Daily Answers

8-across – Spattering on the hunt : STALKING

9-across – See 5 Down : ASPIE

10-across – Enjoy autumn fag, fooling around, nothing to it : LIKE

11-across – Loud right-winger touring revolutionary country in work of fiction : FAIRYSTORY

12-across – Each funny face OK for child’s play : APIECE

14-across – Summon bean soup maker : SUBPOENA

16-across – Festival conductor is out of control : HAYWIRE

18-across – Play a part following old films beginning with Love Actually : EXFACTO

21-across – Feel resentful? Ask Barnaby! : BEGRUDGE

23-across – See 12 : OFCAKE

24-across – See 10 : FALLINGOFF

26-across – See 10 : ALOG

27-across – Studies involving a group of academics : DEANS

28-across – Indeed, political faction’s gone : DECAMPED

1-down – State of being half high during opiate abuse : ETHIOPIA

2-down – This is not even culture! : CLUE

3-down – 11 and 24 initially surrounded by heap of rubbish : PIFFLE

4-down – Not for profit in promoting The Salvation Army at first : AGAINST

5-down – Yes, a slippery snake that is no trouble to handle : EASY

6-down – Starts to advocate prevention of cancer, perhaps accepting a warding off of evil : APOTROPAIC

7-down – Poles pocketing coin in cell : NEURON

13-down – One king after another getting a writer : EDWARDLEAR

15-down – Here are tickets for fight outside the rink : BOX

17-down – Endorse movement for a day of fund-raising : RED

19-down – After part exchange, pass and gain control : TAKEOVER

20-down – More food in a short while : SECONDS

22-down – Natives of the Sahel and South Africa? : ELANDS

23-down – See 15 : OFFICE

25-down – See 17 : NOSE

26-down – Silly topless crowd : ARMY

9-across – Popular Omani covered up nose : AROMA

10-across – Trim bust in front of Conservative having come to be expected : STATUTORY

11-across – Prolonged emergency – the last part of 6 breaking out : SOSTENUTO

12-across – Repair an electronic item? Correct : EMEND

13-across – ‘More unusual’ place of learning associated with queen, earl and king : UNIQUER

15-across – Blind Faith ultimately deliver when following Sabbath : SHUTTER

17-across – It involves mate getting companion to accompany letter : CHESS

18-across – Remove short pocket : SAC

20-across – Mount of dictator’s fed up : BOARD

22-across – A prior revolutionary queen is like some Ba’athists : PROIRAQ

25-across – Continental fair refurbished toilet : AFRICAN

26-across – A plank across a ship : ABEAM

27-across – One who investigates figures has stamina to be exercised : ANATOMIST

30-across – Sneak off but stop around back of castle in the style of William the First : STEALAWAY

31-across – Macbeth possibly makes comeback in Shakespeare poem : OPERA

1-down – Supports rector going down and stops : BARS

2-down – Prisoner associated with tower plot : CONSPIRE

3-down – Bishop and President having a tot : BABE

4-down – Emperor is in Madrid hosting queen and other rulers : TSQUARES

5-down – Crosses jaw, that hurts seriously in the face : YAKOWS

6-down – Maybe 8 block freezer : CUBENUMBER

7-down – A rook is not so present around New England : HONEST

8-down – Kite maybe caught for English composer : BYRD

13-down – Posh knight better remove hat : UNCAP

14-down – Make clear that engineer can slumber : UNSCRAMBLE

16-down – Heating enabled with this element : RADON

19-down – Charlie perhaps with a scruffy yak being ancient Indian polymath : CHANAKYA

21-down – Functions as nice Royal Society assembly : ARCSINES

23-down – Writer absorbed by dictionary spread out : OPENED

24-down – Repeatedly, starts to quietly walk around former 25 homeland : QWAQWA

26-down – Bohemian, gutless and irritable : ARSY

28-down – It’s an honour to hold doctor’s second instrument : OBOE

29-down – Slice served up for gin : TRAP

1-across – Restraint from some at business after re-organisation : ABSTEMIOUSNESS

8-across – Tip of triangle rotates at what angle, trigonometrically? : THETA

9-across – Down pub drinking first couple of lagers – food served here : SALADBAR

11-across – Public calling for plan : OUTLINE

12-across – Saloon, perhaps getting one local stripped for a Brazilian : CARIOCA

13-across – Stages cricket match every year outside : PODIA

15-across – Anxious bride going off with stud : DISTURBED

17-across – Persistent lawsuit about ecstasy going before bar : CEASELESS

20-across – Against vote on ballot: surrounded by harmful material : TOXIN

21-across – Weary old American wearing hat : EXHAUST

23-across – Dancing escort hugging hard: they get turned on in the dark : TORCHES

25-across – Gets ready: salesperson trims nails : PREPARES

26-across – One marking last bit of paper after school returns : NOTER

27-across – Program on new tablet ultimately freezes in time : APPRENTICESHIP

1-down – Full of excitement as case prepared for holiday : ACTIONPACKED

2-down – Wasted pound found in street : SPENT

3-down – Get rid of acid brought up: eater struggling to swallow it : ERADICATE

4-down – Rather concerned with terrible dates : INSTEAD

5-down – Does crack? Bad luck, son : UNLOCKS

6-down – Cleanse a newborn’s bottom going over the worst bit : NADIR

7-down – Bill to demonstrate locks on case: run through combinations : SHADOWBOX

10-down – Place to take off sports kit after winning : LANDINGSTRIP

14-down – Fast motorbike maybe passing on corner? : DEATHTRAP

16-down – Chancellor of the Exchequer supporting unqualified bankers in autumn statement : UTTERANCE

18-down – Gut reaction, ultimately admit love at the start : ENTERON

19-down – Some in ISA to shift money for online investment : SATOSHI

22-down – Top protective equipment? Query oddly missing stocks : UPPER

24-down – Irritation to be under husband’s thumb : HITCH

9-across – Cut disease with unlimited money : TBONE

10-across – Odin’s hall after being renovated : ALLFATHER

11-across – Jump from £1,000 plane close to France : GRANDJETE

12-across – British Jack leaves pudding in stomach : BELLY

13-across – Church has real trouble with saint 29 : CHARLES

15-across – Proposition me with other design : THEOREM

17-across – Ball game’s chaotic conclusion : OMEGA

18-across – : ILL

20-across – Decided to put page in dictionary? About time : OPTED

22-across – Who’s moved by Heather crying? : HOWLING

25-across – Woman completes 29 + 18, the spoilsport : KILLJOY

26-across – Quickly eats starter of fish during unhurried retreat : WOLFS

27-across – Standard book on furniture : BENCHMARK

30-across – Child’s hero in Paris on vacation with clergy : PREACHERS

31-across – Ashley Olsen, say, bored by American writer : TWAIN

1-down – Male model to talk about mirror : STAG

2-down – Schedule tax on electronic till : ROTAVATE

3-down – Conduct metal : LEAD

4-down – Was Keir wrong to steal Tory leader’s sports equipment? : WATERSKI

5-down – Most unhappy footballer drilled by head of Leeds United : BLUEST

6-down – Bride’s excited by ring during dance with attractive young lady : BARBIEDOLL

7-down – Perhaps Ahab’s wife is more healthy : WHALER

8-down – Photograph of gunners surrounded by axes : XRAY

13-down – Ministerial material? : CLOTH

14-down – Creature can feel it’s evolving : LEAFINSECT

16-down – Setter’s covering three quarks in a neutron – confused? : MUDDY

19-down – Portrait to hang over 29’s head : LIKENESS

21-down – Wonder that not even Juliet married a prince : TAJMAHAL

23-down – Former F1 commentator, one not going by car? : WALKER

24-down – Large cup for a small mouth? : GOBLET

26-down – Cried over exercise, putting on weight : WEPT

28-down – Son goes to the basement in closed buildings : HUTS

29-down – Royal family’s supported by government : KING

9-across – Ace airman flying goods across the ocean : AMERICANA

10-across – King gets into honky-tonk? It’s a long 25 : DRIVE

11-across – Onset of soldier’s suffering, one getting 25 : SHELL

12-across – Rotten sneak given fleece clothing material : SNAKESKIN

13-across – One may get 25 of tequila at first, tucking into a salad ingredient : ACTRESS

14-across – Having trouble, handles boring idiots heartlessly : INAMESS

17-across – Reporter’s disdainful utterances for a 25, say : BOOZE

19-across – Themed bar even places 25 to be taken from here : TEE

20-across – Imitation gold put back by salesman : REPRO

21-across – Subdued clothing a model from the 1910s changed : MUTATED

22-across – Written method poorly grasped by Bank of Scotland : BRAILLE

24-across – Sweet confection, or an Emmental sandwich? : SWISSROLL

26-across – Big 25 in band pocketing millions : SMASH

28-across – Someone like Lenin kept in check by firm beliefs : CREDO

29-across – Ageless English politician carries gun around : EVERGREEN

1-down – 24 downs in the face, perhaps, or 25s in the arm : JABS

2-down – Get 25 of Charlie on plane tours : REJECT

3-down – Maybe 25 put in air by cricketer, almost : FIELDEVENT

4-down – Cordial nitwit admitted to not having changed gender? : CASSIS

5-down – Where 25 is put, perhaps weekly : MAGAZINE

6-down – U2 member pollarded row of privets, say : EDGE

7-down – Truck laden with case of Moselle – it’s a 25 in the arm : PICKMEUP

8-down – Director’s angle 25 not good : LEAN

13-down – Almost totally wrong place to put 25 : ALBUM

15-down – Praise gas supply under a ventilation system : AIRPASSAGE

16-down – What a good 25 may do, or 20 : SCORE

18-down – Long 25 succeeded? I had to cut part of archer’s target : OUTSIDER

19-down – Cheers policeman arresting European pond life : TADPOLES

22-down – Rubbish poet not half getting a 25 in the arm : BULLET

23-down – Big 25 in artistic songs, we’re told : LEADER

24-down – Note label of designer garment : SOCK

25-down – Dipso guzzling hard liquor, say : SHOT

27-down – Characters hiding in patch in the shade : HINT