Daily Answers

9-across – Herb Alpert’s debut, one regul­arly covered by British Sign Language : BASIL

10-across – Complex to explain : ELABORATE

11-across – Passing time with artist playing tennis : TRANSIENT

12-across – Catholic girl’s lesson in style : CLASS

13-across – Leader’s a supporter of independence? : SKIPPER

15-across – Wow! Not even posh journalist suffered an attack of the giggles : CORPSED

17-across – ‘After dark’ piece on the radio : NIGHT

18-across – Slow boat merely capsized … : TUB

20-across – … crew too heavy? Not half! : EIGHT

22-across – Dishes a world away, fine for the Springboks? : WALDORF

25-across – Up-to-date creep keeps dashing out : INTOUCH

26-across – Where to stay after golf? : HOTEL

27-across – Seducer of fifty-one sexy maidens : LADIESMAN

30-across – One should look thoroughly for trendy magazine wanting adult’s clothing : INSPECTOR

31-across – Change shirt owned by real model : ALTER

1-down – Help one gamble : ABET

2-down – Paces about at home, close to staying, then getting away : ESCAPING

3-down – Luxurious and rich, 80%+ : PLUS

4-down – Rodent’s sin: entering waste flow : SEWERRAT

5-down – Approach tailless urban feline from behind : TACTIC

6-down – Accompanying dog into party about books : CONCURRENT

7-down – See 22 : SALADS

8-down – Looks up and down : SEES

13-down – Power is rising by three quarters : SINEW

14-down – Anaesthetise small dog biting tot, else in trouble : PUTTOSLEEP

16-down – Cockney wife’s nationality … : DUTCH

19-down – … their old money, trading capital for a billion workers : BUILDERS

21-down – Most of bottle satisfied special connoisseurs : GOURMETS

23-down – Most recent Hollywood trial? : LATEST

24-down – Documents describe the end of government cuts : FILETS

26-down – Hydrogen gas shock : HAIR

28-down – Dash through Dixieland : ELAN

29-down – King managed to go up and annoy : NARK

1-across – Boatman catches a crab — strangely shocking : MACABRE

5-across – Saucy postcard, not right to publish to online audience : PODCAST

10-across – Sauce from the heart of Czechoslovakia’s capital : RAGU

11-across – First to try lead part with singers in audition: they get a good reception : TVANTENNAS

12-across – Cyclisme à vélo? : LOVE

13-across – Motley beast or bad boy once : ASSORTED

14-across – Pole loses ice, melting first : ISOSCELES

16-across – Cleaner to hearten lady? Quite the opposite : DETER

17-across – Boatman — to relish, ultimately, or detest : ABHOR

19-across – ‘Cheap digs’, opined resentful Spooner : BEDSITTER

23-across – Cruets of liquid sugar : FRUCTOSE

24-across – Herbs: bases for sauces, say : RUES

25-across – Game animal, endangered : CUPANDBALL

26-across – See 16 : GENT

27-across – Rising at first, but getting smaller overall : WARNING

28-across – UK citizen stands by Labour leader boxed in by Trotskyite extremes, likely to snap : BRITTLE

2-down – Baffled by sensational wordplay with nine letters missing : ATALOSS

3-down – Initially, Alexander’s charming : ACUTE

4-down – Lower part of rigging cut from triangle, part of a ladder : RATLINE

6-down – Love, dropping its first subtle shimmering : OBTUSE

7-down – Trick to snort some drug in : CONGRUENT

8-down – Get to the top on Tyneside? : SCALENE

9-down – Evergreen version of pea, encased in pot : JAPANESECEDAR

15-down – Initially sleepy, got up, then tea: in winter you may need more than one of these : SNOWCHAIN

18-down – Permit one to move after damaging allegations : BERMUDA

20-down – Two left arms waving? : SIMILAR

21-down – Set the trend, able to ignore the odds : ETERNAL

22-down – Little information about vintage : GOLDEN

24-down – Change of direction in match : RIGHT

1-across – Very tiny boat with a man in charge : SUBATOMIC

6-across – Ordered Powell to stop short : BADE

8-across – Haircut on kid is one way to ring the changes : BOBMINOR

9-across – City boundaries gas penetrates : RHEIMS

10-across – Lively end to working week, heaven : FRISKY

11-across – Getting on at this school? : BOARDING

12-across – Believe journalist struck through review : CREDIT

15-across – Right-wing, unreliable person not found at such a university? : REDBRICK

16-across – Dwarfs stay extremely desirable, they learn : STUDENTS

19-across – The turf green for this British activity : RACING

21-across – Ballad from north anybody plays : DANNYBOY

22-across – Work units heard of in Holland : JOULES

24-across – A pastry’s turned into layers : STRATA

25-across – Google’s house servant : HOMEPAGE

26-across – Strong drink some fear a killer : ARAK

27-across – Place for charter party not set: Imogen finally picked venue : RUNNYMEDE

1-down – Parking so men can get round track : SPOOR

2-down – Second-hand medal going first at a loss : BEMUSED

3-down – Beer down under is thin and metallic : TINNY

4-down – Where astronaut may one day get wine and chocolate? : MARSBAR

5-down – Carried on to make flavouring : CORIANDER

6-down – Mixer : BLENDER

7-down – Religious lecturer securing taxi to drop book off : DOMINICAN

13-down – Perform in terror, twanging muscle : RETRACTOR

14-down – In US, smart retreat by black political leader : TONYBLAIR

17-down – Research for one that is not worth explaining : DONTASK

18-down – He yawns uncontrollably: should I stop? : SAYWHEN

20-down – Conservative barrister, not old, is to screw up : CRUMPLE

22-down – Lucky to get stuck on yacht : JAMMY

23-down – Birdie? Yes and no : EAGLE

8-across – Plant that may destroy a toilet? : LAVENDER

9-across – Chance in card game initially blown : EVENS

10-across – During safest lap, surprisingly, vehicle at the back crashed out : FAST

11-across – Having broken marriages, you can rely on him for a creepy feeling : THEWILLIES

12-across – See 24 : BINDER

14-across – Touch number read as Arabic in church monument : CENOTAPH

15-across – Whip up and turn over US snack : EGGROLL

17-across – What might secure bottom, but not one side : ARSENAL

20-across – Seaside location, sunny and happening : BRIGHTON

22-across – Footballers’ exchange covered by radio network : ONETWO

23-across – Dear little cuckoo harmed : ILLTREATED

24-across – Double locks in attempt to secure new file : RING

25-across – Copper river in shade of green? : SARGE

26-across – French victim of assassination pierced by a single shot — political target? : MARGINAL

1-down – Eg Guardian leader in Guardian has got me, but not you, excited : MANAGING

2-down – See 26 : SEAT

3-down – See 1 : EDITOR

4-down – Passion in forest, city wanting it : ARDENCY

5-down – Creator does without hint : DESIGNER

6-down – Dreadful experience on different drug for morning or evening, perhaps : HELLOTHERE

7-down – See 10 : ASLEEP

13-down – A stuck-up politician, rude : DEROGATORY

16-down – Tool, visibly sore, covered in soap : LATHERED

18-down – Bird entertained by boy in garden, holder of massive flower : ASWANDAM

19-down – Science a little bit grisly, ultimately : ANATOMY

21-down – Fancy sauce : RELISH

22-down – Dropping yellow, German artist unfinished : ORDURE

24-down – Protest about method of travel : RAIL

1-across – He obtains favours for doctor : PROCURER

6-across – In which to find a drop of red in eatery? : CARAFE

9-across – What Syrinx refused to do, but Selene did, in hospital vessel : BEDPAN

10-across – Sports event’s reportedly why MK Dons land in Africa : GYMKHANA

11-across – Lack forerunner of lengthy winter in New York? : SHORTFALL

13-across – Slip drug behind drinks : LAPSE

15-across – Quibbler longed to displace editor : PEDANT

17-across – Kids behind head of town crier may want one : TISSUE

18-across – To some extent, resemble mathematical symbol : EMBLEM

19-across – Old satellite TV company has party : SKYLAB

21-across – Bitchy? Yes and no : CATTY

22-across – Like the Barbican’s kind of bubbly celebrities : BRUTALIST

25-across – Feted song keeps touching lives : LIONISED

26-across – Foot in this person’s vehicle : IAMBUS

28-across – Queen defends old extension : ANNEXE

29-across – Payment’s received over info for physicist : ROENTGEN

2-down – Port or whiskey : RYE

3-down – What Batman puts on Robin’s head in jest : CAPER

4-down – Digit between numbers three and five? : RINGFINGER

5-down – Wine and dine with what’s on plate and beer : REGALE

6-down – Doctor upholds firm means of treating shock : COMB

7-down – Tries to interrupt Spanish team’s practice : REHEARSAL

8-down – Lots of sweet powder in brandy’s flavouring : FINESHERBES

12-down – Adding a dash of PR puff about hot country : HYPHENATION

14-down – Choose snippet of film dialogue for demo : PICKETLINE

16-down – One coming out of underground uprising captured by poet : DEBUTANTE

20-down – City worker rejected socialist realism, say : TRADER

23-down – Maybe borderline books with note written in : LIMIT

24-down – Court winner remains for hearing : ASHE

27-down – Value of American English : USE