Daily Answers

8-across – Laugh about foreign article, sloppy stuff requiring a rubber? : SUNCREAM

9-across – Record line by Pavlova, for example? : ANNAL

10-across – Dish, while in pot, Greek character covers : LAMB

11-across – How dare he wear the van out! : WHATANERVE

12-across – Stick nose in object worn round neck, did you say? : MEDDLE

14-across – Produce notes about Arctic, giving a lecture : SCOLDING

15-across – Baby feeder squashed by bricks — no need to worry : LETITGO

17-across – See 10 : PASANDA

20-across – Kind of desert carrier not entirely accepting European cause of disease, possibly : BACTERIA

22-across – Political machine cruelly rejecting part of manifesto by a majority : MAYBOT

23-across – Agree hedges opening at the end — feature of labyrinth? : COMPLEXITY

24-across – Nothing in heads of negotiators as deadline approaches : NADA

25-across – 104 fancy holiday destination : CORFU

26-across – Bum of leader’s taking a beating : FREELOAD

1-down – European in America entertained by south-east African : SUDANESE

2-down – Scoundrel requires system for paying up : SCAB

3-down – Two minutes of relief? : WEEWEE

4-down – Mission Paul set up, fishy? : EMBASSY

5-down – Italian sculptor welcomes a second lover : CASANOVA

6-down – Provocative chopping of nice new log : INCENDIARY

7-down – CON split? : CLOVEN

13-down – Division in home arising over creative work, gradually become estranged : DRIFTAPART

16-down – See 18 : GORGEOUS

18-down – As is a femme fatale? : DROPDEAD

19-down – Please keep Friday cleared: the following 24 hours is to take priority? : SATISFY

21-down – Now achievement of tennis player eclipsing that of batsman? : ATONCE

22-down – Chaos in spring over the border : MAYHEM

24-down – Zero tolerance in the end for African runner : NILE

1-across – Jazz pianist lacking second sense : HEARING

5-across – State capital’s toilet working : JACKSON

9-across – It’s on target, but network device fails to start : OUTER

10-across – Heavenly movement of songs mater composed : AIRSTREAM

11-across – Transport provided by old flame out with Latin oddball : EXULTATION

12-across – Right after a blue cheesy stuff : SKYR

14-across – Mark was a consumer backed by man, one with reservations : TICKETAGENT

18-across – Living nightmare of greeting the world around mid-morning! : HELLONEARTH

21-across – Cross appropriate to duke : FORD

22-across – Michael can shift — power-driven? : MECHANICAL

25-across – What made a clot hack a long cut with one? : COAGULANT

26-across – Knock spots off front of trousers and rear : TRUMP

27-across – Drastically reduced, as certain windows are after large insertion : SLASHED

28-across – ‘City of Love’ backing onto Lancashire town? Not quite : LINCOLN

1-down – House above the dam? : HOOVER

2-down – King Ben’s second after Paul’s music partner : ARTHUR

3-down – Pain initiator overcome with resistance : IRRITATION

4-down – Present relative temperature : GRANT

5-down – Who talks twaddle like ‘gas in mock enclosure’ : JARGONEER

6-down – Attractive dock above the end of Cologne : CUTE

7-down – Spotted old Hollywood star in drag : SPECKLED

8-down – Having no problem with sums of money initially kept in a tureen that’s cracked : NUMERATE

13-down – State of laundry? Not bad : WASHINGTON

15-down – Former county college grade with ‘plus’ added : CLEVELAND

16-down – Truth of the matter? One isn’t party to bandit behaviour : THEFACTS

17-down – English opera in trouble again, having to hold back non-English part : GLORIANA

19-down – Court’s disguised trapdoor : SCRUTO

20-down – Tie fleece round cheek : CLIPON

23-down – Raffles off the lot almost? : HOTEL

24-down – Uncultivated country’s transport hub just opening : BUSH

1-across – Sad feeling, Brexit dealer beyond hellish place : DISMAY

4-across – Sex in urinals once ordered for a pound, say? : ANIMAL

9-across – See 15 : CAVA

10-across – Part of series back on screen : SECONDTEST

11-across – Good houses giving poor boys food : BUMSON

12-across – Dividing the country, is monarch Republican or Unionist? : IRISHMAN

13-across – Sweet thing ending in harmony, some land slipping back into water : LAYERCAKE

15-across – Not quite finished opening a wine vessel : VENA

16-across – Scottish town that may be lit : WICK

17-across – Bit of a bloomer around setback for experienced politicians : STATESMEN

21-across – One’s possessed coin made in error : DEMONIAC

22-across – Retired setter with head on stamp : EMBOSS

24-across – Doctor done with flu and visibly embarrassed, struggled : FLOUNDERED

25-across – Song enjoyed, though disheartened : LIED

26-across – Dull seeing bottom within limits of decency : DREARY

27-across – African understanding why many avoiding the borders : KENYAN

1-down – Almost entirely posh character ascendant in novel : DRACULA

2-down – See 11 : SEATS

3-down – As scenario briefly unfolding : ARSENIC

5-down – Sister taking so long to dismiss a church representative : NUNCIO

6-down – Without rivals, unable to play? : MATCHLESS

7-down – Concert venue providing some basic singing, including opera, though not needing to : LASCALA

8-down – Tons and tons in 10 across, perhaps? : ACRICKETSCORE

14-down – See 4 : ENCLOSURE

16-down – Reportedly handle like a car, perhaps? : WHEELED

18-down – Has unruly lad gone climbing? Put one’s foot down here : TREADLE

19-down – Near middle, back from Asia? : EASTERN

20-down – See 23 : WILDER

23-down – Film director: goat less domesticated : BILLY

9-across – Potential share for peacemaker — that’s how this ends : SWORD

10-across – Getting better, those people conclude, after operating : ONTHEMEND

11-across – Play cricket on second XI, followed by hot relaxing treatment : STEAMBATH

12-across – Abrasive European happy taking one right away : EMERY

13-across – From vessel I’m able to see inside Rome : VATICAN

15-across – Object when put in torn garments : RAIMENT

17-across – Stormy, is it? After regular cancellations, agree to meet : TRYST

18-across – Feature of dress that may attract attention : HEM

20-across – Promote officer after fire returned : EXALT

22-across – Crass advice about people’s survival ‘sans pain’? : LETTHEM

25-across – See 22 : EATCAKE

26-across – Cardinal, say, disrupting firm belief : CREDO

27-across – He reported storm at sea, danger to shipping : MAELSTROM

30-across – Make too many plans? Not a good balance : OVERDRAFT

31-across – Chaps who work out rapprochement, in part : HEMEN

1-down – Deity leads a double life : ISIS

2-down – Time inside too cold at first — being kept under wraps : COVERTLY

3-down – Male attached to one palindromic female … : ADAM

4-down – … and another holding ring, small expression of adoration : HOSANNAH

5-down – Creator of printed works, 100 in number : ETCHER

6-down – One foreign coin produced after complaint about new kind : BENEFICENT

7-down – Demanding part, central character in Othello : SEVERE

8-down – Finishes off prize crossword, being very nervous : EDGY

13-down – Temperature in medicine bottle’s key : VITAL

14-down – Eye trousers initially exchanged — they’re said to be trendy : CATCHWORDS

16-down – It’s in the tax once faithfully paid : TITHE

19-down – Wartime emergency gear for pilots in a mess, wet after coming to grief : MAEWESTS

21-down – For instance, they include ant since also an insect : ANAGRAMS

23-down – Nice view? Some parts are like that : THEMED

24-down – One sailor, saying nothing, turned up in Asian port : MUMBAI

26-down – Make sound of one bird or another : CROW

28-down – Part of West End not quite as fashionable : SOHO

29-down – Before university, people posted list of courses : MENU

1-across – Bowled, chance of a draw wasted : BLOTTO

4-across – Cutter in dance is no longer tacking? : JIGSAW

9-across – See 21 : PARK

10-across – Someone spying first of pins grasped by marker of territory? : PEEPINGTOM

11-across – Spring, when one has cup upset : POUNCE

12-across – See 23 : THECROWS

13-across – SIX : STEAMSHIP

15-across – How one’s coffee may be ordered in African country : TOGO

16-across – For all to see in May for example, a wild animal : PUMA

17-across – Lover’s pet snakes failed to stir : OVERSLEPT

21-across – Skilful, I start crossing on football ground : GOODISON

22-across – Help player, having missed header : ASSIST

24-across – Having suffered main loss in difficult battle, Chelsea take on dangerous responsibility : BELLTHECAT

25-across – Curse at my gags : OATH

26-across – Nothing coming in when delivery happened, track item without a name? : DOOBRY

27-across – Comic’s ending in second place — that’s easy : BREEZE

1-down – See 19 : BOATOUT

2-down – Woody Allen movie, black melodrama, hero ultimately sent up : OAKEN

3-down – xposed? : TOPLESS

5-down – In the same book, I remain magnificent, initially : IBIDEM

6-down – Lumps in it perhaps, take up American dress on creature of the night : SUGARBOWL

7-down – How novel twice has inspired second reference book : WHOSWHO

8-down – Bones to cover still, penning a fine book : DEATHINVENICE

14-down – Animal appendage getting a bash, suffering cuts : ARMADILLO

16-down – Start low, catching French horn up : PROCEED

18-down – Cleric guarding a nuclear structure : REACTOR

19-down – Go to town, or go to sea? : PUSHTHE

20-down – Stocked by libraries, the reference book : ESTHER

23-down – Man alive seen to empty trash out before a murder : STONE