Daily Answers

1-across – Which blinding goddess is on a brief holiday? Give up : VACATE

4-across – Sport short dress : FROLIC

9-across – Mr Redding is on the books : OTIS

10-across – Primarily incestuous practice of having sisters as girlfriends, possibly overwhelming : INUNDATING

11-across – Preserve to some degree penetrating wood : EMBALM

12-across – Spend little time in ring and might one get slated? : HOUSETOP

13-across – Delighted women’s liberation doubly evident in advert seeking buxom lady? : ENCHANTED

15-across – What’s to contend with the 1 down 3? : BONE

16-across – Port – what’s between you and drinking it? : CORK

17-across – Bloody savage strangles river bird : REDBREAST

21-across – Nellie or Rocky has fewer friends? : LONELIER

22-across – Schooner as both glass and ship? : VESSEL

24-across – Tin, say, containing a fish 15 : METACARPAL

25-across – 15 found in Dublin Bay every so often : ULNA

26-across – Quiet singer’s 15 : PELVIS

27-across – Hit on plot, which is chaotic : BEDLAM

1-down – Essential compound has energy to squeeze half of tank in : VITAMIN

2-down – Damage a 15 : COSTA

3-down – In growth, I am indebted to 1 down : THIAMIN

5-down – 15 spoke? : RADIUS

6-down – Tree shelters the very agile : LITHESOME

7-down – Comfort the panel : CONSOLE

8-down – Catch this! The corrupt member hit hard, as source of gossip : BUSHTELEGRAPH

14-down – Mixture of soil and earth for plant : HORSETAIL

16-down – Miss features in prize photo : CLOSEUP

18-down – Oyster, perhaps, one born up against how it’s eaten heartlessly? : BIVALVE

19-down – Front 15 I’m not sure under back : STERNUM

20-down – African capital has no name for the crowned heavyweight champion? : KIGALI

23-down – 15 in 22, say : SKULL

1-across – It has a brush with destiny of mortal and immortal : DUSTPAN

5-across – Miraculous execution with potential dangers : HANGING

9-across – Grub – hot stuff’s about right : LARVA

10-across – Amazing mark on goldfish? I’m not sure : MAUSOLEUM

11-across – Cornering movement catching no coppers at first : MONOPOLISATION

13-across – Relative to return after ‘er death : AUNT

14-across – Stuff for puffer in small station without a name : INHALANT

17-across – Return of prizes measure as check to swinging : DOORSTOP

18-across – Voice trial – took part : ALTO

21-across – Such as Cotman and Corot rule out being in the middle : WATERCOLOURIST

23-across – Setter’s thought about six counties being protected : IMMUNISED

24-across – Customary title for primate is a cover : DRAPE

25-across – See 5 : GARDENS

26-across – Eyed sewers near fresh water? : NEEDLES

1-down – Fool gets told off : DOLT

2-down – Legal writer possibly heard as operator with money and gold watch : SIRJOHNMORTIMER

3-down – Oprah’s transformation was astonishing : PHAROS

4-down – Hunter of game getting stick : NIMROD

5-down – Heralds’ coming up for air over the Channel high – nothing in it : HAURIENT

6-down – Pre-Christian revivalist finds a space to rise into light : NEOPAGAN

7-down – In English, six tables per room follow mighty Must from Princess Ida : INEVITABLESHALL

8-down – Doubling stone for single people : GEMINATION

12-down – Having acres on map missing page with street on it : LANDOWNING

15-down – Act unfriendly in the sergeant’s mess : ESTRANGE

16-down – Phenomenal firm, one sadly missed by the States : COLOSSUS

19-down – Capital game preferred by Sir Roger de Coverley to 5 25, 10, 3, 16 and 22 : LONDON

20-down – See 19 : BRIDGE

22-down – Backwater with stupendous statue : ZEUS

1-across – Slid on heel, can’t repair the weak spot : BRHILLES

5-across – See 1 across : TENDON

9-across – Ireland is cleaving Bremner for mocking : IRRISORY

10-across – Theologian has turned to embrace holy man, refined : SADDHU

11-across – Cracked basin the Degas drinkers put down : ABSINTHE

12-across – Councillor to augment outdated nursery provision : CRECHE

14-across – Well done, the solver! That was Erin’s stout assertion! : GOODFORYOU

18-across – Odd! The Guardian’s economist here with unconfirmed reports : RUMOURMILL

22-across – As insincere as a smile from Cheshire? : CHEESY

23-across – A tricky problem: with ie not one calorie in Madame Butterfly’s cuisine : TERIYAKI

24-across – Lamb devotees beginning to eat escargot over here! : ELIANS

25-across – Had I had trouble with Liberal revolutionary, would be affected : LAHDIDAH

26-across – Ascetic wobbling ’til on ‘is stem? Yes! : SIMEON

27-across – See 26 : STYLITES

1-down – Mad dog for one transferred from the Marx oeuvre : BNIMAL

2-down – Elsewhere synods embracing auto-da-fé for this : HERESY

3-down – Not netting around big fish : LOSING

4-down – Mother’s raw material for chicken feed : EARTHWORMS

6-down – Fruit with an evening in Paris: eat English and throw up! : ETAERIOS

7-down – Did Bunthorne shy stone at first travelling folk? : DIDICOYS

8-down – Upstarts? Excuse our havin’ blundered : NOUVEAUX

13-down – Mature tirade about oriental contaminant : ADULTERANT

15-down – See 1 down : CRACKERS

16-down – By what authority? I’m umpire! Out! : IMPERIUM

17-down – How a marathon competitor comes across and collides? : RUNSINTO

19-down – Petty officer can raise a child : TINDAL

20-down – Marianne personified as fantastic broad: a model! : BARDOT

21-down – See 8 : RICHES

1-across – Birds at coves, moving around : AVOCETS

5-across – Even a new boy might be so addressed : OLDCHAP

9-across – Man gets profit at the track – that’s novel : HEREWARDTHEWAKE

10-across – Libertine imbibing good French red : ROUGE

11-across – Publication – one that stands out in a crowd? : SPECTATOR

12-across – Craft to go after love, in short? : COURTSHIP

14-across – Suit to keep in good shape : BEFIT

15-across – Bring forth new arrivals from Jersey or Guernsey, say : CALVE

16-across – Holding back sailor interrupting Communist worker : RETARDANT

18-across – What elder aunt might be? Yes and no! : UNRELATED

21-across – Religious ascetic just takes king in : FAKIR

22-across – Book, as entitled: men ref checks ran off : FRENCHMANSCREEK

23-across – Lots of child’s play in damned odd lessons : DODDLES

24-across – Simplicity of style with pen : MODESTY

1-down – African language chairman mostly translated : AMHARIC

2-down – Book you and I personally like : OURMUTUALFRIEND

3-down – Put inside floral tribute we are then changing : ENWREATHE

4-down – It’s unhealthy to be out of these classes : SORTS

5-down – Immediately in a predicament : ONTHESPOT

6-down – Lived a short time after vulgar uprising : DWELT

7-down – Book depicting male black magic? : HEARTOFDARKNESS

8-down – In theatrical part, blunder over old pantomime role : PIERROT

13-down – Stiff paper used for book : HARDTIMES

14-down – So shameless after a close shave? : BAREFACED

15-down – Audibly let off steam, elated : CHUFFED

17-down – Old jailer in country imprisoning knight : TURNKEY

19-down – Pub that won’t get one stout? : LOCAL

20-down – Tough material dug up : DENIM

5-across – Show reluctance to take drug, being shy : DEMURE

6-across – * Shed a group of stars : LEANTO

9-across – Girl portrayed by artist on the beach : SANDRA

10-across – * Crystals matter to ancient Romans : RAPHIDES

11-across – The sound of one that’s avoided 13 here making escape : FLEE

12-across – Hey, sophist may offer possible explanation : HYPOTHESIS

13-across – Sort of killer in group that is taking the detectives in : INSECTICIDE

18-across – * Around South Africa it’s terribly rainy and dirty : INSANITARY

21-across – In the audience is aware there’s an organ : NOSE

22-across – * French city trip cut short : TOULOUSE

23-across – * Obvious blemish : MARKED

24-across – * The woman’s a nuisance : BOTHER

25-across – * Given food, grumbled : BEEFED

1-down – * Just a little boy : SMIDGEON

2-down – * Draw off first of beer : BROACH

3-down – Ruthless little man in charge grabbing trophy : DESPOTIC

4-down – Spirit provided when a Parisian gets to eat : UNDINE

5-down – * Notion I put out without listening : DEAFLY

7-down – Single drink for someone loved by Tatyana : ONEGIN

8-down – Appeases troubled spirit, a poet : PROPITIATES

14-down – Those who enjoy food available from US recipe : EPICURES

15-down – Boy has bit of dust on frill round neck – or is it this? : DANDRUFF

16-down – Bury silly note doctor provided : ENTOMB

17-down – A broadcast over the radio from tower : ASCEND

19-down – Former cricket commentator capturing crowd with skill : ARLOTT

20-down – Whine when girl’s thrown up on foreign sea : YAMMER