Daily Answers

1-across – Pioneer in surgery, one keeling over? : LISTER

4-across – Get better business in advance : PICKUP

9-across – Endangered species with misguided emphasis on saving ourselves, primarily? : HOMO

10-across – Quality of chef that divides a country : COOKSTRAIT

11-across – Name of organ — forget it! : NOFEAR

12-across – Pot filled with starter of ratatouille, call for dinner : PRANDIAL

13-across – Lean back into serve for gritty and absorbing stuff : CATLITTER

15-across – See 4 : LINE

16-across – Project ending in failure — might sacking come from that? : JUTE

17-across – Story just in Scandinavian folk literature initially remains alongside novel : NEWSFLASH

21-across – Laid to rest, where shoe may have stepped, did you say? : INTERRED

22-across – Forceful and effective church, weak externally : PUNCHY

24-across – Brown’s income, bulky : CUMBERSOME

25-across – Pancake given second prod almost collapsed : DROP

26-across – Carelessness in kiss stolen by ordinary people : LAXITY

27-across – Value ship upon high seas : ASSESS

1-down – Operatic heroine alone, or otherwise : LEONORA

2-down – See 25 : SCONE

3-down – Piece right, apart from clasps : EXCERPT

5-down – Erection of some flats, ninety put in : INSTAL

6-down – Precautions learnt by the way, training bred into little ’uns in the main? : KERBDRILL

7-down – Fish placed between meat and two veg, might taking issue here prove costly? : PRIVATE

8-down – Total fool playing lotto with epidemic : COMPLETEIDIOT

14-down – Door opening, Spooner discussing enhanced security system? : LETTERBOX

16-down – Flower in centre of Beijing adorning bedcover, detailed : JONQUIL

18-down – See 9 : SAPIENS

19-down – See 7 : SCHOOLS

20-down – A northern English vale runs up biblical mountain : ARARAT

23-down – Girl’s head coming through as newborn appears — push gently! : NUDGE

7-across – Fool in underwear during time inside home : BIRDBRAIN

8-across – Opener from Sabbath isn’t safe, Christian rock : SAINT

9-across – I’ll leave the strings vibrating, more than one forte : STRENGTHS

10-across – See 8 : PETER

12-across – One member of English rock group, one going on record : NEEDLE

13-across – Jersey, perhaps, odd — it’s worn by relative : RUMINANT

16-across – See 18 : DIAMOND

19-across – Flash car carrying hip, grand rock group : ROLLING

22-across – See 27 : CAROLINE

25-across – See 19 : STONES

27-across – Number of England fans, tolerance-wise, needing reform : SWEET

28-across – He’s in a spy novel, like work of 19 25? : SISYPHEAN

29-across – Some rock singer, when paired with 4 : CLIFF

30-across – More refined Conservative right to block maverick : COURTLIER

1-down – One enters playing trill etc, kind of rock singer : LITTLE

2-down – Notice earth and mire around rider? : ADDENDUM

3-down – Scallywag upholding British accent : BROGUE

4-down – See 1 : RICHARD

5-down – Drinkers are in this state in empty town : TAVERN

6-down – Trainee put in ground nuts, at first : INTERN

11-down – A pair of Frenchmen love contents of magazine : AMMO

14-down – Clay changed to this mineral in boxes : ALI

15-down – Name of the game : TAG

16-down – One who cures fish from the south : DOC

17-down – Twelve months in port : AYR

18-down – Line dancing by rock singer : NEIL

20-down – Ladies on staff hiding hotel’s way to dodge tax? : LOOPHOLE

21-down – Vocabulary of large person once idolised : LEXICON

23-down – A woven fabric to suit oneself : ATWILL

24-down – Rare bird stopping and starting tours round east : ONEOFF

25-down – Writer’s special name for rock once : SAYERS

26-down – King, say, in shelter raised part of crown : ENAMEL

1-across – Boiler going in benefits root crop : TURNIPS

5-across – Pilfer a couple of books in Coop : CABBAGE

10-across – Regularly saw firms dip : SWIM

11-across – Like pulse clear, say, when admitted : LEGUMINOUS

12-across – Seafood devoured by four Chinooks : URCHIN

13-across – Dispatch 100 papers showing scoop maybe? : ICECREAM

14-across – A small South American country’s exporting a Yankee vegetable : ASPARAGUS

16-across – Brightest star first in list including Charlie and Mike : ALPHA

17-across – Cow’s beef, pickled : BULLY

19-across – Shepherd uses goat with rare old herbivore : STEGOSAUR

23-across – Boar at it gets butchered : ABATTOIR

24-across – Have avoided astringent dessert : AFTERS

26-across – Not how Sybil referred to her husband, Herb! : SWEETBASIL

27-across – Scots vomit almost swallowing cold drink in Bonn : BOCK

28-across – Issue subversive speech with no introduction : EDITION

29-across – Evacuate middle of next island : EXCRETE

2-down – Where climbers go on horseback with notices about river : UPWARDS

3-down – Immature flyer’s city rate : NYMPH

4-down – Staff not available to collect first of the dough : POLENTA

6-down – Indecisive prince heading off to secure king’s band : ARMLET

7-down – Decline flattens out finances : BANKROLLS

8-down – Cook laughs about duck stew : GOULASH

9-down – Wild garlic chokes posh traveller but not ordinary farmer : AGRICULTURIST

15-down – A pair of students and old workers fill dry beds here : ALLOTMENT

18-down – Free, like a new bass? : UNBOWED

20-down – Greek cross about a very large area for salmon : GRAVLAX

21-down – European city’s butter’s occasionally genuine : UTRECHT

22-down – Unfinished volumes slip : BOOBOO

25-down – King Edward, say, initially took over in Germany : TUBER

1-across – Turning 18 in Scunthorpe, an initially austere place : SPARTA

5-across – Very well, reply with subversion : SUPERBLY

9-across – Fancy top hotel in genius refurb­ishment and alignment of living space : FENGSHUI

10-across – Stimulate love for what’s silent in autumn, sweetheart? : ENDEAR

11-across – Let heir vomit violently, having drunk too much : OVERTHELIMIT

13-across – Rubbish dump around platform : CLAP

14-across – Convert for gender realignment, but not at first : EXCHANGE

17-across – Last chance for dinosaurs? : DEADLINE

18-across – See 13 : TRAP

20-across – Perhaps Genet isn’t led by intelligence as a philosopher : WITTGENSTEIN

23-across – Communicate to leave Her Majesty unharmed : INTACT

24-across – As a devoted husband promises to pursue unorthodox offer on vacation : UXORIOUS

25-across – Jump parole to mingle with footballing sides : LEAPFROG

26-across – Provide plaster : RENDER

2-down – Appeal guaranteed to give satisfaction : PLEA

3-down – Rallied German Democratic Republic leaders to mess around with Europe : REGROUPED

4-down – In Africa, the elephant’s following : ATHEEL

5-down – The fisherman’s bringing up food for the city : SAINTPETERSBURG

6-down – Cloak essentially 10% off : PRETENCE

7-down – Spokes in bones : RADII

8-down – Hero FBI agent tailing false denial : LEADINGMAN

12-down – Being faithful, such as in marriage : ALLEGIANCE

15-down – Time for news to shift into care : ATTENTION

16-down – Ghastly actor, not a movie maker … : DIRECTOR

19-down – … an artist concerned with film genre : RENOIR

21-down – Type of steamer, capsized craft, borne by politician : TRAMP

22-down – See 2 : SURE

1-across – Taste had been sampled by mate? : PALATE

4-across – Stoppage in existence after store failing to close : STASIS

9-across – I travel, did you say? : ROME

10-across – One alarmed by wheels in old scanner : CARDREADER

11-across – A tease erasing mark on ballot paper, that doesn’t apply : VIENNA

12-across – A queen filling cups behind vessel : CANBERRA

13-across – I recall religious celebration certainly justified, originally : JERUSALEM

15-across – Gather pen : FOLD

16-across – Some hogwash, so that’s flipping nonsense : TOSH

17-across – Meaningful study in a mess with voiding of contract, unfortunately : SEMANTICS

21-across – Parrot claiming advantage, having nipped a hand : APPLAUSE

22-across – Dark energy familiar, not entirely : GOTHIC

24-across – Manipulated figure, one in voice returning to punch comrade : MARIONETTE

25-across – A A endlessly sozzled? : BAKU

26-across – I fluffed the shot : TEHRAN

27-across – A hint that’s neither across nor down : ASCENT

1-down – Study condition on the rise caught by man in the street : PROFILE

2-down – Long rest right, I must be snookered? : LIEIN

3-down – Perfectly framing repeated note, a piece of music : TOCCATA

5-down – A nice one bordering country : TIRANA

6-down – On a trip, passed in jet : SPACEDOUT

7-down – Shaved organ found in ditch : SHEARED

8-down – Fish in whipped cream served in temporary homes, lesser building units? : TRACEELEMENTS

14-down – Exploding sun, delicate and magical kind : UNSELFISH

16-down – Brown keeping Blair perhaps in post? : TOPMAST

18-down – A craft is large : ALGIERS

19-down – Where leg is on insect : CRICKET

20-down – A Zulu and African bands : LUANDA

23-down – Item of furniture fixed, though top is scratched : TABLE