Daily Answers

9-across – Most important person to lead America? Idiot! : TOPBANANA

10-across – More from Turkey’s premier artist : EXTRA

11-across – Car journeys taking off round French city : LIMOGES

12-across – Composer Henry ignored minor problem over National Insurance : PUCCINI

13-across – Nothing is held back? Don’t believe it! : ASIF

14-across – Way back : MEMORYLANE

16-across – Opposed to some financial help for drifter : VAGRANT

17-across – Retreat from problem — can new Head of Technology crack it? : SANCTUM

19-across – Knackered old bus conductor’s role reversal : RATTLETRAP

22-across – Idea to reduce growth : PLAN

24-across – Somewhat perverse — lunar revolution took longer than expected : OVERRAN

25-across – Over 50 reasons they might be dependent : CLAUSES

26-across – On return, initially enjoyed short break from action : TRUCE

27-across – Shambles a government covered up by individual speaking thus : ONMESSAGE

1-down – It’s unusual, Marilyn, but not unknown — have it out : ITALIANVERMOUTH

2-down – Making unwelcome contact with maidens in country — over a thousand : SPAMMING

3-down – Good to have nude round boat : BARGE

4-down – One in speech covers list of offences : RAPSHEET

5-down – Has to keep very quiet about love poet : SAPPHO

6-down – Seeing and disapproving of son getting engaged : DESCRYING

7-down – Aunt suffering with health — it’s an old scourge : ATTILA

8-down – Chaotic — a bit reminiscent of Grayling, perhaps : CABINETMINISTER

15-down – How to sell admirer snaps — look inside : MAILORDER

17-down – ‘I’m clueless!’ — Hunt to Amber regularly : SEARCHME

18-down – One’s lucky having time with Angelo Dundee? : TALISMAN

20-down – See 7 : THEHUN

21-down – ‘Second-rate!’ Upset about new book collection : TINPOT

23-down – Approval for one like this : SAYSO

1-across – Uncovering deceit? Not difficult! : DETECTION

6-across – Pottery expert drinks port : DELFT

9-across – Charlie’s discourteous and rough : CRUDE

10-across – Prepare sentence for when the audience is best : PRIMETIME

11-across – Pit of despair : DEPRESSION

12-across – Remains calm : REST

14-across – Object endlessly to the French style : ENTITLE

15-across – Rascal learning to appeal : IMPLORE

17-across – Score runs in a series : ARRANGE

19-across – Push off about now in Arctic vehicle : SNOWCAT

20-across – Finest English drink : TOPE

22-across – Donkey attendants in deer molestation : HARASSMENT

25-across – Joy about English victory and promotion : ELEVATION

26-across – Illuminated note in volume : LITRE

27-across – Small border plant : SEDGE

28-across – Book Ian’s sheep for treatment : EPHESIANS

1-down – Risked getting daughter murdered : DICED

2-down – Musician takes time over odd disciple : TRUMPETER

3-down – Fruit makes mild alcoholic drink, but with no head : CLEMENTINE

4-down – Setter’s old-fashioned? That’s an insurmountable difficulty! : IMPASSE

5-down – New look with Japanese sash? That’s capital! : NAIROBI

6-down – Deer takes one for a ride : DOES

7-down – Beliefs about current in river : LOIRE

8-down – Surprise people over time in therapy : TREATMENT

13-down – Purgative stops meals being digested : EPSOMSALTS

14-down – Rigour of head supporting old enterprise : EXACTNESS

16-down – Artist holds up gold casket for the band : ORCHESTRA

18-down – Vet fell over burrow : EXAMINE

19-down – Loyal? Huns act badly! : STAUNCH

21-down – Pastor gets usher to beg : PLEAD

23-down – Emphasise cropped hair : TRESS

24-down – Penny has beer and pasty : PALE

1-across – 8 recalling resin, liquid in plant : PASCAL

4-across – Further 108? : NEWTON

9-across – See 25 : SORE

10-across – Perhaps unable to give bird sanctuary praise, farm shut up : BRANCHLESS

11-across – Popular old horse getting beat again? : REDRUM

12-across – Add to our central figure in female : HEIGHTEN

13-across – The mark of a business armed with neat moves : TRADENAME

15-across – Actions, one’s taken away? : SUIT

16-across – See 15 : CASE

17-across – Lesser figure ends in juvenile court, having broken law : STATUETTE

21-across – Show trick that’s great : GIGANTIC

22-across – 8’s short cut in talk : GALOIS

24-across – Stars appearing as debris in centre of negative : GLITTERATI

25-across – Problem faced boarding middle, getting on back of bus : COLD

26-across – Fight southpaw primarily in further test : RESIST

27-across – 8’s expression without opening round brackets : FERMAT

1-down – Look to inspire something positive as developer : PIONEER

2-down – Complete deviation : SHEER

3-down – White drink bottles behind brown, ultimately : ALBUMEN

5-down – 8’s signal up top : EUCLID

6-down – Where tax should have been paid, ring royal family : TOLLHOUSE

7-down – Ending in fields in order to graze easily : NOSWEAT

8-down – Describing this puzzle, one across in person? : MATHEMATICIAN

14-down – Group hurried up, catching second 8 : DESCARTES

16-down – Hair-raiser German dramatist hasn’t started : CHILLER

18-down – Something funny in setting of gelatin : TAGLINE

19-down – Heading for touring car : TRIOLET

20-down – Having kicked me out, rest home desperate for rest : OTHERS

23-down – Nothing in powder, no thanks — here’s a medical replacement : LOCUM

1-across – American chose to cook eastern dish : MACARONICHEESE

8-across – Proper mess in front field : REALM

9-across – How kangaroo may be caught unawares? : ONTHEHOP

11-across – Lucky to be not so much asleep? : BLESSED

12-across – Party-giver shortly meets reflective girl, glory be! : HOSANNA

13-across – Wardrobe likely to conceal daggers : OBELI

15-across – Criterion for replacing dirty cask : YARDSTICK

17-across – Unsympathetic, like a rhino? : HARDNOSED

20-across – Share out much broadcasting : ALLOT

21-across – Supersede corded cloth with fine fabric : REPLACE

23-across – Money being short, settled down with a sweet : CASSATA

25-across – Sanctioned, having peddled drugs round province : PUNISHED

26-across – Due to be in old part of mansion : OWING

27-across – Pastoral events demanding reform : PEASANTSREVOLT

1-down – Funny group, Karl and The Monks : MARXBROTHERS

2-down – Bird often seen on building site : CRANE

3-down – Slackening corps’ objective : REMISSION

4-down – Almost nobody died? Yes, twelve : NOONDAY

5-down – One with claws caught her slip, perhaps : CATCHER

6-down – Rugby game doesn’t start at these odds : EVENS

7-down – One eating fish given charge for cutlery? : SPOONBILL

10-down – Good sitting posture for part of course : BACKSTRAIGHT

14-down – Transport: repeat run when ordered : ENRAPTURE

16-down – Material for carving kinky teaspoons : SOAPSTONE

18-down – St Wenceslas’s feast day? : STEPHEN

19-down – A month, helpers said, appearing as a very long time : DECADES

22-down – Kingsley & Son put together wrongly : AMISS

24-down – Sort of acid, could I be? Wrong : AMINO

1-across – Raises false alarm as crow flies not straight : CRIESWOLF

6-across – Revolting dog I would turn out of the ground : DIGUP

9-across – Not right to cheat American out of money : WONGA

10-across – One not quite a success in new Park film : NEARLYMAN

11-across – To perform flogging is to act as the Empire did : STRIKEBACK

12-across – At intervals, Neptunian geographical feature that explodes : ETNA

14-across – Gets in the way of extracting copper from gourds : CUMBERS

15-across – Thrown off toboggan and soaked? : DELUGED

17-across – Exeat for graduate : PASSOUT

19-across – What one Greek moving into China does? : MIGRATE

20-across – We hear Big Bird to be highly enjoyable : ROCK

22-across – Attendant sprinted short way ahead to junction : MINISTRANT

25-across – Large ideogram represented former PM : GOLDAMEIR

26-across – A beautiful original poem, Home : ABODE

27-across – Scraps expert conclusion? Unwise : TRASH

28-across – Very short time, most irritating : TITCHIEST

1-down – College is down in seaside town : COWES

2-down – Not-so-wise guy stupidly smug on air : IGNORAMUS

3-down – Explorer’s hut split : SHACKLETON

4-down – Writer opens Milton’s text, not the first volume : OMNIBUS

5-down – Little animal picked up by police, showing limp : FLACCID

6-down – Toy poodle has left Lima for good : DOLL

7-down – Upset stomach on a grand scale : GAMUT

8-down – Beg God to manage successfully : PANHANDLE

13-down – Highly planned escape route? : FLIGHTPATH

14-down – Policeman back on duty, yes? It’s an act : COPYRIGHT

16-down – No force in camouflage sported something of avocado : GUACAMOLE

18-down – Clear intent to obtain weapon : TRIDENT

19-down – Detective resolves 19 across : MAIGRET

21-down – Flower, roughly every one coming up : CALLA

23-down – Water gets into dry post : TWEET

24-down – Roughly cut fuel at hospital : GASH