Daily Answers

8-across – Opposing party lines : CONVERSE

9-across – It’s redolent of daisies, or umbrageous roses opening : ODOUR

10-across – Detained three lads on a regular basis : HELD

11-across – Security company left to guard tower from rear : COLLATERAL

12-across – In a bad way, failing to end pyloric spasms : ROPILY

14-across – Demanding individual senior nurses apply light touch : STICKLER

15-across – Make angry scene in Barking : INCENSE

17-across – Sticks end of stair rod in eye : RHUBARB

20-across – Second coffee and Senior Service for slob : SLATTERN

22-across – Fellow Lithuanian, perhaps, is blue : COBALT

23-across – Spooner’s baking disaster is warning to the complacent : WAKEUPCALL

24-across – Live with very discontented group : BEVY

25-across – Sequence from Antonioni tear-jerker : ONION

26-across – Rubbish home team lacking player around start of extra time : TENEMENT

1-down – The third to rate this clue as moderate : TONEDOWN

2-down – Ancient linesman departs following 4-0 upset : OVID

3-down – Expensive diamonds separating pair from last of money : PRICEY

4-down – She has no illusions about top celebs : REALIST

5-down – Old bloke seized by desire to be feminine : WOMANISH

6-down – Broken bed, a sorry conclusion to a boozy night out? : DONERKEBAB

7-down – Suave Turk removing clothes, source of annoyance : URBANE

13-down – Miners exit angrily, barely surviving : INEXTREMIS

16-down – Tearful under small blanket : SWEEPING

18-down – Material from inverted belly button collected by oddly repressed priest : RELEVANT

19-down – Find you near the harbour : UNEARTH

21-down – Get support from the French before long : LEANON

22-down – Part of waste disposal system close to gypsy settlement : COLONY

24-down – Dud and Pete’s initial prominence : BUMP

1-across – Good to run golf competition over US course : PROGRAM

5-across – Sock around empty house — right one needs picking up : HITCHER

9-across – Jockey rides top horse, ultimately, to place again : REDEPOSIT

10-across – One wearing long coat : PAINT

11-across – Student class needs no introductions to two body parts : YEAR

12-across – Cross range with cliff to see island : MADAGASCAR

14-across – Do run to church : FLEECE

15-across – Left accepts Conservative is up : EXCITED

16-across – Fix novel, after bending back cover : DILEMMA

18-across – Digital growth in book club : BUNION

20-across – Wipes behind for fresh start : CLEANSLATE

21-across – Carry on and let me think about that drink : BEER

24-across – Perch small bottom on the outside : ROOST

25-across – Winning trophy? Clubs knocked out, giving hope : UPLIFTING

26-across – Fertilises horses with seed, mostly injected : MANURES

27-across – Stop American heading for president to interrupt address : SUSPEND

1-down – Right to cut benefit for individual : PARTY

2-down – Character is unusually bold lad : ODDBALL

3-down – Guy, perhaps burglar, opening houses : ROPE

4-down – Are orgasms a plus, wearing rubbers here? : MASSAGEPARLOURS

5-down – Dissolve two other tablets with cold relief : HOTWATERBOTTLES

6-down – New captain? New­castle’s David Ginola primarily entertaining with fancy footwork : TAPDANCING

7-down – Bob is one hard character visiting nick : HAIRCUT

8-down – Left concerned with old : RETIRED

13-down – One ending spell governing country: one Conservative finally ousted : TERMINATOR

16-down – Grace period at end of year with no booze : DECORUM

17-down – Rest of song personal : LIEDOWN

19-down – Late drink, when pub stops serving : ONETIME

22-down – Firm’s doctor with badge : RIGID

23-down – Swears and points very strongly inside : EFFS

7-across – I entirely agree Daisy is wrong accepting French alternative gin’s partner : YOUSAIDIT

8-across – Juliet’s predecessor: one needing first aid, on reflection : INDIA

9-across – Delight on large troopship? : TRANSPORT

10-across – Wood nymph’s uninspiring notice : DRYAD

12-across – Endear fiancee regularly for a Guernsey lily, for example : NERINE

13-across – Defensive barrier, square, for rebel holding king : STOCKADE

16-across – Leanest flying kites : ELANETS

19-across – Doc embraces member backing eastern chum : COMRADE

22-across – Greek character touring Crete, swimming and so forth : ETCETERA

25-across – Initially, Alan the entrepreneur returns to Mediterranean island city : RAGUSA

27-across – Teachers’ pole : STAFF

28-across – Veteran officer in charge keeps unusual dope for local medication : OPODELDOC

29-across – River abroad : FORTH

30-across – Price rush organised for millionaires’ class : SUPERRICH

1-down – Actress, who is no more, sadly : MONROE

2-down – Celts, leaving consultancies, organised capital : ASUNCION

3-down – Help mistress, partly upset and guileless : SIMPLE

4-down – Sink or swim, for a start, maybe here in Scotland : KINROSS

5-down – Some Atlantean or Kässbohrer would certainly interest him! : ANORAK

6-down – Coarse Italian patriot, somewhat : RIBALD

11-down – Green cross on Mediterranean island : GOZO

14-down – Group topped ditch : AHA

15-down – Old prior, as hermit losing a wee amount : ERE

16-down – Dusky maiden? : EVE

17-down – Electrical discharge caused by car crash : ARC

18-down – Young Treherne appearing regularly : TEEN

20-down – Customers who have taken vows? : REGULARS

21-down – Means to close entrance to labyrinth? : EARPLUG

23-down – Display and make lace as well : TATTOO

24-down – Decadent English/French social function : EFFETE

25-down – Its partition was booked : REDSEA

26-down – Shelter for fine candlestick : SCONCE

1-across – Help me to get a holiday : MAYDAY

5-across – Actors’ fees take balls : CASTRATE

9-across – Showing resonance not a problem : ONSCREEN

10-across – Apprehension in stock markets, initially within 24 hours : DISMAY

11-across – Boxer’s wee friend to Spooner : MIDDLEWEIGHT

13-across – Dressing from clinic : MAYO

14-across – Festive erections — symptom oddly not seen in men : MAYPOLES

17-across – Lord providing sword held in both hands : LIFEPEER

18-across – Bribes storyteller to ignore casualty : SOPS

20-across – Barking dog isn’t suppressed by weapon or trunk : LONGDISTANCE

23-across – Sunni organisation welcomes ring of agreement : UNISON

24-across – Built an oil rig that’s not been done before : ORIGINAL

25-across – Official service covers times gone by : MAYORESS

26-across – Is allowed to border chaos : MAYHEM

2-down – Isaac Newton’s teenage trouble : ACNE

3-down – Ask to support alternative comedy, mostly rot : DECOMPOSE

4-down – Gives in return : YIELDS

5-down – Left to invade African country with armies, not revolutionary masses : CONGLOMERATIONS

6-down – Comments one drops in obliquely : SIDEWAYS

7-down – Dish served by prostitute : ROSTI

8-down – Piles of rubbish and rats scurrying by hospital in poor shape : TRASHHEAPS

12-down – Peeling paint, profit slack, upset, in a state : CALIFORNIA

15-down – Naughty word shocked nicest boy : OBSCENITY

16-down – Intended to underwrite duel odds in challenge : DEFIANCE

19-down – Feeble in company : INFIRM

21-down – Try to include philosophy device : GISMO

22-down – Not well done — extraordinary! : RARE

1-across – Upmarket — releasing one backside and pinching another, prone to wrinkles : CRUMPLY

5-across – Lexicographer wearing underpants? : JOHNSON

9-across – Capture look capturing fool : LASSO

10-across – Ink may run into crone’s activity for sunny days : HAYMAKING

11-across – President’s musical 21 mostly tinned : CHAIRWOMAN

12-across – Temporary home of excavations : DIGS

14-across – Starting to catch a jerk stumbling into crevice? Splendid! : CRACKERJACK

18-across – Head of government to OK thoroughfare stopping short of scaffold : GALLOWSTREE

21-across – Flash car carrying nothing back to incubator : WOMB

22-across – Looking up passages in love diary, month before: snoop around : PROCTOLOGY

25-across – Harmlessness of Old Town hosting university pub, previously : INNOCUITY

26-across – Play prosecutor penning sheep : DRAMA

27-across – Rushed around, keeping study caustic : ERODENT

28-across – Unreal train route leads to genuine province : UTRECHT

1-down – Material impounded by evangelical iconoclast : CALICO

2-down – Throw aunties out? Not I! : UNSEAT

3-down – Mathematical equipment on side of agricultural vehicle : PROTRACTOR

4-down – Boor’s gleeful exclam­ation : YAHOO

5-down – Bird and elk embroiled in conflict with careless pedestrian : JAYWALKER

6-down – Try to pick up : HEAR

7-down – Shaky armistice cut short by weapon : SCIMITAR

8-down – Ask again about port : NAGASAKI

13-down – Sponger to dance, wearing jaunty fedora : FREELOADER

15-down – Voiceless, is in a phone company? That’s like something out of Ionesco : ABSURDIST

16-down – Meringue material, for instance, affected weight : EGGWHITE

17-down – Musical genre for sweetheart on top of sergeant, say : FLAMENCO

19-down – Composite picture of patriarch : MOSAIC

20-down – Soldier, perhaps, under war god and despot : TYRANT

23-down – Rodent getting self-effacing cat half-cut : COYPU

24-down – High point of item carried over : ACME