Daily Answers

1-across – Grand ball – test for sexism? : BIGOTRY

5-across – Dire son following Norm Reed? : PARLOUS

9-across – Religious adherent back at university : HINDU

10-across – Electrical store vehicle carrying CIA top bananas : CAPACITOR

11-across – Determined to correct bad article : CALIBRATED

12-across – Peak seats quite near to the stage? : BROW

14-across – He’s reached out to embrace the first and last storyteller : SCHEHERAZADE

18-across – Boring thing, Nat, fatuously pursuing Sabrina? : CARPENTERANT

21-across – Bomb container : TANK

22-across – Indulgent dip supplied by unreliable enterprise hit hospital : BUBBLEBATH

25-across – Bar put under former Princess Court : INTERDICT

26-across – Cast get outside in shade : TINGE

27-across – Element of greeting left out by commander : HALOGEN

28-across – Husband under-performing – start of deep division! : HUNDRED

1-down – I’m surprised youth hostel’s in stream : BYHECK

2-down – Loosely-built band, unprofessional, no heart : GANGLY

3-down – Painful digital device from Tom’s gang? : THUMBSCREW

4-down – Plant that tastes awful? Not quite with calcium : YUCCA

5-down – Manipulative type – ‘elevated darling protected by aristocrat’ : PUPPETEER

6-down – See 24 : ROCK

7-down – Flare-up when away on holiday : OUTBREAK

8-down – Society creep, one with a bad hand : SCRAWLER

13-down – Foreign consulate at new city of Australia : LAUNCESTON

15-down – Tubular operation is our next resort : EXTRUSION

16-down – ‘RI’s out’ – wayward, historic St Lewis’s people? : SCOTTISH

17-down – Before the birth of China, right, Etna erupted internally? : PRENATAL

19-down – Collect a jazz pianist : GARNER

20-down – Scold Democrat Sharp : SHREWD

23-down – Macho bar chain : BUTCH

24-down – Music genre expert finally achieving pitch : PROG

1-across – Cursed setter has been sacked? : DOGGONE

5-across – See 2 Down : COLLEGE

9-across – Line of text, one penned by hand : SERIF

10-across – Orange etc, coloured ornament : GRACENOTE

11-across – Love with sentimental parts melts away in amorous glance : GOOGOOEYES

12-across – Developing bug, a youngster recovered : PUPA

14-across – Awful noise, rear of car in bump, say? : DISCORDANCE

18-across – Workers choose time to stick on wings of honey bees, say : HYMENOPTERA

21-across – Old European capital’s forgotten in Russian city : OMSK

22-across – Trumped-up ideas he fed to right-wingers behind the very same crime : CONSPIRACY

25-across – Therein I associate first : INITIALLY

26-across – I stand on capital in Rome, passing Tuscany originally? : TIBER

27-across – Clues where vernacular is reversed : SIGNALS

28-across – Field where ring found by English king having lost one : ORCHARD

1-down – Fix something herbal – how much of that? : DOSAGE

2-down – Cambridge institution let girl go, once trained : GIRTON

3-down – Removing cargo, and I stumbled in where it’s easy to fall? : OFFLOADING

4-down – Odds slashed in bet as golfer, result of chipping in, perhaps? : EAGLE

5-down – Someone offering accompaniment – with soloist’s ‘Tea for Two’? : CHAPERONE

6-down – Vegetable shiny, top rubbed off : LEEK

7-down – Articulate what requires translation in note left out : ELOQUENT

8-down – High up, European victory secured : ELEVATED

13-down – Panglossian contract is sealed by it, I see : IDEALISTIC

15-down – Tragedian chooses half of play for adaptation : SOPHOCLES

16-down – See 22 Across : THEORIES

17-down – Make notes about crush, divine : SMASHING

19-down – Foreign character, meat certainly for Putin : LAMBDA

20-down – Cross near top of hill erected, clear below : HYBRID

23-down – For instance, very green light : SAYSO

24-down – Princess, vain, in storming off? : DIVA

7-across – Embargoes involving dodgy money? Certainly not! : BYNOMEANS

8-across – Sound location for seeing things : SIGHT

9-across – In retirement, a wonderful person resists huge amounts of cash : MEGABUCKS

10-across – Singular right-wing newspaper article : STORY

12-across – Rookie’s lack of depravity? : NOVICE

13-across – Drink almost beginning to taste better : NIGHTCAP

14-across – Messenger job accepted by mailmen periodically : APOSTLE

17-across – Crown dependency is tops! : JERSEYS

20-across – Sort of sweatier pants : ASITWERE

22-across – Careless agent takes on large operation : SLOPPY

24-across – Dignified government party : GRAVE

25-across – Architectural design partner ultimately implicated in terrible tax abuse : BEAUXARTS

26-across – Computer-controlled electric vehicles put in reverse : SMART

27-across – Most regular tastes die out : STEADIEST

1-down – Extremely zany type of art and dance music : ZYDECO

2-down – Legal workers born outside the period 21 March to 19 April? : NOTARIES

3-down – Turn down official employment : REFUSE

4-down – Meandering answer upset the top guy : SNAKING

5-down – Suggest that, cryptically? : HINTAT

6-down – Chemist quick to hide damage : PHARMACY

11-down – Nothing good about scary character : OGRE

15-down – Smoked meat to stuff inside fresh pitas : PASTRAMI

16-down – Was dishonest and continued being heartless : LIED

18-down – Scattered crop said to need regenerating : SPORADIC

19-down – Leads from computer equipment in case with a keyboard : CELESTA

21-down – Tennessee introduces state bar : TAVERN

22-down – Somewhat grotesque, alarming scream : SQUEAL

23-down – Fertiliser remains underneath garden container : POTASH

1-across – One not paying attention follows investor’s vehicle : BULLDOZER

6-across – Heath Robinson’s beat : THROB

9-across – This operation could make you groan : ORGANTRANSPLANT

10-across – Kind of gorgeous exit? : DROP

11-across – Grandfather initially isn’t at all moved : PALATIAL

14-across – Chatter yet to be arranged between oxen : YAKETYYAK

15-across – Like state analysis : ASSAY

16-across – Hesitation having underwear in this shade : UMBRA

18-across – City’s ancestral manoeuvres : LANCASTER

20-across – Novel and one drink allowed in exam : ORIGINAL

21-across – See 10 : DEAD

25-across – Church ban for telegram? : EXCOMMUNICATION

26-across – Pitchers were out first on stadium : EWERS

27-across – Most of all, queries must be directed to reach the goal : EQUALISER

1-down – Strange ladies swaddle in newborn, this could be a lifesaver : BLOOD

2-down – Look around this country and love the record : LOGBOOK

3-down – Study why said alibi mostly inconsistent and keep in custody : DENY

4-down – He or she regularly groom for nothing : ZERO

5-down – Moved at speed, firing and looting : RANSACKING

6-down – Bosses get the best hands : TOPBANANAS

7-down – They help players or back a side when playing : ROADIES

8-down – Hurt actor : BITPLAYER

12-down – Culture retrospective on wobbly bums is a problem for viewers : STRABISMUS

13-down – Philistine’s request? Of course, you’re welcome : MYPLEASURE

14-down – I’m your child and I find this chat tedious : YOUBOREME

17-down – Surprise from Glasgow in cheese and bread : BRIOCHE

19-down – This pet can be truly awful : THEPITS

22-down – See 1 : DONOR

23-down – Olympic rider’s best run taking only second place : LIEU

24-down – See 3 : BAIL

9-across – The most important thing on our menu is battered : NUMEROUNO

10-across – American in love with the Spanish winger : OUSEL

11-across – Rwandan travel company welcoming Tories on vacation : TUTSI

12-across – Fruit crush making an impression : DATESTAMP

13-across – Amateur character endlessly in first gear? : LAYETTE

14-across – Bread and butter opening for tennis player : PATCASH

17-across – Beef with a bad guy : WAGYU

19-across – Female in the middle of dirty look : COW

20-across – Ruler overturned part of agreement : EMEER

21-across – Oliver Stone ultimately directed work that stands out : RELIEVO

22-across – Vibrations from organ picked up by Bach? : JUDDERS

24-across – Satellite provider finally screens Playboy film : MOONRAKER

26-across – Scottish council leader in Glasgow canal opening locks : ANGUS

28-across – Plain refusal to follow everyone in retreat : LLANO

29-across – Copper in Exeter ground with energy to run again : REEXECUTE

1-down – Contract upset Martin Kemp to some extent : KNIT

2-down – Dirty dog arrested by the head of Scotland Yard : SMUTTY

3-down – Appalling turd with fur coat is 19ac : ERMINTRUDE

4-down – Payment owing for 19ac : SUBDUE

5-down – Tricky to wash up left-handed : SOUTHPAW

6-down – See 22 : BOYS

7-down – Male lacking in spirit worried to move upstairs : ESCALATE

8-down – Knocked over beer making escape : SLIP

13-down – Cut 19ac : LOWER

15-down – Arteta drew after beating to make no progress : TREADWATER

16-down – Drives 27 crazy over recipe : HERDS

18-down – Happy to hold permit for 19ac : GALLOWAY

19-down – Heart of kitchen garden in China : CROCKERY

22-down – Top marks in audition for musical : JERSEY

23-down – Extremely entertaining golf hole is part of 19dn : EGGCUP

24-down – Timeless artist served up drink : MILK

25-down – Space hopper on motorway : ROOM

27-down – Novel date in Slough : SHED