Daily Answers

7-across – Each one discarded went off : PERISHED

9-across – Fool head? One may be in the soup : NOODLE

10-across – Emma’s young fellow’s hot … mainly after exercise! : LADY

11-across – Sour response from women haters — Lena’s unbalanced : THEANSWERS

12-across – See 11 : ALEMON

14-across – Cut singers from ensemble — allocation not working : CASTRATI

15-across – Annoying person is lacking subtlety : NUANCE

17-across – Savings scheme — one that’s good making profit, reportedly : ISAIAH

20-across – Bum, of course, wobbling — no good interfering : SCROUNGE

22-across – Grown-up girl’s crime : BIGAMY

23-across – Bespoke leotard? I am surprised : TAILORMADE

24-across – America’s the greatest country! : MALI

25-across – Ducks in river, mostly dry : DEARIE

26-across – Encouragement for revolting programme fronted by skinhead : SEDITION

1-down – Occurred to little shop girl a month back : BEFALLEN

2-down – Stop it! Youngsters do show shame : PITY

3-down – Basic accommodation in Black Country : BHUTAN

4-down – Son isn’t a planned outcome of their actions : ONANISTS

5-down – Passing on hawk-like ring : FORWARDING

6-down – Left in charge, teenager’s opening wine : CLARET

8-down – Steep’s a top actress : DRENCH

13-down – Karma — we twerk with old bird! : MEADOWLARK

16-down – Billed singers sign with John : CANARIES

18-down – See 10 : HAMILTON

19-down – Nuts to break up over European Community : PECANS

21-down – Caught bird that’s black and yellow : CRAVEN

22-down – Creates endless colour in plots : BREEDS

24-down – Dish out food to audience : METE

1-across – Wise fool ignoring content of inane books : SAPIENT

5-across – Will supplement of fish oil initially improve capacity for love? : CODICIL

9-across – Mates saunter about surrounding bit of property : ASSET

10-across – Leaves Gillette founders with millions : LITTLEGEM

11-across – Abrasive doctor appears extremely narked : SANDPAPER

12-across – Find FIFA banning all females in Asian country : INDIA

13-across – Are sick of blighter with shed : RETCH

15-across – Institution raising issue of defunct generators : ORPHANAGE

18-across – Half-hearted hostility and dismal dazzle : SPLENDOUR

19-across – Perhaps Guinness works to eliminate boundaries? : ACTOR

21-across – Oddly dismissing Carnegie Hall’s backer and investor : ANGEL

23-across – Vocal work of Mercury inspiring boy band at first : TORCHSONG

25-across – Radical change to sport’s corporate image : FIREBRAND

26-across – Behold Shakespearean heroine with retrograde moon : VOILA

27-across – Ageing yodeller dropping round, unfortunately : ELDERLY

28-across – Scramble and vault on walls of Eton : ENCRYPT

1-down – Not so dense, spelling bum right : SPARSER

2-down – Dotty pants a lot after giving birth : POSTNATAL

3-down – Jet set romps regularly in bar : ESTOP

4-down – Travelling to the pole, in need of pap : TELEPHOTO

5-down – Provide grub, but not support : CATER

6-down – A country boy turned up to welcome American Buddhist : DALAILAMA

7-down – Charlie grew old behind bars : CAGED

8-down – Cordial setter’s absorbed in short newspaper article : LIMEADE

14-down – Help the French ban kind of moustache : HANDLEBAR

16-down – Say obscene words about substandard game : PARTRIDGE

17-down – Write on sex with variable confidence : AUTHORITY

18-down – Half-inch fairy kindles revolt : SNAFFLE

20-down – Scratching head, expecting ruling : REGNANT

22-down – Blush, stuck : GORED

23-down – Miniature bears puff and creep : TOADY

24-down – Unruly leaders of Viking hordes often cause absolute chaos : HAVOC

1-across – Spiteful person — he will shortly act badly : HELLCAT

5-across – Two points about unusual Roman invaders of Britain : NORMANS

9-across – One of a dozen who swears : JUROR

10-across – Two scholars put into reform school : ALMAMATER

11-across – Green plan to recycle : CHARTREUSE

12-across – Native American about to enter the Anglican Church : CREE

14-across – Sold at auction or demolished : KNOCKEDDOWN

18-across – A sitting target for disgruntled shareholders? : CHAIRPERSON

21-across – Expedition set off : TRIP

22-across – Brown’s competence as a gardener : CAPABILITY

25-across – Procrastinate when it’s time to get up : TEMPORISE

26-across – Not suitable in a part : INAPT

27-across – Yield as against surrender : CONCEDE

28-across – Young creature to plead insanity : TADPOLE

1-down – Roughly appropriate greeting to a sailor : HIJACK

2-down – A trial leading to the noose? : LARIAT

3-down – Girl held up by minders, those employed to look after her? : CARETAKERS

4-down – Draw a small amount : TRACE

5-down – People of the same calling : NAMESAKES

6-down – Incline to drive quietly : RAMP

7-down – Near riot breaks out towards the front : ANTERIOR

8-down – NCO set about constructing range : SERGEANT

13-down – Recognised a criminal perhaps but denied it, if found out : IDENTIFIED

15-down – Skilled worker in force : OPERATIVE

16-down – Enthusiastic, still supporting City : ECSTATIC

17-down – It may work wonders in Malta’s new constit­ution : TALISMAN

19-down – Fuss after Kipling’s work is turned into opera : MIKADO

20-down – A number try out the French shrub : MYRTLE

23-down – A male delegate? : AGENT

24-down – Fellow in a sheltered place : COVE

1-across – Flog rubbish outside hospital : THRASH

4-across – Frantic race to cover cheek with measuring equipment : CALIPER

9-across – Top of pretty flower given to pretty Sue : PROSECUTE

10-across – Company doctor returned small trousers : CORDS

11-across – King tucked into tail of powerful animal : RATEL

12-across – Tough soldiers meeting one protected by mum : RESILIENT

13-across – Leaders in Danish economics squander small fortune : DESTINY

15-across – Get even with a very English earl : AVENGE

17-across – Travel by punt clutching stem of tall glass : GOBLET

19-across – Fish cakes cooked with lemon and soy : SOCKEYE

22-across – A large bird consumed every second? : ALTERNATE

24-across – Business without exper­ience of river : INDUS

26-across – Animal covering about one lot of plants : CACTI

27-across – American cake decoration sprinkled on praline : NONPAREIL

28-across – Drink leading to death of herald : PORTEND

29-across – See 19 : SALMON

1-down – Tread designed to accommodate drill narrowing at one end : TAPERED

2-down – Eggs finally found in bottom shelter : ROOST

3-down – Plant English tree in peaceful surroundings : STEELMILL

4-down – Church given more by leader of affluent part of London : CHELSEA

5-down – Horrible cola left in pub : LOCAL

6-down – Head of oceanography leaving unfortunate dog for shark : PORBEAGLE

7-down – Move after low mark’s awarded following another crack at exam : RESITE

8-down – Game is mine : QUARRY

14-down – Mark underwear found in high performance vehicle : SPORTSCAR

16-down – Had a nice buffet including Latin-American dish : ENCHILADA

18-down – Practised style of jazz outside off-limits diner : TRAINED

19-down – Woman is returned to earth : SIENNA

20-down – Space to include afterthought on one line over letter : EPSILON

21-down – Reckless graduate given Dutch contraceptive : MADCAP

23-down – So-called level increase : RAISE

25-down – Vision of drink spiked with drug : DREAM

1-across – As do commissioner, Senegalese and classic beauty? : COVERGIRL

6-across – Resist male : BUCK

8-across – Cowardly old Italian PM wearing outfit the wrong way round : TIMOROUS

9-across – Worthless slime’s parting bow : NOGOOD

10-across – Unkindness in party needing sympathetic leaders : RAVENS

11-across – Scold male, splitting up hunk and husband : ADMONISH

12-across – Bad quotes recalled, including one from Plato : SEPTIC

15-across – Egypt’s last king inspired by old queen’s home cooking ingredient : TARRAGON

16-across – No regret for Piaf in smearing of alto from 1 down, say? : ORIENTAL

19-across – Cut around page, newspaper’s lead story : SPLASH

21-across – Coalition charlatans, by the sound of it? : CHEETAHS

22-across – Close school during breaks : FINISH

24-across – Interior alone ultimately in British parliament : BOWELS

25-across – Lead in pencil I gather erroneous — this the stuff? : GRAPHITE

26-across – Combine equipment, including pole : KNIT

27-across – Device used by police ending in convictions — not entirely shallow then, on reflection? : SPEEDTRAP

1-down – Punch a delicate thing : CHINA

2-down – Wild flower containing nectar, primarily : VIOLENT

3-down – Building — criminals removing roof : ROOKS

4-down – Second wind isn’t always necessary then, initially : INSTANT

5-down – Recognisable features, with a thousand in exaltation : LANDMARKS

6-down – Plant, a big one that’s monstrous : BEGONIA

7-down – Spooner’s chief murder weapons : CROSSBOWS

13-down – Abhorrent jerks created like humans, say? : EARTHBORN

14-down – Emotional relief, as Tom is obliged to admit stress-related injury : CATHARSIS

17-down – Part water, perhaps? : ELEMENT

18-down – Food on Italian table, dip in way : LASAGNE

20-down – One starting to miss a diner : LUNCHER

22-down – Union member translated duck’s opening quack : FRAUD

23-down – Lifting positions inspiring one exercise : SITUP