Daily Answers

9-across – Slow runner, say, the French salute : TRICOLOUR

10-across – One second and a half behind at racetrack : IMOLA

11-across – Extraordinary lack of furniture : NOTABLE

12-across – Plant pot has value, though chipped : MUGWORT

13-across – Travel in pale truck : WAGON

14-across – One following a subject forecast securing a very low grade : PREDICATE

16-across – Students ritually find riotous gig still rocking : LITURGIOLOGISTS

19-across – What Valentine was given isn’t a funny cover : SAINTHOOD

21-across – Material I am given to study : DENIM

22-across – X, King of Scotland : MALCOLM

23-across – A terrible beat, out of order for dance : LAMBADA

24-across – Cat in part of pound : OUNCE

25-across – Thrills with prostitute, that’s what gets biker going : KICKSTART

1-down – For Swan Lake demonstration, pools need digging – getting stuck in may be turned to advantage : STONEWALLS

2-down – Be drunk on the bench? Keep still : SITTIGHT

3-down – Thief’s short name : ROBBEN

4-down – Writer’s fondness for fine fabric : LOVE

5-down – Confined vehicle took me over valley : TRAMMELLED

6-down – Keep talking to the police : SINGSING

7-down – See 1 : DONOTA

8-down – 4’s weapon encountering low resistance : DART

14-down – See 1 : PRISONMAKE

15-down – Medicine sample sot’s drunk : EPSOMSALTS

17-down – Considered caging big beast not at first in short supply : RATIONED

18-down – Dismiss rule about goal area : SENDAWAY

20-down – One’s country : ISLAND

21-down – Prosecutor put on false personality to get silk : DAMASK

22-down – See 8 : MOOR

23-down – See 4 : LACE

1-across – Flower’s a boring plant in US soil : MARIGOLD

5-across – One following the other team : TANDEM

9-across – Vehicle’s on both sides, too : LANDROVER

11-across – Food warning’s pointless : BACON

12-across – Sort of short phrase about love’s marksman : SHARPSHOOTER

15-across – Premier at turning press down : TAMP

16-across – Incidental call for a late start : OCCASIONAL

18-across – Drink that toasted Latimer? : BLOODYMARY

19-across – Girl’s failing : MISS

21-across – Engaging gear in intent to travel : ENTERTAINING

24-across – Excuse about day off one improvised : ADLIB

25-across – Sailor’s shanty: MacDuff : YACHTSMAN

26-across – Still holds the French team : ELEVEN

27-across – Quiet villain has look-in as a preliminary : PROLOGUE

1-down – Soft centre’s left in : MILD

2-down – Little bit of litter : RUNT

3-down – Nepalese express surprise at King Mat turning up : GURKHA

4-down – Disagreeable firm in the City? : LIVERYCOMPANY

6-down – Food for Rambo is a problem : AMBROSIA

7-down – It involves serving at sea : DECKTENNIS

8-down – Stones’ fan? : MINERALIST

10-down – Train fare from here : RESTAURANTCAR

13-down – Firm friend on the same team : STABLEMATE

14-down – One thousand count in extra plant : IMMORTELLE

17-down – Fertile, about to act and charming : ADORABLE

20-down – Drop in sections against illegitimacy : INSTIL

22-down – Initially sad face is complacent : SMUG

23-down – Bent on a bob? : KNEE

1-across – In the main, worms knocked back single drink : PALOLOS

5-across – Name withheld from rough comedian : GAGSTER

9-across – A musical 12 felt one’s collar : ELTON

10-across – Nigel’s fantastic club in Los Angeles : INGLEWOOD

11-across – Pirate getting to follow a socialite down under : SILVERTAIL

12-across – See 21 : JOHN

14-across – Floor makes an accusation; heard leaks in the paper : DECKLEEDGES

18-across – Where, in Paris, victory secured existence for the boundless Proust, bearing potential fruits : OVULIFEROUS

21-across – This mineral’s down the toilet : BLUE

22-across – A legal 12 goes after Harris, capturing united Germany for theirtheologian : RUDOLFOTTO

25-across – A Dominican 12 : PATRICIAN

26-across – Entertainer Michael would be more or less for this sporting 12 : BARRY

27-across – North American girl taking cocaine thus : NASALLY

28-across – A 12 of the Church, religious leader during plague : PRESTER

1-down – Request return of record at leisure : PLEASE

2-down – A merry 12, to tell it as it isn’t : LITTLE

3-down – Idolise Len, maybe, for application to woodwork : LINSEEDOIL

4-down – A passionate 12 briefly is and isn’t : SAINT

5-down – Bill in Rome to make fruit tree go round : GUGLIELMO

6-down – An arty 12 in Cobbett’s London? : GWEN

7-down – Diligent, even if inexact : THOROUGH

8-down – Loose ends sure to cause bad manners : RUDENESS

13-down – Live with a female in animal’s home in Uncle Remus story? : BEASTFABLE

15-down – Lack of judgment? Ethnic rights wallahs, as expected, admit it : CREDULITY

16-down – Copper leg gets a grip : BOBBYPIN

17-down – Another arty 12 dealing blow to university down under? : AUGUSTUS

19-down – Adopt tactic to reduce insurgent troops bit by bit : ATTRIT

20-down – Mystery figure in the arbour is a manufacturer of missile launchers : BOWYER

23-down – Happy to have first to confess : OWNUP

24-down – Juliet poorly portrayed by an acting 4 12 : JILL

1-across – Infamous robber’s, one both sides accepted, born despicable person and sissy : BIGGIRLSBLOUSE

9-across – Beast at Newgate : OLDNICK

10-across – Meat dish cut with disgusting filling, non-starter : GOULASH

11-across – As was Lord Archer, doing well, but lost head : LYING

12-across – Always drink in question where grass is grown : HAYMEADOW

13-across – Island covered in black stuff also featured highly : COSTARRED

14-across – Taunt wolf : SCOFF

15-across – William stole, going back to America : RUFUS

17-across – Suffering with unfortunate face-lift, heading for dentist : AFFLICTED

20-across – If you want thick, get this: right lot of racists admitted to their problem? : CORNFLOUR

22-across – Roll island over after little time : TABLE

23-across – Jaw’s got rearranged by John Prescott : TWOJAGS

24-across – Bird finds nut with top : PELICAN

25-across – See 8 : HAIRBLOWNABOUT

1-down – Lacking identity, adapt idiotic celebrity to such beastly impulses : BIOELECTRICITY

2-down – Almighty faculties for birds : GODWITS

3-down – Something which clarifies tenor’s admission to female? : ISINGLASS

4-down – See 8 : LIKEHER

5-down – Astonished to see mad guy clutching sweetheart asleep? : BUGEYED

6-down – Body producing seed as love you garbled : OVULE

7-down – Difficult person’s average constituents? : SOANDSO

8-down – As 23 : THEWIFEDOESNOT

14-down – Trace Incas struggling to embrace cash register : SCINTILLA

16-down – Previous name of island Quito lost to sucker in short raid : FORMOSA

17-down – Waking after drinking party, topless : AROUSAL

18-down – For the record, a winner’s first on the front foot : FOREPAW

19-down – On top of business, explorer raised a quid? : TOBACCO

21-down – Style of British leader, which is exchanged for French : FLAIR

7-across – Half Henry in novel soil : BESMIRCH

9-across – Article, the right thing to wear : ANORAK

10-across – Just one : FAIR

11-across – Animal writer puts happiness first : JOYADAMSON

12-across – Very narrow opening for scruff : SLOVEN

14-across – Cheers a Guardian : APPLAUSE

15-across – Rip-off around pump? : PARISH

17-across – Archbishop’s solution : ANSELM

20-across – Timekeeper on final bend : PENDULUM

22-across – Scottish personality not in high fashion : BASELY

23-across – Rock musician gets a dollar, first to last : CHUCKBERRY

24-across – Name and number : MANY

25-across – General’s pulse : LEGUME

26-across – Sporting officials put the wrong pole at the end of the loch : LINESMEN

1-down – Rapidly calculating for a short time – long time’s a failure : TERAFLOP

2-down – Resurrection of old poem by chieftain : EMIR

3-down – Trusty worker or horse : TROJAN

4-down – Exposed to drugs, having reclined outside : LAIDOPEN

5-down – People like Cassandra’s emotional state raised by mystery author : DOOMSAYERS

6-down – Well-known top and tail of a mouse : FAMOUS

8-down – Colour up in bed for the time of your life : HEYDAY

13-down – Accurate translation from Ovid cures one : VERIDICOUS

16-down – Sailor’s complaint of his food? : SALTBEEF

18-down – Pretend to be sick and remain undergraduate : MALINGER

19-down – Gypsies raised on a pound, which is unprincipled : AMORAL

21-down – Repeats of city weeders : ECHOES

22-down – Climber, thin, holding the line : BRYONY

24-down – Nuts on the boat : MAST