Daily Answers

1-across – Idiot not entirely without feeling, shame one has quit : NUMPTY

4-across – Having rubbed out old boy, drug lord understood to be a slimy crawler : ESCARGOT

9-across – Screened by fifth columnist, general dropping off : SLEEPY

10-across – General places reflected in Indian city : AGRICOLA

11-across – Knot tied, coveter set to be someone walking sneakily down the aisle? : STOREDETECTIVE

13-across – Question clothes a nudist designed for religious festival : WHITSUNDAY

14-across – Test of reading and learning, primarily : ORAL

16-across – Indian, post-Haydn, sounding game? : SIKH

18-across – In leak, one stopping vehicle to obstruct legislation : FILIBUSTER

21-across – Fiddles embracing lively sonatas, or encapsulating the ultimate in dumb instruments? : CONTRABASSOONS

23-across – Written about in almanac, I remain like 17, perhaps : AMERICAN

24-across – Master on something stringed, as cellist : YOYOMA

25-across – Critical supporter adds quality to piano parts : KEYSTONE

26-across – Capital inspiring lieder is, for starters, the capital for a composer! : BERLIN

1-down – Feature is familiar with broadcast : NOSE

2-down – Great musicians playing sitar with me : MAESTRI

3-down – Better money for big guns : TOPBRASS

5-down – One of 12 with bow, as guitarist after a fiddle : SAGITTARIUS

6-down – A bit of music to be shared equally : APIECE

7-down – Sticky stuff on bottom of cone in tree, more nutty : GOOFIER

8-down – Journeyman composer beginning to languish in winter, without success : TRAVELLER

12-down – Contrarily, was evil mind a French horn player? : DENNISBRAIN

13-down – Wine not half dry, where bottles kept a joke : WISECRACK

15-down – Figure below zero turned around for everyone in economic region : EUROZONE

17-down – President as fiddler : KENNEDY

19-down – Flipping brilliant hiding data sheets in the kitchen : TINFOIL

20-down – God stands above bird, accepting son as the Creator : ARTIST

22-down – A shade cooler around start of winter : FAWN

1-across – American dance English society shunned : CHARLTON

5-across – Leaving Oxford college, I look back : BALL

8-across – Remove black stuff from vehicle sunk in bottom of river after reversing : DECARB

9-across – Delights offered by girl heading off with workers : ENCHANTS

11-across – Orchestra in triumph : WILSON

12-across – Islander, one in brown, given initial thanks and greeting : TAHITIAN

13-across – Harmless explosive containers, 50 fired : BANKS

14-across – Something required not so much, not half creating anger : NEEDLE

16-across – Sort of barrier when children start school with hesitation : SEPTUM

18-across – Short day, beginning to end : HURST

21-across – Manage to survive? That seems unlikely! : GETALONG

22-across – Worries when first son does a bunk : PETERS

24-across – Bully — this person’s impeding performer : DOMINEER

25-across – Ways to get a mention : STILES

26-across – Any number being sheltered? : HUNT

27-across – Officer conveyed by underground transporter : CHARLTON

1-down – Religious leader creating new circle : CLERIC

2-down – Gather in the morning on a ship : AMASS

3-down – The French prohibition operating in a Mediterranean country : LEBANON

4-down – Nothing stays still with energy in old play : ORESTES

6-down – Cunning fellows squatting in a gym — somewhere to live : APARTMENT

7-down – Left the wounded friend with fatal consequences : LETHALLY

10-down – One of the others at the women’s party? : COHEN

13-down – Fighting unit to strike bellicose male, reservists brought in : BATTALION

15-down – Monster insects : BEHEMOTH

17-down – Yesteryear’s chancellor with nothing to hide : MOORE

18-down – Artist in courtyard overlooked by house : HOGARTH

19-down – About to join exhibitionist as one needing to get on with the rest? : REPOSER

20-down – Dye that’s yellow, awfully nice : ORCEIN

23-down – Pervert who was encouraged to pick pockets? : TWIST

1-across – Female on record wearing fleece, a large number — here? : SHEEPFARM

6-across – Miles 14 to 26, heading for glory that’s brief! : THONG

9-across – How a bird goes for a song that’s audible : CHEEP

10-across – Academy acting to separate two points, literarily, for American statesman : COLORADAN

11-across – See 15 : BAT

12-across – Cold seafood bedecked stall? : STANDOFFISH

14-across – Fit little time between function and drink : TANTRUM

15-across – Two animals, one taken to the middle : CRICKET

16-across – Don’t talk about cryptic clue that’s beyond question — sounds like that sucks? : SQUELCH

19-across – Without family, around a hundred spies : NOTICES

22-across – Newspapers covering second of February, last month, or the one before : PREDECESSOR

23-across – Conscious element ending in grudge match : EGO

24-across – Just English left, island heading backwards : EQUITABLE

26-across – 15 is no more, I should add : WASPS

27-across – Match score : TALLY

28-across – School prom that’s a throwback? : RUGBYBALL

1-down – Lute heard, however, as an old trombone : SACKBUT

2-down – Tennis player and 15 side 11 : EVERTON

3-down – Source of fruit is lemon, say, with yellow centre to feed 11 : PIPISTRELLE

4-down – Applaud a goal, hugging Celtic’s outside left : ACCLAIM

5-down – Musical doctor covering ligatures and operatic overtures : MELODIC

6-down – Jack — knave put another way : TAR

7-down – Diabolical brute getting on collar : OLDNICK

8-down – Warm up, then cool bullet : GUNSHOT

13-down – Waste water redirected into river after a day : FRITTERAWAY

16-down – Sage in fancy panties : SAPIENT

17-down – Different passage of tune, quality : UNEQUAL

18-down – After taking a spin, driver finally qualified — what? Cobblers! : HEELBAR

19-down – Savings banked in the branches? : NESTEGG

20-down – 11 more in the drink : CHELSEA

21-down – Marriage beginning to unravel, work to patch girl up : SPOUSAL

25-down – Test score : TRY

1-across – Make awful, primitive sound: No iron in river! : UGLIFY

5-across – Valuation reduced with chain cut off : ESTRANGE

9-across – Secret drinker reaches end of line in Morecambe? : ESOTERIC

10-across – Withdraws new state in America : UNSAYS

11-across – Coastal country footballer disheartened by team’s kit : GAZA

12-across – State, once, of seed-covered, wild youth : SOUTHYEMEN

13-across – Craft stones: half a smacker : JETSKI

14-across – It’s lucky the composer, Guy, gets left out : TALISMAN

16-across – Turn your hand to flat-pack furniture with this? : ALLENKEY

19-across – Where some academics collect one exercise, as basis for play? : SCRIPT

21-across – Off-colour anagrams emerge thus : OUTOFSORTS

23-across – See 6 : BASE

24-across – Not an owner stocking quality unit? : DENIER

25-across – Awful weapon verges on a non-ring explosive : NERVEGAS

26-across – Casual tense employed in old female soldiers’ essays : ATTEMPTS

27-across – Aware of not just X’s and Z’s being pronounced? : WISETO

2-down – Subterfuge a vital expedient, when one’s lacking as a writer : GUSTAVEFLAUBERT

3-down – Crying salty secretion found here! : INTEARS

4-down – Standard police department’s check : YARDSTICK

5-down – Measurement unit applied to low grade reddish-brown coat : ENCRUST

6-down – Contact that hurts me — possibly beats being on the outside : TOUCH

7-down – Swelling muscles tax : ABSCESS

8-down – Author bloke made off on drugs with Neddy, a TV presenter : GUYDEMAUPASSANT

15-down – Goes on and on about blemish that leads to blown fuse? : LASTSTRAW

17-down – Affecting revolutionary book one has : EMOTIVE

18-down – Minimum wear, if frosty, round northern rocks : YFRONTS

20-down – Like Adam, after Eve cut down the tormenting? : RIBLESS

22-down – See 11 : STRIP

7-across – One taking a puckish Laertes? : STEALER

8-across – Worker managed to catch cold — bitter in here? : BEERCAN

9-across – God of war, essentially : ARES

10-across – Regan struggles to eat syrup : GRENADINE

12-across – Warmer girl not entirely laid-back, a beauty : VENUS

13-across – Party backing right royal residence : BALMORAL

15-across – One’s up for playing this Shakespearean character, not half! : POLO

16-across – Stinker heading for sailing vessel : SEWER

17-across – Conservative painting revolutionary for muse : CLIO

18-across – Capital city positioned around new Shakespearean character : SANTIAGO

20-across – Mushroom, extra light starter : MOREL

21-across – Shockingly nude moobs revealed : UNBOSOMED

22-across – Piece of pie, as yummy as piece of cake : EASY

24-across – Despicable circles delay Hamlet : VILLAGE

25-across – Shakespearean character left consumed by perfidious suitor : TROILUS

1-down – Cooler mix : STIR

2-down – Voice needing love in a stuck-up Shakespeare character : BASSANIO

3-down – Trained singer is king : REIGNS

4-down – Weaving I relate with Olivier’s Bottom, as trader : RETAILER

5-down – Character who’s Shakespearean or Chinese : ORSINO

6-down – Topless swimmer, Shakespearean character : KATE

11-down – Play Shakespearean character before Othello turns up : ELBOWROOM

12-down – Quite highly-strung Shakespearean character? : VIOLA

14-down – Shakespearean character, Lear I suspect : ARIEL

16-down – Ram or bull, perhaps, features in describing goat, primarily : STARSIGN

17-down – Shakespearean character was afflicted, big bird upset : CORDELIA

19-down – Antagonist ultimately getting turned over by key Shakespearean character : TYBALT

20-down – New day inspiring cardinal after uprising : MODERN

21-down – Single person close to you, fool : UNIT

23-down – Shakespearean character getting Arsenal promoted : SNUG