN

14-across – Gerald’s guards in that position with company, private : OFFTHERECORD

18-across – Cheat knocking back a drop, happy to put on weight : PULLAFASTONE

21-across – President back in combat fatigues : TAFT

22-across – Good bandages nicer after treatment that’s harmful : PERNICIOUS

25-across – First in geophysics confirmed, so pleased : GRATIFIED

26-across – Forget to secure ring that’s likely to come off : LOOSE

27-across – Perhaps one’s kid gloves made from this? : DOESKIN

28-across – Serious attention given to tree house : EARNEST

1-down – President, one gathering dust? : HOOVER

2-down – Something to set up, holding information primarily on enemy leader, cooperate : LIAISE

3-down – Annexe where president maintains standard, not entirely beneath the state : GRANNYFLAT

4-down – Hot container lifted over bottom of potato chip : NACHO

5-down – A rest home prepared to offer beef substitute? : HORSEMEAT

6-down – Symbol of a nation, some ship capsizing : LEEK

7-down – Vital thing, having little room for big defeat : WATERLOO

8-down – Kebab served up during your old dirge : THRENODY

13-down – Very mysterious lord in bloody uprising, appearing common : VERNACULAR

15-down – Dopey leader in Reagan, it being laughable for an actor : TRAGEDIAN

16-down – Model put with Degas stole the show : UPSTAGED

17-down – Love left tainted if ends, unsatisfactory relationship now extinguished? : OLDFLAME

19-down – Monroe unfortunately is as she is : NOMORE

20-down – A trail, an upward slope : ASCENT

23-down – Coax Nixon to admit lying in the end? : NUDGE

24-down – Second one sucks : TICK

7-across – Kennedy famously meeting Castro in crisis — no sign of thaw? : JACKFROST

8-across – President opening Gettysburg Address with passion : GRANT

9-across – Gods here reflect the head of state on high, my fate, my beginning : MTOLYMPUS

10-across – Perhaps Bush shredded his letters about the end of the USSR : SHRUB

12-across – Constituents of Adams once produced fruit : DAMSON

13-across – Perhaps Reagan lost his head in office? : RESIDENT

16-across – Sails hauled tight on boat of Florida president : FLATAFT

19-across – President losing his cool but triumphed without getting the bird : WIDGEON

22-across – Clinton reputedly with wanton harlot says: I have to pay? : LOTHARIO

25-across – President: no hesitation getting on the box : CARTON

27-across – President laid bare? : NIXON

28-across – Boatman caught in delicate illumination : STARLIGHT

29-across – Lack of clarity in speech by president : HAYES

30-across – Start to salivate about bun : SCROLLBAR

1-down – I keep saying this femme fatale has no power : MANTRA

2-down – My abilities sell tragic content in satire : SKILLSET

3-down – Boatman’s spirit seen in colour of president : TRUMAN

4-down – Revolution in USA! Try supporting last to give mouth : ESTUARY

5-down – Alternatively, dressed down with a flower : ORCHID

6-down – Clue for Northern Ireland, taking its place : INTURN

11-down – Bottoms up! It’s a reason to fill your glass : ASTI

14-down – It’s important to maintain trust, Eisenhower said on diplomacy : EYE

15-down – One in temporary accommodation : TEN

16-down – Flower seen in autumn in US, with leaf’s first drop : FAL

17-down – See 15 : ANT

18-down – President might introduce ads to create trends or reach family men? : FORD

20-down – Unexpectedly agile FDR becomes president : GARFIELD

21-down – See 14 : CONTACT

23-down – President, one in role of a nation’s leader: he does magic? : OBIMAN

24-down – Not wholly macho, overworked president : HOOVER

25-down – Perhaps Lincoln led servant from the bottle : CARBOY

26-down – Fool, foolishly hoaxed : OXHEAD

1-across – See 19 : SUDOKUS

5-across – On the phone to purchase no-frills aircraft : BIPLANE

9-across – In short, I’m disgusted by most fruity type of language : UGRIC

10-across – Agonised shout, if family fails to finish puzzle : FUTOSHIKI

11-across – Once again swallowed up British group, an aerospace one back in debt : REABSORBED

12-across – Puzzle only half completed by a footballer : KAKA

14-across – An interjection, perhaps by EEC? : PARTOFSPEECH

18-across – Being completely wiped out by dodgy rite during sacrifice : OBLITERATION

21-across – Friend has yen for sexually attractive American : FOXY

22-across – Sinking of vessel Nemo managed without undue risk, largely : SUBMERSION

25-across – Nude dancing entertains bar, that’s clear : UNBLOCKED

26-across – Prison camp body regulating prisoners? : OFLAG

27-across – Debtor desperately needs capital in eastern Germany : DRESDEN

28-across – State : AUSTRIA

1-down – See 24 : SQUARE

2-down – See doctor had rum : DURHAM

3-down – Gives up before back-up guitar gets going : KICKSTARTS

4-down – Return of service great up to this point : SOFAR

5-down – Some milk to express? Nothing at all in emptied breast : BUTTERFAT

6-down – Set puzzle ordinary solver easily finishes? Just the opposite : POSE

7-down – Setter’s dined in joiner’s chipper : ANIMATED

8-down – This paper briefly abandoned deadlines? They might be stoned : EPITAPHS

13-down – Pour out port down under, getting rollicking : UPROARIOUS

15-down – Nought for English in dish that’s Thanksgiving grub : TURDUCKEN

16-down – Trick discovered in puzzle : CONFOUND

17-down – Book in store contains law that’s easily bent : FLEXIBLE

19-down – Surprisingly sulks, having liked our puzzles : KILLER

20-down – Megan’s wrong about inner piece of jigsaw puzzle : ENIGMA

23-down – Play in game, sat next to dealer : MEDEA

24-down – Puzzle 14,225? : WORD

1-across – Something painful with which to batter this, for example : PANGRAM

5-across – Giggle about women’s social medium : TWITTER

10-across – Challenge to make God heartless : DEFY

11-across – Stood around lancing blister, evidence of injury : BLOODSTAIN

12-across – What to do with straight hair? Pass : PERMIT

13-across – Report of headless chicken in waste disposal unit : BULLETIN

14-across – Sketch fetching a silly price : ADUMBRATE

16-across – Apply kneecap to part of face, causing breach : CHINK

17-across – What’s said to audience on A11? : ASIDE

19-across – Will’s offensive sexual organ intruded : TESTAMENT

23-across – Baddy, at any point in time, receiving unopened sex aid : EVILDOER

24-across – Dependable nonsense about public transport : ROBUST

26-across – Histrionic sort of monkey, shaking off a cold in Arden, perhaps : DRAMAQUEEN

27-across – Man in the street on line to prophet : JOEL

28-across – Female students absorbing princess’s hypocritical utterances : FLANNEL

29-across – About to go to Spain and return the sentiment : REQUITE

2-down – Part of weapon in front holding divorcee up : AXEHEAD

3-down – Infidels love one intermittently interrupting work-out : GOYIM

4-down – A snack eaten by bishop and judge : ARBITER

6-down – Go unsteadily west — go off : WADDLE

7-down – Infant the man lost in part of London : TOTTENHAM

8-down – Raised no single current issue : EDITION

9-down – Film old Albanian monarch securing right to cleanse smell : ZORBATHEGREEK

15-down – Note to buxom former lover’s agent : MIDDLEMAN

18-down – Many cut a left : SEVERAL

20-down – Space in canonical hour for Roman funny man : TERENCE

21-down – Incipient new way up : NASCENT

22-down – Force to remove tangerine rind from roquette salad : TORQUE

25-down – Pretty little girl, keen on Guys and Dolls and open to all? : BIJOU

1-across – Musical group, possibly retro, has to tour clubs : ORCHESTRA

6-across – Musical group, possibly retro? : ABBA

8-across – Honey Honey, Mamma Mia! : DEARDEAR

9-across – Urge party to take a fifth of 6 across’s number? : LIBIDO

10-across – Babble as baby, Dancing Queen! : YABBER

11-across – 6 across’s great loss : WATERLOO

12-across – Before 1002, I diminish in value : IMPAIR

15-across – Lunatic pleased to accommodate one bright group of relatives? : PLEIADES

16-across – A shade raised around stack : BRICKRED

19-across – Keyboard operator extremely twitchy, something of a nut? : TYPIST

21-across – 6 across’s number outlining case for the inquirer : SOCRATES

22-across – Drunk first of brandies — take a chance on me! : BLOTTO

24-across – Drink, last bit dropped on envelope : COCOON

25-across – Peculiar play with Act 1 at sea : ATYPICAL

26-across – PM’s first words got Fernando confused with Ring Ring? : GOOD

27-across – See 26 : AFTERNOON

1-down – Greek character taking up long and short periods : OMEGA

2-down – Parts of an organ in church bear cracks — that’s about right : CEREBRA

3-down – Islamic ruler of supreme erudition : EMEER

4-down – Give up one’s dinner hour with pained expression, sheep being passed round : THROWUP

5-down – Share totally exaggerated, people claimed : ALLOTMENT

6-down – A singer shortly going north, south of a Canadian province : ALBERTA

7-down – Primarily counterpanes observed being spread out? : BEDCOVERS

13-down – Old travelling merchant bringing old stuff over — that’s the name of the game! : MARCOPOLO

14-down – Song written up about topless prude in mythical kingdom : RURITANIA

17-down – All passengers in Italy, Charles and Bill : CARLOAD

18-down – Mr O’Connor hasn’t the talent to be a singer : DESCANT

20-down – Qualification is secured by college official — no way! : PROVISO

22-down – Customer taking massage the wrong way, you getting squeezed? : BUYER

23-down – Match captivating a US author : TWAIN