Daily Answers

7-across – Irritable, as I tangled with four cats : FRACTIOUS

8-across – Entourage play tennis here — and try to win : COURT

9-across – Pointedly, her work keeps her on her toes : BALLERINA

10-across – Ointment’s taken right off tray : SALVE

12-across – Brighter chess player first to resign : WHITER

13-across – Are you sober? One may still find you’re over the limit : SPEEDCOP

14-across – Work on papers is burden : OPPRESS

17-across – Change ‘observe’ into the opposite : OBVERSE

20-across – Wild animal eating half of best legume : LIMABEAN

22-across – To sprinkle with sugar is a drag : DREDGE

24-across – Policeman’s way of cutting hair close : BOBBY

25-across – Description of ‘baritone’ heard in phone message : VOICEMAIL

26-across – Information about a class of art, perhaps : GENRE

27-across – Overseas police turning out seem grand : GENDARMES

1-down – Floral tribute to recollect the war : WREATH

2-down – Artist who is chippy about her work? : SCULPTOR

3-down – Paper offering reflections? : MIRROR

4-down – Supply seafood, holding big container : FURNISH

5-down – Lower away, poltroon! : COWARD

6-down – Priest welcomed by godly prior : PREVIOUS

11-down – Djokovic, for one, involved in tenser battle : SERB

15-down – Spin senior put out is a con : PRISONER

16-down – Small man had erection in the garden : SHED

18-down – Upset, remove lessons in religion for all time : EVERMORE

19-down – Game that could give you your big break? : SNOOKER

21-down – Such hair a golden stream? : AUBURN

22-down – Make sense of Christmas poem? : DECODE

23-down – What protects the ankle from fierce animal, it’s said : GAITER

8-across – Message from public transport: ‘Introduction of electronic support needed’ : TELEGRAM

9-across – For this particular purpose, include white wine, it’s said : ADHOC

10-across – See 24 down : ARMY

11-across – Joy, it’s time to get into breathing out, having dropped an aitch! : EXALTATION

12-across – Joke leg manufactured for rambling group? : GAGGLE

14-across – Winter feature spells end of Christmas present season : SNOWFALL

15-across – Say, rather badly: ‘Bread vs rocks’ : ADVERBS

17-across – One who fancies commercial muck, right? : ADMIRER

20-across – No miser needs special finish on everything : SPENDALL

22-across – Play the bongos again, possibly requiring backing to produce hit : MURDER

23-across – State Republican keen to sup­press independent legislative body : PARLIAMENT

24-across – Has a dated appreciation of accommodation : DIGS

25-across – Spell of cold weather eventually penetrating the joint : CHARM

26-across – Buckle in lid in defect construction : BUILDING

1-down – Rise up and fight daughter at the back : REARWARD

2-down – Drink company : BEVY

3-down – Said ‘Don’t move decoration’ : FRIEZE

4-down – One’s rather old-fashioned cul-de-sac : IMPASSE

5-down – Large amount of clubs needing creative work pack : CARTLOAD

6-down – Brother’s Wi-Fi rather dodgy : WHITEFRIAR

7-down – Give instruction: sun acceptable when hot internally : SCHOOL

13-down – Maybe seaweeds’ improbable general age : GREENALGAE

16-down – Be prepared to shoot transport members : BEARARMS

18-down – Fantastic Mere Man is coming! : EMERGENT

19-down – Quickly passes ‘Men’s Trousers Feature’ — heartless youth! : FLIESBY

21-down – Caper results in country’s leader being replaced : PRANCE

22-down – Art set in amalgam, a rectangular arrangement : MATRIX

24-down – Pop music centre regenerated Mary’s classic sitcom : DADS

1-across – Fancy 22 : RELISH

4-across – Lost in forest, one desperate to be out of it : STONED

9-across – Dodge 22, briefly : SCAM

10-across – Asian film titles in battle : VIETNAMESE

11-across – Trap 22 : CORNER

12-across – 22: shop’s last supply : PRESERVE

13-across – Natural extrovert, you said, ultimately seen in nude, is playful : UNSTUDIED

15-across – Cook 22 : STEW

16-across – Stone tossed back by a giant : MEGA

17-across – Bums of leaders in a 22 : FREELOADS

21-across – Notice rogue secreting second heart, say : EMOTICON

22-across – Dip in hole : PICKLE

24-across – Those with few lines spoiled by a stripe covering fifth of circle : BITPLAYERS

25-across – Post 22, we hear? : JAMB

26-across – Talk ending in sympathy with maker of ’omburgs? : YATTER

27-across – Verse in South African country reduced by 3/8ths : STANZA

1-down – Animal caught, enclosure not closing, bolted cages : RACCOON

2-down – Yellow loser : LEMON

3-down – Children holding minister upside down, separated : SEVERED

5-down – Person fixing pot, could be smelly thing with lid lifted : TINKER

6-down – Second movement : NUMBERTWO

7-down – Deny diva, so distraught over wife : DISAVOW

8-down – Second arrivals: gather each in skips : REAPPEARANCES

14-down – 22 in 11 : TIGHTSPOT

16-down – 22 provided, filling baby feeder? : MUMMIFY

18-down – Clearly show way out: ask shortly to come in : EXPOSIT

19-down – Top up, girl in 22 : DILEMMA

20-down – Grate 22 : SCRAPE

23-down – Greek character with endless salt served up type of American cuisine : CAJUN

9-across – Condition of premature baby: wrinkles between sides of head : EARLINESS

10-across – Sailor almost finished in the crow’s nest? : ABOVE

11-across – Pasta placed on paper shortly : PENNE

12-across – Rest of the pint for husband? : OTHERHALF

13-across – Last up on tour, singular London landmark : STPAULS

14-across – Small boy is unable to sing : DESCANT

17-across – Musical instrument’s horrible groan : ORGAN

19-across – Turn on hair product : GEL

20-across – Produce new animal and slice it up, say : CALVE

21-across – Prepared to be heavily criticised, drinking litres : PLANNED

22-across – Dingy church in French port : DUNKIRK

24-across – I’m surprised chatty fan collapsed : FANCYTHAT

26-across – Barbarian companion’s irrational feeling : HUNCH

28-across – Some oaths we are to … this : SWEAR

29-across – Stick to these glasses : LORGNETTE

1-down – Being the other way up makes water escape slowly : SEEP

2-down – People recently engaged now use precautions, primarily this? : PRENUP

3-down – An essential for the Latinist : SINEQUANON

4-down – Votes cast about embargo, initially : VETOES

5-down – Funny shape, old Lily : ASPHODEL

6-down – Piano : PAIR

7-down – Presumably a short deprecatory remark : NOTATALL

8-down – One giving honey, following meat : BEEF

13-down – Small shop offering large spoon : SCOOP

15-down – It’ll be round in a minute : SECONDHAND

16-down – Slightly change start of walk in wood : TWEAK

18-down – Relatives’ extraordinary earnings : GRANNIES

19-down – One has some responsibility for this divine little creature? : GODCHILD

22-down – I’d most hatred, on and off, for old fool : DOTARD

23-down – Pub brewing tea, as is natural : INNATE

24-down – Safety device that may be installed in a bomb : FUSE

25-down – Garden in America this short? : YARD

27-down – Told to mend part of sock : HEEL

8-across – Ask one fellow 20 : POSEIDON

9-across – What about craft for Gaia? : EARTH

10-across – God in bar : MARS

11-across – Further cost unfortunately about right for removing devices : EXTRACTORS

12-across – Rash reason 20 uses pressure to force out leader in marathon : HERPES

14-across – 20 imbibing contents of glass, viscous stuff : MOLASSES

15-across – Mole, for example, with bad joint, did you say? : DIARIST

17-across – Farah and 20, those called upon : MOBILES

20-across – Sporting god secured by the rack, or somehow enslaved? : OLYMPIAN

22-across – Bird with 20 in shooting? : PIGEON

23-across – Frequently found in spring, dead tissue in mouth : SOFTPALATE

24-across – Reportedly, something green on the table — trees : BAYS

25-across – Trunk kept by tenant, or sold : TORSO

26-across – Trainer asleep I gathered before start of race : ESPALIER

1-down – 20 chap surrounded by 20 British islands : COMANECI

2-down – 20 in elevated Egyptian city : ZEUS

3-down – Bags in stock, those remaining for one with a blocked nose? : UDDERS

4-down – Little bit inspired by some science : ANATOMY

5-down – Ogler is a cavalier in place for Muslim women : SERAGLIO

6-down – Dissident in favour of analysis : PROTESTING

7-down – 20 god exercises : THORPE

13-down – A batter in 20 boundaries : PARAMETERS

16-down – Main call by patriots initially welcomed by Muslim 20 : SHIPAHOY

18-down – Eye Scot about to claim first in pentathlon — these races adapted? : ECOTYPES

19-down – Worker, 20 star : ANTARES

21-down – Depend on cash, having invested thousand on ring : LOOKTO

22-down – Power is useful for 20 : PHELPS

24-down – 20 run : BOLT