Daily Answers

1-across – Act weakly to have debts seized by creditor : COWER

4-across – A short stretch of time criminal tries to reduce gradually : AMORTISE

8-across – Bedlam, perhaps, in a little shop man’s running : MENTALHOSPITAL

10-across – Jaguars welcoming care of species : ECOTYPES

11-across – Take on inspiring role in puzzle : BEMUSE

12-across – Camp role models for foreign gentleman : CABALLERO

15-across – Possessive person who’ll succeed on time : THEIR

17-across – Error from Messi’s header and team’s back in the lead : MIXUP

18-across – Takes off bloomers after a day : SATIRISES

19-across – Does one steal money? : NICKER

21-across – Rings round? Rubbish! : POOHPOOH

24-across – Journalism in the Guardian, but not in Times or Sun? : LEADINGARTICLE

25-across – Ditch soldiers, at first, to make savings : RETRENCH

26-across – Spirits initially not seen — they may be here : HADES

1-down – Like in Le Monde, new setter makes a start : COMMENCEMENT

2-down – Place to plant hit in stomach — it hurts to fight : WINDOWBOX

3-down – Prompt on day off : READY

4-down – Winners the night before occupying high chairs : ACHIEVERS

5-down – Removed head of pointless flower : OUSE

6-down – Period when expecting con­clusion from beat poet : TRIMESTER

7-down – Problem for all to see inflames back : SNAFU

9-down – Rides boats, dropping ecstasy with miscreants : FERRISWHEELS

13-down – Boris welcoming newspaper spin? I see what you’re saying : LIPREADER

14-down – Soothe suffering, maintaining light touch? This therapist might : OSTEOPATH

16-down – Settled close around fort : ENSCONCED

20-down – Wine merchant stocks up kind of liqueur : CREME

22-down – Problem badly affected taps : HITCH

23-down – Unidentified composer of piano nocturne : ANON

1-across – Loyal support? Alas, I scam everyone : YEOMANSERVICE

10-across – Spray blue rinse all over the place : NEBULISER

11-across – Book ban rescinded by one leader of congregation : RABBI

12-across – Never has waist doubled? Not that old! : NEWER

13-across – Man impressed to have left sport, quiet epic hero : GILGAMESH

14-across – Bad-tempered Greek that hurt you early on : GROUCHY

16-across – Shine, having first to break depression : GLISTEN

18-across – Male caught in snare uncon­scious, going to expire : TIMEOUT

20-across – Bone is hard? I’m pondering : STERNUM

21-across – Equitable dealings out of order in this business meeting : TRADEFAIR

23-across – Man of note fell a minute short, say : GRIEG

24-across – Woman not entirely like the others? : NORMA

25-across – Not to one’s taste and bad for one: two severe blows : OVERSWEET

26-across – So enthusiastic, corruptly agree best contract : EAGERTOPLEASE

2-down – Scope to jog over cell : ELBOWROOM

3-down – Relating to large masses may be called wisdom : MOLAR

4-down – Is the rest of the head straight in this bunch? : NOSEGAY

5-down – Old lawman to carry personal protection : EARPLUG

6-down – Reveals it to be flexible : VERSATILE

7-down – Rope caught by type of seaman : CABLE

8-down – A particular dark time to sustain a casual relationship : ONENIGHTSTAND

9-down – Arrogant greeting good worker could eventually deny : HIGHANDMIGHTY

15-down – Join in as craftsman took a meal : COOPERATE

17-down – Miniaturised state introduces new poor quality of sound reproduction : TINNINESS

19-down – What may make one warm? : THAWOUT

20-down – Wait in court, present at table : SERVEUP

22-down – Hearing defective behind area in courtyards : ATRIA

23-down – Father and Son: son goes off to be an author : GOSSE

7-across – Sharp detectives returned fool to court : DISTINCT

9-across – Resilience of black cat : BOUNCE

10-across – Prang rear end of jeep : BUMP

11-across – Recent sex: cold, messy and unnecessary : EXCRESCENT

12-across – Mix up wet earth with roots of old laurel tree : MUDDLE

14-across – Let raven free in wind from the east : LEVANTER

15-across – Powerful ballad captures Beatrice’s heart : STRONG

17-across – Excessively craving grass after good year : GREEDY

20-across – First exam includes one trap : ORIGINAL

22-across – Sample from tesla plant : TASTER

23-across – Caught milliner with case for windbag : CHATTERBOX

24-across – Verbally cross and discourteous : RUDE

25-across – Creature fell finally during hostilities with America : WALRUS

26-across – Affairs where cats entertain ladies regularly : LIAISONS

1-down – Left squire dancing, having consumed posh drinks : LIQUEURS

2-down – Stamp stuck to envelope portrayed heads : STEP

3-down – Start to smoke joints audibly, showing sign of irritation : SNEEZE

4-down – Old boy has computer paper : OBSERVER

5-down – Curse can be broken for pirates : BUCCANEERS

6-down – Voices concerns about candlestick : SCONCE

8-down – Touch hat covering Charlie King : TICKLE

13-down – Embarrassed about own goal, a politician becomes offensive : DEROGATORY

16-down – Aroma around poles inside of tent is rubbish : NONSENSE

18-down – Diligently ignoring timeline in order to be flexible : YIELDING

19-down – Posh lass hiding fling with general : GLOBAL

21-down – Upset after woman rising to increase temperature again : REHEAT

22-down – Volunteers mutant superhero to be one overseeing duty : TAXMAN

24-down – Smooth surface partly turned over for race : RUSH

1-across – Crazy house internally a big let-down : BATHOS

4-across – Fat — pull the whole lot in : TALLOW

9-across – Regarding last of houses : ASTO

10-across – Criticised adopted child’s query : TOOKTOTASK

11-across – Cured ailing animal in India : NILGAI

12-across – ‘Blimey, that’s not right!’ after drain almost gives way : SUCCUMBS

13-across – This will show when undressed : ROUGHHEWN

15-across – Dark and twisted, first king abdicates : INKY

16-across – Woman has new uniform : EVEN

17-across – Yes, saw a Cambodian for treat­ment for a very long time : SINCEADAM

21-across – Russia often put this out: ‘Support an idiot as leader!’ : AGITPROP

22-across – ‘Injecting disinfectant can make everything OK’ initially baffled doctor : MEDICO

24-across – Ruling Tory’s name repeatedly disturbing people : GOVERNANCE

25-across – Grub up — fish : ROUT

26-across – Very shamefaced about time in order : SORTED

27-across – Removed undesirables from garden — both of us tricked, some might say : WEEDED

1-down – President’s instinct at the end — no moral code : BUSHIDO

2-down – It hardly covers resistance from crowd : THONG

3-down – No way! Preposterous one won’t face up to reality : OSTRICH

5-down – Sally picked up a drawing pin : ATTACK

6-down – Following one day in city, in a terrible state : LITHUANIA

7-down – See 17 : WASABOY

8-down – Violently beating ill-wisher inside — how mad can you get? : HORSEWHIPPING

14-down – One invited to the pub : GUESTBEER

16-down – Force loosened Ron’s extremely strong grip : ENGROSS

18-down – School garden party — head not required to take part : COMPETE

19-down – Grew in volume during a bad-mannered broadcast : ACCRUED

20-down – Country house is good place for shooting : GRANGE

23-down – Challenged person prosecuting left-winger : DARED

9-across – Needing support, being half unpinned : ONELEGGED

10-across – Behave badly, as a court’s risen : ACTUP

11-across – Aggressive music links criminal groups and army : GANGSTA

12-across – Argued shiftily about pressure to improve : UPGRADE

13-across – Valueless river? : OUSE

14-across – One suggesting to settle area away from the coast : HINTERLAND

16-across – Puzzle no more? : NONPLUS

17-across – Whiskey for French royalty : BOURBON

19-across – Unedifying attitude that may set teeth on edge : SOURGRAPES

22-across – Bird tucked into garibaldi biscuit : IBIS

24-across – One barely attends to the flock : SHEARER

25-across – His law I translated into a foreign language : SWAHILI

26-across – Vessel from which a thousand eat : KETCH

27-across – Popular girl breaking into number in which all join : SINGALONG

1-down – In the interests of virtue, I’m getting impatient : FORGOODNESSSAKE

2-down – Poet’s game said to be taking place : TENNYSON

3-down – Unthinkable, a short part for the lead : LEASH

4-down – Virginian regularly picking up formal clothes for a saint : IGNATIUS

5-down – Commercial deserved tweak : ADJUST

6-down – Such a dog may be put down as hairy : DANGEROUS

7-down – From nothing, a power unit raised capital : OTTAWA

8-down – To try new activities somehow was depressing? No : SPREADONESWINGS

15-down – System of rule in chaos — go charily : OLIGARCHY

17-down – Unfinished game receives not so much approval : BLESSING

18-down – One’s rung Robert, not yet eighteen : BOBMINOR

20-down – Familiar with being roughly ousted : USEDTO

21-down – Not safe in a tight skirt : ATRISK

23-down – Obese Bert bringing about demise : FATAL