Daily Answers

1-across – Scold when coming in at minimum speed? : BASERATE

5-across – County administrators? : STAFFS

9-across – Welcome interruption by Pole to relieve embarrassment? : NICEBREAK

11-across – I’m a severe critic of religion : ISLAM

12-across – Very tiresome model in quiet island surrounded by bells : PESTILENTIAL

15-across – Top copy by 10 : APEX

16-across – Coco oil is grand treatment, contextual rather than personal : SOCIOLOGIC

18-across – Dachshund gets the treatment at a party – droop around : SAUSAGEDOG

19-across – The right size for furious reaction : AFIT

21-across – Each round number in forgery is easy : APIECEOFCAKE

24-across – I have business on an island : IBIZA

25-across – Amateur, then, with some blemishes is easy : NOPROBLEM

26-across – See 8 : ITSELF

27-across – Capitals that are small and untidy should be throttled : SCRAGGED

1-down – See 20 : BANK

2-down – Fire with wine : SACK

3-down – Flexible games : RUBBER

4-down – Majority once at county? None in this puzzle? Oh yes there is! : TWENTYONEDOWN

6-down – Means of altering shape : TRIANGLE

7-down – Join the ranks, giant eating liver, etc – it’s easy : FALLINGOFF

8-down – Saint and devil allowed to fly back without breaking ties – it’s easy : SIMPLICITY

10-down – Cook’s ideal – variegated film, always changing colour : KALEIDOSCOPIC

13-down – River with aquatic mammal and tailless wader – so I was there all along! : FALSEALIBI

14-down – Certificates? I issue one shortly, if directed : SECURITIES

17-down – Comprehensive expression of disapproval about heroin : CATCHALL

20-down – How Oberon said he could raise some money? : IKNOWA

22-down – See 7 : ALOG

23-down – In the centre of some of the world’s wonders : AMID

1-across – Gather round old rabbi : FORESTER

5-across – Leaf coated in resin : AMBLER

9-across – The Queen gets money after, too : ANDERSEN

10-across – Ships touring Gulf : BRIGGS

11-across – Once confused about Greek clergyman briefly : CONGREVE

12-across – Litter church : BIERCE

14-across – Take action, win and become established : STRIKEROOT

18-across – Quell yen to rewrite with fluency : ELOQUENTLY

22-across – Game played in backward country : NERUDA

23-across – Fancy material : LOVELACE

24-across – Fortify earl : STEELE

25-across – Bird in flight : STEPHENS

26-across – Endlessly cheek gangster : NERVAL

27-across – Smile about Rose’s odd disposition : GRIERSON

1-down – Father has bad acne : FRANCE

2-down – Equipment to stifle noise : RIDING

3-down – Soldier holds up small painting : SARTRE

4-down – Wearing one out, as for example holding Roman emperor can : ENERVATING

6-down – Doctor runs over stopwatch : MORTIMER

7-down – See female lifting a beer : LAGERLOF

8-down – A bit of salmon put in a sandwich : ROSSETTI

13-down – Publicist gives boy appointment with old king : BILLPOSTER

15-down – Several state: Society’s working : TENNYSON

16-down – Rune redrawn during trip : TOURNEUR

17-down – Glue a lad prepared : GUEDALLA

19-down – The Parisian supported casual worker : TEMPLE

20-down – Speaks without hesitation : SAYERS

21-down – Heartless blessing : BENSON

1-across – Cain or Abel on the road? : MACADAM

5-across – Unaware 1 pound is missing, that’s clear : OBVIOUS

9-across – Painter using ballpoint afflicted with hydrophobia : RABIC

10-across – Telltale disturbance of our trance : RACONTEUR

11-across – See 18 : HALFADOZEN

12-across – See 6 : YARD

14-across – Solid vehicle returned to street, not by a pro, by a learner : SUBSTANTIAL

18-across – 6 x 1 20 winks at 14th non-U housebreaker: they’re equally responsible : SIXOFONEAND

21-across – Ill-directed boast regarding attire : GARB

22-across – See 18 : OFTHEOTHER

25-across – Art’s model? That’s one way to look at it : OLDMASTER

26-across – English lake could give one a turn : EERIE

27-across – Labour could be more than satisfied without the Guardian : SWEATED

28-across – Medal struck without hesitation from stone : EMERALD

1-down – Graham swilling tonic instead of gin? : MARTHA

2-down – Do rough repair on stone : COBBLE

3-down – Girl provided 12 after a month to muddle the small ads? : DECLASSIFY

4-down – Polo competition starts – no score after a month : MARCO

5-down – Musical version of 24 23 : ORCHESTRA

6-down – 1 down’s island is 5 in English measure : VINE

7-down – Musical time kept by viewer : OPERATIC

8-down – Way to apply rouge to both sides at once? : STRADDLE

13-down – A Monday off, bearing 067 degrees, rising like Venus from the sea : ANADYOMENE

15-down – Sore feet in bed did well : BENEFITED

16-down – Linguistic line: that’s how I put on top coat : ISOGLOSS

17-down – University parallel to the pons asinorum? : OXBRIDGE

19-down – Nepalese lady in health resort : SHERPA

20-down – Dog has day at last : FRIEND

23-down – See 24 : HORSE

24-down – Low’s TUC was in the wrong order : CART

1-across – Icy maid on LSD – Why this tune? Knight composed it : LUCYINTHESKY

8-across – In haste, here’s dishonestly obtained pay : HOTFOOT

9-across – Ring’s rubbish for protecting Madame Petite : GROMMET

11-across – One turns to go off a hill : ROTATOR

12-across – Escape by water to begin reference : SEEPAGE

13-across – It’s copped by the star and she’s got a shiner! : SUSAN

14-across – In possession, but in touch : ONTHEBALL

16-across – Restraint shown by character or in speaking : IRONSTONE

19-across – ____ hates Castile – he’d abandoned it : ELCID

21-across – A house I need, if I celebrate houses : EDIFICE

23-across – Actor at table during break hems mum in : CUSHING

24-across – A king repeatedly returns and falls : NIAGARA

25-across – Raise tax in general after energy input : ELEVATE

26-across – See 1 : WITHDIAMONDS

1-down – Understatement – not a dram remains round the edge! : LITOTES

2-down – Prisoner accepts defeat, being in the soup : CROUTON

3-down – Interior of 1 torn badly in soccer cup competition : INTERTOTO

4-down – Keep track of American banker in Europe : TAGUS

5-down – Aged uncle’s retained mechanical memory of a rhetorical question : EROTEME

6-down – Mowgli’s top chum constricted by snake in African city : KAMPALA

7-down – Don’t kiss me, Hardy! – pretence shown by Nelson, say, with unsupported calf, drug injected, in a fib comprehended by everyone else : THERESLIFEIN

10-down – See 7 : THEOLDDOGYET

15-down – Absorbing second best picture : THESCREAM

17-down – Writer’s a dole cheque that’s turned up, folded in intricate ways : ORIGAMI

18-down – vegetable could be in caps, given aspiration : SPINACH

19-down – European back from Japan? : EASTERN

20-down – Piece of armour employed by terrorists in blast? : CUIRASS

22-down – The China Bilingual – first up in treble : ELAMI

11-across – Derby characters put underground in Wiltshire : RAMSBURY

12-across – Ring about back of Western bird : PEAFOWL

13-across – Wing for first part of game : ALAI

14-across – Green peas without a stew appear on tables : EPERGNES

15-across – Put underground part in Crossroads? : INTERSECTION

16-across – Wanting to cry : KEEN

17-across – One hand placed in river : WIMSEY

18-across – London feature – good going after girls : WENCHING

20-across – Wild flower on watch chain : ALBERTCAMPION

24-across – European concoction without European finish : DANISH

27-across – Not drinking pegs : TEETEE

28-across – Seasonal concoction from gull : APRILFOOL

29-across – Pound for book : EZRA

30-across – Indian piece may be followed by the mule : RAGA

32-across – Base rebuilt before legend goes back to bed : SEABOTTOM

33-across – Los Angeles myth reveals the Virgin’s mother’s next door : LYTHAM

35-across – Kin beheaded: I’m over the moon : ELATED

36-across – Devil take the confounded missioners – it was 41 : IMPRESSIONISM

38-across – City agent in 41 said to be past it : DECREPIT

41-across – European, maybe Polish : FRENCH

44-across – The good soldier has to take the oath : ODSO

47-across – Provided one with pet during conception? That would be telling! : NOTIFICATION

48-across – 24 king’s medal achieved in battles : WALDEMAR

50-across – 1, you stupid! : UNIT

51-across – Mad with love, as with something abdominal : OMENTAL

52-across – Right course for a shower of cicadas : RAINTREE

1-down – First of the last’s first part in its second : MARPLE

2-down – Severe as operas in tabernacle? : ASTRINGENT

3-down – Bear decapitation with fatal result : RUIN

4-down – Most of traveller’s hesitation is chalky stuff : GYPSUM

5-down – Get up a letter before being struck : EPRISE

6-down – Did messing about in boats make him cross? : RATTY

7-down – Solver’s worn out, being alone on it : YOUROWN

8-down – Backstreet name : ALLEYN

9-down – The Don’t say I didn’t warn you saloon : LASTCHANCE

10-down – Prisoner naked in the water : LAGOON

17-down – Saw twin seeds beaten : WITNESSED

19-down – Pillow rhyme: I take soundings : POLLSTER

21-down – Look sideways to be sick – best place? : LEERAIL

22-down – Liar without a single fruit : ANANAS

23-down – Acts by classes : PERFORMS

24-down – Happy to back the lead, say : DALGLEISH

25-down – Insurance company’s taken up idiot to do better : SURPASS

26-down – Speaker’s residences : HOLMES

31-down – Subject of expulsion when Greg Dyke came to BBC hospital : AFTERBIRTH

34-down – Painter to put money onto climbing carnivore : TINTORETTO

37-down – Ship’s cook’s utensil : STEAMER

39-down – Wimbledon champion from Devon next year : EVONNE

40-down – What nobody did in a diary about the Irish? : POIROT

42-down – Fines, we hear, managed illness when it came up : RANULF

43-down – Jersey needed for modern Noah? : NEWARK

45-down – Bird of 28 rhyming with big one : SEAMEW

46-down – Say Ah! to follow 41 request for repeat : BISTO

49-down – The atmosphere is 41 in retreat : LAIR