Daily Answers

1-across – Floors warp slowly at first with buff carpeting : BOWLSOVER

6-across – Anchor, one swallowed by fish : BASIS

9-across – Lost when navigating? : ATSEA

10-across – Affluent London district with bitter constituents, by the sound of it? : MAIDAVALE

11-across – Quiet when kids finally kicked out, eh? : HUH

12-across – Blandishments from Wellington at Waterloo? : BOOTLICKING

14-across – Stick figure, head in Hangman to go – in trouble up there? : GUMTREE

15-across – Recognise extract : PICKOUT

16-across – Great Arsenal leader in Italian stallion perhaps tackled by those from Chelsea? : BIGGUNS

19-across – Stole 23 across? : MUFFLER

22-across – A tight shirt features again on back of striker in Scottish team : RAITHROVERS

23-across – Quiet quip : GAG

24-across – Central politician or whip stymied by it : IMPORTANT

26-across – Last of five huge boxes to lift : EXTOL

27-across – Where one might be putting London park : GREEN

28-across – Bath full of beer ultimately quaffed by difficult setter : HAIRSPRAY

1-down – Grasp Spooner’s headlouse? : BEARHUG

2-down – You and I pretend to save time for team : WESTHAM

3-down – Very difficult installing engine part in Yorkshire town : SCARBOROUGH

4-down – Go low boarding vessel : VAMOOSE

5-down – One mistake at end of game in suburb of West London : RUISLIP

6-down – ‘Cold-blooded’ killer, swine wanting closure : BOA

7-down – Sixties singer bringing power into song in brief theatrical performance : SHAPIRO

8-down – Top and bottom of small cube in trick : SLEIGHT

13-down – Tip over beer in London station : COCKFOSTERS

16-down – Bananas, except top banana : BARKING

17-down – Catch monkeys in valley when ground cleared : GLIMPSE

18-down – Food processor plugged in connects to machine : STOMACH

19-down – Art is with me modelling for great artistes : MAESTRI

20-down – Swine loses top match : LIGHTER

21-down – Maiden coming into Bank via Victoria, say? : REGALLY

25-down – Career issue : RUN

1-across – Holy man almost completed kinky epitaphs – capital things : STOVEPIPEHATS

10-across – Limits time in power, overlooking Government crime : REINSIN

11-across – Opening that is never for supplementary player : RIPIENO

12-across – In France, Malbec’s served after a second course : ASCOT

13-across – Colin, shivering, reluctant to appear in minimal garment : LOINCLOTH

14-across – Turning tense with alarm, mostly unjustified : INAPT

16-across – It produces nothing of note, however plucky you are : AIRGUITAR

18-across – Backed flag about minor abuses : GASLIGHTS

19-across – Body temperature, at a rough estimate : TORSO

20-across – Has cleverer ideas than vote losers linked to markets : OUTSMARTS

23-across – Question about including Italy gets key support? : QUOIN

24-across – Marks comments about children : NOTCHES

25-across – Less quiet? Backed change suppressing volume : NOISIER

26-across – Loosely tethers single dog : ENGLISHSETTER

2-down – Go after version of Tosca in formal dress : TAILCOATS

3-down – Excursion: one’s taken in a lot of the view : VISIT

4-down – Jury initially not empowered in China : PANEL

5-down – Inclination to right in European city is a local bias : PARTIPRIS

6-down – Feature of Roman villa thus represented with a copy : HYPOCAUST

7-down – Old rhythm picked up in Korean exercise : TAEBO

8-down – Good topic after burglary: how stressful is this? : BREAKINGPOINT

9-down – Second nobleman beginning to rule in my homeland : MOTHERCOUNTRY

15-down – Area taken from lobby – quiet room, largely displaying success : TRIUMPHAL

16-down – Wise words Miss Oprah broadcast : APHORISMS

17-down – Own goal perhaps is transfixing half of team in scare : TERRORISE

21-down – Some orbit it and a satellite : TITAN

22-down – What regularly rises is rising, doing for cavity : SINUS

23-down – Abandon importing large quantity of bedding : QUILT

1-across – Less able to observe an outstanding performance : BLINDER

5-across – Criticize the drink in French, causing stir : SLAMMER

9-across – A threesome that would control your life? : FATES

10-across – Moderate version of Delft soap : SOFTPEDAL

11-across – Isolation ruins Italy’s cooking : INSULARITY

12-across – Western power accepts one’s a weak type : WIMP

14-across – Deacon’s lot is somehow sad : DISCONSOLATE

18-across – Intimidation of Chief of Staff by Prudence on manoeuvres : SCARETACTICS

21-across – See 23 Down : ARTS

22-across – Unstable, so disillusioned with Equity : OFFBALANCE

25-across – Biblical wife breaking the Sabbath? Not at first : BATHSHEBA

26-across – Mature mount : GETON

27-across – Narrow arachnid squeezes into cap : LIMITED

28-across – Where there might be a range of gear, hence endless changes : KITCHEN

1-down – Research expert Dicky gets stuck into container : BOFFIN

2-down – One question on tax that shows how smart you are? : IQTEST

3-down – Denial of miracle is revised after departure : DISCLAIMER

4-down – One emerging from the sack found on the stair : RISER

5-down – Splayed feet – nasty, but a tightrope walker’s requirement? : SAFETYNET

6-down – Peaks since holding record : ALPS

7-down – Song from Ratty, Kit and half a countertenor : MADRIGAL

8-down – Slipped back : RELAPSED

13-down – Handy illumination if right cloth is spread : TORCHLIGHT

15-down – Michael Caine’s part in raw fuel source : COALFIELD

16-down – ‘City Lives’ by Brown & Bigness : ISTANBUL

17-down – Information? Ring corporation’s multitasking employee : FACTOTUM

19-down – Kidnap head of state? Certainly : SNATCH

20-down – News during Christmas about former famous group member : LENNON

23-down – Bad spelling etc creates shortage in London hospital : BLACK

24-down – A word in your ear: not all chaps stink! : PSST

8-across – 414 causing disgust? : GROSSOUT

9-across – Becks has run out in reserves : BOOKS

10-across – Vlad’s constituents discussed award : EMMY

11-across – Cream cracker? Yes and no : SQUAREMEAL

12-across – Trick revealed by husband ‘disappearing’ : OUTWIT

14-across – Relocate – it’s good in Abu Dhabi? : EMIGRATE

15-across – After exercise one man climaxing : PEAKING

17-across – Nearly sleep with old flame inside : SEXIEST

20-across – Almost reaching accord over retirement drink : NIGHTCAP

22-across – Secured but ran away : BOLTED

23-across – Driving away American politician involved – it’s part of the clean-up : SHAMPOOING

24-across – Mate’s encouraging words : DOIT

25-across – Lawman whose sombre features repelled : MOSES

26-across – Hear a top’s unsuitable attire for seeing Lulu? : OPERAHAT

1-down – What in bar I’m due to order? : DRAMBUIE

2-down – See kind of intuitively, perhaps : ESPY

3-down – What you need to pay round Home Counties for nanny : COSSET

4-down – Rustled up some food : STRUDEL

5-down – About right for you? The setter has failed : ABORTIVE

6-down – Ad nauseam at the end – comic real sick : COMMERCIAL

7-down – Inclined to give literary lion time : ASLANT

13-down – Why mistake upset Sunak? Could be : WYKEHAMIST

16-down – Most of new whips unknown to PM : NECROPSY

18-down – Writer : SHERIDAN

19-down – Time to be foolish at function : APRICOT

21-down – Bury alive – nice! : INHUME

22-down – Annoyed getting the sack, Boots claimed : BUGGED

24-down – Very lacking in atmosphere : DEAD

1-across – New Orleans fury with Londoner : SLOANE

5-across – See 1 : RANGER

8-across – Selfish person remains so after losing heart : EGOTIST

9-across – Question old style chef, ultimately about cheese : DEBRIEF

11-across – USSR in a mess en route permitted a dangerous game : RUSSIANROULETTE

12-across – Somewhat disciplinarian regressive state : IRAN

13-across – Do what’s essential to infiltrate old-fashioned right : PASSMUSTER

17-across – Rioting prisoners free at last to expose feature of harsh regime : REPRESSION

18-across – Preacher’s type of animism is free of sin : IMAM

20-across – Bring in stuff with reversed charges, missing one serious issue : IMPORTANTMATTER

23-across – Giant pig with rear end held back : GOLIATH

24-across – Find adult content, say, to return and spoil : INDULGE

25-across – Boozer clerics to get treated in state-controlled facilities : PUBLIC

26-across – See 25 : SECTOR

2-down – Hurry up and be smartly dressed : LOOKSHARP

3-down – Current + current + current divided by current? That’s not basic! : ACIDIC

4-down – David Cameron and Boris Johnson maybe hosting leader of socialist Europeans : ESTONIANS

5-down – Extremely divisive to wear a jumper for horseplay : RODEO

6-down – Vague and murky blue adopted by us for Christian Dior : NEBULOUS

7-down – Be discriminating when going topless : EXIST

8-down – Loud bling : EARPIERCING

10-down – Rue le Frère: some need relocation : FEELREMORSE

14-down – Flings should include controversial drinks : SMOOTHIES

15-down – Setter is going to get introduced to one fruit or another : TOMATILLO

16-down – Change here to enter dance and drink venue … : BEERHALL

19-down – … and another 3 halved for poets : BARDIC

21-down – Rice pudding is lumpy and unsuitable for starters : PILAU

22-down – A medic touring hospital for a reason : ADHOC