Daily Answers

4-across – Piece left in social system : CASTLE

6-across – Old rule initially in play? : ROMEOAND

9-across – Magic word, in principle, as esoteric : PLEASE

10-across – Popular old canary : INFORMER

11-across – First body, you might say, to tour northern French city : CARCASSONNE

15-across – Fix shower after showering without shower : INGRAIN

17-across – Couplet about — six fewer than this? : OCTUPLE

18-across – Place and time to bag an old house : PLANTAGENET

22-across – Setter noted patterns in reverse : AGARAGAR

23-across – See 6 : JULIET

24-across – See 21 : PHONETIC

25-across – Basic food in drinking establishment for 2 : BEGGAR

1-down – State with a petition in US city : ALASKA

2-down – Bum seated, a fanatic about to perform : DOWNANDOUT

3-down – Benefit in payment, evocative : REDOLENT

4-down – Primate and friar : CAPUCHIN

5-down – Where passengers accommod­ated cheaply in back of cars, fury among drivers? : STEERAGE

7-down – Host certainly not leggy? : ARMY

8-down – River, run : DART

12-down – New river in Asia designed for old flagship : SANTAMARIA

13-down – Excellent punishment : SPANKING

14-down – Will writer check schedule that’s arisen? : TESTATOR

16-down – See 21 : ALPHABET

19-down – Finish wiping bottom after an excess in sticky substance : GLUTEN

20-down – Comeuppance for Theresa May and a Conservative party : CAMP

21-down – 6 23 etc to call up among banal and pathetic plays : NATO

5-across – Hang around old president : HOOVER

6-across – Badly singes rock : GNEISS

9-across – Composer of Harlem Shuffle : MAHLER

10-across – [Skilled at getting round girl? That’s charming!] : ADORABLE

11-across – Take off Somerset’s first spinner : STOP

12-across – Copper’s testimonial is choice : PREFERENCE

13-across – Curiously considerate to religious vandalism : DESECRATION

18-across – In a short time a prisoner becomes disloyal : INCONSTANT

21-across – Usual time to say goodbye : PART

22-across – Cut fabric’s cost : LACERATE

23-across – Mounting a revolt : RISING

24-across – Pay a visit for game of cards with the family : LOOKIN

25-across – Apron for local tucking into tart : PINNIE

1-down – Break down everything that’s sprung up in wood : COLLAPSE

2-down – The French slip up and speak angrily : LETRIP

3-down – Showing disrespect in the waterway : INSOLENT

4-down – Half a dozen learned one’s facial features : VISAGE

5-down – Pick up Eliot’s suit : HEARTS

7-down – [Join sovereign wearing charm] : SPLICE

8-down – Burglar’s not dangerous, given a wave : SAFEBREAKER

14-down – Delighted the European Commission’s unchanging : ECSTATIC

15-down – Work over would-be enemy : OPPOSING

16-down – Require English to Latin translation : ENTAIL

17-down – Draw back from phone in church : CRINGE

19-down – King giving order to man : OBERON

20-down – Highwayman has power in Italian city : TURPIN

1-across – Wife leaving Jack the Lad for dedicated follower of fashion : HIPSTER

5-across – Band with penny at the end in small amount of prize money : JACKPOT

9-across – Cheer when doctor visits surgery : WHOOP

10-across – Comedian sacked by head of austere region of Greece : MACEDONIA

11-across – Agent with old anecdote about one in vault : REPOSITORY

12-across – Verbal leaders of outspoken rabble are lefties : ORAL

14-across – Vessel containing another meat socially acceptable for ancient king : TUTANKHAMUN

18-across – Part of cell released by sumac pollen : NUCLEOPLASM

21-across – God right to desert French artist? : ODIN

22-across – Refuse to be taken in by swaggering gait of the fashionable set : GLITTERATI

25-across – Predicament encountered by awfully green go-between … : MESSENGER

26-across – … caught en route to bed : PATCH

27-across – Keep going from US city getting southern trade : LASTOUT

28-across – Trainees in pubs covering short part of academic year : INTERNS

1-down – Unusually hard arrow traced to 14’s finder : HOWARD

2-down – Reminder for politician to attend closing of parliament : PROMPT

3-down – Press employee temporarily on vacation to exercise dog : TYPESETTER

4-down – Bank upset over money transfer : REMIT

5-down – Drink containing calcium and root of acacia tree : JACARANDA

6-down – Actor died having lost odd set of principles : CODE

7-down – Girl supported by both parents has a broad outlook : PANORAMA

8-down – Men trial new marking on tennis court : TRAMLINE

13-down – Waste 11 with slight convexity around top of handle and upturned lid : CHAMBERPOT

15-down – Drug rejected by learner in struggle to be excellent : TOPFLIGHT

16-down – Easy setter — female — in run-of-the-mill setting : INFORMAL

17-down – Doctor sees about fastener for shrouds : ECLIPSES

19-down – See 1 down : CARTER

20-down – Simple introduction to solutions to be found in a grid : LIGHTS

23-down – Take supplement primarily found in fish bones : TARSI

24-down – Construction materials impounded by sensible government : LEGO

1-across – Player longing to take it over : LUTIST

4-across – Head’s unwelcome visitors forged SEN permit : LICENSE

9-across – Social promiscuous type likely to be one? : PARTYGOER

10-across – Which gives travellers a choice of hybrid oxygen-filled X-ray units : CROSS

11-across – Hot rod fans confounded etc : ANDSO

12-across – Come on, tell me what to do with unpalatable food! : SPITITOUT

13-across – Handle new ex-president in short time, right? : MONIKER

15-across – It’s leaving British frustrated about United’s arrogance : HUBRIS

17-across – Writer’s first cooker and fancy hat : AGATHA

19-across – Ideal pot, unhappily one not forthcoming : OPTIMUM

22-across – Sound barrier? First, Fritz, er, produces shriek? : CATERWAUL

24-across – See 11 : FORTH

26-across – Band knocking back drink, comprehending nothing : TROOP

27-across – Leaves off using one : DEFOLIANT

28-across – Little darlin’ playing around IT town in Devon : HONITON

29-across – City lines: muggins has to go back : ODESSA

1-down – Appreciated by tender kissers : LIPBALM

2-down – Mentally resigned to go west : TIRED

3-down – Blue plant displaying shoot high up : SKYROCKET

4-down – Regular GIs have houses on the big side : LARGISH

5-down – Plants do in Guernsey region : CACTI

6-down – A word like logo-mines, perhaps? : NEOLOGISM

7-down – Substitute bankers at Zurich centre : ERSATZ

8-down – Cellist possibly ushering in second tanker : BOWSER

14-down – Near an urban area covering source of gold that might do for retirement : NIGHTGOWN

16-down – Youthful rogue has not much ham, lettuce etc — no seconds : BITOFALAD

18-down – Brass concert will have this strand : ABANDON

19-down – See 2 : OFLIFE

20-down – Gandhi’s headgear wrapped by two old ladies? : MAHATMA

21-down – Put a stop to drink : SCOTCH

23-down – Size up a conservatory plant? : REPOT

25-down – See 10 : ROADS

1-across – Governor took place in parlia­ment, talking rhythmically : SATRAP

5-across – Flowery death met with honour in past : BLOSSOMY

9-across – Fish to go off course, one no good getting caught : STINGRAY

10-across – Fellow who preaches in a Dartmoor location? : TREVOR

11-across – Mate getting into top position : OPPO

12-across – Man’s snored dreadfully — feature of irregular noise : RANDOMNESS

13-across – Any girl, sadly, won’t want one bent like an old man : GNARLY

14-across – Soldiers in each group will get legal right : EASEMENT

16-across – Person admitting deficiency, right person to knock on door : BLACKROD

19-across – Attack that’s kept quiet or loud? : FLASHY

21-across – Majority that’s associated with a bit of pride? : LIONSSHARE

23-across – My word, a hospital that helps sick children! : GOSH

24-across – Run a sequence of jobs : CAREER

25-across – Race around holding letter finally found at back of study in a cupboard : CREDENZA

26-across – Group having to deal with a letter? : TENANTRY

27-across – Mockery making one Christian organisation weary : SATIRE

2-down – Dish me up Latinate ten? Such is X! : ANTEPENULTIMATE

3-down – Hostility must be managed on playing area, curtailed : RANCOUR

4-down – Artist shows doorkeeper holding light pencil : PORTRAYER

5-down – What’s almost too difficult for church singer : BEYONCE

6-down – Trump’s unacceptable act : OUTDO

7-down – Bone in back — er, it’s one at the front! : STERNUM

8-down – Electronic music device that could make rest home so zingy : MOOGSYNTHESIZER

15-down – Chemical agents more frequently carried by ship : SOFTENERS

17-down – Tin and lead fused in scientific unit : CANDELA

18-down – Avoiding professional expertise to conceal cunning government style : DIARCHY

20-down – Increase of good chaps in a union after upheaval : AUGMENT

22-down – Support belief son will rise to the top : STRUT