Daily Answers

9-across – My good cure : HOLYSMOKE

10-across – Caught up with secretary for tea? : CUPPA

11-across – Fabric is fine to iron later around the edges : TAFFETA

12-across – Open supermarket close to village with empty shops : LIDLESS

13-across – Still time to make meeting : EVENT

14-across – Crew is behind section in vessel : STEAMSHIP

16-across – Pitches on this ground, getting delivery that’s hard : BASEBALLDIAMOND

19-across – Rod might drink daughter’s tea : GUNPOWDER

21-across – Polish mum once called round : SHEEN

22-across – American friend, turning over sport, getting armchair : AMATEUR

23-across – Keeper of dog for men : CURATOR

24-across – Figure out one divided by five : SOLVE

25-across – IT company: one can supply parts for device : APPLIANCE

1-down – One likes to shoot heroin that’s pure under small needle : SHUTTERBUG

2-down – They lie over large cushions : BLUFFERS

3-down – Getting up one’s nose : ASCENT

4-down – Bit of love during sex that’s ace : IOTA

5-down – This man will party? : HELLBENDER

6-down – Lined up a college to return to adult world of learning : ACADEMIA

7-down – School tackling sport and English language : SPEECH

8-down – Flyers go up : BATS

14-down – Dressing a boy in top for Sunday best : SALADCREAM

15-down – Nit-pickings of a president that’s terrible : PEDANTRIES

17-down – Poor wine settled : BROKERED

18-down – Flavour of plain drink : OVERTONE

20-down – As good as new in the morning : NEARLY

21-down – Mark King’s cracking melody : STRAIN

22-down – Prodigal son covers up further : ALSO

23-down – See old cover for Playboy issue : COPY

1-across – Drunken announcement of breaks for booze : SCHNAPPS

5-across – Forces assembled for The Last Supper, say : FRESCO

9-across – Small reservoir provided by king on ruling favourably : INKWELL

10-across – Kentish solicitor wrapping son’s presents : SETSOUT

11-across – He’ll eat his own catch and not what’s thrown back : HERON

12-across – Moving show about rebel on throne returning : CAVALCADE

13-across – Running into bar during finale, penniless : ENCOUNTERING

17-across – Notice corrupt fiscal aides beginning to defect : CLASSIFIEDAD

20-across – First of Aylesbury ducks cooked in Cardigan eatery? : DININGCAR

22-across – Old lady’s stabbing that is senseless : INANE

23-across – Call up troops to seize northern province : MUNSTER

24-across – Dog-tired wife produced chops : WHACKED

25-across – Dear officer on retirement given sheltered housing : COSTLY

26-across – Where to find Orlando at play, oddly struck with passion : ARDENTLY

1-down – Where Vulcan worked with German in cast? : SMITHY

2-down – Travellers from Berkshire leading trio lost at sea : HIKERS

3-down – Like touring state in eastern mountains : APENNINES

4-down – Busy international clubs blocking European bid twice : POLICEOFFICER

6-down – Carnivore of the woods distress­ed in middle of moorland : RATEL

7-down – Scattered crop said to be spoilt : SPORADIC

8-down – Trump’s unacceptable manner spoken of : OUTWEIGH

10-down – Was every sane soldier ultimately involved in it? : SEVENYEARSWAR

14-down – Dispose of mouse finally caught in shed : ERADICATE

15-down – Scholarly accounts, second cut by half : ACADEMIC

16-down – Wishes to forgo initial salary : EARNINGS

18-down – Carrier’s chance to frame question : BASKET

19-down – Prime gay rhymes : HEYDAY

21-down – Charlatans claiming elevated birth : NATAL

1-across – Poor game worked on : MEAGRE

4-across – 15 on 5 scored highly : SOPRANO

9-across – I leak info about article : KEFALONIA

10-across – Figurative career choices, I say? : ROADS

11-across – I recall almost all there eating beef : NAXOS

12-across – Airport fliers caught in snow skid all over the place : WINDSOCKS

13-across – I pinched rear of cop in a sexy manner : SPICILY

15-across – Holiday homes or possible location of holiday : RESORT

17-across – One left in burn : SINGLE

19-across – Young cuckoo eaten by goose, having dropped guts : TEENAGE

22-across – Pick up hairy thing, suffering : HEARTACHE

24-across – Old African leader getting wee cut from circular instrument : TAMBO

26-across – Wet behind the ears, water running back : NAIVE

27-across – Ultimately dependable teammate behind winger always : ETERNALLY

28-across – True as religious teachings : SINCERE

29-across – Musical location of many I’s, we hear? : GREASE

1-down – I: setter’s I keeps working : MYKONOS

2-down – Stick mark on ballot paper, if nothing turns up : AFFIX

3-down – Loving son snared by hen, girl I suspect : RELISHING

4-down – Turner’s viaduct? : SPANNER

5-down – I thus blow up : PAROS

6-down – Puzzling old friend, artist in middle of saucy song : ARAUCARIA

7-down – Keep thinking only about enter­ing classes boxer set up : OBSESS

8-down – Still a 5th Avenue, perhaps? : ANYWAY

14-down – Poor substitute shows weakness, missing header : IMITATION

16-down – Eastern doubly eclipsed by western brews — something in the tea? : SWEETENER

18-down – English XI go : EXCRETE

19-down – Where the I’s are found and what I’s are : THEMED

20-down – Officer in Jag involved in a specific race : ECOTYPE

21-down – I must collect new bags : CHINOS

23-down – Not entirely competent, he set cryptic clues? : THESE

25-down – I drink ale, primarily : MALTA

1-across – Point out finally a cause of plague : LOCUST

4-across – Banter for a badge? : BADINAGE

9-across – Man with a cave for a mermaid? : FINGAL

10-across – US presidential election may be like an old Citroën rally : TWOHORSE

11-across – Another effing hot type of ruin? It could be! : OUTOFTHEFRYING

13-across – Like including soldiers in welcome deals : AGREEMENTS

14-across – Gaslight : NEON

16-across – See 10 : RACE

18-across – A top family’s dodgy ‘booty’ like this? : MAPOFITALY

21-across – See 11 : PANINTOTHEFIRE

23-across – Since isolation, forced to find a solution : ISOTONIC

24-across – See 23 : SALINE

25-across – Potential source of X-rays put on inside stone : SARDONYX

26-across – Extremely sick unclean kitchens: they’re smelly : SKUNKS

1-down – Lacklustre Labour leader in embarrassing selfies : LIFE

2-down – Win a couple of these in sound game : CONQUER

3-down – Followed suit to begin with and was in debt : SHADOWED

5-down – One for cavities? : ASWEETTOOTH

6-down – Reside? Yes, but not out there! : INHERE

7-down – Virgin is one that recedes with time, lacking aspiration : AIRLINE

8-down – Crisis upset both author and leaders of the end of the Georgian era : EMERGENCY

12-down – Most from age 18 : THEMAJORITY

13-down – Academic top prizes for shrinks : ATROPHIES

15-down – Skip, half-drunk, with this in pocket? : HIPFLASK

17-down – Preserve with grim honesty : CANDOUR

19-down – Incriminate a regime in a radio broadcast : ARRAIGN

20-down – Wholly or partly certain to topple : INTOTO

22-down – See 1 : LESS

9-across – Shopkeepers badly need marts : TRADESMEN

10-across – Even pieces of John Le Carré translated straightforwardly : ONTHE

11-across – What actor needs — impressive vehicle, we hear : ROLES

12-across – Wagner’s work showing long involvement with Rhine : LOHENGRIN

13-across – Kansas girl crashed hot rod before the Fourth of July : DOROTHY

14-across – Senior briefly embracing another in private : SOLDIER

17-across – Contracted very bad kind of fever not easily discerned : VAGUE

19-across – See letters centrally placed in crossword — cryptic, maybe : SPY

20-across – Dickensian villain giving female a drink : FAGIN

21-across – Fails in theatre, medical device holding operation back : DRIESUP

22-across – Revolutionary joining moderate movement — heavens above : TROTSKY

24-across – Indication that storm’s abating, so relaxes : WINDSDOWN

26-across – Suddenly emerge from kind of junction after neat reversing : ERUPT

28-across – Part for actor I send up : RISEN

29-across – Change of rate less risky for financial administrator : TREASURER

1-down – Crude and despicable types upset son in film : STAR

2-down – Adapt for British star in The Comedians, say : TAILOR

3-down – Semiprecious stone I and others collected for wealthy elite : JETSETTERS

4-down – Representation of happiness I myself endlessly revised : SMILEY

5-down – Honestly reformed, in secret : ONTHESLY

6-down – Don’t stop thug : GOON

7-down – Something round prison, initially, that’s inspirational : STIRRING

8-down – Meagre list : LEAN

13-down – Eg Hockney, or French artist : DAVID

15-down – Comfortable existence provided before enemy turned up in form of rent : LIFEOFEASE

16-down – Lustful extremes of ribaldry : RANDY

18-down – Around pub, reckon to get this? : GUINNESS

19-down – Keeps ahead in games : SUPPORTS

22-down – Fiddle or violin clerk finally deposited in bank : TINKER

23-down – See 10 : SQUARE

24-down – See 1 : WARS

25-down – Provide information regularly in espionage : SING

27-down – Beginner with spell in Hamlet, ironically, not petty role : TIRO