Daily Answers

1-across – Pith extracted from some afore­mentioned tropical plant : SESAME

4-across – See 16 down : JACKET

9-across – Squeezing hard, give relative a cuddle before beginning on tennis player : HUGH

10-across – Ultimately, Marilyn Monroe had to appear ditzy — never mind! : NOHARMDONE

11-across – Earliest of settlers in a mountain range in India, speechless : AGHAST

12-across – In wretched fashion, baby con­sumed by putting up shelves etc : DISMALLY

13-across – Birds currently with holy cow aboard ship heading for Egypt : SNOWGEESE

15-across – Doctor talks from the rear : SPAY

16-across – Light source attached to heel of glass slipper? : SLED

17-across – Refuse to welcome tourists regularly coming back for cake : SWISSROLL

21-across – Lady left out of legion : COUNTESS

22-across – Touring subcontinental state, antelope that’s a bit petrified : BOGOAK

24-across – Drink from river after red, black and yellow creature? : GINGERBEER

25-across – A clear desert : ARID

26-across – Trapper’s cry when cuppa arrived? : GOTCHA

27-across – Might one identify paper as shabby? : RAGTAG

1-down – Weapon wounded one of the gendarmes? : STUNGUN

2-down – Stress-free character seemingly calm, having walked away initially : SCHWA

3-down – Aquatic mammal with 9, everyone said? : MANATEE

5-down – A difficult thing to bear, over : ACROSS

6-down – One having taken another fish, also hooked up : KIDNAPPER

7-down – Cricket side in match with a certain pitch : TONALLY

8-down – See 19 : THEDISHWASHER

14-down – Jouster on Shetland pony for hours after work? : WEEKNIGHT

16-down – Pack including second two cards — one’s worn : SMOKING

18-down – Greek character more intoxic­ated, we hear, in region of the far north : SIBERIA

19-down – Incompetent husband dealing with dirt, so he has to get wife in for chore : LOADING

20-down – Look inside someone’s ear, chortling : SEARCH

23-down – See 9 : GRANT

1-across – Cambridge college admitting sons of old assassin : CASSIUS

5-across – Foot of water in view : SPONDEE

9-across – Rambert’s head stopping basic support for dancers : BARRE

10-across – Ordering a suspect into river : RIOGRANDE

11-across – End-of-season game still cooked in booze : SINGLEMALT

12-across – Hot spot found over stake : ETNA

14-across – Food for drab grooms wandering round Swedish capital : SMORGASBORD

18-across – Voice disapproval about setter visiting France with Italian returning for ice cream : TUTTIFRUTTI

21-across – Insincerity not working in part of Switzerland : CANT

22-across – Females given note in secret without a problem : SWIMMINGLY

25-across – One eating contents of pie with very little fruit : PERSIMMON

26-across – Silver not returned to South Pacific kingdom : TONGA

27-across – Tony upset about haul that’s worthless : TOYTOWN

28-across – Come out of aquatic mammal back to front : EMANATE

1-down – Artist twice entering dock : CUBIST

2-down – Maroon fibre : STRAND

3-down – Starry-eyed setter visiting shop stocking article getting endless criticism : IDEALISTIC

4-down – Go away with stuff after start of sales : SCRAM

5-down – Snub involving head held up as focus of attention : SPOTLIGHT

6-down – Cook rabbit stuffed with vegetable : OKRA

7-down – Academic fighting to axe college’s voluntary contribution? : DONATION

8-down – Journalists welcoming time inside hollow monumental stones : EMERALDS

13-down – Snake destroyed diarist’s plant : ASPIDISTRA

15-down – Rows erupting over a sultanate’s athlete : OARSWOMAN

16-down – Keep drug in cook’s vessel : STOCKPOT

17-down – Fish eggs turned grey, reportedly : STINGRAY

19-down – Plan made by spy without time to meet lawyer : AGENDA

20-down – Spin tail of monkey in metal frame : GYRATE

23-down – Locks guarding entrance to Scottish minister’s residence : MANSE

24-down – Pastrami sometimes contains paste used in Japanese cookery : MISO

1-across – Rock and roll primarily lacking in training of singers : GNEISS

4-across – Idiot was troubled, being attacked : ASSAILED

9-across – Scottish innovator to record a birdie in flight : LOGIE

10-across – High frequency range, say, penetrating mum — is sore in the ears : MEGAHERTZ

11-across – Wartime pilot must circumvent something hairy, cause of obstruction : BLOCKADER

12-across – Any number knowing about fine material : NINON

13-across – Bird is rotten glider in a storm : RINGDOTTEREL

17-across – What’s awfully tiresome, I get older — time to enjoy life in France? : TROISIEMEAGE

20-across – Like illustration, something set on dining table : ASPIC

21-across – Never to return wearing dress in theatrical space for visitors : GREENROOM

23-across – What’s roguish about Liberal showing no originality? : SLAVISHLY

24-across – See 9 : BAIRD

25-across – My sonny’s ill — tired and worn out, maybe : SYNONYMS

26-across – Jockey getting on after race accident : FALLON

1-down – Wealth coming to composer, man of musical variations : GOLDBERG

2-down – Bar gets this for beggar that’s like a frustrated bird : EGGBOUND

3-down – Cut made by saw initially on wood : STEAK

5-down – Producer of sweet stuff could make one rise with fury and anger : SUGARREFINERY

6-down – He-men at a dance outside university club in London : ATHENAEUM

7-down – Where’s the sound coming from? Cat getting round a queen : LARYNX

8-down – Lots of celebrations outside Japanese school : DOZENS

10-down – The mum dashing around got off to a brisk start : MADETHINGSHUM

14-down – Order without intermediate agent — something charged : DIRECTION

15-down – Men probing wild animal on the lord’s estate? : MANORIAL

16-down – In territory in December mud annoys : BERMUDAN

18-down – Dad exercises and stops to draw breath? : PAUSES

19-down – Damage when river floods country : SPRAIN

22-down – Triangular symbol composer of 1 down set up : NABLA

8-across – Many giving learner advice? Cross about it : MULTIPLE

9-across – Select smart response, finally putting nothing in : CHOICE

10-across – Heartless type shot big game : TEST

11-across – Resort to guessing just a little bit : SUGGESTION

12-across – In hot spots, supported by fellow not offering 8 9 : HOBSON

14-across – Again charge one male among rest : REIMPOSE

15-across – Apart from some enigmas, understood : ASUNDER

17-across – Name for rich fabric — could be A, B, C, D, or E : BROCADE

20-across – I am entering E, say, as rough guess : ESTIMATE

22-across – Evaluate dunces, repeating one part for the fourth time : ASSESS

23-across – Put in A, B, C, D, or E, say? I’m naive — it’s wrong : VITAMINISE

24-across – Missing some obvious answers : SANS

25-across – Agree possible sequence of answers for 8, 9, 10 with five options : ACCEDE

26-across – A, B, C etc, as periodically arranged? He and I are with them : ELEMENTS

1-down – 8 in varied menu — almost get excited : NUMEROUS

2-down – Change 10? Don’t change it! : STET

3-down – Chooses to get involved, making absurd points : OPTSIN

4-down – Ingredient for festive drink in pubs — they have no 9 : BEGGARS

5-down – More bats coming to second team? That is right : SCREWIER

6-down – They remove unwanted bits as well with most of the selections : TOOTHPICKS

7-down – Those in cast, otherwise selection of one : ACTORS

13-down – Oddly dynastic head of news­paper that’s also published elsewhere : SYNDICATED

16-down – Cut up, dug up, subjected to 10 : EXAMINED

18-down – Reason for crack — paper over it in housework? : DISUNITY

19-down – Person who chooses answers inferior to A, B, C, followed by drink : DECIDER

21-down – Change to another option, show­ing intelligence in school : SWITCH

22-down – We agree about pressure on European ancestors of ours? : APEMEN

24-down – Swing killed a lot in US? All of the above : SLEW

1-across – Anger about current violent disorder : RAMPAGE

5-across – Spooner’s inundation chart pro­vides protection from murky water : MUDFLAP

10-across – Common or standard weekend : PARK

11-across – Good hand for throne action? : ROYALFLUSH

12-across – Incentive to get back into motor racing : CARROT

13-across – One who’s skilled getting a poor deal partly reversed : ADABHAND

14-across – Head of government’s French bird almost mangé par mauvais chat : TAOISEACH

16-across – Jonathan Ross’s expert declared to be a charlatan : QUACK

17-across – Character from arcade game is one with disregard for social distancing? : SPACE

19-across – Creep lazes about, say, around bar endlessly : SLEAZEBAG

23-across – Preparation of cheese with some fish before midnight : BRIEFING

24-across – Consecutive atoms show fruit : TOMATO

26-across – Substitute part of body of acad­emic work by many 13 : PROSTHESIS

27-across – See 3 : FACE

28-across – Having neatly translated brought about the onset of death for him : TYNDALE

29-across – See 17 : INVADER

2-down – Like past president to blow his top in this state : ALABAMA

3-down – Somehow cope with freak betraying no emotions : POKER

4-down – Throttle component of carbur­ettor again playing up : GAROTTE

6-down – Raise burden put on server : UPLOAD

7-down – What actors hope for is less good than 11 : FULLHOUSE

8-down – As nice as dancing with Romeo : ARSENIC

9-down – Specialist sending back anything that’s not thin and green : GYNAECOLOGIST

15-down – At last, fragrance-scented After Eight: wild rose : INCREASED

18-down – Left light show : PORTRAY

20-down – Papa abandoning biased craftsman : ARTISAN

21-down – Prompt report of traffic jam? : AUTOCUE

22-down – Draw out of retreat despite everything : WITHAL

25-down – Chiefly murderers and felons in alliance : MAFIA