Daily Answers

1-across – Firing line in range, the soldier at the front makes advances : FLIRTS

5-across – Joint’s disturbed rest of trendy folk : HIPSTERS

9-across – Difficult situation, said to be incontinent and choking : ASPHYXIA

10-across – Exude endless confidence : SECRET

11-across – Change round mid-coalition: no problem for Spooner : ALLITERATION

13-across – Birds seen in the Science Museum : EMUS

14-across – Amorous Italian jerk : ROMANTIC

17-across – Barbie doll information — eleven envelopes and sheets : BEDLINEN

18-across – Study hard, knocking back brandy : CRAM

20-across – Players, not all here, in French 16 : PARTICIPANTS

23-across – See 8 : DEVICE

24-across – Letters help to follow a leading parliamentarian’s humble beginnings : ALPHABET

25-across – Gates’s background : STAGESET

26-across – Working to change hands is intrusive : PRYING

2-down – Finally, a shoe? : LAST

3-down – Tries penetrating actual drill : REHEARSAL

4-down – Cunning to include stage direction, almost in a suggestive manner : SEXILY

5-down – Earth treatment that’s organic? : HEARTTRANSPLANT

6-down – Stuff filling food from Cornwall, we hear, is beef : PASTRAMI

7-down – Implied one must be engaged in diplomacy : TACIT

8-down – It might be heard, perhaps endlessly, in valedictory cheers : RHETORICAL

12-down – Child missing, having left room later perhaps : AMBERALERT

15-down – Needed to change scenery round Syria’s borders : NECESSARY

16-down – Newcastle’s first to have footballers outside in underwear : KNICKERS

19-down – Grab skillets : SNAPUP

21-down – See 2 : THING

22-down – Act constituent heard and noticed : SEEN

1-across – Rossini extremely captivated by serpent as an instrument : MARIMBA

5-across – Team set off during strike : WESTHAM

10-across – French author a stinker, but no monster : ZOLA

11-across – Setter causing offence? : PYROMANIAC

12-across – Put one’s foot down about hospital in online discussion : THREAD

13-across – Someone on the water at once is at sea : CANOEIST

14-across – King’s castle, body of cells confining people : GRACELAND

16-across – A lump brought back for tea : ASSAM

17-across – One following hydrogen in leak : SHEEP

19-across – Space requiring development behind home, don’t you agree? : NESTCEPAS

23-across – Musical priest put back in place : SPAMALOT

24-across – Exact quality of number, the third to be changed : NICETY

26-across – Fruit and veg picked up, as down : MELANCHOLY

27-across – Contact sheet : PAGE

28-across – Crossword setters in the Guardian, deviants primarily offered guidance : USHERED

29-across – Third degree murder originally — then detain suspect : MEDIANT

2-down – Different person, a him then? : ANOTHER

3-down – Ridiculous pain, a nettle’s grasped : INANE

4-down – Upright proposal to maintain exercise supported by almost everyone : BIPEDAL

6-down – Fur I’ve evidently acquired after some consideration? : ERMINE

7-down – Two notes heard in the location of 14 : TENNESSEE

8-down – Body of water, region covering a large space, primarily : ARALSEA

9-down – Bias as sperm approaches ovum? : PRECONCEPTION

15-down – An indulgence came disguised as bird food? : CREAMCAKE

18-down – Unlucky chap like this is a hundred? : HAPLESS

20-down – Positive image in petty criminal : TINTYPE

21-down – Harmful thing eating rotten chicken, ultimately : ANTIGEN

22-down – Company’s opening, plant not closing — that’s been said before : CLICHE

25-down – Island in better state : CAPRI

1-across – How’s that possibly a parish’s first set of 20? : APPEAL

5-across – Launches takeaway illegally, so gets fines : LIFTSOFF

9-across – Working farm not occupied by Cornwall’s first Conservative peer : MANCROFT

10-across – Traveller greeting flag again : REPAVE

11-across – Article used in party game : SNAP

12-across – How Singapore is described by some kid’s mother, say : NANNYSTATE

13-across – Sloth shown by partners after trimming box tree : BONSAI

14-across – Abandoned Romeo after girl? Lots here, perhaps : SALEROOM

16-across – Most impoverished characters in Boston, ie students : STONIEST

19-across – Packed as a precautionary provision : INCASE

21-across – Ex-PM’s 50% vituperation, 50% outrageously obstreperous : DISRUPTIVE

23-across – Spots gas bill first : ACNE

24-across – Girl writing paper in college : CLAIRE

25-across – Playing triangle for function : INTEGRAL

26-across – One blooming peal’s wrong, including flipping first note : ASPHODEL

27-across – Sit in chair, topless : RESIDE

2-down – Set of 20 in flat — result of scout doing two more jobs? : PLAINBOBTRIPLES

3-down – Key copies for jailbreaks, say : ESCAPES

4-down – Your starter: one snail, freshly cooked with onions : LYONNAISE

5-down – Upstanding person, Italian, housing Mexicans in New Mexico? : LATINOS

6-down – See 8 : FORTY

7-down – One allegedly met after death of first pet, Ermintrude : STPETER

8-down – Vegetarian starter mix, all oddly used for number of 20 in 7 9 17’s celebrated 2 : FIVETHOUSANDAND

15-down – Queen’s favourite city : LEICESTER

17-down – City choir now disheartened, sadly : NORWICH

18-down – Getting 6 in test’s not worth mentioning : TRIVIAL

20-down – Puts clean nappy on small child by river leaving French city : CHANGES

22-down – Series of 20 after moving left up to daughter to offer in excuse : PLEAD

1-across – After heart’s stolen, snap out of it and divorce : SPLITUP

5-across – Outspoken English forward is upset : GRIEVES

9-across – He queries Baskerville cases : ASKER

10-across – Small tea, filling meat and hard cheese : MISCHANCE

11-across – Promote Rome so badly with a lament about Roman corruption : OTEMPORAOMORES

13-across – December 25th but not April 5th or July 3rd? : NOEL

14-across – Concerned with feet pains, doc’s baffled : SPONDAIC

17-across – Savoy work is working in a hotel : IOLANTHE

18-across – Uncovered account book’s margin : EDGE

21-across – Buccaneer inclined to stop killer dog with hot, spotted back : CAPTAINPUGWASH

23-across – Gave zip to English fashion designer : ENERGISED

24-across – Parrot one poet, init­ially, or another : KEATS

25-across – Greek god positioned the other way in part of mosaic : TESSERA

26-across – Northerners plead for vote against moving to the west : YANKEES

1-down – Lush sage leaves age on tree : SOAK

2-down – Quickly appreciate those showing appreciation : LIKETHECLAPPERS

3-down – I’m off mum’s fish paste : TARAMA

4-down – Englishmen abroad getting decoration : POMPOM

5-down – They make light cracks around slate : GASLAMPS

6-down – One old lady inhales bad smell close to Robbie Savage : INHUMANE

7-down – A sad, severe line — moving ending in Shakespeare’s A Lover’s Complaint : VENEREALDISEASE

8-down – Fabric’s very fine, not hard, with soft touch : SEERSUCKER

12-down – Rash is red — it’s nice to get treatment! : INDISCREET

15-down – Symbol of black magic hasn’t power to ensnare : ENTANGLE

16-down – Part of main feature like another, almost : CHINASEA

19-down – Weekend partly free of rain? That’s different : SUNDRY

20-down – A pan with beans evenly stirred : AWOKEN

22-down – Fertility deity’s multiple lives : ISIS

1-across – Done for, finished with, done with abandoned women : THEWINDOW

9-across – Eggs turned down at the edges not so popular now : FAVOUR

10-across – Sky broadcast with Lulu or Gaga? : YOURSKULL

11-across – Scents include one backtracking when hunting is illegal : SEASON

12-across – Learn to suppress rumour one’s unfit : CONDITION

13-across – Off limits — university patrolled by Moore and Craig? : BOUNDS

17-across – Time to try on Kubrick’s most prominent old hat : THE

19-across – Endless depression with no warning : THEBLUE

20-across – Faulty coaches’ terminus before getting parked outside Victoria : SERVICE

21-across – See 17 : ARK

23-across – Hawk keeping left, then right — skew-whiff! : KILTER

27-across – For a change, he doesn’t finally step in too far! : ONESDEPTH

28-across – High-calibre athletes : BREATH

29-across – … dropped out of the comp­etition — bizarre : LEFTFIELD

30-across – One during first part of play briefly incapacitated : ACTION

31-across – Atypical documentation of rights puts squeeze on American clubs : CHARACTER

2-down – Thomas the Rhymer loves to bewitch : HOODOO

3-down – Spheres of interest — example of limnologist’s is wrapped up in mine! : WORLDS

4-down – Fashionable backing drums, maybe, on a hit for Elton : NIKITA

5-down – XL fly-by-night to whom L is made to fit : OWLMOTH

6-down – Horsey crowd I spotted in field? : RACEGOERS

7-down – Outside plant promoted item providing stable security : HORSENAIL

8-down – Row on street, punching a joker : PRANKSTER

14-down – Roast weasel Spooner’s provided for regatta marker : STAKEBOAT

15-down – Covers centrally supported bands, £10 for admission : BELLTENTS

16-down – As the Prince of Wales is to endless revels! : ELDESTSON

17-down – Hats off to everyone attending meal : TEA

18-down – Cumbrian flower old solver’s snatched from the sky : ESK

22-down – From OT, moves quickly north northeast, being into one of its authors : RUNNETH

24-down – Loose shirt draped over a part-time fertility goddess? : ISHTAR

25-down – I cancel shifts, not keeping note of an American’s personal space? : CELIAC

26-down – Prime Minister learner driver’s preparing to drive around? : ATTLEE