Daily Answers

1-across – Dog eating two thousand caterpillars? Only one! : CUTWORM

5-across – Remain at Oxford maybe and don’t retire : STAYUP

9-across – Quality of authentic meal being reported : PROPERTY

10-across – Gold container — on the inside black and a sort of red : AUBURN

12-across – Displaying guile, Oscar is terribly irreverent : SACRILEGIOUS

15-across – Obstructive international organisation attended by soldier wearing flashy stuff : UNOBLIGING

17-across – Hooligan facing test, all about being female, not ladylike : TOM

19-across – See 17 : BOY

20-across – Like the Queen’s coach, moving her onwards : HORSEDRAWN

22-across – Take a risk, as a tree surgeon might? : GOOUTONALIMB

26-across – In one’s element here! : INDIUM

27-across – Herb providing revenue for the farmer, we hear? : AGRIMONY

28-across – Loud crone holding gentleman back : GARISH

29-across – What may help car to restoration of power : TOWROPE

1-down – Hat on old Mafia boss : CAPO

2-down – Thought badly and used 23 4 ineffectively? : TOOK

3-down – Like the supreme ruler with the ultimate in sumptuous loose attire : OVERALLS

4-down – See 23 : METER

6-down – The lowly worker — being released, he’d plod on : TRUDGE

7-down – Accusation delivered to silent person that is so obvious! : YOUDONTSAY

8-down – Joke this bad keeps chaps hiding? : PUNISHMENT

11-down – Bits of mischief with Left ousting Right to establish political platforms : PLANKS

13-down – Like a tight garment for Spooner, being deceptive : HUMBUGGING

14-down – Old-fashioned printer needed this — as in lithographic op? Yes? : COPYHOLDER

16-down – Venue offering good game of golf? : GROUND

18-down – See 2 : ADIMVIEW

21-down – Drinks in barrels dodgy dealer smuggled in ship : STOUTS

23-down – Eminent person came face to face with the monarch — photographer’s got it? : LIGHT

24-down – Traveller in a VW : POLO

25-down – Old city band on the road : TYRE

9-across – Criticise German in crumbling paradise : DISPARAGE

10-across – Cracked globe returned by King Edward, initially : BROKE

11-across – Acclaim unlimited rations, following boundless love : OVATION

12-across – Muscles in short time before additional message : TRICEPS

13-across – Strict doctor with papers : RIGID

14-across – Plot everything with setter surrounded by books about religion : ALLOTMENT

16-across – Bury substitute — talented and transposable : INTERCHANGEABLE

19-across – Unusual foresight is a bonus not to be questioned : GIFTHORSE

21-across – Collapse of square block : SLUMP

22-across – Superficial sea foam expert : SURFACE

23-across – Mobilises right supporters : RALLIES

24-across – Gather in the morning on a ship : AMASS

25-across – School has nothing certain to provide tranquillity : COMPOSURE

1-down – Putting off engineer undoing jar : ADJOURNING

2-down – Key language for gastropod : ESCARGOT

3-down – Travelled along runway to charge bomb : TAXIED

4-down – Baby finally, by daybreak, dropping head to show sign of tiredness : YAWN

5-down – Money covering up steps to produce plague : PESTILENCE

6-down – Drink drunk in haste containing boron : ABSINTHE

7-down – Stick around to get love present : COHERE

8-down – Rising canal reveals God : ZEUS

14-down – Loathing of treated carbon here? : ABHORRENCE

15-down – Made uninvited use of resorts in the elevated Kalahari, perhaps : TRESPASSED

17-down – Tries again to get European train : REHEARSE

18-down – Bouquet arranged around paper shop : BOUTIQUE

20-down – Official document the French sent up : FORMAL

21-down – Unhealthy looking bird, having lost a wife : SALLOW

22-down – Small pale bird : SWAN

23-down – Revolutionary upmarket housing swindle : RAMP

1-across – Noticed poles impeding top player : SENSED

5-across – Train sailor to grasp gallons and miles in Arabic maths : ALGORISM

9-across – It justifies a game I introduced to Georgia : APOLOGIA

10-across – Old cross hides another one that’s worn : OXFORD

11-across – Support film about extremely serious lady of letters : POSTMISTRESS

13-across – Anyone can edit this when it’s keyed in at the start : WIKI

14-across – A murder suspect finally admits items in hearing : EARDRUMS

17-across – Cleaners collect award for bar’s accommodation : CHAMBERS

18-across – Owner-occupier’s about to secure centre : CORE

20-across – Audiences encourage junior theatre employee : HOUSESURGEON

23-across – Latin law primarily explains Middle East language unit : LEXEME

24-across – English teacher blocks new idea for hymn : DIESIRAE

25-across – Left son in to inspire French publisher : LAROUSSE

26-across – Little brown jug for Guinness, say : BREWER

2-down – Show wrong sign in European river : EXPO

3-down – Theory of self very much limits one’s morals at first : SOLIPSISM

4-down – Detective gets rough synopsis : DIGEST

5-down – Johnson’s self-assessment: he’s glad to work with 14 : AHARMLESSDRUDGE

6-down – Word list fool set up in delight : GLOSSARY

7-down – Send on tablet stolen from joint : REFER

8-down – Lock minutes in small cupboard as reading aid : STRESSMARK

12-down – Deft old secretary HM enlisted shows patience with capital, maybe : LIGHTOPERA

15-down – Arcane ceremony involves topless runner-up : RECONDITE

16-down – Dramatist’s The Old Weavers : WEBSTERS

19-down – Right note upset acoustic device : REVERB

21-down – American shorthand fast enough? Not entirely : STENO

22-down – Check out ancient coin in church : CASE

9-across – Old queen’s honest with diarist : ANNEFRANK

10-across – Core of world back to front : HEART

11-across – Poet recounts fifth item found on beach : SHELLEY

12-across – Rolling Stone caught by Mr Big? Very! : MONSTER

13-across – Reportedly, get lost pastry : CHOUX

14-across – They’re involved in father’s Star Trek battle — once timeless : PARTAKERS

16-across – Choose over Charlie or Michael involving a branch of science : ELECTROCHEMICAL

19-across – Director left at the end holding hard part of shoe : SPIKEHEEL

21-across – Encounters aliens on Earth following Martian leader : MEETS

22-across – Revolutionary recalls loathing for large cat : CHEETAH

23-across – Starts to smoke, eventually saw someone tranquillised : SEDATED

24-across – Doubles taken from physicist’s mug : STEIN

25-across – To ensure sufficient funds remain below interest : UNDERDRAW

1-down – Pillagers back up to eat snack prepared by Saxon’s chief : RANSACKERS

2-down – Change 11p over old cover? : ENVELOPE

3-down – Alternative fuel overwhelms fellow with unknown discharge : EFFLUX

4-down – Woman to wed right away : MARY

5-down – Heavens above! On another planet 2001 computer is law enforcer : SKYMARSHAL

6-down – Has tan spoiled in afternoon shadow? : PHANTASM

7-down – Keep players on leg-side boundaries : CASTLE

8-down – Teacher admits time in prison : STIR

14-down – Titan unearthed in built-up Rome? The usual! : PROMETHEUS

15-down – Climbing mountains with quiet descent on landing : SPLASHDOWN

17-down – During Great Revolt, we English can be using social media : TWEETING

18-down – Animal around and about, adult male’s lost : CREATURE

20-down – Every so often big cheat began to drink : ICETEA

21-down – Up-to-date style worn by sailors : MODERN

22-down – In court, large expense : COST

23-down – Rising troubles with this kind of bread : SODA

9-across – Troublesome person with stick always set about music maker : REEDORGAN

10-across – Inventor showing regret when putting off engineers : MORSE

11-across – Something sweet to stick around lettuce : GLUCOSE

12-across – Without thinking, building home next to an East Anglian city : INANELY

13-across – Quail a bit when crossing lake : COLIN

14-across – Understand an old rocker with very little energy at first did nothing : VEGETATED

16-across – Yes, mama is upset with a child stupidly making bloomer : MICHAELMASDAISY

19-across – Surgery as answer to disease that in extremis takes time : CURETTAGE

21-across – Writer offering brill Old English : DEFOE

22-across – Someone terrible following game around in vehicle : MINIVAN

23-across – Number of fashion items in Mary Quant’s era : SIXTIES

24-across – Part of island in Caribbean captured by the French : LEWIS

25-across – First to collect rags, even when chucked? : SCAVENGER

1-down – Like a sort of play that could make critic go mad almost : TRAGICOMIC

2-down – Country inn with memorial outside it : REPUBLIC

3-down – Spiritual advice to Moses in warehouse : GODOWN

4-down – Heading north over line, I stare : OGLE

5-down – Where you’d presumably find hellish types with old cricketer under a shadow : INDISGRACE

6-down – Affected little devil wasn’t sincere : IMPACTED

7-down – Burning paintings maybe outside private room : ARDENT

8-down – Presidential candidate once sounded a bit wet : DEWY

14-down – Lass in evil misbehaving? : VILLAINESS

15-down – Plea from someone wet and helpless with a certain peck? : DRYMEASURE

17-down – Penultimate part of Shakespear­ean play is beginning to move into vigorous campaigning : ACTIVISM

18-down – Break with trendy element of festival entertainment : INFRINGE

20-down – Celebrity children, not one of them accepting the present : RENOWN

21-down – It’s right to check when there’s sign of something wrong inside : DEXTER

22-down – Start to make everybody walk : MALL

23-down – Biscuit containers the wrong way up : SNAP