Daily Answers

1-across – Bewildered, did he thirst for gossip? : DISHTHEDIRT

9-across – One Greek character left in time to find another : EPSILON

10-across – High priest number two holding mass for stricken city : POMPEII

11-across – Batting pundit ran informal game of cricket : TIPANDRUN

12-across – Land cultivation hard on slope : TILTH

13-across – Quits flat : EVEN

14-across – Hold tailless mammal back pretty quickly : ALLEGRETTO

16-across – Sport available on large rescue vessel : LARKAROUND

19-across – Snappy greeting between clubs repeated : CHIC

20-across – Conduced round home, given internal protection : LINED

21-across – Call round, unfortunately missing member of the House : LORDLUCAN

23-across – Handiest resolute knight sent to the front : NEAREST

24-across – Arrogance of man averse to keeping uniforms apart : HAUTEUR

25-across – Opportunists, one waiting to open morning paper : TIMESERVERS

1-down – About to withdraw bill that 21 is known for? : DISAPPEARINGACT

2-down – String of shops alongside beauty parlour : SALON

3-down – End trial with explosion destroy­ing a part of plant : TENDRIL

4-down – Scrap previous wordplay raised as an example : EXPUNGE

5-down – Adolescent cheers up dons put in prison : IMMATURE

6-down – ‘This bed’s horrid’, says Violet Elizabeth, as story intensifies : THEPLOTTHICKENS

7-down – Wasn’t tempted to interfere — neither Jack nor Jill did : LEFTWELLALONE

8-down – Conservative HQ’s prerogative? : RIGHTOFCENTRE

15-down – Fancy dress mostly ready-made : DAYDREAM

17-down – Former filling stations unopened — dedicated people sought : OBLATES

18-down – Wind resistance in middle of Channel different : NORTHER

22-down – Look to exploit wretch : LOUSE

1-across – Sausage and mash — was butter right substitute for energy? : BRATWURST

6-across – Allegedly, food banks produce little fire starters : PYROS

9-across – Bother with a horse, say, otherwise go back : AGGRO

10-across – Basic gluing regularly for a DIY tool? : STAPLEGUN

11-across – Sends reports of plot discovered in steelworks? : TELEGRAPHS

12-across – Leaders suggest England’s ruled by a European : SERB

14-across – Giant bikes require work to replace a bearing : CYCLOPS

15-across – Before first kiss, nervously phone fabulous bird : PHOENIX

17-across – Type of irrigation: 99? : COLONIC

19-across – Jeans exchange hands — initially, elongated stripes become checks : REVISES

20-across – Drunk knocked back small drink : TOSS

22-across – Toad, rabbit and sea dog : NATTERJACK

25-across – For Penn and Teller, according to Carroll, it’s a driving mechanism : PROPELLER

26-across – Film-maker Shyamalan wants opening of movie to be darkness : NIGHT

27-across – American guitarists have the last word over vote : AXMEN

28-across – Electrical devices grill her toast on Sunday : RHEOSTATS

1-down – Pound locks up special animal : BEAST

2-down – A new setter, I state, is heavenly : ANGELICAL

3-down – Cryptically, God in sin? : WRONGDOING

4-down – Racing cars like to carry 50 7s : RASCALS

5-down – Restaurant where Spooner’s woman to come first : TEASHOP

6-down – Light beer after a drop of pilsner : PALE

7-down – Scoundrel to attempt return, hiding in Paris street : ROGUE

8-down – Rock bands love sex from behind in isolated environments : SANDBOXES

13-down – I never slow cook animals : WOLVERINES

14-down – Approximately 1000 top best in revolt — it’s a really nasty place to be : CACOTOPIA

16-down – Longing for battle, lost again : NOSTALGIA

18-down – Sycophant in slow-moving vehicle : CRAWLER

19-down – Umpire trading iron for titanium — now he no longer works : RETIREE

21-down – Most annoyed about a little bit of rainy weather : STORM

23-down – Football clothing starts to excite strikers and wingers : KITES

24-down – Capital to be seen during October/November : BERN

1-across – Tramp’s clues, ultimately knocked back: awful feeling : SYMPATHETIC

9-across – Left hospital department, soldier returns with round mark on skin : LENTIGO

10-across – Frantically, peer needs potty : LIKEMAD

11-across – Go through take-home pay? Empty purse first : PENETRATE

12-across – Tickle the ivories: you perform sonata, finally, when retired : AMUSE

13-across – Change the order in a McDonald’s : PERM

14-across – Briefly watch fashions: they’re often imitated : ROLEMODELS

16-across – Sewer in the main street runs with muck outside : SEAMSTRESS

19-across – Covers not featuring model’s first poses : ASKS

21-across – Slip outside from fire after smoke retreats : GAFFE

22-across – Public appeal put business on strike : BOXOFFICE

24-across – Son having short paddy; it is getting several looks : SHUFTIS

25-across – Perfume’s no good: smell at the back is rank : COLONEL

26-across – On which performers stand out: huge stars performing with the theatre, primarily : THRUSTSTAGE

1-down – Shocking and unsafe: LA star moving houses over this? : SANANDREASFAULT

2-down – Film bagging Oscar is not dry : MOIST

3-down – Group of drivers carrying very old clubs make green : AVOCADO

4-down – A Greek ordeal: English with nightmare after vacation : HELLENE

5-down – Carry advanced weapon: acknowledge those giving it up for you? : TAKEABOW

6-down – Unusual crime scene — PC out to get subject : COMPUTERSCIENCE

7-down – Excellent tip from sommelier getting drink : SLAPUP

8-down – They feed the young and you, we hear, over summers, not initially : UDDERS

15-down – One allows donkey to get put down : ASSENTER

16-down – It’s most wise to decline drugs on start of tour : SAGEST

17-down – Cryptic puzzles on transport : REBUSES

18-down – Correct to interrupt senators on both sides: they’re involved in Congress : SEXACTS

20-down – Bargains in fantastic sales, opening from Thursday : STEALS

23-down – Iron everything upside down for man : FELLA

9-across – Papers can’t lie? Wrong, just the same : IDENTICAL

10-across – Is Puck good? Ring a friend : AMIGO

11-across – Some ‘iffy’ remedies returned? On the surface, that’s rough : EMERY

12-across – Upset our shy girl right away, as a rascal might : ROGUISHLY

13-across – Saw son cut down to 1, for easier assimilation : SPOTTED

14-across – Another married lover : ADMIRER

17-across – Game is second sale item not won : LOTTO

19-across – Department investigating contracted detective’s retirement : CID

20-across – Lots of actors originally starred in a musical : CASTS

21-across – Crack marksman departed with detective : DEADEYE

22-across – Name saint or pope? Brother no longer can : FRANCIS

24-across – Artist back in stock, in refined Colorado town : KITCARSON

26-across – Creamy-white, like a Welshman? : IVORY

28-across – Stoned female content to down 10 beers : NIOBE

29-across – Playing darts, lady is mean and wicked! : DASTARDLY

1-down – See 24 : SIZE

2-down – Straight there, after travelling round : HETERO

3-down – Unadventurous guy? Then the woman stripped off : STAYATHOME

4-down – Small-minded? Afraid so! : SCARED

5-down – Conservatives behind the Times newspaper, not the Scotsman : OLDGUARD

6-down – Stood next to current queen : RANI

7-down – Well-off area: right district selected originally for a Keith or Gordon? : RICHARDS

8-down – Doctor X, vegan animal rights activist : MOBY

13-down – Humming after crossword essentially well-constructed : SOLID

15-down – Flute? Part played is routine : MECHANICAL

16-down – After tip-off, gets hold of fruit : RASPS

18-down – Farm vehicle turned up, worked into drawing : TRACTION

19-down – Unfaithful lover is 4 after straying : CRESSIDA

22-down – Death of European with no middle name : FINISH

23-down – Lots of people, 8 being the 25th of them? : CROWDS

24-down – Long for the longer sleepers perhaps half of LNER and one third of LMS used : KING

25-down – Attention-seeking expression in article by the Edge : AHEM

27-down – More than one solver yet to finish? Child’s play, perhaps, using this : YOYO

1-across – Very good Austen novel when keeping quiet in the afternoon : PIPEMMA

5-across – Bad booze endlessly knocked back as contraband? : ILLEGAL

9-across – Charge enemy finally — viciously attack male beast : BILLYGOAT

10-across – Dismiss puzzle — must pee : STUMP

11-across – Chinese city Christian? : XIAN

12-across – An animal sound in outdoor area? One may take note of that : GAMEWARDEN

14-across – The woman’s covering part of body — what is that part? : HEARER

15-across – Being germ-free, is almost passed for work : ASEPSIS

16-across – Rodents ’orrible woman has in the open on island : AGOUTIS

18-across – Get a round going? Drink not available, we hear : TEEOFF

20-across – In Christian Union teach odd chaps — this convert is still learning : CATECHUMEN

21-across – Passes time in classical fashion : DIES

24-across – One judge is far from happy : IRATE

25-across – Man bitten by dog? One may indicate disease : BIOMARKER

26-across – Good student losing heart, one gathers : GLEANER

27-across – Taught nothing revolutionary after expression of disapproval : TUTORED

1-down – Old boy restricted by disease — one gets lots of letters : POBOX

2-down – Devastation in small community with new leader : PILLAGE

3-down – PM once having a supernatural power? : MAYA

4-down – Thrown overboard, Magnus — huge figure : AVOGADROSNUMBER

5-down – Nearing the end of the holiday, everything else having gone wrong? : INTHELASTRESORT

6-down – Girl, a female always getting a nasty illness : LASSAFEVER

7-down – Wicked rogues pinching 500 dollars in Haiti : GOURDES

8-down – Lake Superior has trees and American flowers : LUPINES

13-down – Bird certain to fly around river and around end of forest : ARCTICTERN

16-down – Bowing as a group around church : ARCHING

17-down – Make faster progress than unfashionable people : OUTRACE

19-down – Loud user of tongue in a flash : FLICKER

22-down – Instrument with arrows pointing north : STRAD

23-down – Spirit abuse needs to be cut by half : MALT