Daily Answers

1-across – Frank’s result of Welsh pub crawl announced? : DIRECT

4-across – Show respect before my hound : BOWWOW

9-across – A short film full of energy : AVID

10-across – Biodiverse area with ground on fire: cover-up by right-leaning despot? : RAINFOREST

11-across – Waste, speaking when wasted? : SLURRY

12-across – Don’t touch German on his way around Germany : HANDSOFF

13-across – White House club wary of far-off guarded response to ambitions : BECAREFUL

15-across – Class warfare, I think, somewhat regressive : TIER

16-across – Ulcer or boil observed by one’s ear? : SORE

17-across – Slightly off, s-scent of gardens? : SKEWWHIFF

21-across – Money bound to inspire premier in surprisingly moderate policy : CENTRISM

22-across – Overheard, a beautiful thing : AFFAIR

24-across – Sycophantic luvvy ultimately backing Yankee in Jolie? : NICEYNICEY

25-across – See 23 Down : RATE

26-across – Just monkey caught by foxy : SIMPLY

27-across – Originally clinker-built, say, sailing ship : CUTTER

1-down – Transfer fee in conclusion very, very much appreciated when raised : DEVOLVE

2-down – Qualification as cowboy, say? : RIDER

3-down – Influential Victorian author clearly red-pencilled : CARLYLE

5-down – Outrage, Beyond the Fringe? : OFFEND

6-down – One skilled in communication, and bagging gold medal : WORDSMITH

7-down – See 13 Across : WISHFOR

8-down – Rotten scum done over, taken apart by a big gun : HIGHMUCKAMUCK

14-down – Current art is designed on paper : AIRSTREAM

16-down – Organism that is four-eyed? : SPECIES

18-down – See 13 Across : WHATYOU

19-down – Blow hot dish : FRITTER

20-down – Cue in slang I screwed up : SIGNAL

23-down – Great passion consuming sweets after a turnover? : FIRST

9-across – Reddish tailless ape : ORANG

10-across – Perhaps Trump for a term as prison’s foremost inmate? : PRESIDENT

11-across – Loosening-up interludes not beginning to create an effect : ENDRESULT

12-across – Accretion of stones can involve extremes of ill humour : CAIRN

13-across – Agar : ARRAIGN

15-across – Collars with stars removed! : ARRESTS

17-across – Track cycling gets a small amount of money : CENTS

18-across – Put party before government? : DOG

20-across – A mountain area in Europe : ALPHA

22-across – Blended with taste, it forms an accompaniment for haggis : TATTIES

25-across – Pub legend : INTOTAL

26-across – Untethers us every second : NEHRU

27-across – Left as a couple of ways by which to remember the dead : LASTWORDS

30-across – Book by, say, stylish American : BUTTERFLY

31-across – Avoiding extremes of one’s harsh approaches : NEARS

1-down – Blue-collar type, losing rights, is aware of social injustice : WOKE

2-down – Those who consolidate businesses are not extremely popular : MANDARIN

3-down – On all sides aching, unbearable fever : AGUE

4-down – Crashed, punctured, cape torn off and lying on one’s back : UPTURNED

5-down – Boatman’s place: first : BERTHA

6-down – ID cards not to be distributed without agreement : DISCORDANT

7-down – Brilliant person of a type including Boatman : GENIUS

8-down – Returned message : ETON

13-down – Britain’s border set company back : ASCOT

14-down – They may promote research, unmoved, consuming time over unfinished experiment : INSTITUTES

16-down – Will replace Latin with … with : SHAWL

19-down – Denies clue for Sagays : GAINSAYS

21-down – Returned my missing prepayment for shredding : PETERPAN

23-down – Heading back from Haiti after a time, to land in the Pacific : TAHITI

24-down – Route to High Sierra, initially perhaps taking lift, except for the last part on foot : SPLIFF

26-down – Snatches of song initially covered by injunction, overturned : NABS

28-down – Women enclosed, by George! : WING

29-down – Band gets number ones in swing and soul hits : SASH

7-across – After autumn month, leave Pole in Russian city : NOVGOROD

9-across – Pork pie’s keeping cool for rest periods : LIEINS

10-across – Trunks stripped off roughly : ORSO

11-across – One shows relief, like a travelling performer with high camp clothing : CONTOURMAP

12-across – English monarchs drinking one more rum : EERIER

14-across – Sculptor smuggled cocaine in vehicle heading for Ibiza : BRANCUSI

15-across – Jersey, say, on female could be violet : FLOWER

17-across – Picked up pupil at Eton, perhaps one on edge : BORDER

20-across – 15 17 captured in kind of writing : PRIMROSE

22-across – Playing in the street, almost getting the boot : BUSKIN

23-across – Ethics done badly leads to atrocities : ETHNOCIDES

24-across – Collar turned over by king in 15 17 : BANK

25-across – Heartless shirkers who are going downhill : SKIERS

26-across – Rings about shocking treatment for Geordie and Scouse? : DIALECTS

1-down – Solver changing euros during travel northwards : YOURSELF

2-down – African 10 touring European country : IGBO

3-down – Couple right to get a stiff drink : BRACER

4-down – Where treasure is beheld or adornment’s seized : ELDORADO

5-down – Hands back either Ronnie or Reggie’s jacket, escorted off : RETROCEDES

6-down – Superficial motifs featured by ballads : INLAYS

8-down – Called an Uber going across 15 17 in Europe : DANUBE

13-down – Retailer, one pressing to grab £1,000 after start of week : IRONMONGER

16-down – Throwing out spirits, so mixer’s drunk without drop of cognac : EXORCISM

18-down – Touching coal, sending off large spark again : REIGNITE

19-down – Socialite turns up late, leaving area put in 15 17 : BEDDED

21-down – Rubbish hotel agreed to put up artist : ROTHKO

22-down – Capital city with new basis for all the family : BISSAU

24-down – Extorted money from plot to pocket pounds : BLED

1-across – The guy I call out is spiralling : HELICAL

5-across – Cleopatra cheated a bit and got it in the neck : TRACHEA

9-across – Hell-bent, without divorcing at first, to get separated : RIVEN

10-across – My dear, in cooking find a herb : CORIANDER

11-across – Unpredictable ending of talks with rebel leader in revolt : SURPRISING

12-across – To begin with, take a little curry powder : TALC

14-across – Fighting soldier’s back to be embraced by beautiful woman, with tears : BELLIGERENT

18-across – Medical procedure: very backwards and not original : COLONOSCOPY

21-across – Delighted in a blanket, by the sound of it : RAPT

22-across – Perhaps one-all game of defence : DRAWBRIDGE

25-across – Woodworkers in favour of organic compounds : FORESTERS

26-across – Gruff hazard for undesirable poster : TROLL

27-across – It’s soothing to find one empty pub in a restored mall : LIPBALM

28-across – Discarding the cover to fix disc? Yes! : ECDYSIS

1-down – This is why we hear unorthodox view : HERESY

2-down – Uniform consignment with half the shop gone : LIVERY

3-down – Suspect carton starting to burst with illegal stuff : CONTRABAND

4-down – Grasshopper mostly in position : LOCUS

5-down – Top star with rogue nation director : TARANTINO

6-down – See 23 : AWAY

7-down – Dry death foiled by being this : HYDRATED

8-down – After foolish day, financial centre gets winter warmth : APRICITY

13-down – Water creature starting to twitch indeed, lacking water : DEHYDRATED

15-down – A European tucking into refined meal that’s light : LASERBEAM

16-down – Ignoring the odds, profane 4 can be derisive : SCORNFUL

17-down – Show approval for role reversal nonsense : CLAPTRAP

19-down – Vile musical abandoned by a Spice Girl : ODIOUS

20-down – Areas dealing with charity : REALMS

23-down – Drinking tea used to be method to lose weight : WASTE

24-down – Essentially bypassed quiet bay to reach land : ASIA

9-across – Leader of Latvia wears crown, of course : PLATE

10-across – President in jumper and First Lady in extremely special shirt : ROOSEVELT

11-across – Flier for very strong tea to begin with in church : CHAFFINCH

12-across – Funny and strange – 10cc cover Mahler’s overture : COMIC

13-across – Pattern exciting clients : STENCIL

15-across – Boys in blue score! Shot going over heads of Portsmouth players : COPPERS

17-across – Note car reversing on motorway : MINIM

18-across – Contemporary novel : NEW

20-across – Perfect business transaction from Apple? : IDEAL

22-across – French mathematician swapping units of temperature with messenger : COURIER

25-across – 100 scream over rock tune : CENTURY

26-across – By 1pm and 2pm? : TIMES

27-across – Chief supports electricity supplier shielding live : MAINSTAYS

30-across – Ignores party with roasted nuts : DISCOUNTS

31-across – Diamond I kept back to stay longer in sack : LIEIN

1-down – 2.7183 + 25 ÷ 3.1416? That’s impressive : EPIC

2-down – Sailor wearing favourite article to get food : FAVABEAN

3-down – One’s bound to land planes here or off bases : SERF

4-down – Diarist starting to learn first note as soul singer : FRANKLIN

5-down – Romantic turn by husband in time I see : GOTHIC

6-down – Understanding each plan to oust Conservative : PERCEPTION

7-down – Setter’s down then setter’s up: that’s a hysterical person : MEEMIE

8-down – Regarding the ear of alien – top third is missing : OTIC

13-down – Total bill for tree : SUMAC

14-down – Red’s issue? No midfield covering international work : COMMISSION

16-down – Character from The X-Files caught out by soil : SULLY

19-down – Wife juggling cake – it’s most eccentric : WACKIEST

21-down – Copied foreign character, delighted to be outside : EMULATED

23-down – Expose Sunak suspiciously hiding millions : UNMASK

24-down – Book by scientists about oxygen on island : ROMANS

26-down – Neat British cartoonist : TIDY

28-down – Rugby club taking part in Jerusalem : SALE

29-down – Without hospitals : SANS