Daily Answers

1-across – Incomparable lady enthralling all at last : PEERLESS

5-across – Evergreen head girl : NUTMEG

9-across – Material of singular kind, full of witticisms : SPUNSILK

10-across – Irish climber in Scottish town : IRVINE

12-across – Mum hearing about cunning of much-respected women : MATRIARCHAL

15-across – Instrument making comeback in Bratislava : SITAR

17-across – Chap in ladies’ underwear worried rectories : CORSETIER

18-across – Rude movie about tango and sex with variable capacity to inflame : EMOTIVITY

19-across – First of two educational establishments in African capital : TUNIS

20-across – Spoilt brat naughtily hiding ring at back of socket : POSTORBITAL

24-across – Surprise short leg, strapping female : AMAZON

25-across – Princess about to occupy most of Kent resort : MARGARET

26-across – Unique kind of switch conserving energy : ONEOFF

27-across – Bluff sibling starts to think story is made up : CONSISTS

1-down – Adept former schoolteacher : PASTMASTER

2-down – Burp is routine act, unfortunately : ERUCTATION

3-down – Northern girl picked up drink : LASSI

4-down – Evanescence of our stellar setter : SOLARECLIPSE

6-down – Most disorderly disturbance stopped by Julie shedding clothes : UNRULIEST

7-down – Nice crossword compiler left local spot : MOIL

8-down – Joy of genealogy regularly recalled : GLEE

11-down – Actor to rhyme ‘dissolute’ and ‘fruit’ : CHERRYTOMATO

13-down – Abrupt Russian gent forged autographs : SIGNATURES

14-down – Writing articulate solutions to clues for neophytes : PROSELYTES

16-down – Watertight evidence proceeded to trap one at the top : RAINPROOF

21-down – Cod can initially upset stomachs : BOGUS

22-down – Kind of pudding so unloved in the past : SAGO

23-down – 5’s covering ground : MACE

1-across – Complain audibly, except where drinks are served : WINEBAR

5-across – Be an agitator around mid-April and put one’s foot in it : STIRRUP

9-across – Film branch fire : SHOOT

10-across – Perhaps vulture’s nemesis pursuing strategic ends : SCAVENGER

11-across – Rubbish race that’s not so hairy : BALDERDASH

12-across – See 2 : SOUP

14-across – Perjury before tea isn’t wrong when dead? : LYINGINSTATE

18-across – Kissing when hugging wild raver is stressful : NERVERACKING

21-across – Making contents similar : AKIN

22-across – Ask the drunk by the river for a place to eat : STEAKHOUSE

25-across – Bar with legal liability finally gets promotion : PUBLICITY

26-across – Clutching a small volume, chairman turns philosopher : OCCAM

27-across – Tax easing off, but not as explicit communication : SEXTING

28-across – Extremely sick boy at last might be here, getting up : SKYWARD

1-down – Relish having gone straight? : WASABI

2-down – In a bad way upon eating lots of Asian food : NOODLE

3-down – Yet the barn could be better for her : BATTERYHEN

4-down – Wiped out old section of paper as editor : RASED

5-down – Farcical friend is back in seconds : SLAPSTICK

6-down – Rebecca’s chasing one goat : IBEX

7-down – Royal protection for one charged in a particular area : REGIONAL

8-down – Hats from Melton Mowbray? : PORKPIES

13-down – Like New York? Going up with friend to reserve hotel, doing it at different times : ASYNCHRONY

15-down – New ground connection that almost didn’t make it : NEARTHING

16-down – Where students are affected, when overwhelmed by responsibility : ONCAMPUS

17-down – One’s smart to have packed underwear : BRAINBOX

19-down – Skilful craftsman’s hinges : FULCRA

20-down – James undressed, got into bed and smiled : BEAMED

23-down – Void in 28 Debussy ballet : ABYSS

24-down – Fruit for bird : KIWI

1-across – Fine in country bordering sea, balmy : PERFUMED

6-across – Brick dropped softly onto Russian : MISHAP

9-across – Mention ornament in conversation? : BROACH

10-across – Never a player for rejection : NOTHANKS

11-across – Noxious thing, beastly girl, stinker : NIGHTMARE

13-across – Ballet dancer shaves back : SLEEP

15-across – Capital too far out in Scotland : OTTAWA

17-across – Content to leave grand-niece with baby twins : GEMINI

18-across – Fruity thing, like a US pop diva? : CHERRY

19-across – Stick poster on this page? : ADHERE

21-across – Caught man? : CROOK

22-across – Cruel, 10 to the French? : MERCILESS

25-across – Not entirely elliptic, as an oval stud : CASANOVA

26-across – See 3 : GORDON

28-across – Something added by queen that’s wrong, leader in error : ANNEXE

29-across – Bouts of laughter around intimate creative expression : FINEARTS

2-down – Noble gong for little flapper? : EAR

3-down – Nemesis of the 22 character, anything but canny Scottish PM? : FLASH

4-down – See 16 : MYHOMEWORK

5-down – Actor redoing short plays : DENIRO

6-down – Punish explanation originally penned by solicitor: it’s beyond me! : METE

7-down – Insignificant litre in whisky, I’m opening case of sake! : SMALLTIME

8-down – Wee bairns in kilt and bra seen drunk : ANKLEBITERS

12-down – Adamant over hanging that proved divisive for some time : IRONCURTAIN

14-down – Change done after altering shape : HENDECAGON

16-down – Explosion of myth has nailed leader in error over Partygate, domestic function — a juvenile excuse : THEDOGATE

20-down – As an agent shown by male cutting flesh up : BEHALF

23-down – Bug in flower over mountain, reportedly? : LARVA

24-down – See 2 : LOBE

27-down – See 6 : OUT

9-across – Academic with a special quality — always diminished as an exploiter : PROFITEER

10-across – Some lines about cinema : ODEON

11-across – Lifelike cast? Yes and no : DEATH

12-across – Note house beer’s off around five : SEMIBREVE

13-across – Aim to take hunted animals when mating is imminent? : ENDGAME

14-across – Expressions of hesitation about telltale’s slip : ERRATUM

17-across – Bear in cave : YIELD

19-across – That’s remiss, whichever way you view it : TUT

20-across – Get away from studio head and press : SCRAM

21-across – Being without oxygen somehow deters shipworms : TEREDOS

22-across – Bob Short? OK on reflection! : CURTSEY

24-across – Player, chirpy thing, about to make a comeback : CRICKETER

26-across – Keep Somalian boxing course : EPSOM

28-across – Heathen state taken by Greek god : PAGAN

29-across – They clean the cheap seats : BLEACHERS

1-down – Head of secondary school’s an excessively studious type : SPOD

2-down – Question a way to present a doomed queen : HOWARD

3-down – Overbearing drunk had to accept sorry end : HIGHHANDED

4-down – Sense alien is circling island — creature from the depths? : NESSIE

5-down – Drink in bed provoked a tense player’s stroke : DRUMBEAT

6-down – Thumb book: Sepulchre : TOMB

7-down – Discerning person put off holding court ball : DETECTOR

8-down – Joint provided by Kennedy’s firstborn : KNEE

13-down – Country dancing finally commandeered by criminal type : EGYPT

15-down – Revival of Greece runs out : RESURGENCE

16-down – ‘Quiet, dear’ is an example of preservation : MUMMY

18-down – Wishes to dispose of capital income : EARNINGS

19-down – It could help in making a child try a transport system : TESTTUBE

22-down – President’s minder takes Trump’s lead : CARTER

23-down – Poetic lines getting controversial treatment in collection : SESTET

24-down – Feature of Superman’s head : CAPE

25-down – Considering dropping spare member on board : KING

27-down – See 11 : MASK

1-across – Ben may box Rowan? : TREES

4-across – Image files capturing tango dance in present location : GIFTSHOP

8-across – Going straight, criminal watches for dishonest acts : ASTHECROWFLIES

10-across – Clap cryptic setter about extremely adroit bit of setting : PLACEMAT

11-across – Rolling over, embarrassed oenophile’s drunk port : ODESSA

12-across – Hair cut son’s delayed to create a row : LOCKHORNS

15-across – Benefit of a part of traditional wedding dress, we hear : AVAIL

17-across – Desperate guy rejected by girl essentially in worst moment : NADIR

18-across – Furious row about taking latitude for you : CROSSWORD

19-across – See 18 : SOLVER

21-across – Devotional work protecting the environment around church dwelling, briefly : ECCEHOMO

24-across – Managing with less wonderful housing wrecked centre of Kent : BELTTIGHTENING

25-across – Husband comes in exhausted, removing black tie : DEADHEAT

26-across – I’m leaving rupees for old Asian : TATAR

1-down – Bounder quietly admitted to mortal sin — and it shocked : TRAMPOLINIST

2-down – Way in Germany to get transported : ENTRANCED

3-down – Jobs perhaps of the first woman to get canonised? : STEVE

4-down – Ginger cat and I travelling across river, getting on : GERIATRIC

5-down – Suck up whiskey in cooler : FAWN

6-down – Youth speaks about panto, dropping in : SALADDAYS

7-down – Famous Olympian thus astride fresh mounts : OWENS

9-down – Party, wild do with German composer : BALLADMONGER

13-down – Picked privileged people to entertain King Edward : HARVESTED

14-down – Accessory’s quiet about mostly disreputable case of assault : SLOUCHHAT

16-down – Defender, one with heart saving game : APOLOGIST

20-down – Loyal Belgians are here : LIEGE

22-down – Flush toilet? At last, this happens : EVENT

23-down – Compiler right to feature in the Guardian or Telegraph : WIRE