Daily Answers

1-across – Spies return old clubs : SNOOPS

4-across – Sarcastic voice wrong, a little childish : CYNICAL

9-across – Troops are sick aboard large vessel : ARTILLERY

10-across – Bit of atmosphere created by Times — nothing in Mirror : XENON

11-across – Whip has nothing to say : KNOUT

12-across – Detailed review of 90s’ verse : INTENSIVE

13-across – Fire unspecified number entering river topless : ENTHUSE

15-across – Untidy person puts nothing in tin : SLOVEN

17-across – Sleep but refuse to remove hat : NODOFF

19-across – Motorman scrutinised books : AUDITED

22-across – Abbreviates A, B, C … and starts translation : ABSTRACTS

24-across – Racketeer has nothing left : NADAL

26-across – Nothing can top blue plant that produces truffles, say : SWEET

27-across – Suddenly voting her out : OVERNIGHT

28-across – Nothing yellow or blue : NAUGHTY

29-across – Dictate a request : DEMAND

1-down – Hobble with explorer, having lost a lot of weight : SHACKLE

2-down – Old hat with diamonds? Nothing better! : OUTDO

3-down – Executive committee force majority to embrace back massage : POLITBURO

4-down – Wolves’ leading striker has modest potential income at first : COYOTES

5-down – Nothing working for this old bugger! : NIXON

6-down – Australia has many virtues : CONTINENT

7-down – Singer from the South scoring very convincing win : LINNET

8-down – Consider eating nothing, if confused : SENILE

14-down – Intended collection for Middle Eastern philosopher : TROUSSEAU

16-down – Decree when 1 must enter 9 : ORDINANCE

18-down – See 26 : FACTORY

19-down – A mainly serious novelist : AUSTER

20-down – Made weaker when swollen heart transplanted : DILUTED

21-down – Fruit with stems on : DAMSON

23-down – A sick gag : RETCH

25-down – Setter gets up before noon on principle : DOGMA

7-across – Prize sheep get going : STARTUP

8-across – Unconventional country half-swallowed by snake : BOHEMIA

10-across – One who is posh, too : ASWELL

11-across – 16 in French not finished often by Irish : SOUVENIR

12-across – Head of parrot? : POLL

13-across – Transport homework containing round piece of wood for study of 21 : CARDIOLOGY

14-across – Skull, maybe, 11 to 3 25 12 : MEMENTOMORI

19-across – Die after fall, invaded by excursionists : TRIPPERISH

22-across – Girl from 8 could be heard to start 14 : MIMI

23-across – Preserve drink for 16 : KEEPSAKE

24-across – Records of Anglo-Indian currency? : ANNALS

25-across – View from work of 10 in 3 house : OPINION

26-across – Surprised comment good guy threw out : STREWTH

1-down – Sternutation at first — go away! : ATISHOO

2-down – Tory faithful’s trouble: that’s with Europe — no love : TRUEBLUE

3-down – House briefly licensed … : PUBLIC

4-down – … to which appealing, pumps oil out : POPULISM

5-down – Take off statute book and ring again : REPEAL

6-down – Playwright Henry provides jobs for the clergy : LIVINGS

9-down – Review in Le Soir left out points made by desks : ESCRITOIRES

15-down – East — East, not North: North’s part takes one down 10 : ELEVATOR

16-down – Nudge concerning bodyguard? : REMINDER

17-down – Peer upset — one from the other place has time to get in first : PREEMPT

18-down – Rival bird dead? : EMULATE

20-down – Very hot fastener inserted in lump of metal : PIPING

21-down – Preside in court over Eliot’s suit : HEARTS

1-across – A raptor or two produces ecstasy — we all go mad : EAGLEOWL

5-across – Call from the pink for return of some US unions in the blue : YOICKS

9-across – Cross between painting : TRAVERSE

10-across – Ship’s company thus reported one who left it : CRUSOE

12-across – Vulgar and somewhat adhesive … : TACKY

13-across – … doctor is possible criterion : YARDSTICK

14-across – Unit of energy on first base at old solver among kings : KILOWATTHOUR

18-across – The last at first amid vulgar praise : COMMENDATION

21-across – Painter of light held by old king Cole : PORTRAYER

23-across – See 3 : IDIEA

24-across – See 3 : LITTLE

25-across – Cubic man spoken and translated as red : RUBICUND

26-across – Correctly positioned for the pull shot? : ONSIDE

27-across – Thank you initially for embracing embracer with brutal violence : THUGGERY

1-down – Houses in forest at Epping : ESTATE

2-down – Speedy butchers need good cutter : GLANCE

3-down – Film about light: one thousand sheep, for example, desirable extra concept in which I tell it afresh in old king Cole’s words : EVERYTIME

4-down – See 3 : WESAYGOODBYE

6-down – Topless dance has pleasant smell : ORRIS

7-down – Unassailable study about being on the move : CASTIRON

8-down – Grasses in footwear : SNEAKERS

11-down – Holiday finished with significant discovery : BREAKTHROUGH

15-down – Cheating couple with use of stopwatch? : TWOTIMING

16-down – A majority of Juliet’s family have company in American resort : ACAPULCO

17-down – Ex-professor rues time wasted : EMERITUS

19-down – 24 : MINUTE

20-down – Holiday appeal : MAYDAY

22-down – Dominated with lines : RULED

7-across – Trailing badly : RINGTAIL

9-across – Time to forget about time : TOMTIT

10-across – Port running short : DOVE

11-across – Smoother fish : SANDERLING

12-across – Slithers badly with pulpy stuff around : MISSEL

14-across – Maybe claret’s acidic : REDSTART

15-across – An ’orrible place outside port : ORIOLE

17-across – Join with partners at card table : SEAMEW

20-across – Bathe by coastal hazard? : LAVEROCK

22-across – See 12 : THRUSH

23-across – Another broadcast to draw in viewer : HONEYEATER

24-across – Loud hooter : FOWL

25-across – Holy dope with nothing to hide : PIGEON

26-across – Brief love affair making female celebrity : STARLING

1-down – Revolutionary soldiers in repeated word calling attention to emperor : HIROHITO

2-down – There’s nothing good about villain : OGRE

3-down – Modern miss in upsetting experience — so one in distress? : DAMSEL

4-down – One’s present PM’s bringing in end for the Left : ATTENDEE

5-down – Maybe watch someone unimportant : SMALLTIMER

6-down – There’s a place in Middlesex for bowler but not opener : PINNER

8-down – Fun to be had around a new town : LANARK

13-down – Irish politicians always imbibing booze? That’s an inhuman complaint : SWINEFEVER

16-down – John noticed agenda’s fifth item: Unfinished business : LOOSEEND

18-down – We’ll need women in smart TV show : WESTWING

19-down – Girl brought on board to get fish : SKATES

21-down – Lord upset over rising wickedness : ADONIS

22-down – Ball goes into river somewhere by the sea : TORBAY

24-down – Church congregation to go bust : FOLD

1-across – Wants political biopic shown in bar, Oscar contender : BLACKSWAN

6-across – Part of the house acclaimed old movie star : GABLE

9-across – Director and actor taking part in challenge : ALLEN

10-across – Common sense about where Bing and Bob went in 1947 in Hitchcock classic : NOTORIOUS

11-across – Allowed line introducing Spielberg hit : LET

12-across – Absorbing story blends peril with disruption : SPELLBINDER

14-across – Comic strips used without copyright for film texts : SCRIPTS

15-across – Far from average former great actor holding leading part in movie : EXTREME

16-across – Location of many catches, where Jaws was partly filmed : THEDEEP

19-across – Joined in editing page included in cut : SPLICED

22-across – Not a winner this time around? Perhaps on a different occasion : ANOTHERYEAR

23-across – McGraw in boxing movie : ALI

24-across – Partial angle about odd dream for superhero : SPIDERMAN

26-across – Movie star large in reputation : NOLTE

27-across – It was instrumental in making movie that got Holly Hunter an Oscar : PIANO

28-across – Lacking true grit, even retreating across river? Not so : NERVELESS

1-down – Musicians who also made films, unusually able set : BEATLES

2-down – In hall, starting like team of Oscar presenters : ALLSTAR

3-down – Filmed historic event in Washington : KINGSSPEECH

4-down – Debra and others, players on the fringes : WINGERS

5-down – She’s crazy a lot in name part : NATALIE

6-down – Fish in area covered by maker of 3 down : GAR

7-down – Movie agent that’s hugging large comic strip heroine : BLONDIE

8-down – Unfinished Elm Street production in British studio location : ELSTREE

13-down – Crenelation reconstructed for historical epic : INTOLERANCE

16-down – Use part in unconventional way — it’s what many an Oscar winner does : TEARSUP

17-down – Arousing films, for example, using Beethoven’s music, including his fourth : EROTICA

18-down – See 5 : PORTMAN

19-down – More austere in ultimate part, Mirren’s 2006 role : STERNER

20-down – C for Chaplin, say : CHARLIE

21-down – Directors in vehicles, several holding Oscar, finally : DRIVERS

25-down – Feeling of self-importance obvious in The Godfather : EGO