Daily Answers

7-across – Smooth passages of play set goal in motion : LEGATOS

8-across – After losing first point, nervously receives this? : SERVICE

9-across – 17 across, a wide man neither side wanted : INGE

10-across – Former PL team’s left wing back dives, missing header and second 12 across? : EXPLETIVE

12-across – Rubbish dances by Strictly star : BALLS

13-across – Detective suffering derision from press team : IRONSIDE

15-across – A delay put back festivity … : GALA

16-across – … the 25th one, perhaps, for Puck? : FAIRY

17-across – Academic official content to provide answers : DEAN

18-across – Can perhaps shoot game here? : PRESERVE

20-across – Retiring Bengali vicar’s well-mannered : CIVIL

21-across – Streetcars, buggies or slow-moving 3? : STROLLERS

22-across – Some Penguin ‘Football Facts’ : INFO

24-across – Sadly bicker about who’s first to give name for an Antarctic glacier : BERWICK

25-across – Roy’s header really annoys 3 : RANGERS

1-down – 17 across having doubled lead, end result is tight : MEAN

2-down – Bloomer showed up, leading to one-all game : CAMELLIA

3-down – Briefly run some cricket team : ROVERS

4-down – Stand on this, maybe, and see more? Yes, now encroaching heads shifted : CEREMONY

5-down – Originally all versions of it described sitting ducks : AVOIDS

6-down – A team lacking women in some area : ACRE

11-down – Cooked pig liver, edible starter? That’s right : PRIVILEGE

12-down – Times article on current ‘right’ way to travel : BYAIR

14-down – Slow-paced, lazy speech after tie lost : DRAWL

16-down – Warning forward respectfully, this may be tugged : FORELOCK

17-down – Little mischief-makers, half of Devon’s swimmers : DEVLINGS

19-down – Second team’s inside men in charge : SCREWS

20-down – Laid-back Corinthian’s teammate? : CASUAL

21-down – Watched part of play broadcast : SEEN

23-down – Conveying charge from governing body, with rule essentially being ignored : FARE

1-across – What’s not real? Defending habit, I’m saying it is : MYTRUTH

5-across – Comic patter not right — starts to make tasteless crack : ATTEMPT

9-across – Oscar avoiding comparatively humourless artist : DURER

10-across – Safe from the flood — keeping daughter oblivious : INTHEDARK

11-across – Sex? Nothing doing! : LOVEMAKING

12-across – Vale! Leaving disheartened, having failed : GLEN

14-across – Wrong! Isn’t that easy going round now : THISINSTANT

18-across – Meal that, for Spooner, needed something alcoholic : PACKEDLUNCH

21-across – Vlad crosswords reportedly finish off country : IRAN

22-across – Royal ‘leper’ under pressure — he’s not himself : ROLEPLAYER

25-across – Romeo in fix around college and university : PRINCETON

26-across – Cancel culture’s ending? Heartless construct : ERASE

27-across – Comedian’s back, one with incisive material : NANKEEN

28-across – Coming on, tries to be inventive : INSTORE

1-down – Working method required to cover large part of course : MODULE

2-down – Flourish of trumpets at the start — king entering queen’s home : THRIVE

3-down – Item turned up unbroken : UNREMITTED

4-down – Nothing gained by rustic cricket shot : HOICK

5-down – 8! That’s early in the morning for some into raves : ATTENTION

6-down – Next time — what about November? : THEN

7-down – On record join Bread singer : MEATLOAF

8-down – Accept some money for watch : TAKENOTE

13-down – Like changes round pub — they work on the surface : ASPHALTERS

15-down – Telling crook about books : ILLGOTTEN

16-down – Leave home carrying penny metal fastener : SPLITPIN

17-down – Event in Illinois accounted for uprising : OCCASION

19-down – Bundle of energy upset a lot of the same nurses : DYNAMO

20-down – Suspend band on radio : FREEZE

23-down – News in Brussels on current malaise : ENNUI

24-down – Hard to stop virtuoso for long : ACHE

5-across – Foreign nobleman and ruler on horse : JUNKER

6-across – Attack right back stops posing no threat : STRAFE

9-across – Left-wing militants rejected a suit jacket from Norma : ANTIFA

10-across – Where cars race about madly, dashing at intervals : AUTOBAHN

11-across – Ironstone in social gathering : FEST

12-across – Overture from Fauré playing, then I hear scale : FAHRENHEIT

13-across – Eager man is in Guardian presses producing a Berliner version? : GERMANISING

18-across – Breed of pet rat eating pork pie wife brought around : ROTTWEILER

21-across – Genuine article returned broken by Charlie : ECHT

22-across – Miss one buried in funeral ground : FRAULEIN

23-across – Half-heartedly mouth entertaining answer for emperor : KAISER

24-across – Left-leaning parties saving time where men were detained : STALAG

25-across – Regime change in places with extremes of temperature : PUTSCH

1-down – Too inept to move like a ballet dancer, perhaps : ONTIPTOE

2-down – Amount to part of a whole account : BEHALF

3-down – Says with stammering tongue, primarily? : STUTTERS

4-down – Money maintains company known for flying fortress in Africa : CASBAH

5-down – Judge present Times journalist to be doomed : JINXED

7-down – Code cracked by unspecified number of people in a group : ETHNIC

8-down – One on board managing rough treatment : MANHANDLING

14-down – Patron Saint oppressed by a menace abroad : MAECENAS

15-down – Most wanting to stop working in tense shifts : NEEDIEST

16-down – Dangerous creatures in lingerie business, at first : COBRAS

17-down – Repeatedly say nothing about heartless executive? How exasperating! : SHEESH

19-down – Brown coats unusual for top Democrat : TRUMAN

20-down – Remind people of lecherous fellow getting ahead : RAKEUP

1-across – Fellow, having an edge, lost it : FLIPPED

5-across – Two males producing cloth : BUCKRAM

9-across – The lowdown on class : GENRE

10-across – Commercial vehicle put in remote connections for rural housing : LOGCABINS

11-across – Assent to treaty accompanied by noises off : ACCESSION

12-across – Vitamin helping blood to clot stops skin peeling : FLAKY

13-across – Garment tenor’s wearing split from behind : PANTS

15-across – Joiner employed in B&Q : AMPERSAND

18-across – Beaten entertainer that is eliminated could be contestant again : REENTRANT

19-across – Shed containing old sink : DROOP

21-across – Outdoor seating area with 50% in occupation? : PATIO

23-across – Unorthodox types of bonsai spreading across border : BOHEMIANS

25-across – Confusion as I turn right, going left, in limbo dancing : IMBROGLIO

26-across – Nick to get off the mark : SCORE

27-across – August report largely devoid of content : STATELY

28-across – Old Greek city king rejected urgent appeal by child : KNOSSOS

1-down – Lighting for short stay under canvas, deluxe style? : FOGLAMP

2-down – Local church admitted to previous naivety : INNOCENCE

3-down – Yankee invading force endlessly seeks victims : PREYS

4-down – Trouble dividing a mother and son upset spiritual leader : DALAILAMA

5-down – Live piece started : BEGUN

6-down – Officer casing area dismissed for taking unrefined coke? : COALFIRED

7-down – A seaman entertaining Nutmeg served up Indian dish : RAITA

8-down – Army medics checked out and took a stroll : MOSEYED

14-down – Whispering wino needs to articulate ‘I must go’ : SOTTOVOCE

16-down – Implement used on farm to topple branch : PITCHFORK

17-down – Eccentric soul madly pursuing an unclothed woman : ANOMALOUS

18-down – Stitches up army engineer mates : REPAIRS

20-down – Have control of backup groups carrying spades : POSSESS

22-down – Iodine injected in rather twisted part of leg : TIBIA

23-down – Stop knocking back drink in past : BELAY

24-down – Those starting modestly in speed event perform badly : MISDO

9-across – Regroup behind mountains : REARRANGE

10-across – Brewer’s agent definitely saves a ton : YEAST

11-across – Australian and Yankee hosting finest PM : AUTOPSY

12-across – In middle of power cut Repub­lican gets shock : OUTRAGE

13-across – Late spin doctor carried in current up north : TARDY

14-across – Education graduates quietly study cover at night : BEDSPREAD

16-across – Test for dentist before and after qualifying? : ORALEXAMINATION

19-across – Labelled each book stolen by cardinal : EARMARKED

21-across – Jam one drug inside another : CHOKE

22-across – Replacement chopper unwisely turned east : DENTURE

23-across – Scream one’s stifled at church crush : SQUELCH

24-across – Wife comes in behind Labour : SWEAT

25-across – Game girl tours part of the UK, a fabulous place : RURITANIA

1-down – Item in trunk you are missing in British seaside resort : BREASTBONE

2-down – I ate crab at sea, hence my indigestion? : BACTERIA

3-down – Medic works on last bit of nasty complaint : DROPSY

4-down – English sailors expressing a feeling of resentment : ENVY

5-down – Instant victory over Germany renewed strength : SECONDWIND

6-down – Help revolutionary over variable period in US : DYSTOPIA

7-down – Taste last bit of tuna in dish : PALATE

8-down – What irritated viewer during last year? : STYE

14-down – Boycott poet harbouring European buccaneer : BLACKBEARD

15-down – Ass died carrying leader : DUNDERHEAD

17-down – Withdraw two women university introduced : EVACUATE

18-down – Rewrite ruling on former respiratory aid : IRONLUNG

20-down – Send up note for producer of junket : RENNET

21-down – Shakers film set in vineyards : CRUETS

22-down – Record first half of find : DISC

23-down – Very old 8, for instance : SORE