Daily Answers

1-across – Routine for Jewish comedian, dull person sounding drunk? : SHTICK

4-across – Puzzle given a couple of marks for wrong and right answers, we hear : ACROSTIC

9-across – Trapped in ditch there’s a bear : RUPERT

10-across – Nice dean working for decades : DECENNIA

11-across – Molecular scientist may use this — only he cannot go wrong : NANOTECHNOLOGY

13-across – They live in Europe and will be entertained by shouts : HOLLANDERS

14-across – Mass of fish traversing lake : CLOD

16-across – Useful cockney chap : ANDY

18-across – Car being introduced earlier, not very unsafe? : PRECARIOUS

21-across – Sinner finally welcomed to hot fires? Maybe Paradise! : THEWORLDTOCOME

23-across – Terrible row about a fool losing head in station : RADIOTWO

24-across – Fan wants victory immediately : WINNOW

25-across – Travel to sacred ground that is located by church : GODSACRE

26-across – Guy may be so enthusiastic : ONFIRE

1-down – European run with Coe on the outside : SERB

2-down – Feature of vessel on lake is excellent, excellent! : TOPSAIL

3-down – Soldier in company wanting ‘proper speech’ spoken : CORPORAL

5-down – Teacher is funny, little child being first one to grin : CHESHIRECAT

6-down – Old group allowing in church cat : OCELOT

7-down – Work outside home with fine alloy sheet : TINFOIL

8-down – Monster making one cautious — b*** hell! : CHARYBDIS

12-down – Fellow erred — wrong ingredient for home-made wine : ELDERFLOWER

13-down – Copper finally enters to pick up ruffian, one put down in a hot spot? : HEARTHRUG

15-down – Part supporting heartless undertaking : FRACTION

17-down – Study English penned by theologian — it’s awful : DREADED

19-down – Huge virile-sounding Turk : OSMANLI

20-down – Journey’s end sealed by sound of horn on a car : TOYOTA

22-down – Sounding like a bird, not half quaint : TWEE

1-across – Shoot up, ingesting drink and drug before adult show : SOAPOPERA

6-across – Suffering composer lowering his final note : GRIEF

9-across – Try everything Steve Bell’s done, including old works : DOONESLEVELBEST

10-across – Explorer’s vacant homeland in poetry : ERIN

11-across – Hanging here, a pair of females dress down to go outside : SCAFFOLD

14-across – Fix hose by grass : TIGHTSPOT

15-across – Can — it reportedly contains salt : NITRE

16-across – He’s gloomy about Englishman returning : MOPER

18-across – Fibs about figure’s special element of pride : LIONESSES

20-across – Fish by Scottish island, one with many tongues? : LINGUIST

21-across – Picked up stick or doorpost : JAMB

25-across – Serviceman spied jumping up and down regularly : MANICDEPRESSIVE

26-across – Belgians live here, not an idiot : TWERP

27-across – Best to return bonus put in pocket : TOPDRAWER

1-down – Creep in small lounge : SIDLE

2-down – Very fond of a social call : ADORING

3-down – Frank’s refusal to bring down leader : OPEN

4-down – Spanish translations of ‘the girl’ : ELLA

5-down – Bill calling for support : ADVOCATION

6-down – Spy picture’s red frames getting on fine : GOLDFINGER

7-down – One snake seized by bats etc in vessel : ICEBOAT

8-down – Decay in iron I cut from neat arrangement : FETIDNESS

12-down – Incite about game on computer and parting drink : STIRRUPCUP

13-down – With nothing colourless, bouquet’s full of colour : OPALESCENT

14-down – Moved tile 1mm — it fixed window : TIMELIMIT

17-down – Making up for wrong article, change pens : PENANCE

19-down – A spectacle that is captured by rolling waves? : SEAVIEW

22-down – Dim leader of Britain, a tragic figure : BLEAR

23-down – What to do to present western music style : WRAP

24-down – One with habit that’s a bit flipping presumptuous : USER

1-across – Not eating a little butter? Well remembered : OFFPAT

5-across – Source of petroleum as strand is developed : TARSANDS

9-across – In advance, dish out jam : PRESERVE

10-across – Permits expressions of pain, after all : ALLOWS

11-across – Mickey captivated by this play? : THEMOUSETRAP

13-across – Refuse to disallow capturing rook : BRAN

14-across – A wearing sort of business : RAGTRADE

17-across – Venomous six of the Romans die : VIPERISH

18-across – Roughly losing head in a fight : BOUT

20-across – Concerned with part of the orchestra coming back : REPERCUSSION

23-across – Calls loudly and turns to buy drinks? : SHOUTS

24-across – This school once was sanctioned : APPROVED

25-across – Wealth from work uncle wasted at end of life : OPULENCE

26-across – Women pine regularly for young men’s embrace : LADIES

2-down – Playing well in this class : FORM

3-down – No longer apprehensive of grammatical term : PASTTENSE

4-down – Attempts to include old people in party : TORIES

5-down – Press articles on country arrest­ing a small number : THEFOURTHESTATE

6-down – Dragon is ridiculously slow, for one : ROADSIGN

7-down – A home key : AFLAT

8-down – Destitute person’s way of escape from top floor? : DOWNANDOUT

12-down – Holiday vessel said to belong to its staff : CRUISESHIP

15-down – Folk hero is to steal, wearing mask : ROBINHOOD

16-down – Bishop once said to be struggling : DIOCESAN

19-down – Spied moving towards lake, scatter : DISPEL

21-down – Well-matched piece of pure quality : EQUAL

22-down – Only a stretch of water : MERE

1-across – Impersonate Little John, brother : DOMINICAN

6-across – Itinerant forgetting piano at end of two dances : HOBO

8-across – Cop punching old dog, grass … : CANNABIS

9-across – … that’s bad arrested by police : MILLET

10-across – Particular dock? : DETAIL

11-across – Freshly papered walls in rectory originally … : PREPARED

12-across – … fabricated — very pleased : MADEUP

15-across – Author dunking bread in drink : TROLLOPE

16-across – State again reviewing repeated notes in paper : REAFFIRM

19-across – Conclusion somewhat lacking heart again! : ENCORE

21-across – Capital: family has wasted it : KINSHASA

22-across – Boat netting five carp : KVETCH

24-across – Stick on bottom, wounding : BARBED

25-across – Setter’s dropping weight initially, so I hope that’s shifted : WHOOPSIE

26-across – Urge for fizzy drinks, reportedly : COAX

27-across – Native of central America in rare shower : REDPEPPER

1-down – Opener in difficulty to collect duck : DRAKE

2-down – Potty covered in hair, as an artefact : MANMADE

3-down – Swedish chemist knocking up supermodel once : NOBEL

4-down – Dumping grounds dry up, one of those filled with sewage : CESSPIT

5-down – Yours truly hit : NUMBERONE

6-down – Bag antique chamber pots : HOLDALL

7-down – Yikes, buzzer has caught its owner? : BEEKEEPER

13-down – A sovereign I preserve in instant coffee : AMERICANO

14-down – Royal couple aren’t faithful : PHILANDER

17-down – Switch unit to join fight : FUSEBOX

18-down – Girl expecting bread called for milk, perhaps? : MIAOWED

20-down – Threaten youngster on reservation? : CREEPUP

22-down – Money turning up in Copenhagen or Kolding : KRONE

23-down – Official announcer in Cork I hear regularly : CRIER

1-across – He dealt with state affairs a lot — wrong description of Boris? : AFATHER

5-across – Gridlock on motorway going west — go east : IMPASSE

9-across – Rudeness reciprocated leads to extremely serious complaint : PILES

10-across – Clue’s naughty about great man having a roving eye : LECHEROUS

11-across – Big Mike trapped by scary alien space travellers : COSMICRAYS

12-across – One repeatedly fired from EastEnders : STEN

14-across – Needing breaks? Could be Amazon job on the line : ENGINEDRIVER

18-across – See 1 : OFATLEASTSIX

21-across – Very short, my youngsters : LADS

22-across – Weird — say, who’d be taking you inside old knocking shop? : BAWDYHOUSE

25-across – Writer’s block getting worse? Initially, yes : HEMINGWAY

26-across – Tenant doesn’t have right key : ENTER

27-across – City in retreat — Coventry wingers showing good form : DECENCY

28-across – Name going up in the early stages : NASCENT

1-down – American star wearing nothing upstaged by a furry animal : ALPACA

2-down – Red colour largely visible amongst evidence of fire : ABLUSH

3-down – Jailed German boy, cunning little pest : HESSIANFLY

4-down – Head of state is stock market malefactor? No way! : RULER

5-down – Wish to travel? Minimal cost when cycling : ITCHYFEET

6-down – Phil’s number one cut — that was close! : PHEW

7-down – Lively and encouraging, though not winning : SPORTIVE

8-down – Tragically timeless in role set here : ELSINORE

13-down – Ships they’re scrapping about to be saved : FREIGHTERS

15-down – I catch visiting duke inside — pretty sick : INABADWAY

16-down – Saw in here money raised by cast? : TOOLSHED

17-down – Current unwelcome visitor camped in compound : PANDEMIC

19-down – Relatively famous broadcaster : AUNTIE

20-down – Coastal road : BEIRUT

23-down – Senior member makes the same money : DOYEN

24-down – Old Testament fellow : ONAN