Daily Answers

9-across – Repeat of tea dance : CHACHACHA

10-across – State follows Conservative line, taking steps : CONGA

11-across – One’s driven by double-cross : SCREW

12-across – Showing extract, found a mage dancing with sound : UNDAMAGED

13-across – Dance: it’s located a couple in front of hotel : FOXTROT

14-across – As colour is applied, wiping a circle about the mouth : OSCULAR

17-across – Puzzled? Boatman might be : ATSEA

19-across – Tot cycling with guardian : DAD

20-across – Either way, one keeps house : MADAM

21-across – Ran out of funny Charleston costume : CLOTHES

22-across – It’s used by a keyboardist to select a partial inversion : CELESTA

24-across – Settings for plates of say fish, pork and beef but not sheep’s heart : PLACEMATS

26-across – Equalises score: taking on Latin, they cover the floor : TILES

28-across – Uncovered belly-button on return of American Smooth : SUAVE

29-across – Uniting against virus: hospital department : CONFLUENT

1-down – Performs in musical with key lifted : ACTS

2-down – Table of maxima – their index, not their contents : MATRIX

3-down – It’s taken before dressing with mixed herb – so what? : SHOWERBATH

4-down – Secret order caught copper over limit, initially getting time : OCCULT

5-down – Rock ‘n’ Roll dad, housekeeper : LANDLORD

6-down – Ballas, Revel Horwood, Du Beke and Mabuse initially make a racket! : SCAM

7-down – Showed cold symptoms and, having displaced fever initially by force, got cosy : SNUGGLED

8-down – Clap kids with no limits set : LAID

13-down – Foreign capital in candid report : FRANC

15-down – Strictly Come Dancing, with first of personalities on telly : COMPLETELY

16-down – Spooner’s last to show sign of hesitation: Boatman lifted in dance : RUMBA

18-down – One hiding on board tug, one overwhelmed by wave : STOWAWAY

19-down – Separation is central to posture in Foxtrot, perhaps : DISTANCE

22-down – Claudia gutted over error: no risks taken here : CASINO

23-down – Argentine Tango: even parts of it can be read symbolically : SILVER

24-down – Plans hop-skip steps for dance : PASO

25-down – Some achieve Samba days before : EVES

27-down – Tess represented series : SETS

7-across – Topples in shortened pants : DETHRONES

8-across – Criminal following X-Man? : FELON

9-across – Works in ointment to stop case of fleas : FUNCTIONS

10-across – Radio Four’s back on air : TUNER

12-across – Witch doctor in Guinea exhausted after migraine oddly : MGANGA

13-across – Obsessive sibling welcoming year in therapy : ANALYSIS

14-across – Isaac Hayes initially confused about piano mute? : APHASIC

17-across – King touring desert in chopper : CLEAVER

20-across – Relish chicken pad thai regularly : CAPONATA

22-across – Bouncer in row about horse? : TIGGER

24-across – Try first-rate drug : CRACK

25-across – Tory ended up admitting motorway declared dangerous : CONDEMNED

26-across – Bryan Singer’s boat : FERRY

27-across – Be subjected to terrible Mud encore : COMEUNDER

1-down – Crossbar broken by headers from Erling Haaland is put up again : REHUNG

2-down – Revolutionary Chinese New Year for each part of Russian Federation : CHECHNYA

3-down – Stallion stripped off for girl of 19 : LOLITA

4-down – Green is one with secure seat : BEANBAG

5-down – Grace Kelly ultimately supporting lover with tango : BEAUTY

6-down – Worried voices about the heart of Manchester United : COHESIVE

11-down – Nick Drake essentially in love : NAIL

15-down – Writer covering match in the shade : PEAGREEN

16-down – Tax-free vehicles concealed by Lisa Stansfield : ISAS

18-down – Barney Rubble’s opening a Nutmeg cryptic : ARGUMENT

19-down – Author served up very fine port : NABOKOV

21-down – 24 across getting awards : OSCARS

22-down – Ordered secure document for auditor : TIDIED

23-down – Heart of Mexico’s team : ELEVEN

1-across – Borrow 5p and settle up with poor children’s entertainer : SPONGEBOB

6-across – See 4 Down : BUCK

8-across – Prophesy when fear has worn off : FOREWARN

9-across – See 1 : SQUARE

10-across – Sacred sound throttled by drunken Englishmen as brass band played? : TIDDLY

11-across – Wally’s better paper : FOOLSCAP

12-across – Bond, that fellow in a dress abandoning ship : ADHERE

15-across – Dreamy ingredients initially needing a stir? That’s wrong – it’s already been done! : READYMIX

16-across – See 10 : OMPOMPOM

19-across – Musical event: it’s closed in when dancing : SILENT

21-across – Dark quality in family eases, oddly : INKINESS

22-across – Musical work a player’s taken back to the beginning? : DACAPO

24-across – Beyond a kiss? : ACROSS

25-across – Like geese I ensnare, in a flap : ANSERINE

26-across – See 4 Down : ONES

27-across – Noble lot in old river cutting through isle : DOGOODERS

1-down – European country, speaking for its people, unanimously taking part in uprising? : SUOMI

2-down – Late, more than a couple of Italians : OVERDUE

3-down – Like a plot, might one say, that’s thickened? : GRAVY

4-down – Value in financial institution maintaining good bonus? Force to change : BANGFOR

5-down – Acts of generosity in article penned by peerless members of parliament? : BESTOWALS

6-down – Kind of thinking, clearly over one’s head? : BLUESKY

7-down – Rose-tinted land of the petrolhead? : CARNATION

13-down – Cook small quantity of baked beans, perhaps, for islander : DOMINICAN

14-down – Squeeze no longer squeezed, it’s said : EXPRESSED

17-down – Forbidding love, something negative about that very thing? : OMINOUS

18-down – Wild thing ‘as to be strung up? : MUSTANG

20-down – One has scratched head after cluer anagrammatised fodder : LUCERNE

22-down – See 19 Across : DISCO

23-down – See 1 Across : PANTS

1-across – If coming back to stay, you may get warm here : FIRESIDE

5-across – Committee men don’t have a month to fill desirable job : PLENUM

9-across – Aid near perhaps for woman abandoned on Greek island : ARIADNE

10-across – Governing, takes risks showing symbols of power : INDICES

11-across – Start to cover leg and shin up : CLIMB

12-across – To lay a charge, soldiers receive a sign : INDICATOR

13-across – Inspiring figure’s French art includes later ‘Man with Sieve’ : ERATOSTHENES

17-across – Dropping Ecstasy, ease the undies off in Paris suburbs : HAUTSDESEINE

20-across – Determined on parting from black American, touring divorce hub in confidence : ENTRENOUS

22-across – Order the Chambers app? : EDICT

23-across – Cloth girl left on floor : FLANNEL

24-across – Singer naked? Blow it! : BASSOON

25-across – Most fashionable chocolates, tiny boxes : LATEST

26-across – Milk supplier in western university sacked : WETNURSE

1-down – Dictator’s father a corporal perhaps : FRANCO

2-down – No good growing tiny fruit : RAISIN

3-down – One’s bowled over by girl presented with large teapots and hair extensions : SIDEBURNS

4-down – No wild-eyed hot revolutionary! : DYEDINTHEWOOL

6-down – Playful law lord sick at heart : LUDIC

7-down – Poison several crowding one bed : NICOTINE

8-down – Street’s manifest disuse under motorway entrance to Indian reservations : MISTRUST

10-down – Vital, but not to be had from chemist? : INDISPENSABLE

14-down – Parasites in hospital get young man very annoyed : HANGERSON

15-down – Happy church, always packed out, pretty much : CHEERFUL

16-down – Remove boat parked on stretch of land : SUBTRACT

18-down – Meticulous precision of scaffolder picked up : RIGOUR

19-down – Without delay pay for catching cold : ATONCE

21-down – Birds coming in to feather nest : ERNES

1-across – Definitely wearing a suit : INSPADES

5-across – Look like getting point, holding City : ASPECT

9-across – Repeats article cost : ITERATES

10-across – Through with old lady virtually – might this help? : VIAGRA

12-across – Song’s poor? Utter phooey! : YOURETHETOP

15-across – Country’s reportedly in order : UKASE

17-across – ‘Foul, ref!’ Unai’s getting worked up over nothing : NEFARIOUS

18-across – What some airlines do with tickets is concerning affair : OVERISSUE

19-across – Russian woman foiled a raid : DARIA

20-across – Vegas gambler not good – finally gets a warning : CRAPSHOOTER

24-across – Agree to do something about church parking : ACCEPT

25-across – Approaching fifty-two – surprisingly he doesn’t want early retirement : NIGHTOWL

26-across – ‘Just like Fox,’ describing current politician : SIMPLY

27-across – Run at speed covering miles in panicked reaction : STAMPEDE

1-down – What terse youngster might say to his parents, honestly! : IKIDYOUNOT

2-down – Took a chance in Sweden and embezzled : SPECULATED

3-down – Saw lawyer in time : ADAGE

4-down – Plant manufactured panel heaters : ELEPHANTSEAR

6-down – Hit : SLIPPERED

7-down – Lippy, could you say, trying to be cool? : EDGY

8-down – ‘What I just said is rubbish,’ Hunt originally admitted : THAT

11-down – Pompous Conservative objects to this red claptrap : STUFFEDSHIRT

13-down – Engine’s shot, as bad driver might have said earlier : FOURSTROKE

14-down – Yank paid seller for something a bit ropey : ESPADRILLE

16-down – Bishop’s Stortford originally involved in great work round China : EPISCOPAL

21-down – Letters from old school hard to get into : OGHAM

22-down – Young lady going topless – very good! : LASS

23-down – Not quiet, little monster making a racket : SCAM