Daily Answers

9-across – Smelly and acne, the best features : HIGHSPOTS

10-across – Tyrone town not good for a city on the Missouri : OMAHA

11-across – Loopy work, note, having lost one time : CROCHET

12-across – Advocate of conflict, losing head fighting, died – stiff : AWKWARD

13-across – Brain, but idle : LOAF

14-across – Liqueur to ruin a pair of trousers? Put back to front : MARASCHINO

16-across – Bird at speed must find concentration : TITRATE

17-across – Dickensian character about to secure victory is fretful : PEEVISH

19-across – Line across moon composed of iron matter : TERMINATOR

22-across – 25’s short dress : GARB

24-across – A horse and sheep, one as a shepherd? : ANAGRAM

25-across – See 3 : ACTRESS

26-across – Small hooter for Manilow, lethal injection? : OWLET

27-across – Trick on track, but not one to voice : CONTRALTO

1-down – See 21 : CHOCOLATETEAPOT

2-down – Topless Italian man with soldier in the dark : IGNORANT

3-down – May I hold your crozier while I perform? Unfortunately she abhors sophisticated taste : ASTHE

4-down – Grass dividing two and two eights? : BOATRACE

5-down – See 21 : USEASA

6-down – Spiralling alcoholic’s requirement, perhaps? : CORKSCREW

7-down – A West African country invaded by a West African country : MALAWI

8-down – See 3 : SAIDTOTHEBISHOP

15-down – Check accuracy of a measurer of bacterial infection : CALIBRATE

17-down – Obscure poet’s written about chief product of decay : PTOMAINE

18-down – Catholic Queen Lisa about to inter murder victim : ISABELLA

20-down – In actual fact I must protest! : REALLY

21-down – A cha cast out? Came out a hopeless disaster, hopeless : ASMUCH

23-down – Bringer of life spread from this name? : STORK

1-across – Over 1,500 ft game sleep on heather, being responsible for 6… : RUDYARD

5-across – See 1 : KIPLING

9-across – … Southern Blues being on top of one another : STORIES

10-across – Rose : TREMAIN

11-across – Sheep do what pigs don’t – 21 in the 6 9 : BUTTERFLY

12-across – Hibernian flag at kick-off : IRISH

13-across – Song that’s pathetic, the appalling swamping the good : DIRGE

15-across – Refuse to start row with former bond holder : EXCREMENT

17-across – Theatre audience has not much weight : LYTTELTON

19-across – Butler : YEATS

22-across – Award, I’m relieved to say, obtained by witchcraft : OBEAH

23-across – Roman emperor’s reported links with American city : CARACALLA

25-across – Chum in the early hours going AWOL, say : ACRONYM

26-across – Involved with entering a plan for a mast : MAINTOP

27-across – Old girl and mother lose out : DAMOSEL

28-across – The church was bold – so was Lebanon : CEDARED

1-down – Immaterial name to call up, it may be gathered : ROSEBUD

2-down – Ancient surveyor turned to pride : DIOPTER

3-down – Caliph’s Kalif initially – English is similar : ALIKE

4-down – Make unfriendly staff dice with management : DISAFFECT

5-down – Diminutive 6 9’s loner to whom everywhere was 3 in the pool : KITTY

6-down – Caesar’s head lies broken in quarry : PRECISELY

7-down – Single periodical without extremes? Fancy! : IMAGINE

8-down – Report composed of 0s? : GUNSHOT

14-down – Ship then called Nomad extended by crocodile in 6 9 : ELEPHANTS

16-down – Home among pottery suitable for 3-D : CINERAMIC

17-down – After a sign, chum spots receiver in 6 9 : LEOPARD

18-down – Proposition or direction divides them : THEOREM

20-down – Brilliant lot of coins in the shrine : ALLSTAR

21-down – Put foot down ready for post : STAMPED

23-down – In 6 9 he got his own back, arrived and left : CAMEL

24-down – See 14 : CHILD

1-across – Shown way to take Mexican snack back and put in place : LOCATED

5-across – Ferry followed 1 down with lout drinking red brew : THEDRUG

9-across – Effective against a cover : VALID

10-across – Prison boat’s failure without second trial period : PROBATION

11-across – Cool when commanding one’s son as a substitute : IMPERSONAL

12-across – Hardly a mummy’s boy? : ADAM

14-across – Noble idea of 1 down gets time on man’s small trial with night off : THESWEETEST

18-across – Sewer reportedly hides small broom : NEEDLEFURZE

21-across – Be inclined to become well spoken : HEEL

22-across – Complaint originally started by two girls : SCARLATINA

25-across – Presley clued Alloa with final twist after 1 down : ALLAROUND

26-across – See 14 : THING

27-across – Modifier or qualifying part of whale : RORQUAL

28-across – Mickey & Sylvia track 1 down with way to roam : STRANGE

1-down – Young hit when nothing’s up? : LOVEIS

2-down – Islamic leader’s state with one pub : CALIPH

3-down – Elizabethan time’s desultory outcome? : TUDORSTYLE

4-down – Drunk from lower well : DIPSO

5-down – A horse was present in this : TROJANWAR

6-down – Dash if leaving once climax is over : ELAN

7-down – Towers in the north : REINDEER

8-down – Colt’s one stung him badly : GUNSMITH

13-down – Patron of restaurant erected in Twin Peaks : BENEFACTOR

15-down – Euphemistically **** off at clue being successful : EFFECTUAL

16-down – See 1 down : INTHEAIR

17-down – Old republican means to exert pressure over old measure : LEVELLER

19-down – Favourite’s wearing revealing dress? : MINION

20-down – Ring for British point of view : BANGLE

23-down – Travels at right time of month : RIDES

24-down – Language provides way to enter universities : URDU

1-across – Oz’s wet blanket makes an impression on American casualty! : WOWSER

4-across – Counterfeit coin? : INVENT

9-across – Recreate over the river : ODER

10-across – Entreaty impossible from Le Tin Man? : CRIDECOEUR

11-across – Was dubious theologian the Unknown Soldier? : SWADDY

12-across – Sour grapes from Modena when black Islamic avenger goes East for a conversion : BALSAMIC

13-across – Tergiversation going for a Burton? But that’s not British! : ABOUTTURN

15-across – Do as you’re told, you old b—, and ring back! : OBEY

16-across – Have daily involvement with the scriptures : VEDA

17-across – In truth, American tramps are given to circumlocution : VERBOSITY

21-across – Art lines badly drawn from William Wallace, were they? : ENTRAILS

22-across – Briefly, the biographer to the Franco-British-Spanish king : AUBREY

24-across – Brewing fifty Grade A tea bags : AGREATDEAL

25-across – High time Will Kane faced Frank Miller : NOON

26-across – Poor assistance for cartographers? : RELIEF

27-across – Recognition proverbially inherent in 20 : REWARD

1-down – See 2 : WIDEWEB

2-down – Mad idea from a bewildered widow; could be available to all for three short weeks! : WORLD

3-down – Steganographer will call for pint measure first : ENCRYPT

5-down – Engraving that is with lines in the negative : NIELLO

6-down – Shakespearian singers at the Coliseum bristle at the Guardian : ENOBARBUS

7-down – Sound sense in church, if replacing sad characters during the day : THURIFY

8-down – He 4-ed the 2 1down, investing Swiss capital in steel rim production : TIMBERNERSLEE

14-down – No corruption with this beneath the signet : UNDERSEAL

16-down – See 12 : VINEGAR

18-down – A touching sight? : BRAILLE

19-down – Strength or depth in the Scriptures : THEWORD

20-down – Soundly chased before losing it, was she? : VIRTUE

23-down – With America supporting opening of Battle of Hastings : BANDA

1-across – : COCKOFTHEWALK

10-across – : UPEARLY

11-across – : SOLDADO

12-across – : ZELDA

13-across – : NUMBERTEN

14-across – : REMIX

16-across – : VENDITION

18-across – : GETSTEADY

19-across – : ELVIS

20-across – : ANTIPHONY

23-across – : BALER

24-across – : MARTINI

25-across – : PALETTE

26-across – : JEKYLLANDHYDE

2-down – : OVERLIMIT

3-down – : KARMA

4-down – : FLYNN

5-down – : HUSHMONEY

6-down – : WOLVERINE

7-down – : LEANT

8-down – : QUIZPROGRAMME

9-down – : DOWNINGSTREET

15-down – : XETOPHILY

16-down – : VIATORIAL

17-down – : INVOLUTED

21-down – : THREE

22-down – : YAPON

23-down – : BELCH