Daily Answers

1-across – Head appearing stoned in India, back in the day? : JEWELINTHECROWN

9-across – Robber gang seizing equipment : BRIGAND

10-across – Change down into this mean outfit : LOWGEAR

11-across – In grief stop listening : WOE

12-across – Better grind out time in the middle here? : TRENTBRIDGE

13-across – Believe me, if you have a hearing impairment … : READMYLIPS

15-across – One bound to be partial to browser : SERF

18-across – African is talking to whom? : HUTU

20-across – Young Australian? He must be about 70! : BABYBOOMER

23-across – Old reptile’s power badly tore foot : PTERODACTYL

25-across – Black for one short layer of coal : SEA

26-across – Parking not easy to get in van or car : HARDTOP

27-across – Scrap broadcast about jazz : RAGTIME

28-across – Saying pale child, name concealed, is perhaps now 11 books ahead : WASTENOTWANTNOT

1-down – Proper wages for unhelpful official : JOBSWORTH

2-down – Mounting a stage that is wide, making a bloomer : WEIGELA

3-down – Length of wait spelled out in detail, maybe to extremes : LEADTIME

4-down – Elbow say brownish, seen from underneath : NUDGE

5-down – Serious consequences as that fellow will always secure first place : HELLTOPAY

6-down – No hero takes care of a room full of the sick : COWARD

7-down – More than time one was put on to bowl? : OVERDUE

8-down – Viking raid — no help is secured by hooter : NORSE

14-down – Owns article one sort of dog ate, so getting another dog : LHASAAPSO

16-down – Definite final word: leader in television is Sky : FIRMAMENT

17-down – Protein in body once developed to limit rising bile : COLLAGEN

19-down – Ultimately smart suit needed for creative activities : THEARTS

21-down – In bombing raid perhaps, fail to wipe out southern end of Scottish island : MISSION

22-down – Raised mark on skin round dry blotchy area : MOTTLE

23-down – Contemptuous expression puts playwright under pressure : PSHAW

24-down – Cast finished speaking : THREW

1-across – See 20 : WRAPPED

5-across – Cold cuts well inside cheese roll : BRIOCHE

10-across – Sweet tone? : ETON

11-across – See 20 : INAMYSTERY

12-across – Verbally, one suddenly attacking country : RUSSIA

13-across – Question about trimmer border : HEDGEROW

14-across – Worshipping establishment, peculiar old leader : CHURCHILL

16-across – Garment: top on which written soldiers’ 4? : CAPRI

17-across – Keep cooking liquid : STOCK

19-across – Paradise Lost originally penned by chap in fear : DREAMLAND

23-across – See 20 : ANENIGMA

24-across – See 20 : INSIDE

26-across – Determined, Blair acted recklessly : CALIBRATED

27-across – See 10 : MESS

28-across – Request wood, including bark of sycamore? : BESEECH

29-across – Back on form in poetry : REVERSE

2-down – Correct, labyrinthine route north of Switzerland : RETOUCH

3-down – See 16 : PANTS

4-down – Commemoration: what about inscribing it in gibberish? : EPITAPH

6-down – Bad hair day, having abandoned a city in the Middle East : RIYADH

7-down – This minute chicken’s split at the back? : ONTHENAIL

8-down – Hold garment up, one of 24 dresses : HARBOUR

9-down – Male gathering old maestro and commoner up, creative : BACHELORPARTY

15-down – Puzzling trick covered by journalist in solemn observance : RECONDITE

18-down – Secured by spike, deadly scrap metal objects : TINWARE

20-down – 14’s 12, a puzapuzapuzzlezlezle? : ARIDDLE

21-down – Endless beauty in cojones — for those showing them? : NUDISTS

22-down – Fungus in a bulb, light initially extinguished : AGARIC

25-down – Misery at the front in an unspecified battle : SOMME

5-across – Frenchman’s refusal to admit regret back in cell : NEURON

6-across – Bloodsucker’s taken in current girl : LOUISE

9-across – Dictator managed to infiltrate government department : FRANCO

10-across – Common or garden finally entered in journal : ORDINARY

11-across – Criminal pockets 1, 15, or what’s in all the other across solutions : COIN

12-across – Selfish oddball with attempt to oust Conservative : EGOCENTRIC

13-across – Perhaps gents love farm animals crossing river in Scottish village : JOHNOGROATS

18-across – Medic’s not worried, consuming new spices etc. : CONDIMENTS

21-across – Notice of passing planet’s route not right : OBIT

22-across – Trains heading for Euston with fees to carry pet : EDUCATES

23-across – Place sandwiches on starter of cucumber chopped in advance : PRECUT

24-across – Went off south with Guardian compilers’ boss? : SOURED

25-across – US animal’s odour about to get inhaled by nocturnal creature : BOBCAT

1-down – Become leader in take over? Retire first : TURNINTO

2-down – Doctor got up and down : MOROSE

3-down – At that party hosting group of stars, I’m leaving : TOODLEOO

4-down – Sound of baby bird or seal : SIGNET

5-down – Contract ultimately broken? One’s fired! : NARROW

7-down – Listen in with royal receiving a fake shock : EARWIG

8-down – Person sliding down rocked boat, going over stone : TOBOGGANIST

14-down – Chat about decoration that’s unimportant : NOMATTER

15-down – WTO wasted old Trump ally’s cash : TWOPENCE

16-down – Armies swamped by anguish or despair : HORDES

17-down – Picaroon’s turned up funky tune for a dance : MINUET

19-down – Stupid holding court, you said, making general statement : DICTUM

20-down – Tube is heading north, getting call to leave east : SIPHON

1-across – All the universe except the speed of light is an assimilation process : OSMOSIS

5-across – Very legitimate request : SOLICIT

9-across – Measure uncompleted turn and record : ENROL

10-across – Dashing lover left out popular oriental cold dish of meat? : GALANTINE

11-across – Can south-eastern officer have control of Hollywood? : TINSELTOWN

12-across – State in Brazil covered in Virginia creeper : ACRE

14-across – Not paying attention — makes amends in bed, squeezing sweetheart’s bottom : ABSENTMINDED

18-across – Bell cracked by a US art critic? : CARICATURIST

21-across – Cotton on stick : TWIG

22-across – Where non-western carbon emission leads to revulsion : ABHORRENCE

25-across – Clipper’s No 1 record-keeper has day off : TOPIARIST

26-across – Political leader holds back gentleman, a solid figure : PRISM

27-across – Fast mover, iconic figure: ‘Don’t like being rejected!’ : CHEETAH

28-across – Regard support protecting a chest muscle : RESPECT

1-down – Essentially, newcomer tackles code of silence : OMERTA

2-down – Deep trench lacking a facility for craft : MARINA

3-down – Cutlery support for mature anthropoid : SILVERBACK

4-down – Mean to change leader’s vision : SIGHT

5-down – Latest war over the sea : SALTWATER

6-down – Marathon taking place, cutting through Lake Geneva, initially : LONG

7-down – Money detectives at last appearance of The Clash, date-wise : COINCIDE

8-down – Definitive crooks a diver must avoid : THEBENDS

13-down – Old habit of city gents: get naked under cover of trees : PINSTRIPES

15-down – Found bliss? Hate to differ! : ESTABLISH

16-down – Earth caught by radio inter­ference over the moon : ECSTATIC

17-down – Dessert product, one taken during exercise : FRUITPIE

19-down – See 24 : INLINE

20-down – Solitary record success includes REM riff : HERMIT

23-down – Network device doesn’t start — it’s far from gold : OUTER

24-down – ‘Comedian’ encompasses a fashionable occupation — join the queue : WAIT

1-across – Trim round notice for procession : PARADE

4-across – Screams, mixed up with a slaughter : MASSACRE

9-across – To line, add a new tree : ROWAN

10-across – Manipulator jerks toe in a very big way : OSTEOPATH

11-across – House arrest restricts woman’s assembly : GATHERING

12-across – As medic, I locate some back pain : COLIC

13-across – Even Shylock didn’t demand this extravagant payment : ANARMANDALEG

17-across – Hedge a market, struggling to succeed : MAKETHEGRADE

20-across – Monsters making a lot of progress : OGRES

21-across – Prohibit giving publicity to old writer : PROSCRIBE

23-across – One gets severe criticism here, where wine is corked : INTHENECK

24-across – Feature on a country : CHINA

25-across – Reprimand, as Conservative holds site for redevelopment : CHASTISE

26-across – Fungal infection beginning to weaken otter at sea : WETROT

1-down – Land soldier who’s dropped, not straight, clutching uniform : PARAGUAY

2-down – Having drunk water, ask for bloody food : RAWSTEAK

3-down – Poet sounds exhausted : DONNE

5-down – Album full of possibly illegible signs? : AUTOGRAPHBOOK

6-down – But there is no whisky in this bar snack : SCOTCHEGG

7-down – Baby’s bed, which is let down from top of building : CRADLE

8-down – Moral behaviour from the start in every true heart, it’s common sense : ETHICS

10-down – Train expert in roses in a different way : ORIENTEXPRESS

14-down – Statesmen changed limit on welfare : MEANSTEST

15-down – Witch’s cat perhaps may be very recognisable : FAMILIAR

16-down – Appropriate vehicle hired again outside : RELEVANT

18-down – Where a virgin is after a lion? : ZODIAC

19-down – South African plant makes for refreshing drink : PROTEA

22-down – One saddled with a set of songs : CYCLE