Daily Answers

1-across – Magic performer, big hitter : SMASHER

5-across – Gentlemen, last seen of genius on paper : SQUIRES

9-across – Jolly chap, it’s understood? : ROGER

10-across – A jammed cylinder? : SWISSROLL

11-across – Foremost of compilers with clue to set sadly leaves : COSLETTUCE

12-across – Listen up, 23 was perfect, ultimately : PSST

14-across – Bar of soap? : ROVERSRETURN

18-across – Sorcery of a wizard in the end so peerless, the ladies spotted? : LEOPARDESSES

21-across – Stick veteran English player on the radio? : CANE

22-across – Cheese ending in lake, fish rolling around it : CAERPHILLY

25-across – Casino visitor on vacation — counting winnings? : BETTEROFF

26-across – First of all, so caring as protecting Anna — it goes with a flow : SCAPA

27-across – Fine Shropshire lad for starters, one taking final bow? : SLENDER

28-across – Oarsmen at sea somewhere along the Mediterranean coast : SANREMO

1-down – Neat and evergreen : SPRUCE

2-down – Grand time? : AUGUST

3-down – Classic competitor, say, maverick was hero on Mondays, primarily : HORSEWOMAN

4-down – Another test penned by 5 across I treasured : RESIT

5-down – Specimens after action, those taken away : SUITCASES

6-down – Able to depart rocky Shetland isle : UNST

7-down – Extracts from Haley novel published : ROOTSOUT

8-down – Fired after cutting of pay, fibre remaining though damaged : SPLITEND

13-down – German outfit older, sheen tarnished : LEDERHOSEN

15-down – Determined effort by solver? : ENDEAVOUR

16-down – Set originally by other setters, they don’t really work! : PLACEBOS

17-down – Out of sight, out of mind : ROUNDTHE

19-down – Chopstick? : CLEAVE

20-down – Monday’s cryptic powerhouse … : DYNAMO

23-down – … author of 10, 14, 17 24 and 19 with setter’s surface raised high — and so say all of __ ! : RUFUS

24-down – See 17 : BEND

9-across – Airborne broadcast relating to space : AREAL

10-across – State of nation accepting a leader for life : AUSTRALIA

11-across – Unfinished homework by youthful candidate : PRETENDER

12-across – Hamlet, for one, is welcoming introduction to tragic poet : DANTE

13-across – Accepting a colt is beaten : STOICAL

15-across – Look quickly at French seabird : SKIMMER

17-across – Course in nonsense poems : EPSOM

18-across – Stand-in coach retiring : SUB

20-across – Prophet swallowing tablet in three seconds : MOSES

22-across – Roberto gutted by Brockwell’s endless prize : ROSETTE

25-across – Loser in orchestra wearing jumper : ALSORAN

26-across – German storyteller going west in sacred vessel : GRAIL

27-across – Commander-in-chief surprisingly dines in sandwich shop : PRESIDENT

30-across – Doctor wore frock in labour : WORKFORCE

31-across – New approach can help over-anxious beginners chip : NACHO

1-down – Santa Claus perhaps brought about mate capturing pawn : LAPP

2-down – Liberal in Georgia taxing lead-free : GENEROUS

3-down – Adult lost in conversation : BLUE

4-down – Legendary winger used a lad perversely : DAEDALUS

5-down – Sailor admitting personal assistant is God : OSIRIS

6-down – Friday diet must change for old cricketer : FREDTITMUS

7-down – Ellington gutted in prize assembly : PLENUM

8-down – Flyers with wings of eagles returning home : BASE

13-down – Case of Shergar including support for jockey? : STEER

14-down – Wake up heavenly body with love and vigour : COMETOLIFE

16-down – Perhaps Amber Williams ultimately in control : RESIN

19-down – See 21 : BLAKENEY

21-down – Champion duo in classic Scarlet Pimpernel : SIRPERCY

23-down – Flight institute breaking into Galileo’s study? : STAIRS

24-down – Politician possessed by strange power : EMPERY

26-down – Queen falling out of full-size dress : GOWN

28-down – These have a charge in Coronation Street : IONS

29-down – Play about king in old city : TROY

1-across – Temperature not-half cold during a picnic — drink warmer? : TEACOSY

5-across – Make a difference with effin’ chow chow? : DOGFOOD

10-across – 17? : GIRL

11-across – Ancient Egyptian winds blowing away a 10 27 : THEBANGLES

12-across – Fancy man’s back in lecture : ORNATE

13-across – Instrument with drum beaten with malice when mum’s away : DULCIMER

14-across – Extremely excited, Posh and Ginger given cosmetic treatment : MANICURED

16-across – Join something that’s enjoyable when stripped? : UNITE

17-across – 3 another 10 : ALICE

19-across – Rock like iron perhaps, but not lead thus rejected : OSCILLATE

23-across – Singer in fine voice inspiring group : FALSETTO

24-across – Sloppy fluid for tentacled invertebrates : POLYPS

26-across – Ass accompanying sheep in its noise as 10 27 : BANANARAMA

27-across – See 10 : BAND

28-across – Writing of clues going down : SETTING

29-across – Onion? There’s no more, that’s ___ ! : SHALLOT

2-down – Country retreat almost entirely destroyed, one breaking in : ERITREA

3-down – 10 told to ___ lips and shut up! : CELIA

4-down – Observed across the Midlands, primarily, university courses limited here : SETMENU

6-down – Old competition using one’s trap? : ORALLY

7-down – Main warning, flag is gone, having been cut off : FOGSIGNAL

8-down – Scoff too much duck, before opening barrel : OVEREAT

9-down – Indicators don’t go round like that, going the opposite way of course : NEEDLESSTOSAY

15-down – Constant rain’s ending, light aircraft having turned its back into it : INCESSANT

18-down – What’s lost on adopting alias? Fame ultimately : LEAKAGE

20-down – Challenge Dahl’s giant’s self-introduction? : IMPEACH

21-down – Take advantage of cheers riding horse : TAPINTO

22-down – Air type : STRAIN

25-down – Disrespectful words from name on Australian radio? : LIBEL

9-across – Awfully cool hat and coat for Charlie Brown : CHOCOLATE

10-across – People favouring the right kind of 11 : BLUES

11-across – Spy university thus making notes on staff : MUSIC

12-across – Bill, exploding, sees red — he gets a talking-to : ADDRESSEE

13-across – Game point, Raducanu finally about to break : RUPTURE

14-across – American kind of 11 having two members around : ASTRIDE

17-across – See 24 down : POPAT

19-across – Hit kind of 11 from the ’40s : BOP

20-across – Was violent Republican past it? : RAGED

21-across – I’m disappointed a remedy fails : DEARYME

22-across – More verbose kind of 11 in Wagner’s case : WINDIER

24-across – Kind of 11 provided in the Guardian for one working from home : HOUSEWIFE

26-across – Ex-president’s kind of 11 always from the east : DUBYA

28-across – Clubs plugging European kind of 11 for a 19? : DANCE

29-across – Kind of 11 and film always for poet or Elon Musk : ROCKETEER

1-down – James Cameron screens The Sting : SCAM

2-down – Gas from tap is so gently rising : GOSSIP

3-down – Having the 10 kind of 11 from a flat region : LOWCOUNTRY

4-down – Jaguar may be kept here, getting kind of 11 : GARAGE

5-down – Shiner shown by teacher getting hit : HEADLAMP

6-down – Honour to welcome old maker of 11 : OBOE

7-down – For a ball, swerve unfashionable kind of 11 : OUTSWING

8-down – Man perhaps lies in a drunken state : ISLE

13-down – Kind of 11, one prelude from Debussy that’s allegro : RAPID

15-down – Lamentations I shortened in translation : THRENODIES

16-down – Foreign words for the respected figure in church : ELDER

18-down – Tormenting first of prisoners in gulag abroad : PLAGUING

19-down – Great part of speech turning up on line in book : BREVIARY

22-down – Poor person’s gag when making a speech : WRETCH

23-down – Naturally possessed, like a sandwich filling, we hear : INBRED

24-down – Laugh a tad oddly about kind of 11 getting attacked : HADA

25-down – Right behind possible provider of milk jug : EWER

27-down – Pretentious behaviour in pieces of 11 : AIRS

7-across – Philanderer’s ruse to steal Yankee in embrace of sailor : PLAYBOY

8-across – Marvellous money : CAPITAL

9-across – Seat one lost from 8 : SOFA

10-across – Invalidate city freed after revolution : DECERTIFY

12-across – Reversal of a little thing I effortlessly put on : FEIGN

13-across – See 3 : SYMPHONY

15-across – Be patient: we meant ‘sword’? : ROME

16-across – Bum moon : MOOCH

17-across – Pursue payment : WAGE

18-across – Song second daughter extracted from señorita? : MADRIGAL

20-across – See 15 : WASNT

21-across – See 3 : ORCHESTRA

22-across – See 15 : ADAY

24-across – See 15 : BUILTIN

25-across – Star with heart of gold at the Moulin Rouge, say? : POLARIS

1-down – Too informal, some clothes : ALSO

2-down – Wild bestiary for 7 : SYBARITE

3-down – Players 1 without 8? : LONDON

4-down – Disapproving expression heard as renovation starts behind hospital : HARRUMPH

5-down – Wrap up and put on top coat : FINISH

6-down – Queen like a horse, could you say? : MARY

11-down – As clue to ‘stew’ initially forms — this is it! : CASSOULET

12-down – Old coin’s forgotten in a growing collection? : FLORA

14-down – Short stay at hotel man hasn’t begun : NIGHT

16-down – Drawing in style of French artist? Good to invest in that : MAGNETIC

17-down – Carry off method that’s suffocated a playwright : WASHAWAY

19-down – Summon cord to connect two sides up : RECALL

20-down – Standing, unable to sit having caught a pike, say? : WEAPON

21-down – Creative work, On Purulence? : OPUS

23-down – Line: a boundary drawn up : AXIS