Daily Answers

1-across – Perhaps a few nods welcome the return of agreement in that poet­ical subject of uncert­ainty : THEAKONDOFSWAT

9-across – Left admits Palestinians getting abused : EXPLOITED

10-across – Compiler’s rights to unwrap the third gift : MYRRH

11-across – Hourly hospital examination : HORAL

12-across – Scholar to get creative here : ARTSCHOOL

13-across – Lives eating university leftovers : RESIDUES

14-across – Slipper itself : SPRITE

17-across – Flights with no pilots in the squadron escaped : DRONES

19-across – It’s unspoken, but legal after 14 : IMPLICIT

22-across – Misleading foresight where oral examination is inadvisable : GIFTHORSE

24-across – Some rejected ritual baths as played in 23 ceremony : TABLA

25-across – Once an inmate in lab now? : EXCON

26-across – 23 town perplexed by mystery : WHODUNNIT

27-across – Mr Fixit is a nasal irritant : TROUBLESHOOTER

1-down – PhD questions : THETHIRDDEGREE

2-down – Becomes invalid and dies : EXPIRES

3-down – Learning to reposition a boat with new hooter on board : KNOWLEDGE

4-down – Shells for loonies : NUTCASES

5-down – Every second counts identifying advance air strikes by a quirk : ODDITY

6-down – Nobel laureate up a tree : SUMAC

7-down – Man of faith in the middle of the road? It’s logical : APRIORI

8-down – A car, not small talk about other right performer : CHELSEATRACTOR

15-down – Communist leaders applying central cure to one disease, consumed by another : POLITBURO

16-down – Flying insects and flightless birds : EMPERORS

18-down – Major say in bid, insurance company leads : OFFICER

20-down – I can’t be bothered with the government : CABINET

21-down – Lay it on thick with a Welcome to the bistro! Welcome! : TROWEL

23-down – Man of faith greeting name-dropping upstarts : HINDU

1-across – Tory rebel worse off with Miliband, an uncomfortable diagnosis : IRRITABLE

6-across – Twelve there, twelve back : NOON

8-across – Ex-minister loves to replace articles with a line that’s feeling moody? : HORMONAL

9-across – Get the better of the twerp from Balliol, say : OUTWIT

10-across – Baby bird with canary, gyrfalcon and egret’s wings : CYGNET

11-across – Friendly minister not convinced by his own identity? : AMICABLE

12-across – On reflection, that is left, not right : ITSELF

15-across – See 1 : SYNDROME

16-across – Valve hit, high-pitched note coming in : STOPCOCK

19-across – Organ in song hoisted up : LIFTED

21-across – Pompous speech minister has dashed through : HARANGUE

22-across – House not entirely accepting animal sport : BOXING

24-across – Minister managed to overlook a rule : GOVERN

25-across – Awful slut I was, in some cases : LAWSUITS

26-across – Biblical character in Joshua sent reeling : ESAU

27-across – Tell twice one’s alone : SINGLETON

1-down – A hunted-for key? : IVORY

2-down – Cameron’s foreign affair : ROMANCE

3-down – Principle that can do a U-turn? : TENET

4-down – Ex-minister covering commercial songs : BALLADS

5-down – Parliamentary proposal written in detail, even parts provoking strong feeling : EMOTIONAL

6-down – Old fart in reactionary, unjust : NOTFAIR

7-down – Standard Italian coastal region a non-starter up in Rome, perhaps? : ORIFLAMME

13-down – Shape great among many quadrilaterals : TETRAGONS

14-down – Affairs involving great leader go up for punishment by the whips : FLOGGINGS

17-down – Raised up walls in behind a flat surface : PLATEAU

18-down – Where to find a crackpot like Mr Putin, ultimately? : KREMLIN

20-down – Two Tories in pursuit of the inedible : FOXHUNT

22-down – See 1 across : BOWEL

23-down – It’s unacceptable, however you look at it : NOTON

9-across – Good and early, mist dissipated, getting hot : GOLDSMITH

10-across – Way to embrace partner, kicking back : SWIFT

11-across – Perform opera on the radio : SYNGE

12-across – Don’t stop the games — run hard : PERSEVERE

13-across – German sportsman losing his last races : BECKETT

14-across – Disgraces from French capital : DEMEANS

17-across – Adult put on old tights in part of Bible : HOSEA

19-across – Second home’s function : SIN

20-across – Transport covers for cycle : JOYCE

21-across – Running around, university fellows needing answer for unknowable things : NOUMENA

22-across – Tory bigwig’s heir on throne : JOHNSON

24-across – Paparazzo stalking the Royal Family might get this condemnation : PHILIPPIC

26-across – M’s successor put back in Bond film with English warplane : DRONE

28-across – Rather large — and large in the middle! : WILDE

29-across – Work to bestow titles like Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary? : DUBLINERS

1-down – Military leaders having fun : AGAS

2-down – Up 1-0, Celtic’s wingers coming round for treatment here : CLINIC

3-down – State in US behind judge imprisoning the First Lady : ASSEVERATE

4-down – Crown to go with favourite fur cape : TIPPET

5-down – Woman pushing up bottom : SHERIDAN

6-down – Key passage without its opening note : ISLE

7-down – With illumination, English artist’s given lines of poetry, say : LITERARY

8-down – One leaving yeast to cook — it’s swelling : STYE

13-down – What breaks censorship? : BEHAN

15-down – Guerrillas mostly leap about, cracking head with loud noise : MUJAHEDDIN

16-down – Member of acting family observed when drunk : SHEEN

18-down – Performing duty, slip in an embarrassing manner : STUPIDLY

19-down – Take flight that’s packed in the Kent area : STAMPEDE

22-down – Actor’s business and current account’s broken into : JACOBI

23-down – Perhaps crawl right to the bottom : STOKER

24-down – Man and wife tucking into roast : PAWN

25-down – Like some cakes rising at the start of a month : ICED

27-down – 7 composition not beginning in language of 29? : ERSE

1-across – Lovely lady, one hot and smothered with butter? : CRUMPET

5-across – Large wraps just irresistible for starters as Tex-Mex food : FAJITAS

9-across – Two rivers drier : AIRER

10-across – Bottom trapping bubbles was full of hot air : BLATHERED

11-across – Colonists after top with tear, as garment : CAPRIPANTS

12-across – Someone singing scales on this : BASS

14-across – 19 24, say? : NUMBERPUZZLE

18-across – A newspaper has absurd revamped covers, so stupid : DAFTASABRUSH

21-across – Neat curio, odd bits removed in case of sharp objects : ETUI

22-across – The place to be with teaser after messing around : WHEREITSAT

25-across – Start with four cracks in synthetic blades : ASTROTURF

26-across – Judge silverback ’umongous? : GAUGE

27-across – Particle that is showing disease in sheep : SCRAPIE

28-across – All those who came go away : TURNOUT

1-down – Space for the clergy not entirely accidental : CHANCE

2-down – Mint in pure green : UNRIPE

3-down – Nice fact : PARTICULAR

4-down – Part of one’s leg slightly raised, one pinned : TIBIA

5-down – Fawner primarily, the second of two queens is a bootlicker : FLATTERER

6-down – Looking? : JOHN

7-down – A devil endlessly covering centre of piazzas in mosaic paving : TERRAZZO

8-down – Avoid seconds, despite being unsure : SIDESTEP

13-down – Shooter nursing leg when shot : GUNSLINGER

15-down – Nothing in lesser and greater bodies of water for building on water : BOATHOUSE

16-down – Doctor beginning with endoscopy in treatment of nasal glands : ADRENALS

17-down – In a state of anxiety, having a bet : AFLUTTER

19-down – Say the material for Sitting Bull’s bloomers is fake? : PSEUDO

20-down – The way Christmas tree tinsel is partially visible : STREET

23-down – Judge it ready again : REFIT

24-down – Successful manoeuvre sees military leader winning : COUP

7-across – Praise a storage medium with energy drink inside : ACCOLADE

9-across – With following surprising score it’s out of our hands : ESCROW

10-across – Ultimately, England home before their postcards: relatives hide : DEER

11-across – Lost Stevie G in poor showing : TELEVISING

12-across – It’s used to pull women in closed boozer : TOWBAR

14-across – Repeats Italian scores around English : ITERATES

15-across – Playing with Pirlo as star : POLARIS

17-across – Rather late to drop wingers — one can shoot : ATRIFLE

20-across – Like mischievous conduct? Close to Manaus, training site is hot : SCAMPISH

22-across – Get good 10? Italian legend : BAGGIO

23-across – Concerned with the runs in one area, old Roy Hodgson initially worried : DIARRHOEAL

24-across – See 10 : SKIN

25-across – Do take off — Cole’s gutted : FLEECE

26-across – They get hot in sun chasing lead? : ELEMENTS

1-down – City church to house master’s old image of Christ : ECCEHOMO

2-down – Film type of girl essentially turned on at the start : NOIR

3-down – Right to divide dodgy gear — stocking up with one? : GARTER

4-down – Most agitated keeper conclusively struggles in goal : NERVIEST

5-down – Sport sacking with tie lost : ICESKATING

6-down – Dive over nothing and waste time : LOUNGE

8-down – Sweet European girl : ECLAIR

13-down – Worth going down in this exchange? Take score and extra time : BEARMARKET

16-down – Main part for viewer, hard to watch for audience : IRISHSEA

18-down – Left first class, back to England, home to get attacked : LAIDINTO

19-down – To him, even missing finals is appropriate : THIEVE

21-down – Relax, Italy, it’s hot : CHILLI

22-down – Post covered by Balotelli, ball’s hoisted : BILLET

24-down – Soaks up sweat : STEW