Daily Answers

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

1-across – Result of having a six-pack and losing it : BEERGUT

5-across – Paul & Co’s irregular verbs? : COPULAS

9-across – Gold-plated cube is so long : ADIEU

10-across – Most recent concoction after fruit crush : LIMERENCE

11-across – Worshippers’ bathing ritual starts with immersion in cleanest fluid : CELEBRANTS

12-across – Like a good dog in spring, I daren’t go barking : WELL

14-across – How to fry tuna? Add endless oil and stir for 10 : INFATUATION

18-across – Are all Getty items to be moved into an alternative suitable location? : TATEGALLERY

21-across – Short distance from born-again Christian : INCH

22-across – What Federer might earn after tax and expenses : NETPROFITS

25-across – Battle nerve is to bandage cut in retreat : GALLIPOLI

26-across – Country hotel takes precedence : INDIA

27-across – Unexpected departures artlessly scanned : PERUSED

28-across – See 12 : TRAINED

1-down – Turn pale when division changes sides : BLANCH

2-down – Hendrix belief oddly not palatable : EDIBLE

3-down – Murmurs of discontent as empty garages get filled with booze and jewellery : GRUMBLINGS

4-down – Archer has fooled assembly with a lie : TELLA

5-down – Stop skirting the issue of top ethnic Me Too movement : COMETOTHE

6-down – 15s food : PORK

7-down – Be a remainer? That’s pants : LINGERIE

8-down – Yell, perhaps, or be quiet, sweetest heart: if air is air and sea is sea … : SHETLAND

13-down – Exposed tax-averse rider : LADYGODIVA

15-down – See 4 : FALSEHOOD

16-down – Hang for having shotgun in part of Las Vegas : STRINGUP

17-down – Perfectionist finding swab originally left inside heart : STICKLER

19-down – Inside job I’d denied, as ordered : BIDDEN

20-down – See 8 : ISLAND

23-down – See 5 : POINT

24-down – See 6 : PIES

1-across – Lady R may suggest an isolated place : BACKWATER

6-across – Fraudster may be seen by senior policeman as excellent : DUPER

9-across – Reviled footballer may be Olympic medallist : DIVER

10-across – Storehouse once 10% full? : TITHEBARN

11-across – Endless complaint from one unable to fly : MOA

12-across – Athletic striker to move on without playing : FASTFORWARD

14-across – Africans’ leaders in no doubt even Britain expects little else : NDEBELE

15-across – Castle nearly losing odd bits in overcrowded area : ROOKERY

16-across – No end of fruit in pub for Simon : BOLIVAR

19-across – Letter read out succeeded after repeat, which you can bet on : GEEGEES

22-across – We move home with passion : HOMOSAPIENS

23-across – Piece trimmed is level : PAR

24-across – Old instrument people, snapping head off, abuse : VIOLATION

26-across – A fellow seizes one violently : AMAIN

27-across – Hard to leave boat looking shabby : DINGY

28-across – Harshness of way to travel about in state in America : STRIDENCY

1-down – Unpleasant sign when stomach initially turns over : BADOMEN

2-down – Eggs the Bard said wasted on the general : CAVIARE

3-down – Campaign of intimidation was forever struggling to encompass the end of Putin : WAROFNERVES

4-down – Child seat arranged for As You Like It : TOTASTE

5-down – Animal wheeling to take exact position between two groups of soldiers retreating : ROTIFER

6-down – American litigant in one of several ministries initially : DOE

7-down – Calm at opening position : PLACATE

8-down – Enters race without water and becomes exhausted : RUNSDRY

13-down – Doctor Arnold hides in state : RHODEISLAND

16-down – To be obliged to open sack was good : BEHAVED

17-down – Make fun of Frenchman opening part of race naked? : LAMPOON

18-down – Fake news in salesman’s returns : REPLIES

19-down – Having lost weight after golf, one picks up : GLEANER

20-down – Account for one dumped on prairie : EXPLAIN

21-down – Resilient, like May, could one say? : SPRINGY

25-down – From girl, a cry of surprise : AMY