Daily Answers

9-across – In effect, leads from Tristan and Isolde very emotional after a Wagner piece? : OPERATIVE

10-across – Mock exam occasionally set that’s tricky : TEASE

11-across – Back to university following common cold : PARKY

12-across – Shows testicles at the front: small trunks : TEACHESTS

13-across – Exercise to become hard when tender at one time : PESETAS

14-across – Race around motorway? This might catch it : DASHCAM

17-across – About to tackle husband wearing the eau de Cologne? : RHINE

19-across – Bits in random access for computer : MAC

20-across – Drugs running in both directions cross county : ESSEX

21-across – English public school’s opening grounds : ESTATES

22-across – Mostly shout loudly to get hotel page? This one? : BELLHOP

24-across – Cleared out jumble sale held by strange number from church : JERUSALEM

26-across – I do start to see figures : ICONS

28-across – Conservative with shock lead : CHAIR

29-across – Ignore ads: terribly pompous : GRANDIOSE

1-down – Washer might go through this hole in drain : SOAP

2-down – Tries to take in tailor’s top suit : HEARTS

3-down – Relaxed cryptic setter in a state of financial security? : EASYSTREET

4-down – Runs down slope: is step ungainly? : PISTES

5-down – That woman at supermarket has Covid; initially family shields like this : HERALDIC

6-down – Chase hard with the rest in front : ETCH

7-down – Republican one fires rifles : RANSACKS

8-down – Studies points following detective’s case : DENS

13-down – Prince, idiot to break down : PARSE

15-down – Time to dump date: kiss at the back for thrills : SPELLBINDS

16-down – Military Intelligence wrong over mistake : MIXUP

18-down – Break hip: travel for replacement : INTERVAL

19-down – Put out a smiling shot : MISALIGN

22-down – Tramp having appropriate hippy place to put money? : BUMBAG

23-down – Curse as Home Office loves to host party? : HOODOO

24-down – Sailor’s flag at sea : JACK

25-down – Wrap samosa: rice stuffing : SARI

27-down – Great, no parking! One will charge : SUER

1-across – Second mate welcoming Republican like Bush : SHRUBBY

5-across – Place Franco-German articles in sack : PLUNDER

9-across – One’s rehabilitated a defector to Labour? : EXCON

10-across – Stock cut, investing currency from the east : HACKNEYED

11-across – A rejected work proposition includes nothing for great model : APOTHEOSIS

12-across – Setter was in the van, needing return fare from here : DELI

14-across – How to make techie get conversation going : BREAKTHEICE

18-across – Murmur about a strange blemish or rash : HARUMSCARUM

21-across – Like that hotel round Westminster area : SOHO

22-across – Extra time to follow chaps who do yoga? : SUPPLEMENT

25-across – Made free carpet kept in cover : LIBERATED

26-across – Knocked back one’s ginger drink : PEPSI

27-across – Venomous sort of chatterbox losing face : RATTLER

28-across – Rare element of maturity adult leaves out : YTTRIUM

1-down – Yo-yo with ace spots turned up : SEESAW

2-down – Spoil losing weight, getting evenly round figure : RECKON

3-down – Theban plays fail to make peaceful appeal : BANTHEBOMB

4-down – Somewhat rowdy, a hoodlum? : YAHOO

5-down – Small amount of cash turned up : PICNICKER

6-down – Cricket scores you heard upped for Ashes holders : URNS

7-down – Wilde, say, could be a poet : DAYLEWIS

8-down – River weeds in new ports, perhaps : REDWINES

13-down – Extremely coquettish kind of yellow jumper turned up where one goes at night : CHAMBERPOT

15-down – Rendezvous in French bar : ENCOUNTER

16-down – American who drew game, with both sides full of energy : WHISTLER

17-down – Whizz over finale of Bach, needing one piece for bar : PROHIBIT

19-down – Parnassian location’s key character there : DELPHI

20-down – University in Irish district wanting new hall : ATRIUM

23-down – What you get from sweet food and extremes of gluttony? : PUDGY

24-down – Exam not fine for a learner : ORAL

9-across – Reason to restrict availability of alcohol : RATIONALE

10-across – Busy pub talk is essentially quite ordinary : USUAL

11-across – Quiet one moving east carrying a signal : SALIENT

12-across – Case is plain with ivory top inlaid : PATIENT

13-across – Note skin damage — it’s huge, man! : TITAN

14-across – Initial deal that comes through personal experience : FIRSTHAND

16-across – The cool cat a poet made up is absolutely useless : CHOCOLATETEAPOT

19-across – Club rates redesigned so they are easy to understand : SCRUTABLE

21-across – I leave country hotel to find wine : SYRAH

22-across – A municipality confiscating papers causes bitterness : ACIDITY

23-across – Ulster artist holding lead is just bliss : NIRVANA

24-across – Tolerate a new wife moving right out : ABIDE

25-across – First officer who looks after himself, primarily? : NUMBERONE

1-down – The facts are these: freewheeling stars will break apart defence : BRASSTACKS

2-down – Weapon some strap to their feet : STILETTO

3-down – Get moving to improve method of seduction : COMEON

4-down – Direction provided by leaders of Europe at summit talks : EAST

5-down – It preserves well-concealed architectural feature, they say : DEEPFREEZE

6-down – It is part of nuanced way to explain foreign film : SUBTITLE

7-down – Drake rueful for holding up announcement of discovery : EUREKA

8-down – Fool horse with backwards look : CLOT

14-down – Theatrical fellow houses son in apartment : FLAMBOYANT

15-down – Girl who can cast spells? Spooner says it’s dull : DITCHWATER

17-down – One is unlikely to be successful changing our diets : OUTSIDER

18-down – Ring round after entrance to find where you can go : PORTALOO

20-down – Check on home twice : REININ

21-down – Sweet shop robbed as regulars left on time : SORBET

22-down – Act slowly and prevaricate; initially not what this demanded : ASAP

23-down – Nobody in Rome raised warning : NEMO

1-across – Bad sprain? Take one tablet : ASPIRIN

5-across – Drop line : DESCENT

10-across – Is Lassie on vacation saving a good dog? : BEAGLE

11-across – In books, Peter Pan gets acting work : OPERETTA

12-across – Some like sandwiches : MEL

13-across – Former F1 driver takes pole position in shade : SIENNA

14-across – The French hate cooking that’s ready on the outside and tough : LEATHERY

15-across – Rulers, slide rules, algebra, statistics, trigonometry — all initially rejected : TSARS

16-across – Abstract? See, I completely agree : PRECISELY

19-across – Coup deposes king for progress : EVOLUTION

21-across – Get on with 100 + 1 + 100 + 1,000 ÷ 50? : CLICK

24-across – Gloomy character’s blowing top over drugs and monstrosities : EYESORES

26-across – Wildcat gatecrashing a navy function? : ARCTAN

27-across – Cliff’s not very small trunks : TOR

28-across – King George IV clings to throne, ultimately in era of trouble : AGGRIEVE

29-across – With indoor launderettes, outer layers get spins : WHIRLS

30-across – After losing billions, Russian drinks alcohol for starters : ORIGINS

31-across – Silliest place to find eggs? : INANEST

2-down – Sort of biker regularly wearing glasses : SPECIES

3-down – Usually a leg spinner’s angry when powerless to dismiss Stokes at first : INGENERAL

4-down – Cold killer who finally arrived on Broadway : ICEMAN

6-down – English fashion, eg clean style : ELEGANCE

7-down – European test report : CZECH

8-down – Eccentric aunt carrying type of bomb in both hands — it’s normal : NATURAL

9-down – Local resort repaired Queen’s Ride : ROLLERCOASTER

17-down – Division over Spanish article in Variety : SELECTION

18-down – Nationalist not sure rioting seizes government : STURGEON

20-down – One travelling a long time during very ordinary year : VOYAGER

22-down – Prince Henry taken into vehicle by aliens, oddly vanishing : CHARLES

23-down – Australian city turning inward : DARWIN

25-down – Quiet game starting to get gesture of indifference : SHRUG

1-across – Stokes is bowling? That’s a blessing! : BENISON

5-across – Dissent shown by American gangster meeting official : REFUSAL

9-across – Substance : MEATH

10-across – Most elegant dog’s seen in court : CLASSIEST

11-across – Frothy stuff in bird’s hole in the ground : CUCKOOSPIT

12-across – Mad turns creating shock : STUN

14-across – They had characters arranged in circles in old offices : DAISYWHEELS

18-across – Late entertainer, greatest in the cemetery? : MAXBYGRAVES

21-across – Uninspiring game : LAME

22-across – One self-boosting drug obtained, something really good : EGOTRIPPER

25-across – Currency to recover, most importantly? : CENTRALLY

26-across – Parliament, one about to give a long account : ILIAD

27-across – Bird, one leaving a message? : TWEETER

28-across – See shiner among Democrats go dangerously leftward : DOGSTAR

1-down – Show contempt for doctor, conveyed by digital signal : BEMOCK

2-down – Refinement of holy woman going round a church : NUANCE

3-down – Choosy lads spoilt in time at Rugby, say : SCHOOLDAYS

4-down – What sounds like zero marks : NICKS

5-down – New combination of art and levity in screen entertainment : REALITYTV

6-down – Tell all this band is ordinary : FESS

7-down – It’s more damp — being changeable, as it were : SWEATIER

8-down – Musician with superior number appearing in catalogue : LUTENIST

13-down – Little child is involved in a deception — gets punishment : CHASTISING

15-down – The English do is not normal : IRREGULAR

16-down – Absolute straightforwardness putting outsiders off : IMPLICIT

17-down – One’s scrutinised an explosive device in river : EXAMINEE

19-down – Dash employed by various printers : SPRINT

20-down – Ship’s engineers rush up : TRADER

23-down – Endless commotion outside? Inside you once played : TOYED

24-down – Red in revolutionary wrongdoing : TROT