Daily Answers

1-across – Designer of buildings to keep one dry in 9? : WRITTEN

5-across – Doubt place is beset by horrible curse : SCRUPLE

10-across – Order he’s forgotten for cream : BEST

11-across – Whoops welcoming Fancy Dan’s fans wearing orange? : HOLLANDERS

12-across – Brown’s good : GORDON

13-across – Caught tragedy bowdlerised in 9 : CLEARCUT

14-across – People reversing around country in vehicle : ESTATECAR

16-across – Boxes, losing tense contest in 9 : CHESS

17-across – Split, Zagreb but not great 9 thing : ZEBRA

19-across – Utility bill with name and energy covering front : ADVANTAGE

23-across – Fancy entertaining old fellow, fit for the opposite sex : WOMANISH

24-across – Therefore a colour for a rose is rose? : SOARED

26-across – Month in which politician backs worker gladly : JUBILANTLY

27-across – Grand foreign monarch’s 9 mixture : GREY

28-across – Paper splits English and German articles into pieces : ASUNDER

29-across – Before this speech he produces a crown, perhaps : ADDRESS

2-down – Shorter bursts for classical speakers : RHETORS

3-down – Bore child, a small boy : TOTED

4-down – Better send the dancer to strip off : ENHANCE

6-down – We’re told seabird is yellow : CRAVEN

7-down – Running due north and south, didn’t reach target : UNDERSHOT

8-down – Two Republicans standing in the French sun, getting tans : LARRUPS

9-down – Oddly bold account with naked cavorting, but not Fifty Shades? : BLACKANDWHITE

15-down – Like Scot south of Barnet coming from continental regions : AFROASIAN

18-down – Rip off ripe, firm bananas — they’re intensely green : ECONUTS

20-down – Tried appeal about remark by journalist : ASSAYED

21-down – More than one jade gnome’s outside, say — look around : GEEGEES

22-down – Silver’s seemingly good grade : PIRATE

25-down – Nettle from mountains, but right at the bottom : ANGER

9-across – Arms requiring medication where blood flows? : ARTILLERY

10-across – Australian place of worship full, church capturing all hearts : ULURU

11-across – Greek character working over Spanish artist, about a hundred : OMICRON

12-across – See 22 : HANDLES

13-across – Fine to admit to deviant urges? Yes! : SURE

14-across – Supporter welcoming spirit in a couple of players : BRANGELINA

16-across – Racecourse fair, cryptically? : AINTREE

17-across – Continue supporting top tennis player, vocally : PROCEED

19-across – To peep effin’ dangerous, seeing visitor to bedroom in secret : TOOTHFAIRY

22-across – Nothing takes care of a bulging waistline : LOVE

24-across – 22 12 on a daughter of the Bard added flavour : OREGANO

25-across – Island nation awarding degree to Islamic organisation : BAHAMAS

26-across – Cricket shot sees opener in Rawalpindi breaking duck : DRIVE

27-across – Northern English town wanting the first location for a national cemetery : ARLINGTON

1-down – Memorable passing comment? : FAMOUSLASTWORDS

2-down – Canonised dame who acts for the team : STMIRREN

3-down – Weep about relegation, initially — something to say for promotion? : BLURB

4-down – Spooner’s gin more damaging for baby-minder? : WETNURSE

5-down – Some high-water mark? : HYPHEN

6-down – A Roman emperor seizing power in a month, becoming president in South America : JUANPERON

7-down – Scalpel shaving odd parts in the middle of genuine central bits : NUCLEI

8-down – Band consumes starter of seven fresh sardines after American condiment : RUSSIANDRESSING

15-down – The red pea soup is prepared for cooking : PREHEATED

17-down – Horse entering river has left a path following an arc : PARABOLA

18-down – Wickedness a precious thing amid bad blood : ENORMITY

20-down – I see no problem getting comprehensive cover : ONESIE

21-down – Raising money in Sweden, inspiring a geek : ANORAK

23-down – See 13 : THING

1-across – Forbidden City artist’s a blank slate : TABULA

4-across – Tasty bit of flesh enthrals a couple of males in Turkish bath : HAMMAM

9-across – See 1 : RASA

10-across – Go too far in clarifying heartless rule in case of one fiver being lost : OVERREFINE

11-across – Breakfast food starts to make us evacuate : MUESLI

12-across – Got ring? Badly in debt again, at first : OBTAINED

13-across – Bore through getting to speak at length about France : PERFORATE

15-across – Lift people out of morass? I took over : OTIS

16-across – Person getting kiss from Douglas? : MANX

17-across – Minerals lads regularly put in iron boxes : FELDSPARS

21-across – Almost go in prison in Split, due to bust? : CLEAVAGE

22-across – Fools one politician hired, working on board : SIMPLE

24-across – Mushroom terrine starter coated with syrup, after top taken off container : RECEPTACLE

25-across – See 22 : TONS

26-across – Kind of brown-backed flower : NATURE

27-across – Remained sober, reportedly : STAYED

1-down – Defame American beginning to dither during ceasefire : TRADUCE

2-down – Freezing cold bum pinched by two brothers? Yes, in play : BRASS

3-down – Can one going there be said to be more idiotic? : LOOPIER

5-down – Add gaseous mixture to a tea drunk by the Queen : AERATE

6-down – Fat spillage? Bungle and point rudely : MUFFINTOP

7-down – See 2 : MONKEYS

8-down – When stranded, how’s your father to get a cocktail? : SEXONTHEBEACH

14-down – Entertaining lady with extremely neat backside : FUNDAMENT

16-down – Scottish island with one foreign plant : MULLEIN

18-down – Decline to remove odour? : DESCENT

19-down – Given stripe in primary colour, as curtains may be : RELINED

20-down – Creator of Fantasy Island comic, according to Spooner : WALTER

23-down – See 20 : MITTY

1-across – Very hot month — bother! : FEBRILE

5-across – See 24 : STATION

9-across – Happy band, unhappy : UPSET

10-across – Fall guy, git kidnapping primate, shot : SCAPEGOAT

11-across – Person about to accept Sumerian shop is a bloomer : FLEURDELIS

12-across – Cash for spending a penny, we hear? That’s the game! : LUDO

14-across – A figure hugging tree then dull? Yes! : AFFIRMATIVE

18-across – Woman on the throne admitted to lowest act, unfortunately, in the smallest room : WATERCLOSET

21-across – Somewhat discreet, in the shade : TINT

22-across – While nowhere to be seen, I take seat in building : INABSENTIA

25-across – Guardian setter after a pay increase almost getting nothing — that’s tedious! : WEARISOME

26-across – See 2 : HOUND

27-across – The doctor of poetry, not entirely a classical hero : THESEUS

28-across – Jumper with clothes for TV show : TOPGEAR

1-down – Slip on yellow top that’s soft : FLUFFY

2-down – Sure to inhale dope, the mad dog : BASSET

3-down – Unite a trio of redheads, furious with enmity : INTERMARRY

4-down – Follow leaders in extremely nail-biting situation, until exhausted : ENSUE

5-down – Europeans taking siestas up, one on deck doffing cap : SPANIARDS

6-down – Top ten record astonishingly’s beginning to climb : APEX

7-down – 11 encapsulating old capital, but it’s lacking for native American : IROQUOIS

8-down – Gas ring not working, blocked by end of pipe : NITROGEN

13-down – Naval bruiser chewed thistle in a roll : BATTLESHIP

15-down – Criminal, if loose, untreated? : FELONIOUS

16-down – Couple of idiots identifying the house sparrow? : TWITTWAT

17-down – Ancient individual breaking leg : STONEAGE

19-down – Adjust fastener held by Greek character the wrong way : ATTUNE

20-down – Look with you on land, might you say? : GANDER

23-down – French port where British don’t work : BREST

24-down – Pole in this building with Irish infestation? : FIRE

9-across – Make children harp on about heartless shade : PROCREATE

10-across – Show disdain for fortune-teller’s adopted name : SNEER

11-across – Name of a range of tawdry goods artist produces : TATRA

12-across – Before noon, steal into courtyard on which criminals get out : PROBATION

13-across – Sunblock for friend keeping oars moving : PARASOL

14-across – Cause corruption of French composer embracing upstart : DEBAUCH

17-across – Leonardo’s Painted Lady — love poem that’s big in China? : LISAO

19-across – Overcooked? Not at all : WAR

20-across – Piping like a pig with no head? : REEDY

21-across – Produce image of inverted boy : SCANDAL

22-across – Physically challenged person’s cold wavelet : CRIPPLE

24-across – Order: eyes left? right? whichever way you like? : FREESTYLE

26-across – Sported outside hospital : WHORE

28-across – Evidence of damage to Spain : SCARE

29-across – Cheeky about 5 being skint : INSOLVENT

1-down – Evinced contempt for minor dispute : SPAT

2-down – Wanting a beer mat : COSTER

3-down – Weapon offering promise of American woman? : BROADSWORD

4-down – Tunnel of sorts, putting 24 down on a plate of sorts : CARPAL

5-down – Registrar’s pipe : RECORDER

6-down – Land mass held back by Karzai’s Afghanistan : ASIA

7-down – Incomplete command interrupting virgin’s attention to extremities : PEDICURE

8-down – Me neither, on reflection : IRON

13-down – Fundamental problem of stately buildings : PILES

15-down – Ring to secure termination of father-in-law’s dodgy old partition : BERLINWALL

16-down – Gap filled by unknown astronomer : HOYLE

18-down – Celebrity outdoes returning long-distance traveller : SPACEMAN

19-down – Noted rider to tread on bird’s nest, topless : WALKYRIE

22-down – Understand revolutionary interrupting revolutionary : CHEESE

23-down – Bird providing introduction to Petrushka’s sweetheart : PLOVER

24-down – Discounting deception, life is death, ultimately : FISH

25-down – Offspring’s letters returned : SEED

27-down – Unspecified ordinal number restricted by obsolete letter : ENTH