Daily Answers

8-across – Moving along, aim for tree : MAGNOLIA

9-across – Very happy to be one of the family? Not at first : ELATED

10-across – See 2 : LOPE

11-across – Food for hotheads? : BAKEDBEANS

12-across – Brave, attempting the banjo? : PLUCKY

14-across – One’s on hand potentially to issue a challenge : GAUNTLET

15-across – Attack a sailor verbally : ASSAULT

17-across – Mean to keep recipe for such poor-quality meat : STRINGY

20-across – Enclosure is not simple : COMPOUND

22-across – Object to being given errand, not for the first time : RESENT

23-across – Want extremely lucrative job: sewer business? : NEEDLEWORK

24-across – Careless mistakes with brickie’s equipment : SLIP

25-across – Try sculpture and fail : GOBUST

26-across – In foreign currency, a few demanded money for freedom : RANSOMED

1-down – Lad comes for punishment: he received suspended death sentence : DAMOCLES

2-down – Neat moves, to run browser : ANTE

3-down – Bloody nonsense, my dear chap! : OLDBOY

4-down – Prepare a long time for such a holiday? : PACKAGE

5-down – Try to identify candidate to take charge of school? : HEADHUNT

6-down – They go up the wall, as striptease performed : TAPESTRIES

7-down – Hopefully, a spirited session : SEANCE

13-down – Exhausted, but well received as you leave : CLAPPEDOUT

16-down – Line, golden, from this poet? : LAUREATE

18-down – Not the chosen people — one is covered in maggots : GENTILES

19-down – Put off taking a day over most of magazine : ADJOURN

21-down – From Reno, go travelling — north, to here : OREGON

22-down – Inclining to be collecting leaves : RAKING

24-down – See 24 across : SHOD

1-across – Cave in reserve with sunfish : SUBSIDE

5-across – Members of artistic movement more than once chucked into ditches : CUBISTS

9-across – Different nations meeting : RACES

10-across – Live by river? Look for duck : BERGANDER

11-across – No room here for a drink : BEERGARDEN

12-across – Crusades staged for models that have been around a bit : USED

14-across – A game way of raising money : TESTIMONIAL

18-across – Relative almost said ‘Neat’ : UNCLUTTERED

21-across – See 12 : CARS

22-across – Canon’s turn to enter form of prayer : PREBENDARY

25-across – Conclude a wall covering is sterile : INFERTILE

26-across – One leaves to throw up a meal : LUNCH

27-across – Poetic inactivity in Lidl : IDLESSE

28-across – Acts like a predatory cat, eating small sweets? : MOUSSES

1-down – Second eleven starts acquiring game scorer : SCRIBE

2-down – Angel who’s retiring? : BACKER

3-down – Sharp, visible illegal tackle to get rid of ball : INSIGHTFUL

4-down – Wood almost burnt out: the finale for three months : EMBER

5-down – Firm retires lousy underwear maker : CORSETIER

6-down – Stand on branches? Americans do so, rightly : BEAR

7-down – Cruel, miserable lives and habitual response : SADISTIC

8-down – Celebrated instrument led off — it’s what cellists do : STRADDLE

13-down – Wow academic bishop with currency of very high distinction : CORDONBLEU

15-down – Gloomy, beset by raging sea, surrender : SATURNINE

16-down – Vegetable feature found in unknown ICU configuration : ZUCCHINI

17-down – Mocking short French consul’s dancing : SCORNFUL

19-down – Birches planted round Northern resort : CANNES

20-down – Complaint when temperature taken by pushy sort : TYPHUS

23-down – Swimmer offers resistance in support of gymnast : BREAM

24-down – See 6 : ARMS

5-across – Cover tailored clothing line in clingy material : VELCRO

6-across – Look up and try salacious look : GOOGLE

9-across – Inhabitant of the White House is a sucker : HOOVER

10-across – Engineer got a part for car’s roof : TARGATOP

11-across – Writer’s life includes reading or writing : BIRO

12-across – Deal with old currency symbols that are put across here : TRADEMARKS

13-across – Dressing earl, repeatedly endure dressing work : ELASTOPLAST

18-across – Boxes for food or water spiked with drug in : TUPPERWARE

21-across – Two officers showing gun : COLT

22-across – Musical note fine for reflective pieces : CATSEYES

23-across – Small child loves snowmobile : SKIDOO

24-across – Rating coat as outdoor covering : TARMAC

25-across – Brief note after sex : POSTIT

1-down – We’re told sailor’s girlfriend may be dressing : OLIVEOIL

2-down – Decay of politician with spin doctor at first : DRYROT

3-down – Chicks raised wing as indicator of arrival : DOORBELL

4-down – Lizard, one climbing in South American region : IGUANA

5-down – Fiddle with stuffing for ravioli noodles : VIOLIN

7-down – Caution entering covers of egregious texts : EBOOKS

8-down – Rock star to rest in atmospheric zone : STRATOPAUSE

14-down – Means of painting bridge, covering beam roughly : SPRAYCAN

15-down – Changing room is icy, star’s shivering : SACRISTY

16-down – Outspoken Iberian’s approval for cafe style : AULAIT

17-down – Determined to find no one at home? : ALLOUT

19-down – Raised energy, endeavour and turnover, say : PASTRY

20-down – Country club’s fashion stop in capital : EUSTON

1-across – Apparently no socialists and I agree : ALLRIGHT

6-across – Fox starts to be evasive, catching birds : BEMUSE

9-across – Ruler rejects any dubious packages from the East : DYNAST

10-across – 6 down note introduced to band : SQUANDER

11-across – Toy to produce reedy note : PLAYTHING

13-across – See 2 : WASTE

15-across – No part in play for angel? : PATRON

17-across – Flat in a revolting state during function : SUPINE

18-across – Take first flight from Liechtenstein border : FLEDGE

19-across – Antelope shortened stride, there being nothing ahead : NILGAI

21-across – Retired like Menuhin, unable to play on? : BOWED

22-across – Doctor in Bedford 27 : FORBIDDEN

25-across – Sleeping partner with huge guts joining firm : COMATOSE

26-across – Performing bears about to leave coastal state : OREGON

28-across – Like pie made by chef initially out of practice? : CRUSTY

29-across – Miserable miss, on reflection, breaking engagement : DESOLATE

2-down – Sack remained unused : LAY

3-down – All set to scan far side of galaxy : READY

4-down – Pass ring successfully : GETTHROUGH

5-down – Non-alcoholic drink brewed in East : TISANE

6-down – 13 down : BLUE

7-down – Commissioning soldier with regular girlfriend? : MANDATING

8-down – I tested them at work to check the flow : STEMTHETIDE

12-down – Extra run accorded to the winners? : LAPOFHONOUR

14-down – Designer briefly dipped into gold reserves for yarns we hear : AUDIOBOOKS

16-down – They said I must leave supply outside empty store now : THESEDAYS

20-down – Fellow departs after pinching Georgia’s butt : DOGEND

23-down – Stay and prosper, having refused Oscar : DWELL

24-down – Baby boomer’s drug-inspired rapture? : JOEY

27-down – See 21 : OUT

1-across – America’s first couple on aircraft discarded material : JETSAM

4-across – Kind of desk disreputable female just needs time to shift : ROLLTOP

9-across – Provided with assistance, having shaped up the dole : HELPEDOUT

10-across – It parallels Number Ten — as its occupants do in today’s solutions : WHITE

11-across – More confident as litigant, suppressing resistance : SURER

12-across – Like some music or, perhaps after initial cuts, like some poetry : RHAPSODIC

13-across – Write backing melody for final movement of suite : NEPTUNE

15-across – Clean house again : HOOVER

17-across – Predecessor of 1 down on both sides of the pond : WILSON

19-across – Like position of moderate, as shown in recent rally : CENTRAL

22-across – Muscle 19 down turned to right : RETRACTOR

24-across – Some propagandist not operating in good faith? : PAGAN

26-across – See 10 : HOUSE

27-across – Article Cameron edited, con­suming one kind of coffee : AMERICANO

28-across – Phrase otherwise concerning Washington, for example : RESTATE

29-across – Not conversant with name for a mathematician and physicist : NEWTON

1-down – Playwright, for audience, author of meaningful work? : JOHNSON

2-down – Thatcher’s rival, so-called? Leading rebel : TYLER

3-down – GOP argues falsely they break people down : AGEGROUPS

4-down – After briefly not working, a head is in school again : RETEACH

5-down – First or last name, or character of Oxford writer : LEWIS

6-down – Driver may change into this kind of party clothing : THIRDGEAR

7-down – Knight, say, capturing rook to make a breakthrough : PIERCE

8-down – Astronomer has star confused with this star, oddly : MONROE

14-down – Sets about Republican involved with hard copies : PRINTOUTS

16-down – Reds fan, perhaps, I help when distressed after 1-0 upset : OENOPHILE

18-down – No Trump action about WMD material? He’s crazy : NUTCASE

19-down – Driver of one vehicle or another over short period : CARTER

20-down – Line in column on Northern or Eastern city : LINCOLN

21-down – Top man in legendary dining circle : ARTHUR

23-down – Bring up a time and a place for spectacle : ARENA

25-down – Allow wild speech supporting head of government : GRANT