Daily Answers

1-across – Defer turning up? Swell : PUTOFF

4-across – I’m backing competitions engaging student prodigies : MIRACLES

9-across – Finished tucking into drink, bowl turned upside-down? : CUPOLA

10-across – Game soldier from abroad occupying areas, offering defence : APOLOGIA

11-across – Equivalent figure in work to advance food additive : OPPOSITENUMBER

13-across – Government’s in better nick, providing digital coverage? : FINGERNAIL

14-across – Really? That’s half gone? It’s not true : MYTH

16-across – Shy about beginning to participate in reproduction : COPY

18-across – I start to raise it in allotment, producing annoyance : IRRITATION

21-across – Description of theatre and music person creating star, possibly : PERFORMINGARTS

23-across – Financial journalists and their boss recalled in unpleasantly sticky surroundings : CITYDESK

24-across – Meat served in American flight mostly spoken about : SALAMI

25-across – I utter a couple of names when pushing back Hindu beggar : SANNYASI

26-across – A second firm linked to motor-racing debacle : FIASCO

1-down – Large bra served up in purple : PUCE

2-down – Pinches trophy after taking up bowling like this : TOPSPIN

3-down – Almost half of Alcatraz united, enthralled by French bird man? : FALCONER

5-down – One held in jail around city — rough situation? : IMPRECISION

6-down – Disagree, dismissing first total : ALLOUT

7-down – Clearly article from Libération’s fluently presented without opening line : LEGIBLY

8-down – Marine animal hunting curtailed after receiving text for you : SEAURCHIN

12-down – Dicks in orgasm possibly retaining utility : IGNORAMUSES

13-down – Female expert gets ready to leave external applications : FACEPACKS

15-down – I charge a French body of water to raise this seafood : CALAMARI

17-down – Joke about artist concealing sex — probably not a favourite of mine! : PURITAN

19-down – Seemingly unhappy career amongst those who got elected : INTEARS

20-down – Month in which daughter never turned up for start of week : MONDAY

22-down – Motor fuel going up, requiring investment of money : LIMO

1-across – Trite remark from medic about to probe blushing woman? : BROMIDE

5-across – Anxiety about horse for slaughter : CARNAGE

10-across – Stomachs turned by dirty joke : SMUT

11-across – Cheeky addition in very popular car park? : BEAUTYSPOT

12-across – Artist’s fierce struggle with endless difficulty : WARHOL

13-across – People cycle: cycling creates forbearing attitude : CLEMENCY

14-across – In Venice one heard the position with Spanish team : BARCAROLE

16-across – Truck’s width no end of pain : WAGON

17-across – Study hard, coffee raised to lips? : MUGUP

19-across – Enthusiasts’ purchase includes news of cartoon character : BUGSBUNNY

23-across – Does time, very short one inside, at risk from the Devil? : HINDMOST

24-across – Facing terrible revenge, what bulges one’s wallet? : FATWAD

26-across – Claudius’s successor said to have gone to war in underwear : FORTINBRAS

27-across – Sort of glass promenade : PIER

28-across – Loving to reveal my politics? : AMATORY

29-across – Put protective coat on cow I go out with : OXIDATE

2-down – Sweet but strange infant, shortly adult : RUMBABA

3-down – Marriage, an equal contest that is likely to ignite : MATCH

4-down – Amateur duck? : DABBLER

6-down – One awaits a bee: an insect’s nearly here : ANTHER

7-down – Numbers at horrible endless feature film : NOSFERATU

8-down – As filler, shortly check on old comedian : GROUCHO

9-down – Abolish the arts? What a censorious attitude : CANCELCULTURE

15-down – What was originally conducted by up-to-date revolutionary? : COUPDETAT

18-down – Regular college class : UNIFORM

20-down – One does not expect a child to be taking part in this : SAFESEX

21-down – Dined at home, most economical : NEATEST

22-down – Craftsman unlikely to refuse union membership? : JOINER

25-down – Bound to need a piano during talks series : TAPED

1-across – Repeatedly bear ridicule : POOHPOOH

5-across – Tail is part of one and one is part of tail : RABBIT

9-across – Awful deed, act I commit : DEDICATE

10-across – Land in country, European nation : ESTATE

12-across – Saint seen in awfully rich bar with that woman : CHRISTOPHER

15-across – Produces text, we hear, about donkey in part of book — major life events : RITES

17-across – See 15 : OFPASSAGE

18-across – Sailor robbed saint, reportedly — part of explosive mixture : SALTPETRE

19-across – Burgle home to get bird : ROBIN

20-across – Accommodating people, like an initially powerless political leader : RESIDENTIAL

24-across – Prioritise treatment when a tiger runs amok : TRIAGE

25-across – One living in hope as I tip most haphazardly : OPTIMIST

26-across – Wise-looking old learner included in list in the past : OWLISH

27-across – Settled score with duke, say, at no point retreating : REVENGED

1-down – Editor in charge limited by pedant, who provides low-level care? : PEDICURIST

2-down – Doubly wrong about charge in a pig-headed way : OBDURATELY

3-down – Lots of certain animals in containers : PACKS

4-down – Is not Dr Tooth possibly an alias for one? : ORTHODONTIST

6-down – Addict across street, right? It’s less clear : ABSTRUSER

7-down – Asinine pronouncement from monarch borne by horse : BRAY

8-down – Draws, we hear, little piggies for children : TOES

11-down – People using crooks with little money, namely to get something to eat : SHEPHERDSPIE

13-down – Removing skin around swelling, as form of prepping : PARBOILING

14-down – Exerted control about accommod­ation and raised prices again : REINFLATED

16-down – Internalised moral restraints group sees as distorted : SUPEREGOS

21-down – Innocent the First dividing part of church : NAIVE

22-down – This German ruler, on reflection, is no different : OTTO

23-down – Girl coming to harm following Jack : JILL

1-across – American sailor circling shore, by the way : APROPOS

5-across – Drunken rugby player, mostly stylishly dressed : BACCHIC

9-across – Old pugilist from Britain and a figure from Spain : BRUNO

10-across – People in a party of left-wing English radicals initially switching sides : REVELLERS

11-across – Expressionist composer’s chosen new pupil of his : SCHOENBERG

12-across – Case of tequila? Cheers and cheerio! : TATA

14-across – It detects law-breaking beer fans, full of energy on drug : SPEEDCAMERA

18-across – Fashion designer with winning clothing male modelled in advance : QUANTUMLEAP

21-across – Ship — and what one may carry leaving Cuba’s capital : ARGO

22-across – Home rule divides party giving offence : INFRACTION

25-across – Democrat cast a ballot in English city with loyalty : DEVOTEDLY

26-across – Some shenanigans turning silly : INANE

27-across – Colour’s maintained on huge screen : REREDOS

28-across – Item destined for bathroom old men put in lounge : LOOROLL

1-down – Little girl following Jack’s elder sister : ABBESS

2-down – Thugs picked up Elizabethan fashion items : ROUGHS

3-down – Tendency to be nosy about uninhibited model : PROPENSITY

4-down – Clean vessel boarded by new leader : SCRUB

5-down – Economist who wrote a report the night before cracking game : BEVERIDGE

6-down – Some meat sandwiches left for a bunch of zealots : CULT

7-down – What a day! To start with, this guy made a beastly noise : HEEHAWED

8-down – Perhaps islander’s reason for not staging play : CASTAWAY

13-down – Drink from top composer not finishing round : CAPPUCCINO

15-down – Mythic figures from Greece need muse, I suspect : EUMENIDES

16-down – Waste shilling on a pair of queens? : SQUANDER

17-down – Gallons swallowed in George’s house — might this result? : HANGOVER

19-down – Asian leader toppled Asian leader? Commotion follows! : MIKADO

20-down – A European supplier of oil needing treatment : UNWELL

23-down – Liar shocked about year one’s spent in Doha : RIYAL

24-down – Discharging debts, inclined to work for boss : STUD

1-across – Picnic area ruined with exceptional rain falling? It can make you sick : IPECAC

5-across – Flower masking very soft body part : NIPPLE

8-across – Unadorned crusading king? Hard to miss warrior’s belt : BALDRIC

9-across – Bands in balls aboard ship : STRIPES

11-across – Cathedral staff opposed accepting dean’s ultimate authority : CHAPTERANDVERSE

12-across – Show’s furniture item about to be disposed of : HAIR

13-across – See winter traveller, refreshed, glow and push on : SNOWPLOUGH

17-across – Frolicking can end soon — there’s very little time : NANOSECOND

18-across – Exam in which a learner gets nothing right to start with : ORAL

20-across – Very significant hater may emerge thus : EARTHSHATTERING

23-across – Musical part that oboe has, but not violin : SECONDO

24-across – Threesome laid into Irishman, defender of country’s honour : PATRIOT

25-across – Chemical drugs containing poisonous element : POTASH

26-across – Hard on the outside, hard on the inside nevertheless : THOUGH

2-down – Chum : PALLADIAN

3-down – Collect and organise copper to meet judge and minister : CURATE

4-down – Like a famous orator : CICERONIC

5-down – Mounting wickedness before a new month : NISAN

6-down – Football team left with final message : PORTVALE

7-down – See human being half cut, one walking in a certain way : LOPER

8-down – Supporters outside hotel with financial inducements : BACKHANDERS

10-down – Be very angry, then frivolous — change for the better? : SEETHELIGHT

14-down – What hopeful snooker player did — lost form, dramatically? : WENTTOPOT

15-down – Exalting university with acclaim : UPRAISING

16-down – In haste, struggling with a muscular problem : ASTHENIA

19-down – Bird’s eggs sat on by male : GENTOO

21-down – Minister not right but is on the right side! : RECTO

22-down – House companion storing old drink : HOOCH