Daily Answers

1-across – Reasonably OK, as a slow car may be? : PASSABLE

6-across – Judge hopes to reform this man : JOSEPH

9-across – Disinfectant is no help in fever : PHENOL

10-across – Leave freezing block entire? That would make no difference : CUTNOICE

11-across – Racing driver’s speed on the ground, flat out : PROSTRATE

13-across – Thick stone removed : STOUT

15-across – Almost in the lead for a brief moment : SECOND

17-across – Goes, some say, for wily scheme : WHEEZE

18-across – Supporting band’s skill in German : GARTER

19-across – Edge into church at a war zone : CRIMEA

21-across – Disney and an unknown dance as a couple : WALTZ

22-across – Dead Roman transformed: Greek hero to her rescue : ANDROMEDA

25-across – Bar for the stars? : MILKYWAY

26-across – Full agreement boy must go to college : UNISON

28-across – Matters awaiting attention at home: sounding characteristic : INTRAY

29-across – You are told to enter design for puppet : CREATURE

2-down – Like hard wood : ASH

3-down – Swallows singular fluids : SINKS

4-down – One exerting a lot of pull in the church : BELLRINGER

5-down – Having almost left, Charlie enters to stir things up : EXCITE

6-down – Old invader that’s employed in sacking : JUTE

7-down – Expedient appreciated by bored pupils? : SHORTTERM

8-down – Visualise limousine with daughter, perhaps the Queen of Hearts : PICTURECARD

12-down – Giving notice eating irons must be replaced : RESIGNATION

14-down – Alcoholic drink cures heart failure : CHARTREUSE

16-down – Custodian who does conscientious work? : CARETAKER

20-down – Matching dishes may be here to wash, we hear : INSYNC

23-down – Tom is horribly damp : MOIST

24-down – Influence of rock? : SWAY

27-down – How to start old aeroplane: rotate propeller : OAR

1-across – Entertainment venue close to bath full of chlorine : NIGHTCLUB

6-across – Milk? Fail to provide enough, nicking quarter of pint : SKIM

8-across – Convenient to adopt unsuitable name for fibre : FILAMENT

9-across – A note about lake on fire : AFLAME

10-across – Fan chasing diminished top seed : PEANUT

11-across – Crawler identifying former president’s wife : LADYBIRD

12-across – In general, lecturers rejected underground room : CELLAR

15-across – Involuntary response when calling to do with sound of speech : PHONETIC

16-across – Special constable carrying radio, pulled out every so often? : SPORADIC

19-across – Fool in show of enjoyment backed rebellion : MUTINY

21-across – Positive articles regarding all the gods : PANTHEON

22-across – Spiritual range, undergoing change of direction? Rubbish : SEWAGE

24-across – Male breaking in to knock off old cape : DOMINO

25-across – Escapes including receipts? They shouldn’t really be seen : OUTTAKES

26-across – Kind component of repeated penalty? : TYPE

27-across – Dodgily roped in to swallow hot new painkiller : ENDORPHIN

1-down – Chart-topper set cut unmusical sound : NOISE

2-down – Large waves swamping tips of pontoon anchor : GRAPNEL

3-down – Handle subject of diplomatic negotiations but not completely : TREAT

4-down – Give away rental properties before impertinent speech : LETSLIP

5-down – Get on with climbing fell — location of high-level discussion? : BOARDROOM

6-down – Only accepting half of UK invested in pound? That can be sorted out : SOLUBLE

7-down – I’m the writer with a writer’s complaint, say, working in complete absorption : IMMERSION

13-down – Former figures in garden, with first couple moving back as a penance : EXPIATORY

14-down – Timber European found below crest : RIDGEPOLE

17-down – Despicable rise in attention about national costume : RATLIKE

18-down – Line about number turning up close to fantastic US city : CONCORD

20-down – Head off evidence of bovine activity in most of the canal trail : TOWPATH

22-down – Independent blocking another newspaper displaying instrument : SITAR

23-down – Ecological style of writing about to be promoted : GREEN

1-across – Do the same as prisoner with criminal record : CONFORM

5-across – They put the squeeze on Hypnos, cast outside Troy : PYTHONS

9-across – In miniature, because an instrument : REBEC

10-across – Sporting grannie almost won National : NORWEGIAN

11-across – Basic failure to meet storytelling quota? : UNDERLYING

12-across – Very numb : DEAD

14-across – Getting people to talk in a form of Inuit is nothing, without question : INQUISITION

18-across – Class relied on reform to get aircraft squadrons in France : ESCADRILLES

21-across – Current undergarment for a woman lacks opening : EDDY

22-across – German region we backed way before failure, some might say : WESTPHALIA

25-across – Disease has politician stretched out flat in bed : COMPLAINT

26-across – Street seller’s recipe involved with rice? : CRIER

27-across – European bridge: one should start leading hearts : SPANISH

28-across – In revolt, mean and tense : UPTIGHT

1-down – Last of air removed from high cloud and carbon injected as entertainment : CIRCUS

2-down – Unimportant person describing a weak wine : NOBODY

3-down – Award Savage a very low mark for wit : OSCARWILDE

4-down – Old military leader is well : MONTY

5-down – Note name assumed by wild alpine plant : PERENNIAL

6-down – Shaker town holding back migration : TREK

7-down – Sailor’s girlfriend with yen to yield to independence — the virgin kind? : OLIVEOIL

8-down – Seaside feature: sex initiation plus nude swimming : SANDDUNE

13-down – Fail to qualify? Don’t go falling into the canal! : MISSTHECUT

15-down – Tending to shake, a bit like a flight case? : QUIVERISH

16-down – Removes barriers as protection from the enemy : DEFENCES

17-down – Set your sights on a state-backed scholarly environment : ACADEMIA

19-down – Brief from foreign leader spreading fake news : FLYING

20-down – Leave wrapping right round bird : PARROT

23-down – Armadillo’s articulated body marking : TATOU

24-down – Southern French town’s excuse, when independence lost : ALBI

1-across – Minor problem getting horse into river : NIGGLE

5-across – Politician in obvious statement of political idiocy : TRUMPISM

9-across – Wimp has scoop about friend coming back : BETAMALE

10-across – Underwear found in shopping area aboard ship : SMALLS

11-across – Being gutless, meddle with Bowie’s arrangement : DISEMBOWELED

13-across – Double act that’s no longer with us : DODO

14-across – Declare large city locked in? Not after that! : ATLATEST

17-across – Draw foes out — it should stop a beating : SAFEWORD

18-across – Objectives of European nations disturbed some leaders : ENDS

20-across – Look after small personal problem for careless shepherd : LITTLEBOPEEP

23-across – Illegally approaches player? Fight back is winning : TAPSUP

24-across – Type of service available en route to popular escape : INFLIGHT

25-across – City of noted square singer who lit up sick soldiers : FLORENCE

26-across – Old religious type takes crucial lead from nature : ESSENE

2-down – Cut up as daughter falls, being murdered : ICED

3-down – Reading so liberally is quite pretentious : GRANDIOSE

4-down – Pass by the Spanish church feature : ELAPSE

5-down – Loud males in heat somehow made them suicidal : THELMAANDLOUISE

6-down – Fantastic sunlit surroundings for river that’s pristine : UNSPOILT

7-down – Training expert in silence, perhaps : PEACE

8-down – Cut team coming second? : SILVERSIDE

12-down – What’s more, many back taking on Brussels, for example : TOCAPITALL

15-down – It’s a stretch to get privates on the ground : THESPLITS

16-down – Detective’s joke sounds a bit crude : HOMESPUN

19-down – Picture earl with flies undone : SELFIE

21-down – Thin core becoming small — it could shock you : TASER

22-down – Avoid car accident when temperature drops : SHUN

8-across – What Jacob was? Leader of House — stuffy with it : HAIRLESS

9-across – Sadly, I’m doubter about one court making a passing comment : OBITER

10-across – Don’t visit state flooded by river— awash with wood destroyed : STAY

11-across – Reading material with digital access : THUMBINDEX

12-across – See 22 down : GIBSON

14-across – Attempts to cross French sea, being back in boats : TRIREMES

15-across – End of road — politician in criminal case bunks off : DECAMPS

17-across – We turned up to be enthralled by dog showing charm : BEWITCH

20-across – All mice out to eat a shrub : CAMELLIA

22-across – Some pang in animals? Certainly in humans! : ANGINA

23-across – Troublemaker on broadcast intended being heartless, creating harm : IMPAIRMENT

24-across – See 2 : AREA

25-across – See 9 : DICTUM

26-across – Crack from cleric, idiot in church : CREVASSE

1-down – Part of Manhattan is sedate surprisingly : EASTSIDE

2-down – Difficult situation in Stoke Poges churchyard, reportedly? : GREY

3-down – Not a sort of dreamy movement set up in Oxford college : MERTON

4-down – PM to resign? Has to go about it tortuously : ASQUITH

5-down – Rest in sweet place with ruined houses? : BOMBSITE

6-down – Looking to keep home that houses nothing innovative : PIONEERING

7-down – Worship has some here very uplifted : REVERE

13-down – Repairs past being done when one is lacking ___ ? : SPAREPARTS

16-down – Travellers gloomy, drinking beer? Quite the opposite : PILGRIMS

18-down – Upper-class lady against benefit being raised : CONTESSA

19-down – Criminal receiver getting hold of excellent ceramic ware : FAIENCE

21-down – Depression associated with member facing endless shame : ARMPIT

22-down – A hostile bang smashed by champion tennis player : ALTHEA

24-down – See 10 : AWAY