Daily Answers

1-across – Drum almost filled with a fruit : TOMATO

4-across – See 8 : OFFICER

9-across – Odd tuna swimming round northern river in Russia : UNNATURAL

10-across – Beauty pageants uneventful, though some tripping over : VENUS

11-across – See 4 down : BLOOM

12-across – Left-leaning Stalinist not quite right after revolution : SINISTRAL

13-across – Shrink once had nurses excited at the outset : DIEDOWN

15-across – Blue essentially follows decoration of room in gold : ORMOLU

17-across – Echoing note resounding initially — with this? : REVERB

19-across – Ultimately, buttock and lower back prodded by a couple of unknowns — one’s an idiot : WAZZOCK

22-across – River having dried up on the banks, used a digger : TROWELLED

24-across – Grand nicked by one scoundrel — or another? : ROGUE

26-across – Future time in firm reviewed : LATER

27-across – Fidelio’s Léonore, originally in disguise here: well, well, well! : OILFIELDS

28-across – Collaboration with offender and my Lord on the radio? : SYNERGY

29-across – Whole testament, account in it : INTACT

1-down – Dull sound when round gong that’s fingered : THUMBED

2-down – Get out having escaped pea: try fruit : MANGO

3-down – Carving on reservation, painted plate needing time for inscription : TOTEMPOLE

4-down – Actor putting the flora in Florida? : ORLANDO

5-down – …s game : FIVES

6-down – Part sung in key, another key briefly eclipsing it : CONTRALTO

7-down – Take stock when philosopher overheard? : RUSTLE

8-down – Inside job? : PRISON

14-down – Looking surprised — as a snail? : EYESOUTON

16-down – Brilliant at music, strange being on tour of Australia : MOZARTIAN

18-down – Platform where meaty sandwiches left : BALCONY

19-down – Bottomless den concealed by foxy to a great extent : WIDELY

20-down – Youth and king upset about fascist force in parliament : KNESSET

21-down – See 14 : STALKS

23-down – Miss little monster having sliced off head : ERROR

25-down – Type of fruit, one in apple : GALIA

9-across – On trial for breaking with my routine : NORMALITY

10-across – Look back on grabbing Simpson’s drink : RIOJA

11-across – Pound gets eastern family food dish : RAMEKIN

12-across – Insert rock star Robert’s introduction : IMPLANT

13-across – Take unfair advantage of a private draw organised by Kelvin? : PULL

14-across – Accounting category for rigged prices : FIXEDCOSTS

15-across – Salmon’s head right in net — pull out : SCRATCH

17-across – Until a pianist covers Fish : TILAPIA

19-across – At risk of death and really annoyed! : ENDANGERED

22-across – A way to turn back time that makes me angry : DRAT

23-across – As stars might do, two minutes into shire performance : SHIMMER

24-across – Who provides tree surgery in estate? : CATERER

26-across – Unacceptable, even after being overturned : NOTON

27-across – Rogue sporting cardinal hat ousts DI : CHARLATAN

1-down – Plain stewed prune acting as a spirit? : UNPREPOSSESSING

2-down – Wild romp with earl, which has bite : PREMOLAR

3-down – See 13 Across : RANK

4-down – China’s expelling Queen is hard and very cruel : FIENDISH

5-down – Newspaper acknowledgement producing extremely bloody row : BYLINE

6-down – Surprisingly, April-Oct is like Haiti! : TROPICAL

7-down – Slough put gold into service : MORASS

8-down – Heart-broken, make a confession about mad character of tremendous importance : EARTHSHATTERING

16-down – ‘Building for families’ doctrine includes soldiers : TENEMENT

17-down – Deified leader, Hector, thrashed a leader of Troy : THEOCRAT

18-down – Make a formal speech contributing to camper or a tent : PERORATE

20-down – Delicate tin buckles in time : DAINTY

21-down – Plough wealth into backward North East? Very funny! : ENRICH

25-down – List has no heading for ‘wading bird’ : TILT

7-across – Opening letter, I nail it up the wall : INITIAL

8-across – Caretaker to retire initially after New Year : JANITOR

9-across – A little fox engages much bigger animals : OXEN

10-across – A part of speech? : SOUNDBITE

12-across – Squad heartily taking two females for drink : QUAFF

13-across – Currently a bit uncomfortable? : DRAUGHTY

15-across – Boy holding end of the leash : LEAD

16-across – Thorny plant becomes coated, they say : FURZE

17-across – Team triumphed : CREW

18-across – Moving here soon, such a tiny town : ONEHORSE

20-across – Colourful sort of light in West : MAUVE

21-across – Do press on, struggling in such a walk? : SPONSORED

22-across – An office may have this property : LOST

24-across – Hippie: bet on one losing head : NEWAGER

25-across – Pirouette on the cricket field? : LEGSPIN

1-down – Stone working with axes : ONYX

2-down – Bear away flag : STANDARD

3-down – Service provided in mountain region : MASSIF

4-down – Poisonous plant made nark convulsive : MANDRAKE

5-down – Making music, really hot : PIPING

6-down – In Paris I receive fine for facetious remark : JOKE

11-down – Not use these clothes enough? : UNDERWEAR

12-down – Powerful piece from rock band : QUEEN

14-down – London police, endless subject : THEME

16-down – Description of desert? Wrong : FORESTED

17-down – Stupid? Not this crossword : CLUELESS

19-down – Well done, Henry! : HOORAY

20-down – Dye plant marks snake : MADDER

21-down – Bring up small seat : SPEW

23-down – Ignore the captain : SKIP

1-across – Rishi cannot yet dodge around this subject : ANCIENTHISTORY

8-across – Horny individual in dash to bed finally : ELAND

9-across – Complaints of US postal workers — no money upfront and empty threats : AILMENTS

11-across – Casual worker’s showing round fellow : OFFHAND

12-across – Vegetable wine’s gone over seat : CASSAVA

13-across – Royal divorcee flipping exaggerated, as before : DITTO

15-across – Doctor eats with mother occasionally in here : ESTAMINET

17-across – Gunners having first approached, react fearfully — not wanting to get shot : CAMERASHY

20-across – Travel with a thousand in bank : RIDGE

21-across – After editing, tell Sun it’s valueless : NULLSET

23-across – German writer decapitated in horror film : CHILLER

25-across – Paul worked with Troy on boat propeller : CATAPULT

26-across – Letter, one about hidden region of China : MACAU

27-across – James II accepting exile ultimately — it’s 1 across : QUEENANNESDEAD

1-down – Caught two characters going down south missing cover-up inquiry : AREYOUDECENT

2-down – Rib’s hot — somewhere to eat it outside? : CHAFF

3-down – Close case at last — support sacking female detective : ENDEAVOUR

4-down – Time for leader to wrap up? Nonsense! : TWADDLE

5-down – In Rouen he’s drunk in charge, getting arrested and banned : ILLICIT

6-down – Elders possibly seen in Montmartre establishment : TREES

7-down – Kept entertaining Romeo and learned something new : RETRAINED

10-down – Front bench with 80% leaving — old PM virtually crushed : BATTLEGROUND

14-down – State furiously: ‘I’m an adult!’ : TAMILNADU

16-down – Day Dorothy’s heartless friend caught short in bar : MARTINMAS

18-down – School tests, I’m thinking, are in Mandarin : SATSUMA

19-down – Eastern money to conserve jaguar, possibly in Mexican location? : YUCATAN

22-down – Fight battle at the end in Book of Revelation? : SPARE

24-down – Temptation to smuggle cocaine for money : LUCRE

1-across – Arrival into major road bound to result in an accident : MISADVENTURE

9-across – Medium may take daughter in for time to create relationship? : RADIO

10-across – Understanding provided by home schooling : INTUITION

11-across – Chaos if chief absconds — any left? : ANARCHY

12-across – Incompetent tennis ace divides America : USELESS

13-across – Redesigned a Mister Man to be more conventional : MAINSTREAM

15-across – Noble expected to shelter monarch : DUKE

18-across – Mark seen regularly in serpents with just a silvery appearance : EPNS

19-across – Pigs soiled ground? It’s hardly earth-shattering news : IDLEGOSSIP

22-across – International award cheers popular officer : CAPTAIN

24-across – First-class umpire confused start of match : PREMIUM

25-across – Tosses around doubtful drinks : SMOOTHIES

26-across – Break down when director is lost for answer : SOLVE

27-across – Focussed on a misleading description of homeopathic product? : CONCENTRATED

1-down – Press coverage suspended at ten for negotiation : MEDIATION

2-down – Philosophy is part of unusual sitcom : STOICISM

3-down – Tandem ride awaits her, if she is willing : DAISY

4-down – Train shortened trip in anger : ENTOURAGE

5-down – Can rising poet reject society? : TOILET

6-down – Pick up artist is European : RAISE

7-down – Parts of camphor gas mixture can be explosive! : ORGASM

8-down – United side lacking depth — it looks silly to some : ONESIE

14-down – Embarrassed by junior officer seen waving on a British vessel : REDENSIGN

16-down – Retrained in Elba? : UPSKILLED

17-down – Bath Rome’s set out in this place : SOMERSET

18-down – Remove old volume being talked about : EXCISE

20-down – Spoil plan agent has to make a comeback : PAMPER

21-down – Plan to adapt attic to store clubs : TACTIC

23-down – One paid to have second puff : PROMO

24-down – Model initiated by party of socialist economic radicals : POSER