Daily Answers

1-across – Presence of character : SPIRIT

4-across – Gripping wheel, daughters treasure fairground ride : DODGEM

9-across – Deceit’s back in anagram of a hazy mirage : FATA

10-across – Commercial establishment isn’t entertaining head of staff in routine job : CHAINSTORE

11-across – See 16 : CURTIS

12-across – National sport in Green Park initially rejected : PERUVIAN

13-across – Savagery in pubs, it ending in affray : BARBARITY

15-across – Bear fur, say, skinned : URSA

16-across – New country with its old player : TONY

17-across – Wearing dress, emcee beginning to tremble as place emptied : GHOSTTOWN

21-across – Rare earth element cut out with impure rocks : EUROPIUM

22-across – What feeds ill-considered second use of an idea? : REHASH

24-across – Work of Maupassant, perhaps in schoolboy attire, blue : SHORTSTORY

25-across – Book doesn’t start to cover a state : UTAH

26-across – See 23 : NUMBER

27-across – No great effort to produce wind : BREEZE

1-down – Implement — it is inspiring me to collect last of fondant? : SPATULA

2-down – It’s hard to accept that my pants keep getting caught on the stile? : ICANT

3-down – Icons at sea in Irish cutter : INCISOR

5-down – Those in debt stuffed by new landlords, say? : OWNERS

6-down – See 2 : GETOVERIT

7-down – See 9 : MORGANA

8-down – Beetle, dog, cat, budgie and pig manure cleaner : CARPETSHAMPOO

14-down – Try to break stick on unusual percussion instrument : BONGODRUM

16-down – Reinforce huge churns in vast weight : TOUGHEN

18-down – Can of deodorant, say, close to armpits on monk, perhaps? : SPRAYER

19-down – A rutter in the Guardian — how much lost? : WASTAGE

20-down – Broadsheet ultimately put out weak paper : TISSUE

23-down – One river carrying another over neighbour’s head, how might property be located? : HOUSE

7-across – Two chessmen, one of which captures a third : KINGPRAWN

8-across – Motor racing, timid? Unlikely : FISHY

9-across – One gathers pearls from margins of sandbank in river delta, instead of its head : SKINDIVER

10-across – Pound backs dollar : SQUID

12-across – Imposes the first of taxes to be extracted from Hebrews : LEVIES

13-across – Diverge, argue, make up … friends at last, eternally : FORKEEPS

16-across – Coarse material to add fire to dance : HOPSACK

19-across – Filthy lout, not unknown, witnessed speaking : OBSCENE

22-across – Perform B major composition, part of opening : DOORJAMB

25-across – D’oh sounds as if it could be doe, pre-Middle English : DEARME

27-across – Finding a place for octopus in gastronomic display : USING

28-across – Freely flow with abuse to make Spooner go crazy : BLOWAFUSE

29-across – See 3 : DEMER

30-across – Bend, use handle and let go : UNLEASHED

1-down – Get beast to go uphill : WINKLE

2-down – CIA, NCA etc, with powers to use silver to displace cannabis : AGENCIES

3-down – Ferret around: is mud involved? : FRUITS

4-down – Small shirt holds little to note, or nothing at all : SWEETFA

5-down – It could be lobster pot : BISQUE

6-down – Marines dispersed throughout vessel : SHRIMP

11-down – Cook rapidly and boil heads : CRAB

14-down – Boatman reported for watch : EYE

15-down – Female shellfish, easily caught : SHE

16-down – Caught fish with nowhere to leave boat! : HAD

17-down – Expert the right wing excluded from conclusive arguments : PRO

18-down – Oddly cold arms : CLAM

20-down – Factory ship processed missing parts of pot : CRAYFISH

21-down – Boatman unequalled : ABALONE

23-down – Funny story, having Enigmatist its lead character : OYSTER

24-down – Melt tip and root of eggplant stuffed into razor shell : RENDER

25-down – The way this clue’s solution goes, the editor might be drunk : DOWNED

26-down – Might put into speech : MUSSEL

1-across – Fail to comprehend performance that’s sweet : LACTOSE

5-across – Worst possible thing where one deals with a breakdown : THEPITS

10-across – See 24 : CASE

11-across – Last of the rubbish written about vehicle taken back, as claws drawn in : RETRACTILE

12-across – Land bordering a western country : MALAWI

13-across – I’ve no cash, and I threaten all in need of treatment? : NATIONAL

14-across – Direction turned another way : NORTHEAST

16-across – Rapid group at sea : FLEET

17-across – Add ten, providing nothing rejected : AFFIX

19-across – Brexit no deal initially unfolding, potentially volatile situation? : TINDERBOX

23-across – Murder squeezing in boozer — might these get you in? : CROWBARS

24-across – A nasty vice being impudent — lippy here? : VANITY

26-across – Queen, perhaps yet to snub English Oscar winner, cheers : MANYTHANKS

27-across – Imitative behaviour has crossword writer doubled up : MEME

28-across – Soft little things, the English to the Australians, one and all? : POMPOMS

29-across – Naval weapon, flipping scandal, with inclination to waste billions : TRIDENT

2-down – I’m surprised a soldier lifted a Native American : ARAPAHO

3-down – Greek letter something to pick up, briefly : THETA

4-down – See 13 : SERVICE

6-down – See 13 : HEALTH

7-down – Mediocre earner needing sink and kettle, say? : POTBOILER

8-down – Cultivation shown by jailbird in hat : TILLAGE

9-down – Totally perplexed, when all humour has drained away? : ATONESWITSEND

15-down – Message on the box, switch hit and power terminated : THISWAYUP

18-down – Nowhere near end of disorder, back in confusing mess : FARRAGO

20-down – Figure going into another dip shortly, one covering one’s face : DIVISOR

21-down – Excessive land of Suleiman the Magnificent, for example? : OTTOMAN

22-down – Result of lack of planning putting leader on edge : MAYHEM

25-down – Hunter-gatherer possibly missing nuts? : NOMAD

1-across – Spurs letting in header from Newcastle? Nuts! : GONADS

4-across – Abstainer dropping special sort of acid : ACETIC

9-across – Star men assist cast to bag award thus : ASTROPHYSICISTS

10-across – Old Iron Duke leaves one in ground : MASHIE

11-across – One in dance : BALLETIC

12-across – Top down on Volkswagen : POLONECK

14-across – Painter covers books with lines like a Turner? : ROTARY

15-across – Our emperor’s vexed with this creature of habit : MOTHER

18-across – See 15 : SUPERIOR

21-across – Caring, but not up for having fun : SPORTIVE

22-across – Fox to play an inspirational role? : BEMUSE

24-across – Hussy admits climaxing and means to be heard : SPEAKINGTRUMPET

25-across – Asylum’s official uniform for one that’s flipped : REFUGE

26-across – Primate will do for sailor : AYEAYE

1-down – Interrogators try to keep tapes running : GESTAPO

2-down – Lisping Scandinavian makes a point : NORTH

3-down – Run through key prelude’s opening parts : DEPLETE

5-down – German author not beginning scary story : CHILLER

6-down – A period when expecting to prune trees anew : TRIMESTER

7-down – About time row gets more unpleasant : CATTIER

8-down – Demon’s dirty bomb disheartened country : DYBBUK

13-down – Partner of entertaining prince following the king : OTHERHALF

16-down – Figure eating puree, with recipe written down : ONPAPER

17-down – Reading or writing poorly is a barrier : RAILING

18-down – Vehicle in Senegal’s unoccupied border : SLEDGE

19-down – Time of change for local ruler, content to leave timidly : PUBERTY

20-down – Awful stink over public disturbance : OBSCENE

23-down – Two postgraduate degrees potentially a killer : MAMBA

1-across – Demons in head of crying baby breaking most of hearts, say? : SUCCUBI

5-across – Impetus lost, now stop : TIMESUP

9-across – Somewhat distant, a gull returning : ALOOF

10-across – Lizard finding pleasure ultimately in fruit, after drink : CHAMELEON

11-across – Mature, go in for work that’s engaging : PAGETURNER

12-across – One has trouble turning over bones : ILIA

14-across – No centrality and no eccentricity? : CERTAINLYNOT

18-across – Dialogue as yet unmentioned in paper, nurturing quality : MOTHERLINESS

21-across – Odd choice : RARE

22-across – Ladies and gentlemen in Florence possibly missing New York, a US city : TUSCALOOSA

25-across – Hack put on airs as lover of French writing : PROUSTIAN

26-across – Kind politician, on having shifted to the far right : GENRE

27-across – Quietly consider when judge allowed to detain criminal, originally : REFLECT

28-across – Stated floppy storing a digital file : DATASET

1-down – See 20 : SNAPPY

2-down – Hawk gripping tail of mynah bird : CHOUGH

3-down – Free, served without cheese, might you say? : UNFETTERED

4-down – Acquire lead-free metal, sure for shelling : INCUR

5-down – Player was furious, I having taken bronze on the outside : TRAGEDIAN

6-down – Happen upon rabbit and duck etc in conversation? : MEET

7-down – See 19 : STERLING

8-down – Items hanging down, butt appropriately covered? : PENDANTS

13-down – Keeping strike, escape beamer : FLASHLIGHT

15-down – I appreciate that defamatory accusations put in register for student of religious law : TALMUDIST

16-down – Unsuitable one tying up the little devil? : IMPROPER

17-down – Polaris, say, swell for launch : STARTOFF

19-down – Tender thumps magnificent : POUNDS

20-down – Encourage crocodile, please — and quickly! : MAKEIT

23-down – Setter possibly making appearance in public, an idiot : CANID

24-down – Dogs, say, insulted every so often : ISLE