Daily Answers

1-across – I don’t know times to go round : PASSBY

4-across – Commotion from Spare by Prince : POTHER

9-across – Frank washes hands : STRAIGHTFLUSHES

10-across – Lucky escape for one after virus : FLUKEY

11-across – Stirring drinks in pub: large one re-ordered in litres : PHILTRES

12-across – Land in trouble, British and American bank providing protection : BARBADOS

14-across – You might see irony in this bore chasing it : SATIRE

15-across – Artist bent over, inspired by unopened magic mushroom : AGARIC

18-across – Home team to shoot first : FIRESIDE

21-across – Throughout the last month, hospital department is close to the bone : INDECENT

22-across – Wooden trough at the front blocking stable : STOLID

24-across – Reward for going in kennel has had dog barking : GOLDENHANDSHAKE

25-across – Short skirts in August? Bachelor extremely excited to be introduced : ABRUPT

26-across – Seller of cooker missing ring to con rector : VENDOR

1-down – Secretary to reveal a bit of leg : PATELLA

2-down – Fire blankets left hanging : SLACK

3-down – Mostly stiff around golf hole: dropped a shot : BOGEYED

5-down – Hey! Girls going out, they might be boring : OILRIGS

6-down – Stalls his estate after turning around : HESITATES

7-down – We hear row with love being stuck in a rut? : ROEDEER

8-down – Listener has one song’s intro on both sides of cassette : STAPES

13-down – Celebrate with clothes removed during heavy session: one serves alcohol : BARTENDER

16-down – Boat to travel north: see the sights of city : GONDOLA

17-down – Bank in competition to win a lot of money : CLEANUP

18-down – Fine for Conservative primarily avoiding tax: greedy so-and-so : FATCAT

19-down – Novelist to go after press : RUSHDIE

20-down – Sponge outline from designer tattooist : DRINKER

23-down – Expressed satisfaction with loves: that man would : OOHED

1-across – Equine and ovine attached to a tool I use : ANAGRAM

5-across – Language basic, I await your call! : PHONEME

10-across – NY baseball team’s backstop : STEM

11-across – See 12 : AXETOGRIND

12-across – A tax haven ignored foolishly, bear a grudge : HAVEAN

13-across – Story and information about parent, vassal : LIEGEMAN

14-across – O for one damned exercise that involves little time : BLOODTYPE

16-across – One lifting stones? : JEWEL

17-across – See 16 : THIEF

19-across – Ceremony in honour of African country, stuffing knocked out of Turkey! : FORMALITY

23-across – See 27 : MONDRIAN

24-across – Leech in cat’s paw? : SUCKER

26-across – Alaskan animal with dark beak, I gathered, visited by duck : KODIAKBEAR

27-across – Artist: I paint modern shapes : PIET

28-across – Uniform, novel colour shown : USHERED

29-across – Producing match in laboratory, stick masks on : CLONING

2-down – All the green bottles put up before party game : NETBALL

3-down – Putting gift in bog, I’m mean : GIMME

4-down – VAT restricting profits? : AGAINST

6-down – US president, a 24? : HOOVER

7-down – Conductor giving brass little room : NERVECELL

8-down – Sequence of pictures on label tucked in by me : MONTAGE

9-down – Beautifully furnished place enclosed by remarkably deep wall : WELLAPPOINTED

15-down – Gear required with reference to tee shot : OVERDRIVE

18-down – Gangster, initially offensive, often swearing, curses : HOODOOS

20-down – Current suspension, test failing to start : MISTRAL

21-down – Check beneath article in that place : THEREIN

22-down – Rough edges on large cutting tool : SICKLE

25-down – Cock leg beyond limit : CAPON

1-across – Moves chess pieces, with son suffering checks for crazy plans : CASTLESINSPAIN

9-across – Princess tucked into sweets with Rector and Dean? : ICESKATER

10-across – Loose woman in the family losing face : UNTIE

11-across – Judgment carrying a lot of weight shortened conflict : FATWA

12-across – Make good beer one’s mixed with rum : REIMBURSE

13-across – Like GIs in WW2, it’s said — and what the buggers do! : OVERHEAR

14-across – As members may be with a novel personal problem : AKIMBO

17-across – After start of swingers’ party, fellow’s wanting a rest : SIESTA

19-across – Women love jollies by club, getting taste of absinthe : WORMWOOD

22-across – One’s pickled fish in a couple of litres, I see : ALCOHOLIC

24-across – Saucy stuff in Latin, two lots of it going around : SALSA

25-across – Check this person’s getting into bed abroad : LIMIT

26-across – Running about at first, getting severe cramp : CONSTRICT

27-across – One’s behind nurse admitting trouble with cocaine : TAILENDCHARLIE

1-down – Force head cook to consume current prison food : CHIEFCONSTABLE

2-down – That lady’s keeping warm, getting cover : SHEATHE

3-down – Liberal president gets equally popular at once : LIKEASHOT

4-down – Barbecued meat wraps you picked up on road when footie match is on? : SATURDAY

5-down – Swedes, say, are done with rice, endlessly cooked : NORDIC

6-down – Smack bum without hesitation, given choice at first : PLUMB

7-down – Picaroon’s supporting football club in transition period : INTERIM

8-down – Kind of stock car owned by present Conservative PM briefly : HEREFORDCATTLE

15-down – In part, USA makes up advice for Congress : KAMASUTRA

16-down – Liable to explode, am I able to cut a lot of spice up? : VOLCANIC

18-down – Praises high income tax with no 25s : ENCOMIA

20-down – Time to leave work by philosopher, where work is pressing : OILMILL

21-down – Firm pastry cases in glass container : FLACON

23-down – Golf follower getting height on ball allowed to rise : HOTEL

1-across – Looking for Eastern investment in capital once : PEEKING

5-across – Problem on the phone, call Austen character : DILEMMA

9-across – Bedouin’s domain, not one to be tampered with : NOMAD

10-across – Form features instant fights : TICKBOXES

11-across – Charged with disrupting first half of Ariana Grande performance : ARRAIGNED

12-across – Radioactive element and/or manufactured gas : RADON

13-across – Off the cuff in 9 6 : ADLIB

15-across – Strange times covered by great work of knowledge : EPISTEMIC

18-across – Fish scales and water? : STARSIGNS

19-across – Went out, being old : DATED

21-across – Dance and drink with graduate : RUMBA

23-across – Window covers dope in out-of-sight location : BLINDSPOT

25-across – Plants start to bloom in joy : EUPHORBIA

26-across – Love for one European river or another : RHONE

27-across – Reformed sex cheat to admit Philistine employs repeated pretexts : THESAME

28-across – See 27 : EXCUSES

1-down – Old continent pagan converted by Hare Krishna at last : PANGAEA

2-down – Hugo’s character is damsel in distress about period : ESMERALDA

3-down – Primate is a bit of a gin drinker : INDRI

4-down – Pioneering book to throw big blue net around queen and country : GUTENBERG

5-down – Gambled in pieces : DICED

6-down – Blair regularly criticised for what he and Bush allegedly did to Iraq : LIBERATED

7-down – Trash poem using them? : MIXED

8-down – As organised resistance set letters out : ARSENIC

14-down – Beat supervisor with an egg? More than one! : BOSSANOVA

16-down – This month I get a flying start : INSTIGATE

17-down – See 7 : METAPHORS

18-down – Excessive number of waves? Tie up! : SURFEIT

20-down – This red revolution is not decisive : DITHERS

22-down – Structure ultimately supporting crooked palm tree : MAPLE

23-down – See 4 : BIBLE

24-down – Like some columns in a Scottish language : DORIC

1-across – Very round coin placed on back of bureau quickly : SUBITO

4-across – Old scorer with a header for Chelsea hugged by a coach : ABACUS

9-across – See 17 : DOWN

10-across – A peak around Northern Cheyenne, say : AMERINDIAN

11-across – In conversation, I see cunning pattern : ARGYLE

12-across – Ire with steed unbridled — most likely to bend? : REEDIEST

13-across – New arrival, baby infant finally grabbing spiritual leader’s attention? : YEAROFTHE

15-across – Non-starter, particular offensive : ICKY

16-across – Fix direction : TACK

17-across – Trendy opening weakens book : WATERSHIP

21-across – Fuddy-duddy had been observed by epicurean, we hear? : DINOSAUR

22-across – Amateur joins theatre for show again : REPLAY

24-across – Mashed blend, asset for bangers? : STEELBANDS

25-across – Ass that is kicking out duck : TWIT

26-across – See 27 : BEATTY

27-across – Actor reporting telecommunications provider on the underground network? : WARREN

1-down – Curse company that’s invested in sudden increase : SCOURGE

2-down – Like a cake with old chicken for a vixen : BUNNY

3-down – Is this East End criminal strained? : TEALEAF

5-down – See 2 : BOILER

6-down – Bits of fish in Elizabethan containers : CODPIECES

7-down – Old detective whose partner was in smaller residence than 27? : STARSKY

8-down – Police document conflict in NHS, rat race ghastly : SEARCHWARRANT

14-down – Pre-cook fresh crab essentially for Tommy, say : ROCKOPERA

16-down – Get to load part of gun up — a revolver? : TWINTUB

18-down – Vast region, area is spread round capital in Uzbekistan : EURASIA

19-down – European boxer punches giant after wiping brow : ITALIAN

20-down – See 13 : RABBIT

23-down – Diminish 20 : PETER