Daily Answers

1-across – Runs a bit in stressful competition : RATRACE

5-across – Community going in opposite directions has to seek to recover : RECLAIM

9-across – Doctor wearing red for dance : MAMBO

10-across – Opening drink in African country, guerrilla leader : BEGINNING

11-across – Green tree’s last branch, half cut, left describing a column : VERTEBRAL

12-across – Time before born seen in regression, year becoming minute : TEENY

13-across – In the air one wing drops off, then on the ground : LYING

15-across – Boy goes round block * : ALDEBARAN

18-across – Dress has come off, clothing no good : CHEONGSAM

19-across – Capital freed from housing agreements, so relaxes : EASES

21-across – Desperate air with extremes of depression — at such a point? : NADIR

23-across – Stuff bachelor put with a Cajun dish : JAMBALAYA

25-across – Point of etiquette may be unpolitic : PUNCTILIO

26-across – Drug blow : SMACK

27-across – Knowing about award, approaching king in sombre fashion : SOBERLY

28-across – Eating endless cheese, Leicester, perhaps : EDACITY

1-down – More gyrating, then little girl stripping : REMOVAL

2-down – How James Bond’s job application began to run smoothly * : TOMCRUISE

3-down – Plant producing laxative contains nitrogen — and nothing else? : ALONE

4-down – Show up, finding Hebridean island in awful mess : EMBARRASS

5-down – Rearing Irish setter * : RIGEL

6-down – Still after criminal — as one should be! : CONSTABLE

7-down – First to attack, be quick : ALIVE

8-down – Germany in the wars * : MEGRYAN

14-down – Dynamo, artistic type almost encapsulating poetical inspiration : GENERATOR

16-down – Standing in throne room, I meditate * : DEMIMOORE

17-down – One supporting emperor raised in a distant land — this one, perhaps? : RASTAFARI

18-down – Has the ability to work * : CANOPUS

20-down – Ringo’s real surname pressed here * : STARKEY

22-down – Turn up carrying drug * : DENEB

23-down – Happy 24? : JOLLY

24-down – Ships are all over the place : ATSEA

8-across – Round outskirts of Luton my fellow passengers and I land? Nearly, nearly : WELLNIGH

9-across – Slowly a serviceman slips into a party : ADAGIO

10-across – It’s dismal, reporting Roman theatres : ODEA

11-across – In years, about 30 — an integer oddly divisible by zero : GENERATION

12-across – Seeks to deceive more than one bank : BLUFFS

14-across – England cricketer bags duck : TITMOUSE

15-across – Middle part of statement’s omitted from free balance : LIBRATE

17-across – They remove evidence of one-age exchange for ’is and ’ers : ERASERS

20-across – Summer in Paris in clubs, right new tie being worn with the others : ETCETERI

22-across – Captain’s obsession to take back state : BOSNIA

23-across – Saw fist broken gatecrashing meeting : SATISFYING

24-across – Endure an ill-mannered fellow : BEAR

25-across – In the money, he’s one wanting to deposit yen : EARNER

26-across – Jollies restricted too warm clothes : THERMALS

1-down – City worth touring when idle : NEWDELHI

2-down – Vessel sending up comedy series? Not half : OLLA

3-down – Eat food and bring up the last traces : TINGES

4-down – Region for Asian prince to hold gymkhana — tele-vised? Contrariwise : KHANATE

5-down – He tells the story about corruption on Scottish island : NARRATOR

6-down – Places whereat to water around the stormy south and places wherein to dry : OASTHOUSES

7-down – Lacking name, Gates’s baby loss adjusters? : WIDOWS

13-down – Get one a profit from knocking down this antique instrument : FORTEPIANO

16-down – Ma scared with ferret running around commercial woodland : TREEFARM

18-down – Rabelais novel may be exalted : RAISABLE

19-down – Mounted on a horse, I had savings — take some : DIPINTO

21-down – Unexceptionally, one invading erstwhile old-time empire : TOAMAN

22-down – Less diminutive horse in nursery found in the final frame : BIGGER

24-down – Documents on female sponger : BUMF

1-across – Previous quality reportedly drawn from stone : EXCALIBUR

6-across – Family enclosed courtyard at old city, one scheduled for a comeback? : KING

10-across – 6 20’s supporters ’adn’t gone astray in currency : ROUND

11-across – Guerrilla strike at island’s volunteers : ZAPATISTA

12-across – Ruling confined captive queen : INPOWER

13-across – Georgia artist spoke effectively, according to some : OKEEFFE

14-across – Sergeant at penal settlement is hot stuff : CAYENNEPEPPER

17-across – With a sort of cough about, a beast of a crossing around Pole is naff : CHEAPANDNASTY

21-across – Revised estimate of how long grass covered small boy … : RETIMED

22-across – … which could be as it should be : MERITED

24-across – Very amusing greeting to housekeeper’s bills : HILARIOUS

25-across – Merchant characters with mouth odour : GOBBO

26-across – Take decoration from garment : ROBE

27-across – False quantity of captains in ceremonial dress : INSINCERE

1-down – Part of phone for a note each — that’s about right : EARPIECE

2-down – Fool gets the chop : CHUMP

3-down – One having affinity with Viviane in the 6 20 tales had problem with fan : LADYWINDERMERE

4-down – Brazier’s work is weird : BIZARRE

5-down – Tick off agent and don’t stand still : REPROVE

7-down – Within limits of popular seating for artists : INSOFARAS

8-down – Extractor of fragments more important in utterance : GRATER

9-down – 6 20’s parent, topless Reformer and writer — are they never going to stop? : UTHERPENDRAGON

15-down – Sailing group in raised parking area keeping clutch out : YACHTCLUB

16-down – Report of Pakistani province and European capital with characteristic manifestations : SYNDROME

18-down – A drop-in arranged for bosses : PADRONI

19-down – Retribution for a bloomer with the wrong end : NEMESIS

20-down – See 6 : ARTHUR

23-down – See 10 : TABLE

8-across – McDonald’s splits make a high cholesterol meal : CREAMTEA

9-across – A cunning plan listened to for some time : AWHILE

10-across – Instant break : SNAP

11-across – Move towards red plant : ADDERSWORT

12-across – So virtue good for this sailor? : SINBAD

14-across – Feline decapitating people dined, then put in chains : CATENATE

15-across – 22 across 17 admitted to even one mistake? On the contrary : SIMENON

17-across – Something French, perhaps, about every third character in large city of a European country : BELGIAN

20-across – 22 across 17 impressing Italian with a great tradition : HERITAGE

22-across – Note: computer accessory detailed, so noted : FAMOUS

23-across – Shocking thing, seeing him fool around with three kings : HORRORFILM

24-across – Second ago : BACK

25-across – 22 across 17 sport peaks : RUBENS

26-across – 22 across 17 car reaching a peak : MERCATOR

1-down – Toast with port : BRINDISI

2-down – Effeminate group : CAMP

3-down – Leave thread : STRAND

4-down – 22 across 17 cross about Warhol with Mozart’s character? : VANDYCK

5-down – 22 across 17 finding fortitude in lover : MAGRITTE

6-down – Friend wraps bit of chicken in, say, something sticky : CHEWINGGUM

7-down – Vampire’s tipple? : CLARET

13-down – Grammatical term written up, I sign books : BREVIARIES

16-down – Golden hair coming down from a lady rhetorician : ORATRESS

18-down – Capital obtained when clubs invested in association : ASUNCION

19-down – Bird that is caught by marines in the briny : SERIEMA

21-down – Book departure : EXODUS

22-down – Bones a capital, that of Finland, dug up : FEMORA

24-down – Supporter’s smile : BEAM

7-across – Home student in game could be a wonder : CHINLESS

9-across – A Zionist group’s weapon : AIRGUN

10-across – Refuse good looker’s wave : BRAN

11-across – Funny business with a cheeseboard: _______________________ , Would he have 20 22 across? : HADCASSIUS

12-across – Parasites in some respectable heads causing division : SLICER

14-across – It’s in the sticks – make haste : CELERITY

15-across – Bird, facetious alternative to 24 down : GROUSE

17-across – Bones made of 12 : RELICS

20-across – Backing instrument, a broken reed, played very badly : MURDERED

22-across – Told to get hold of a salad : CAESAR

23-across – See 11 : BEENOBESER

24-across – See 10 : DISH

25-across – Tree, not from the east, in town with stress, so to speak : ASHTON

26-across – In one variation, runner-up docked in front of spacecraft : NOSECONE

1-down – One in field with knee near ground? : SHORTLEG

2-down – Cleric beheaded in due course : ANON

3-down – The vest from the west : ZEPHYR

4-down – Have I the ability to speak to the masses? : CANAILLE

5-down – Dull fellow with tree that’s queen under ground : PROSERPINE

6-down – Imposing on 22 across’s time? : AUGUST

8-down – Corrupt nobleman from abroad in diocese : SEDUCE

13-down – Business-speak needs sound inside to harmonise : COORDINATE

16-down – Middle Easterner in his element in dance : SARABAND

18-down – That must be Gloria, last work of Byrd, they say : SWANSONG

19-down – Inventor sees game end the wrong way : EDISON

21-down – Any use playing with crowned head? : UNEASY

22-down – I must also say, breaking heart and body : CORPSE

24-down – Get down from here? : DUCK