Daily Answers

9-across – Love, old — nevertheless getting into punt : BETHOUGHT

10-across – Part of poem’s affected style of speech and poetic interjection : CANTO

11-across – Endless row backing housing chief’s main descendant : SCION

12-across – Dyed-in-the-wool Conservative spiking Labour, ie swapping nitrogen for oxygen : INCURABLE

13-across – Disturbance makes state chamber musicians tense : PATRIOT

14-across – Like a male ballroom dancer requesting no piano? : LEADING

17-across – Two Russian doll-like articles between freeman and noble : THANE

19-across – See 8 : FOR

20-across – Slight inversion round fang tip preferred by Dracula : NIGHT

21-across – Student’s touching approach? : HANDSON

22-across – Be thankful for indulgent sort at bar : JOBLESS

24-across – Little animal, little weight, littlest one attended by Erica? : GRUNTLING

26-across – The beast within lives for a sartorial feature : LAPEL

28-across – Doctors reckon thousand lost : ONCER

29-across – Lloyd who dithers about love deal? : HOLLYWOOD

1-down – Leggy creature’s independent musical direction : IBIS

2-down – Before court cut short stir-crazy tough : STRICT

3-down – Flowers, jar version, collapsed : JOANRIVERS

4-down – Prejudicial to those getting on revolving stage without electric current : AGEIST

5-down – Line taken by persistent sort : STICKLER

6-down – Slasher’s legacy: second estate? : SCAR

7-down – Flash stuff in Bengal circles : ENABLING

8-down – Finished taming ego of Gordon : GONE

13-down – Pressure put on naff chat shows piece : PATCH

15-down – Lebanon produced and raised New York State’s ultimate old queen : ANNEBOLEYN

16-down – Good shot sorted out invaders : GOTHS

18-down – Article: neuter cat for a fraction of a pound : ANNOUNCE

19-down – Window nut, easily moved : FANLIGHT

22-down – Keep recycling articles as an entertainer? : JUGGLE

23-down – Take on Scouse MP, loyalist at heart : EMPLOY

24-down – See 8 : GOOD

25-down – Salt neutral lake : TARN

27-down – Title song about diamonds : LADY

1-across – Neutered drink at work sent back without a smile : POFACED

5-across – Concealing weapon, did stretch : DISTEND

9-across – Present monarch on holiday? : OFFER

10-across – Gelignite initially captive entered under explosive : GUNPOWDER

11-across – 30 — lime duck : THIRDTIMELUCKY

13-across – Dubious topping of little moment : IFFY

14-across – Miles of Longfellow came in first and is heroic : STANDISH

17-across – One working in theatre becomes redder in the face about corporal punishment : PRODUCER

18-across – Erode resistance of upland under river : WEAR

21-across – Actor : THESPREADEAGLE

23-across – Dress with skill having scope for residence : HABITABLE

24-across – Refuse collector to leave house : BINGO

25-across – Student’s first request for insecticide? : SPRAYER

26-across – Time and cause that never prospers? : TREASON

1-down – Piece of land as pawn to fate? : PLOT

2-down – When to 16 10 26 and 1 down and fob off the vermin with tinkering : FIFTHOFNOVEMBER

3-down – Copper finds unusual poison : CURARE

4-down – Fingers said to be missing third? : DIGITS

5-down – Explosive speech showing possibilities of one in restaurant? : DYNAMITE

6-down – White area over here for second bird in 9 : SNOWLINE

7-down – Dormice with heart reduced cooked in country’s blood suppliers : ENDOCRINEGLANDS

8-down – Racehorse in place of rams? : DERBYSHIRE

12-down – They may mention kills : DISPATCHES

15-down – Work with strings attached on dog, nothing less than the best words : PUPPETRY

16-down – Bring to mind what concerns parliamentarian? : REMEMBER

19-down – What will publicise opening of season : ADVENT

20-down – Chance of good walk? : GAMBLE

22-down – See 18 : DOWN

1-across – Moo from lower player in duet? : SECONDO

5-across – Playing harmoniously, wasting hours with this support : ALIMONY

10-across – Band’s 4 17s : RING

11-across – Two ways round tackling complex issues in evening wear : DRESSSUITS

12-across – Risk engaging nationalist composer : WAGNER

13-across – What’s down-at-heel Solti upset about? Not odd members of sextet : STILETTO

14-across – See 7 : PERPETUEL

16-across – Reportedly studies vibrators for 25 : REEDS

17-across – Some are possibly taken aback by 12’s work : OPERA

19-across – One very wealthy nearly packs 17 house of equal dimensions : ISOMETRIC

23-across – Lead in 12 17 and much else, including Tann­häuser overture : DUTCHMAN

24-across – 12’s Irish girl lives with former principal of ensemble : ISOLDE

26-across – It ends with huge outburst? Bless you : GESUNDHEIT

27-across – Test allegro finale with rallentando intro : ORAL

28-across – Harry Potter stripped etc for group : OCTETTE

29-across – Tenor is German — managed houses for 24’s lover : TRISTAN

2-down – Music publisher fixed price in Dubai, say : EMIRATE

3-down – German in African port stops there : ORGAN

4-down – Encyclopaedist in Germany tried miserably to grasp 10 : DIDEROT

6-down – 18’s sextet, minus 9 : LESSIX

7-down – In piece by 18, Euterpe, volume and tempo vary, new for old : MOUVEMENT

8-down – Having scored, doze off touring gallery : NOTATED

9-down – Arrange tie-ins and mergers to produce 12 work : MEISTERSINGER

15-down – First note after Bach pre­lude removed, cut out? What a let-down : PARACHUTE

18-down – Lemmon finally appears in The Odd Couple as barman : POULENC

20-down – It’s more moving, hence state of audience’s eyes? : MOISTER

21-down – Supreme leader underpins popular state : INDIANA

22-down – Ringed in a cloud shrouding climax to Siegfried : AMIDST

25-down – They’re played by 10 blowers regularly : OBOES

1-across – Ties, possibly black, put in their place : STEINBECK

9-across – His man reformed Jewish law : MISHNA

10-across – Lighted on America : LAMPEDUSA

11-across – Church saint chopped in kitchen : CHIVES

12-across – Invader of systems in river : THACKERAY

13-across – Is setter keeping small boy in Italy? : AMALFI

17-across – Except legal limitation : BAR

19-across – Hermit not quite securely disposed : RECLUSE

20-across – Love a duck! : OATMEAL

21-across – Go down and out as one with fleet? : EBB

23-across – Bird done in way-out jail : TOUCAN

27-across – May taking drug? : HAWTHORNE

28-across – Boy and girl greeting king inside of the people : HILARY

29-across – Part of a horse and a king : PASTERNAK

30-across – Country bird : TURKEY

31-across – Credit increased? : BLACKMORE

2-down – Attempt to keep wood cheap : TRASHY

3-down – Strike is devil’s work : IMPACT

4-down – Little flower to acquire contents of red box : BUDGET

5-down – Tropical plant for making fool in sparkling wine : CASSAVA

6-down – Forger on drugs? : HIGHSMITH

7-down – Knight who sang in French : CHEVALIER

8-down – Male line of country park : MANSFIELD

14-down – Increase a bit at a time in point : PRATCHETT

15-down – Cricket club rules left off : MCCULLERS

16-down – Parliament with unaccompanied messenger : DUMAURIER

17-down – Gathering for busy person : BEE

18-down – Nick the boy? : ROB

22-down – Publicity in fight will make a hole : BRADAWL

24-down – Still interference? : STATIC

25-down – Genocide requires one to leave with backing during concert : POGROM

26-down – It’s not just amusements that won’t start : UNFAIR

1-across – At last censors see cutting of material : SWATCH

4-across – One scheming Darth Vader primarily is ruler over empire on either side : DEVISER

9-across – Han Solo flying around close to Jedi — good fighters in crowd : HOOLIGANS

10-across – Simpson is captured by broadcast turning round for drink : RIOJA

11-across – Swimmer in film, returning at end of Jaws, giving warnings : OMENS

12-across – Toilet breaks with old Higgins: subject of his bet during play? : DOOLITTLE

13-across – Originally, Star Wars has Yoda struggling on the dark side? : SHADOWY

15-across – Flintoff to Ponting, perhaps after line one Australian Fat Lump : LIPOMA

17-across – Star from opening sequence of picture — unusually Luke Skywalker at rest : PULSAR

19-across – Football manager : SEVENUP

22-across – James Bond’s superior said what she’s doing getting a rise? : EMBOSSING

24-across – Repeat crackle regularly in early inspection : RECCE

26-across – Picture that is providing cover for Vogue, perhaps : IMAGE

27-across – Respites in rehab: rest drunk : BREATHERS

28-across – Supervised a midwife in the middle after deliveries : OVERSAW

29-across – Chinese letter translator: Good New Year at home : PINYIN

1-down – Trains in small church — Holland having lost leader : SCHOOLS

2-down – Repent immediately, caught out : ATONE

3-down – Workers here might batter police in quiet part : CHIPSHOPS

4-down – Director George Lucas ultimately turning cheek, taking Oscar loot : DESPOIL

5-down – Court missing from its decision, he noted : VERDI

6-down – Tramp’s son playing like Borg? : SPORTSMAN

7-down – Wanderer picked up in Italian capital : ROAMER

8-down – Hot over river — what it did? : RANDRY

14-down – Outline of a silent figure : ADUMBRATE

16-down – Father against shortened Nessun Dorma, perhaps too much butting in for singer : PAVAROTTI

18-down – Coloured beam from lightsaber finally destroying Obi-Wan : RAINBOW

19-down – Dropped something laid up covered in down : SAGGED

20-down – Princess not included — acceptable to continue : PRESSON

21-down – Actor and daughter, topless pair of writers : DENIRO

23-down – Throws up seat on board : SPEWS

25-down – Like toffee cut inside edges of candy : CHEWY