Daily Answers

1-across – Got near the solution to this, but not overly impressive : NOGREAT

5-across – Seductresses help removing our uniform — twice : SUCCUBI

10-across – Engaged Asian picked up at party : TIEDUP

11-across – Prints articles initially in the City : ETCHINGS

12-across – Priest’s among non-believers : ELI

13-across – Invest in road building : ORDAIN

14-across – New guy starts to renegotiate cheap fee for each writer : GEOFFREY

15-across – Bungling Italy on three points : INEPT

16-across – Choice woman’s finally made to leave? Hear it’s fallacious : SOPHISTRY

19-across – Close to broke in most of country — no alternative to Tory policy? : AUSTERITY

21-across – Tea next to instant coffee : MOCHA

24-across – One piece of writing in leaflet is less convincing : FLIMSIER

26-across – Doris’s entertaining fellow when things go wrong : OFFDAY

27-across – Matter of disrespect : RES

28-across – Hearts lost twice — that coach’s messed up direction to players : STACCATO

29-across – See 1 : SHAKES

30-across – See 14 : CHAUCER

31-across – Son went on Big Dipper in these? : SPEEDOS

2-down – Mike’s a different bloke after love letter : OMICRON

3-down – Course favourite gets special welcome : REDCARPET

4-down – Join in with degree course, initially : APPEND

6-down – Nancy’s a fool getting man to strip : UNCLOTHE

7-down – Bluff a national treasure? : CLIFF

8-down – Tap on counter — a quarter admitted it’s annoying : BUGBEAR

9-down – Order given to ignore boner under newspaper — a dreadful rule! : REIGNOFTERROR

17-down – ’E’s upset about current criticism : SNOWFLAKE

18-down – Water right for fellow in one ship : IRRIGATE

20-down – Open jar at lunch : UNLATCH

22-down – Carrying drugs, must stop boat : HEAVETO

23-down – Energy drink a bit special is inside talk : GOSSIP

25-down – Historian set out for Chinese region : MACAU

1-across – Just emission from drinker, perhaps, during recent setback : ETHICAL

5-across – On filling casks, press these for attention : BUTTONS

9-across – Magnate’s boozer with no counter : BARON

10-across – Churlish grin that passes between supporters in house : CROSSBEAM

11-across – High spirits, as sexy Hubert dances unclothed : EXUBERANCE

12-across – Fish, which aren’t sampled : CHAR

14-across – It proceeds by degrees in Lee’s classic US novel, with one small exception : CELSIUSSCALE

18-across – Spare house in Westminster — trendy 9 enjoyed it : OVERLORDSHIP

21-across – Day and month avoided by judge, when appropriate : DULY

22-across – Surly git, ’e’s playing at this time of year? : UGLYSISTER

25-across – Amended religious lesson, dry in newer version : REWRITTEN

26-across – Perfunctory gift : TOKEN

27-across – Gaunt and small with sharp features : SCRAGGY

28-across – Bind wife in portable seat : SWADDLE

1-down – Turn up identical notes con­taining pound symbol : EMBLEM

2-down – Not having enough soft down, presumably : HARDUP

3-down – Re dance, I’ll be transformed! : CINDERELLA

4-down – Stretch fabric covers of lively colour given top rating : LYCRA

5-down – Groups of readers for whom Spooner’s chef sheds tears? : BOOKCLUBS

6-down – Undertaking pilot’s last request : TASK

7-down – Basic liability for firm shot on court : OVERHEAD

8-down – A few decline to support region’s top cricket team : SOMERSET

13-down – It’s paradise, newly created without Eden’s first plant : ASPIDISTRA

15-down – Nimble American operative taking both sides in : SPRIGHTLY

16-down – Country has guards roaming round : HONDURAS

17-down – Ruin agent set up by subordinate : DEFLOWER

19-down – Son ungrammatically accepted bet : STAKED

20-down – Royal nipper’s right to ascend : PRINCE

23-down – Refusal accepted by broadcaster, going back a long time : YONKS

24-down – Partial problem in German dynasty : MING

9-across – Give address on back cover, otherwise disappear : EVAPORATE

10-across – Art patron holding small aesthetic guide : TASTE

11-across – Scent you reportedly lost after crossing Atlantic? : ODOUR

12-across – Botanical expert with itemised qualifications of female scholar? : HERBALIST

13-across – Eg 10 and 28 transformations between parts of the middle row : CHANGES

14-across – Den rebuilt by wild animals in stage before mating, often : ENDGAME

17-across – Energy shown by second eleven : STEAM

19-across – Decorate things cooked in kitchen, with odd exceptions : ICE

20-across – Tend to bed or what’s in special kind of mattress : WATER

21-across – Doctor improperly uses pressure to get into suit, say : DRESSUP

22-across – See 13 : OFSTATE

24-across – So to speak, inscribe 2nd Street on map in Far East? : RIGHTMOST

26-across – A state briefly flipped, becoming another state : ASSAM

28-across – Article on big game put in hard cover : TESTA

29-across – Garments I altered — they’ve had 13 across 22 across : EMIGRANTS

1-down – One state followed by another, note : MEMO

2-down – Fare from India south, landing in Pacific islands : SAMOSA

3-down – More bad gas circulated in draughts etc : BOARDGAMES

4-down – Cuts components of air, for example, including hydrogen : GASHES

5-down – 25 take part in crusade zealously, securing release : DEFREEZE

6-down – Mediterranean landmark visible in Estonia, oddly : ETNA

7-down – Showing ambition when I sound off about power : ASPIRANT

8-down – Become emotional, having bumped into learner on inside : MELT

13-down – Fourth law suit, as viewed by robber, potentially : CASED

15-down – County’s crewmen bringing one in on the ground floor, perhaps : DOWNSTAIRS

16-down – Frightfully odd English upset part of the EU : EERIE

18-down – Invigorate loco engineers with no end of passion : ENERGISE

19-down – Short, spontaneous performance edited, so better : IMPROVED

22-down – Cunningly defeat without being heartless, having switched halves : OUTWIT

23-down – Good thing about name in form posted? OK : ASSENT

24-down – Judges having reached conclusion, what comes next? Old-fashioned pity : RUTH

25-down – What must be modified to produce rapprochement : THAW

27-down – Result of condensation, being damp, without oxygen : MIST

1-across – Band to undress, ultimate in disgrace : STRIPE

4-across – Big story about the same big health problem : EPIDEMIC

9-across – A king brought by seaman to a port : OSAKA

10-across – Bishop needing to phone wife maybe to prove a point : BRINGHOME

11-across – Conversation sure to be rambling after party : DISCOURSE

12-across – Material provided by poet rejected : TOILE

13-across – Fie, ban diesel! Unlikely not to be done away with : INDEFEASIBLE

17-across – One worker in East going after fish oil : BRILLIANTINE

20-across – Bird left on far side of river : OUSEL

21-across – Huge seat falling apart outside old lodge : GATEHOUSE

23-across – Possible clue to ’erod being a sinner : WRONGDOER

24-across – What’s worn by everyone going round is plain : LLANO

25-across – Struggled, being weak at first, then was first after break : WRESTLED

26-across – Given map instructions, drove off : ROUTED

1-down – Mediterranean vessel traversing small lake is poetic : SPONDAIC

2-down – Where transport cafe is, notices one that’s journeyed around : ROADSIDE

3-down – Philosopher with old books having mountain to climb : PLATO

5-down – Quiet merriment is organised around 1 May? : PRIMEMINISTER

6-down – Ailing, I’d start to take new drug : DIGITALIN

7-down – Indigenous people rebel endlessly under Communist dictator : MAORIS

8-down – Sharp Conservative has some­thing to gain advantage : CLEVER

10-down – Bird from cage, loose, struggling under farm building : BARNACLEGOOSE

14-down – Hot glow of anger in experience with BA? : FIRELIGHT

15-down – One’s featuring in play with no hint of eloquence being required? : FIGURANT

16-down – See this place with car : HEREFORD

18-down – Show deference? Gosh, what a childish creature! : BOWWOW

19-down – A Barchester clergyman not on the level : ASLOPE

22-down – Expression of surprise from place lacking redemption and love : HELLO

1-across – Called Island about band member : SIDEMAN

5-across – Accumulates trouble below and on high : PILESUP

9-across – Start working group : ONSET

10-across – Dismisses backing band twice before show starts : POOHPOOHS

11-across – King or queen beyond rabbit hole? It’s hard to say : JAWBREAKER

12-across – See 6 : TICK

14-across – Start of true love? Licks honey, prepared for French kissing : TONSILHOCKEY

18-across – Query reason for neatness : POINTOFORDER

21-across – See 19 : NECK

22-across – Air complaint for Mavis : SONGTHRUSH

25-across – Wooden home beside main road across northern China : INANIMATE

26-across – Ring doctor about card game : OMBRE

27-across – Detective showing face around Oxford? : GUMSHOE

28-across – Umpteenth rallentando’s hidden charm : ENTHRAL

1-down – Bad jokes about parking in the capital : SKOPJE

2-down – Deny any connection with row about female : DISOWN

3-down – Car : MOTORMOUTH

4-down – Reportedly one that’s gone off soft leather : NAPPA

5-down – Variable length, once absorbed in respectable screw : PROPELLER

6-down – Slap fool that’s left for Germany : LIPS

7-down – Small child gets into wrong Ford in Bulgarian capital : STOTINKA

8-down – Speaks about taking the lead from Yorkshire and Surrey openers : PASSKEYS

13-down – Painful condition making a horse trot unevenly : SORETHROAT

15-down – Kill time in US cafe, around about half four : SUFFOCATE

16-down – Punishment from cross man : SPANKING

17-down – Refuse to acknowledge detective’s right : DISCLAIM

19-down – Stare at Johnny before kiss : RUBBER

20-down – Someone having tooth extracted that likely heads for small town in Eastern Europe? : SHTETL

23-down – Birds raised in these eggs : GEESE

24-down – Tongue-in-cheek, helpful tips for a small person : TICH