Daily Answers

1-across – Landing ground needs helium for large computer : HELIPAD

5-across – Pastry with extremely sweet, coarse caramel base : STRUDEL

9-across – Japanese assassin held in Benin jail : NINJA

10-across – Nasty man leaving those left behind to protect dog : REPUGNANT

11-across – New brewery tsar dismissing English version of fruity beer : STRAWBERRY

12-across – Type of water bath : FONT

14-across – Inclined not to marry : SINGLEMINDED

18-across – Run away without paying for excellent piece of cheesy snack : WELSHRAREBIT

21-across – Twist lid of tea container : TURN

22-across – Remembers spiritual lessons with short prayers : RECOLLECTS

25-across – Setter taking risk dancing in sweet garment : MINISKIRT

26-across – Drawer behind counter containing wide fabric : TWILL

27-across – One who’s left work about to go to Scottish island : RETIREE

28-across – Non-stop part of pretend lesson : ENDLESS

1-down – Trusty hen’s first over place to hatch eggs : HONEST

2-down – 8 at which siren destroyed ships : LINERS

3-down – Beginning of popular poem by Welsh conservative writer : PLAYWRIGHT

4-down – Terrible setting for end of boring requiem : DIRGE

5-down – Replace foreign reps wearing soft leather fabric : SUPERSEDE

6-down – Breeze from the south crossing German capital : RIGA

7-down – Cop given nuts spitting out large stones : DIAMONDS

8-down – Allowance got by lecturer before head of technology leaves position : LATITUDE

13-down – Turned on cash register contain­ing note with forged date : TITILLATED

15-down – See 23 : GRAPEVINE

16-down – Write to male exposed as love cheat : TWOTIMER

17-down – Instrument at home in dark red cover : CLARINET

19-down – Writer cries afresh about book : SCRIBE

20-down – Devotional songs sung by priest and son getting donations for the needy : PSALMS

23-down – Eager to join TV phone-in broadcast via the bush telegraph : ONTHE

24-down – Addict’s escort has no heroin : USER

1-across – Like the Duke of Edinburgh, soon had deer roundly shot : HUNDRED

5-across – I note all clogs designed with cleats may be an exercise in futility : SELLING

9-across – Want reform before midnight, in a manner of speaking : TWANG

10-across – Due to position, previous lover gone and nice Dior clothing disappeared : EXOFFICIO

11-across – Partial earnings, please, must be included : INCOMPLETE

12-across – Lackey of dodgy boss, mostly awful : DOGS

14-across – Either he’s dead or my watch has stopped? Awkward question: run with it! : NONSEQUITUR

18-across – An American politician? : STATESWOMAN

21-across – See 12 : BODY

22-across – One way to get salt when all else fails : LASTRESORT

25-across – Evidence of passion from Elvis to be reviewed : LOVEBITES

26-across – 1 across the origin of light and dark : UNLIT

27-across – Trap set in earnest, leave it out : ENSNARE

28-across – See 1 : YEAROLD

1-down – Paint brush finally adapted into a device holding pillbox in place : HATPIN

2-down – Subtlety shown by woman of faith taking over a church : NUANCE

3-down – Socialist hosts meeting that’s organised and strictly regulated : REGIMENTED

4-down – Live broadcast centre source : DWELL

5-down – Temporary abbreviation? : SHORTTERM

6-down – Left frequently in the attic : LOFT

7-down – Chocolate after Colin passes out is elementary : INCHOATE

8-down – Choice of words used by Lineker when admitting defeat : GLOSSARY

13-down – With a plate he can certainly make the earth move : JUANDEFUCA

15-down – See 5 across : NEWCASTLE

16-down – She asks what might be necessary on a bicycle : ISABELLE

17-down – Islands emphatically shut up about what some people do there : MALDIVES

19-down – See 5 across : COALTO

20-down – Art student undressed on vacation, ready to breed : ATSTUD

23-down – The asparagus served to you for starters is delicious : TASTY

24-down – Part of sabbatical group : ABBA

8-across – Let go of everything, including WPC’s protection : FIREWALL

9-across – Returning live president’s vehicles : EBIKES

10-across – Determined to hide kiss in explicit message : SEXT

11-across – Unfortunate snag in camp grooming activity : MANSCAPING

12-across – Characters covered in lava: perspiring, but they aren’t exactly smoking : VAPERS

14-across – Sharing one’s thoughts with cute touch, briefly : TWEETING

15-across – Believer in fake news article, Republican keeping dull routine : TRUTHER

17-across – Mass of waste paper cut by a composer : FATBERG

20-across – Refuse further contact with a foreign fellow in red pants : UNFRIEND

22-across – Nationalist policy from monarch getting in scrap : BREXIT

23-across – One new chronicle with current text, like the across answers here : NEOLOGISMS

24-across – Very extensive, nameless posts online : VLOG

25-across – Man United star that is as Aeneas to Achates : BESTIE

26-across – Musical cycle has style and contemporary sound : RINGTONE

1-down – Dog in cable host’s opening show : WIREHAIR

2-down – Fast, but not when in France! : LENT

3-down – Greek island with quiet ambiance — not half! : PATMOS

4-down – Time to invest in kites — they’re seen in the sky : PLANETS

5-down – Funny hue by red borders of reseda plant genus : HEUCHERA

6-down – Make invalid’s absorbing phrase open to debate : DISPUTABLE

7-down – Keep writing about new standard : PENNON

13-down – Put in grinding toil with hard calculus : ENTEROLITH

16-down – Efforts of heartless foes seizing empty Reichstag : ENERGIES

18-down – Descartes’s logical bit of algebra is on news : RAISONNE

19-down – Shot as a dart from Caesar heavenwards : ADASTRA

21-down – Required for reporter, any editors : NEEDED

22-down – Sailors thus about to enter Rolls : BOSUNS

24-down – Mark an X in 18 consecutive letters brought up : VOTE

1-across – Nothing phony — state dismissed repeated raving in scorn : POOHPOOH

5-across – Chief at heart persistently stunned : AGHAST

9-across – Stoical about fate as others indicated? No way! : RESIGNED

10-across – One on hand to vote late? : POLLEX

12-across – Not co-operating in transition but it’s over, as reported, see! : OBSTRUCTIVE

15-across – Country involved in machinations : CHINA

17-across – Put in for rerun, sore and inept : INTERPOSE

18-across – Perhaps one adult is missing when boat enters the water : LUNCHTIME

19-across – Great man rejected — Biden finally getting busy : TITAN

20-across – Meets again when screened by mirrors : REASSEMBLES

24-across – Get mad with one predicting Delaware setback : SEERED

25-across – Naughty or nice? Virginia on the outside’s a different woman : VERONICA

26-across – Grow up! Not right head of state is sounding off … : SPOUTS

27-across – … here with old Pence and poor Melania, essentially not accepting what’s happened : INDENIAL

1-down – Stop migrants camping here — not one is left : PORTOFCALL

2-down – Mania repeatedly seen in work meetings — judgment at the top is lacking : OBSESSIONS

3-down – Alert Pompeo and Rudy for starters — time to get involved : PAGER

4-down – Clear victor — one foolishly carping too much : OVERCRITICAL

6-down – Good to see — have confidence to go off and travel widely : GLOBETROT

7-down – Not having won, is lamenting troubles : AILS

8-down – Words about vote offensive : TEXT

11-down – Genius : WITTGENSTEIN

13-down – Turned in, not feeling great after cake and pasta : TORTELLINI

14-down – Easily best in election ultimately? Quite, it should end up in court : TENNISBALL

16-down – Violent crime spate initially ignored — detestable! : ABHORRENT

21-down – Republican deserting miserable creature? : MOOSE

22-down – Has recourse to sneaky moves, ignoring resistance : USES

23-down – Don’t allow fraudulent vote! : VETO

1-across – End protest : OBJECT

5-across – Military aide to call back shortly after flyer : BATMAN

8-across – Better finish for limping walker : GAMBLER

9-across – Girl reflected on porridge served in interval : TIMELAG

11-across – Ruler I haven’t clued cryptically? : IVANTHETERRIBLE

12-across – Troops abroad finally intercept import : GIST

13-across – Culture expert to call back con­clusively, nurseryman claims : FOLKLORIST

17-across – Postponed green activity on course is discouraging : OFFPUTTING

18-across – Eyesore you once found on street : STYE

20-across – Penniless lord of North Wales worked with maximum effort : FORALLONESWORTH

23-across – Priest regularly scrutinised renovated car part : RETREAD

24-across – Story lacking pace remains in cover : LIESLOW

25-across – Energy-packed story adapted for silent type in bed? : OYSTER

26-across – Throw out of an inn, perhaps detective’s watering hole : DISBAR

2-down – Using implication that preposit­ions are synonymous? : BYMEANSOF

3-down – Old stone tool, one for garden holding most of work up : EOLITH

4-down – Put in an appearance, clothed : TURNEDOUT

5-down – Immerse oneself in article by graduate : BATHE

6-down – Withdraw apt word, or exchange words 24 hours hence : TOMORROW

7-down – Made-up address politician chasing promotion might give? : ADLIB

8-down – Current airmen picked up after also crossing the boundary : GOINGTOOFAR

10-down – Kinsman skirting Tyneside with huge sigh of relief : GREATNEPHEW

14-down – Like a setter in the doghouse? : KENNELLED

15-down – Among other things mishandled at airline? : INTERALIA

16-down – At which sprinters run, holding as much as possible, and hide : FULLPELT

19-down – Precious case for duchess’s customary country wear : TWEEDS

21-down – Impatient tourist on vacation tucking into fish : RATTY

22-down – Proprietor in Bow further over the hill? : OLDER