Daily Answers

8-across – Strong short, a drink : HARAKIRI

9-across – Pressure on China? 13 20 …? : CHUMP

10-across – Possession of learner driver? 13 20 …? : NERD

11-across – Father of mouse drawn to experiment with newts daily : WALTDISNEY

12-across – 1, perhaps, maintaining one is flexible : PLIANT

14-across – Male and female into selective killing, stuffed : CRAMFULL

15-across – As in game? 13 20 …? : JACKASS

17-across – Man, it’s stimulating? 13 20 …? : CHARLIE

20-across – See 13 : QUESTION

22-across – Man in top command : BEHEST

23-across – Film director Sidney runs into opinion not entirely concerned with how much space available : VOLUMETRIC

24-across – Right in touch? 13 20 …? : PRAT

25-across – Vowel: what’s over it surrounding it? 13 20 …? : IDIOT

26-across – Rod graduated? 13 20 …? : DIPSTICK

1-down – Animal, lion, doesn’t get on with a blooming thing : CAMELLIA

2-down – Poet so dull in need of a lift : BARD

3-down – In rising, 13 20 …? 13 20 …? : NITWIT

4-down – This having little inclination, requiring head transplant? 13 20 …? : PILLOCK

5-down – City must support a group of detectives to find where Haigh disposed of his victims : ACIDBATH

6-down – Shattered having contained river, another suddenly emerged : BURSTFORTH

7-down – Charm with a ring, say : APPEAL

13-down – State : ASKASTUPID

16-down – Argument about dog having dropped a long thing that might spoil the carpet? : STILETTO

18-down – Popular viewpoint, for example : INSTANCE

19-down – Poke one’s nose in rotten tin, without manners : INTRUDE

21-down – Turning out good, a perfect situation : UTOPIA

22-down – Company of writers records what Schwarzenegger has exaggerated : BICEPS

24-down – Lay down what’s worth 10 in Scrabble? 13 20 …? : PUTZ

9-across – Better example for capital : UPPERCASE

10-across – Lines coming in through house : VILLA

11-across – Vegetable cooked on ice with some nettles for me, as 22 23 4 said : PEACEIN

12-across – See 11 : OURTIME

13-across – Very small beast – I am surprised : PIGMY

14-across – They happen to female getting round males in US state : PHENOMENA

16-across – Reach, for example, improperly into title deed that was signed by 22 23 4 … : MUNICHAGREEMENT

19-across – … : YORKSHIRE

21-across – Hardbitten type fits into diplomacy nicely : CYNIC

22-across – PM from town in northeast France, companion in the morning to one in German capital : NEVILLE

23-across – See 22 : CHAMBER

24-across – Love our neighbour? : VENUS

25-across – Pints seem to cure that feeling of futility : EMPTINESS

1-down – How’s your father’s odd little dog with exchange of PM? : RUMPYPUMPY

2-down – Apply to God – put in heater to apply paint : SPRAYGUN

3-down – Wanting too much colour to catch editor : GREEDY

4-down – See 22 across : LAIN

5-down – Make a single purchase, then liberate a person : GETONEFREE

6-down – More than a hundred worthy fellows with energy say we shall : OVERCOME

7-down – Crippled by guilt, cease to be a water regulator : SLUICE

8-down – See 7 : GATE

14-down – Old sculptor’s realisation of theory outside the box : PRAXITELES

15-down – Hate figure’s old old shirt mended : ANTICHRIST

17-down – Eliminate desire to see who’s who dramatically : CASTLIST

18-down – Got title, none other, and was hurt : ENNOBLED

20-down – Gorge at home, gate-crashing party : RAVINE

21-down – Animals covering islands formed from land … : COATIS

22-down – … following star up river : NOVA

23-down – Head and shoulders cover : CAPE

1-across – Gents leading light, Marsh : BOGLAND

5-across – Local funny papers drop : CALLOFF

9-across – Hit required outside temperature for animals : STOCK

10-across – Club with hot and cold shock device for those unfit to walk : BATHCHAIR

11-across – Appealing about Penny and Grant’s 12 24 and 19 as well as 6 9 and 20 : COMPLETELY

12-across – Peg wobbled, being topless : HOOK

14-across – Not the sort of operation Hitler went in for? : NONINVASIVE

18-across – Well just like a fall : RIGHTASRAIN

21-across – Monarch’s stage : PUPA

22-across – Fly, ship or load bananas : DROSOPHILA

25-across – Base King Edward, a source of material for writers : STATIONER

26-across – No time for old repair man to become print worker : INKER

27-across – Unusual origins of Newcastle United-style English scorer : LUTYENS

28-across – Predicting the month by a range name : AUGURAL

1-down – Midge possibly lacks nitrogen, having started with topping of banana split : BISECT

2-down – Sombre, grand – like something from a cotton mill! : GLOOMY

3-down – Catwalk Al in IT yearly renders lime property : ALKALINITY

4-down – Obligation to accept independent book entry : DEBIT

5-down – Jaguar, say, almost without assistance on back road somewhere in Europe : CATALONIA

6-down – Hank’s vulgar face about to go : LOCK

7-down – Vocal work or a chamber work incorporating a round : ORATORIO

8-down – Had advance knowledge of elevated king in start again : FOREKNEW

13-down – Prime motivator uses electric source with high-pitched sound to stifle resistance : MAINSPRING

15-down – Unrestricted sign banning bands on public highway? : NOSTRINGS

16-down – Offer to form a union? : PROPOSAL

17-down – Say good works producing fruit : EGGPLANT

19-down – Rogue trader at first lost weight : SINKER

20-down – Blunder into party, turning over drum : BARREL

23-down – Groovy thing looks back : STRIA

24-down – Chinese distance, bearing and course : LINE

1-across – They come with help – that’s the best bit – but ease off : TESTTUBEBABIES

9-across – Oriental feast attended by new queen : EASTERNER

10-across – Red Robin’s commercial tune : ADAIR

11-across – Jeremy’s chains : IRONS

12-across – Relating to story of terrible accident without oxygen : ANECDOTIC

13-across – A number of golds for a like number in the band : TENORSAX

14-across – Beginning and end of months, not the end for most solvers : EMBRYO

17-across – Musical 5 a cipher, say? : FIGARO

19-across – See 22 : ANDSIDES

22-across – Military 5’s work sees Clare returned with Sidney in range : SHORTBACK

24-across – Fine beast losing tail gets caught : MULCT

25-across – One of our 20 shows what to do with virgin soil : DIGIT

26-across – Lib Dem peer with Tory colour : STEELBLUE

27-across – Sodium and thulium includes sodium in opera and song : NATIONALANTHEM

1-down – Branch of tree with flower surrounding hideout for county : THEDISTAFFSIDE

2-down – 5 shortly taking in fool : SASSOON

3-down – Time to bring up covering for certain person of account : TREASURER

4-down – Mad about diamonds and squares : BANDANAS

5-down – Top worker with musical shop … : BARBER

6-down – … originally attending to beast, died : BEARD

7-down – Old player that takes penalties? : EXACTOR

8-down – Chinese lady of the Golden River supplies sour spermaceti : PRECIOUSSTREAM

15-down – Kummel’s no different from honeydew : MUSKMELON

16-down – Look left to take in almost nude and very wriggly creature : SNAKEEEL

18-down – Land of courage or giant-killing : GEORGIA

20-down – 21’s 5 who treated head ill : DELILAH

21-down – This strong man at first must drop 11 old pence if wanting fruit : SAMSON

23-down – Everyone expressing a lot of mild disapproval : TUTTI

7-across – Forlorn hero disheartened, hero of 22 across starts to sniff, saddened : HOPELESS

9-across – Athletic woman, longdistance runner in 22 across : AMAZON

10-across – Most endangered : RAIN

11-across – In a bit of US dough, US composer finds carrots? : INCENTIVES

12-across – Ton of money to pay, a lot of it in 22 across : COFFEE

14-across – Russian in retreat given opening, direct : NAVIGATE

15-across – Pressure shown by Posh enrobed? : DURESS

17-across – One of the 24 across, where a fruit less English died : ALMOND

20-across – A little flower among politically bluebells : CARILLON

22-across – Country finding extreme characters in pad – look away! : BRAZIL

23-across – Seize a vehicle with an automatic starter in district of 22 across : COPACABANA

24-across – These from 22 across, or bananas? : NUTS

25-across – City in 22 across thus following a piece of opera : ARIOSO

26-across – City in 22 across, while revolutionary, running rings round this writer : SAOPAULO

1-down – Christian article cut up, film sheet : POLAROID

2-down – Film director’s thin : LEAN

3-down – Fierce barking which is in 22 across : RECIFE

4-down – Party of 22 across, perhaps, sensual, with a couple of couples entwined : CARNIVAL

5-down – Person holding a card’s a cleaner : BAKINGSODA

6-down – See 10 : FOREST

8-down – Flashback : SECOND

13-down – Supporting actor in Naughty, Naughty Lover : FORNICATOR

16-down – Vegetarian’s first into his food, or city in 22 across : SALVADOR

18-down – Battered tin scoffed by cleaner in charming manner : DAINTILY

19-down – Records girl likes, not including Turner : ANNALS

21-down – A poet embracing love, ready to sail : ABOARD

22-down – Take to crime, seeing the light : BEACON

24-down – Bread to pass up and down : NAAN