Daily Answers

1-across – National articles : AFGHAN

5-across – Said to hitch up with the enemy of the sea : MARITIME

9-across – Bird has no energy to collect dole money for the landlord : PUBLICAN

10-across – Read about redhead getting tough : STURDY

11-across – Good or bad, sits a plant : SATISFACTORY

13-across – Not in favour of Ain’t Misbehavin’ : ANTI

14-across – Porter back in speed move : RELOCATE

17-across – The odds on awful scoop splashed out in the paper : FOOLSCAP

18-across – God of generosity : EROS

20-across – What makes Bunny buy into pretentious behaviour? : NAMEDROPPING

23-across – Not half kick, my chilli pickles : KIMCHI

24-across – Fast harmful drugs here : PHARMACY

25-across – A single ship? That’s a joke : ONELINER

26-across – European leader to disappear a hundred times : DANISH

2-down – What’s better than a full house as cause for reform? : FOUR

3-down – Keeps register to put a stop to motion : HOLDSTILL

4-down – Fine point of Germanic etymology : NICETY

5-down – Order to pen rap music part here : MANUSCRIPTPAPER

6-down – Roguish partner chasing roguish cars : RASCALLY

7-down – Ultimately slept with family member to be provocative : TAUNT

8-down – A communist uprising blocks proposal for temperance : MODERATION

12-down – Hotel needs hand in development : INNOVATION

15-down – Perhaps bishop with cold mouth and nose first to catch dreaded disease : CLERGYMAN

16-down – Stinger capable of releasing poison? It’s often nasty to begin with : SCORPION

19-down – Vulgar criminal Blair indicted at last : RIBALD

21-down – Be good when 40, as they say : EXCEL

22-down – See 2 : ACES

1-across – Married nursing assistant had babies : WHELPED

5-across – Introduction to Frinton, not just somewhere to enjoy yourself : FUNFAIR

9-across – Keen on wife following close behind : INTOW

10-across – Gadarene stampede to check p-pulse : GARDENPEA

11-across – I’m lost for words after recollecting swelling bosom in steamy novel : BONKBUSTER

12-across – Alcohol-related trouble : AIL

14-across – Unprofessional activities of Tories duly condemned : DOITYOURSELF

18-across – Pesters a Whig to change statement to the House : STAGEWHISPER

21-across – Sound of indifference from pantomime horse : MEH

22-across – Family member set off, seeming to lack answer : STEPPARENT

25-across – Tickle and excite it a little : TITILLATE

26-across – Fine boomerangs, in the style of a native Australian : KOALA

27-across – Spouse and smallest offspring picked up pants : YFRONTS

28-across – Source of Vitamin C vital when suffering relapse : SATSUMA

1-down – Little lad drained of type of blood in scene from Dracula : WHITBY

2-down – Get in a flap at the table : EATING

3-down – Man smashed head of Russian moneylender : PAWNBROKER

4-down – Wise duke upset top drawer : DEGAS

5-down – Trimmings of hair down there, so short : FURBELOWS

6-down – Chap is unfamiliar, but not very : NOEL

7-down – Dove very softly into a quiet river : APPEASER

8-down – Actual, complete sentence : REALLIFE

13-down – Worry about extremely exploitative figure in capitalist system : FREEMARKET

15-down – What a hit!, Ian shrieked, catching number from South Pacific : TAHITIANS

16-down – International judge supporting certain type of equality : ISOMETRY

17-down – Tube of tortoiseshell perhaps not entirely straight : CATHETER

19-down – Outsiders to decolonise Java and Vanuatu, strangely familiar phenomenon : DEJAVU

20-down – Federal capital to put up tall wall to exclude students : OTTAWA

23-down – Smooth journalists importune crowd : PRESS

24-down – Propose polkaing periodically : PLAN

1-across – Sound of fire in centre of nuclear storage facility admitted : CRACKLE

5-across – See the light from bar — and there’s no turning back! : LATCHON

9-across – Seaman in Cork not good member of crew : BOSUN

10-across – Top magazine published first : OUTNUMBER

11-across – County’s rage after scheme’s denied initial funding : LANCASHIRE

12-across – It might blow up before being put back : ETNA

14-across – What gives rise to extremely elegant little shoe? : STILETTOHEEL

18-across – Took flight, delivering right word to fix declaration : ANNOUNCEMENT

21-across – Somewhat overblown part of speech : VERB

22-across – Topers’ group captain within seen swilling one on the rocks? : SEAANEMONE

25-across – Study of tree roots : GENEALOGY

26-across – Outstanding leader knocked out in water sport … : OWING

27-across – … shuts up after river goes down : DEEPENS

28-across – Took up residence, no longer 26 : SETTLED

1-down – Search team ultimately missing key element : COBALT

2-down – Member of colony keeping brutish disease away : ABSENT

3-down – Rural knight battling, not having left his commander? : KINGARTHUR

4-down – He’s full of apprehension, standing up for a long time : EPOCH

5-down – Time trial rearranged, without any parts changed : LITERATIM

6-down – Outwardly tough, uncompromising ruffian : THUG

7-down – Dreadful abuse hit regular attenders : HABITUES

8-down – In general, number perk up when male comes in : NORMALLY

13-down – Specified cutting’s inaccurate : POINTEDOUT

15-down – Wanton Hollywood star pursues the French round America : LECHEROUS

16-down – Redeemed brute departs, crossing lake : SALVAGED

17-down – Break in shooting all bar one European : INFRINGE

19-down – Cheery Jamaican’s first single in Test arena : JOVIAL

20-down – Duke on far side of western border in a tight spot : WEDGED

23-down – Natural break in baby’s schedule … : ABYSS

24-down – … when various people may arrive returning stuff : SATE

1-across – Act as Bond, Connery-style? : SHTICK

5-across – On which 747 is sir given important place to sleep? : KEYPAD

8-across – One who’s not shocked left out idiot : SAPHEAD

9-across – When there’s a loud boom, I must replace old device : MACHINE

11-across – More than one can camp to go on : CHEMICALTOILETS

12-across – Lane possibly leads to lake, one in Surrey : LOIS

13-across – Work records what bully’s doing? : OPPRESSING

17-across – Process to fix a part for mother? : RIGAMAROLE

18-across – Tower on slope — start climb via door at the rear : TBAR

20-across – Those bowing to rich strangers post acrobatics : STRINGORCHESTRA

23-across – One hand indicates this, another helping : SECONDS

24-across – Sport that woman needs bow to start, close to body? : ARCHERY

25-across – Batting order for cricket? : INSECT

26-across – Difficult defendant finally up for it : THORNY

2-down – In on : HAPPENING

3-down – I live by narrow inlet somewhere in Europe : IBERIA

4-down – One captures Farage fan getting in with revolutionary : KIDNAPPER

5-down – Course on leaving it tidy : KEMPT

6-down – Most horrible keys I cut in error : YUCKIEST

7-down – Single bananas I declined to bag : ASIDE

8-down – They reject religion, as its rules start to cause riots : SECULARISTS

10-down – Old country festival loads get to begin entering : EASTGERMANY

14-down – Dodgy clue time! Shout about it being unenthusiastic : RELUCTANT

15-down – Been? I went dancing neither before nor after : INBETWEEN

16-down – Rapper detailed new intros to copyright every note : EMINENCE

19-down – Unravel crossword in which there’s something to get stuck on : VELCRO

21-down – An American’s observation of cheat, not for the first time : RECON

22-down – Start both notes off — and tones : ONSET

1-across – Prepare to make a scene : REHEARSE

5-across – A fit comparison : FIDDLE

9-across – Poem done in my style : ENDYMION

10-across – Small animal doctor in market : MARMOT

12-across – Right for boy to hold hands : EMEND

13-across – Being a term for life : EXISTENCE

14-across – Transport of delight? : PLEASUREBOAT

18-across – Admits information revealed in accounts : ACKNOWLEDGES

21-across – Unemployed crew with mischievous potentialities : IDLEHANDS

23-across – Swan circles about to tidy her feathers : PREEN

24-across – An alcoholic drink leads to a complaint : ANGINA

25-across – Ungenerous period for an interval : MEANTIME

26-across – One of two that is returned to the right : EITHER

27-across – Part friends? : ESTRANGE

1-down – Got in on line and danced : REELED

2-down – Worked in fields, but got laid off : HEDGED

3-down – Mail a lord sent out, which is naturally under personal cover : ARMADILLO

4-down – Consistently blocking deliveries : STONEWALLING

6-down – Spilling a pint — clumsy! : INAPT

7-down – Party underling to gain power : DOMINION

8-down – Plea for a two-point pact? : ENTREATY

11-down – Money to be spent like water? : LIQUIDASSETS

15-down – Watch the first man to take over — it’s a surprise : EYEOPENER

16-down – Ada being nasty? Just having a laugh : BADINAGE

17-down – Star might be a roof-raiser : SKYLIGHT

19-down – Plan to uplift soldiers in retreat : DESIGN

20-down – We hear a letter gets an extension : ANNEXE

22-down – So that’s what it means! : HENCE