Daily Answers

1-across – Mother childishly left animal : MAMMAL

4-across – Criticise pounding in dashing style : PANACHE

9-across – Villain gets money returned without spin doctor : REPROBATE

10-across – Dance beat has drive : TANGO

11-across – Charlie’s passion for fraud : CHEAT

12-across – Draws attention to quality of paving : FLAGSTONE

13-across – See hunt sabotaged and wax lyrical : ENTHUSE

15-across – Hospital department’s anger is complete : ENTIRE

17-across – Boy to take home poem : SONNET

19-across – Coarse-sounding son’s in the wilderness : DESSERT

22-across – Judges interrupt actual run-through : REHEARSAL

24-across – A key for the passageway : AISLE

26-across – Doctor married a sponger : DRONE

27-across – Bill gets hair for players : ACTRESSES

28-across – Scoff king in the audit­orium : THEATRE

29-across – Nicked wrap that’s new : STOLEN

1-down – Wonder, when seeing car overturning in the distance : MIRACLE

2-down – Man keeps parking in wood : MAPLE

3-down – Complete reversal in a fight with performer : ABOUTTURN

4-down – Umpire in step at the start : PREFACE

5-down – Put a bit of newspaper over the bottom : NATES

6-down – Meeting place for many on racetrack : CONCOURSE

7-down – Wears down ’eart-throb of the French : ERODES

8-down – Lottery is a service, initially for the French : RAFFLE

14-down – Otto’s home cooking? Delicious! : TOOTHSOME

16-down – Will examine the last word given time : TESTAMENT

18-down – A closet designed proportionately : TOSCALE

19-down – Little girl slow to develop : DILATE

20-down – Nora set off rebellion : TREASON

21-down – Tory tried wrecking reputation : CREDIT

23-down – Porter’s right to be vigilant : ALERT

25-down – Girl touring Italy upset plant : SISAL

1-across – Film Board got a fire under control : ABRIDGETOOFAR

10-across – This writer said Labour is in trouble with the Observer : EYESTRAIN

11-across – Keep husband — one whose mouth’s 26 : FORTH

12-across – River seen by pair at bridge? No, wrong : FALSE

13-across – Horse foolishly crossing river, after initially unseating poor equestrian, Captain America? : SUPERHERO

14-across – No 1 admirers of English group’s No 1, it’s so funky : EGOISTS

16-across – Party held in a long, rickety boat : GONDOLA

18-across – Insult fellow wearing a disguise : AFFRONT

20-across – Good player’s first to bag all the tricks? One light, actually : GASLAMP

21-across – Women pursuing one setter in desire for increasing bad behaviour? : CRIMEWAVE

23-across – Town won, with a Scot keeping goal at first : WIGAN

24-across – Inspiration for love poetry or tea dances : ERATO

25-across – Root out fool taking rap, swimming in river : EXTIRPATE

26-across – Taken for a ride in what looks like another used Ford? : DOUBLECROSSED

2-down – Fly, as car unavailable : BEETLEOFF

3-down – See 9 : INTHE

4-down – 0-0, so goalless? Not 0-0, lost game : GLASSES

5-down – One that gets hammered, if wine party’s beginning, say : TENTPEG

6-down – Duck very loud rock singer sacrifices : OFFERINGS

7-down – Settle up in beer garden : AGREE

8-down – Nice setter, female, has year off in France with ex-PM : JEFFREYARCHER

9-down – Cause confusion with current name given to Casterbridge, it’s said, by intros to Thomas Hardy e-books? : THROWASPANNER

15-down – Moobs developed, having drunk most of keg — doctor fumes as a result? : SMOKEBOMB

17-down – Drink house beer, with 10X content : ORANGEADE

19-down – Catch disease, after conversing orally in swingers’ bar : TRAPEZE

20-down – More impressive sounding kitchen utensil : GREATER

22-down – Puck’s game, catching a butterfly? : IMAGO

23-down – See 9 : WORKS

9-across – Display 26 across fish : ARRAY

10-across – Destroy one caught — time to see catch : ERADICATE

11-across – Primarily at sea : INTHEMAIN

12-across – Time unknown — crew returning to east : ENEMY

13-across – See 18 : STEWART

15-across – Second note by Roy Scheider, say — one who responds : REACTOR

17-across – Dangers rule lives — case of shark making comeback : RISKS

18-across – Faces Chief Brody’s unlimited time in rough waters : ROD

20-across – Shark ultimately swallows one that worked with lines : KEATS

22-across – Opening sequence of movie : MAJORCA

25-across – Sea being cold, to work harbours : OCTOPUS

26-across – Note: at stern of legendary vessel is gas : ARGON

27-across – Diving position to settle swimmer : PIKEPERCH

30-across – Re station at sea, attacks physically : TEARSINTO

31-across – Measure length of animal : RATEL

1-down – Show stress on island : TAXI

2-down – See 5 : BROTHERS

3-down – State shark attack? It’s part of the memory : BYTE

4-down – Cruise for one mile, say, like sailor : MEGASTAR

5-down – Robert Shaw performing — grandeur oddly missing inside film studio : WARNER

6-down – It’s blown up in the sea — fiction about fine sailor on Spielberg film : LIFEJACKET

7-down – Most biting great white shark, initially not good when swimming : RAWEST

8-down – Group drink : BEVY

13-down – Small crowd go away : SCRAM

14-down – Sailors turn on way and head for folly : ABSURDNESS

16-down – Introduction to Shark, found in upended box files : RASPS

19-down – Dr No book : DOORKNOB

21-down – In character of bad one at sea? Sound at start of horror : ASPIRATE

23-down – Picture cut up — Spielberg ultimately is outside during film cut : JIGSAW

24-down – Join American dad, heartlessly getting wind up : APPEND

26-down – Conservationists seeing that about social creatures : ANTS

28-down – Ship’s opening close to Matt Hooper struggling with line : PORT

29-down – See 28 : HOLE

1-across – Crab, say, walked to the left, then round back of pond : DECAPOD

5-across – Damn awful forecast for the country? : BAHRAIN

9-across – Obsolete function is better : OUTDO

10-across – Wrong dose injected into fungi, might you say? That’s when everything stops : CLOSEDOWN

11-across – Leader in Gerrard has messed up in a woeful game : GUINEAFOWL

12-across – Sound Asian link : TIE

14-across – Polish composer has a thing for a couple covered in washing-up liquid? : RUBBERGLOVES

18-across – Limited outlook shown by new king entering marriage after a little time : TUNNELVISION

21-across – Unmarried name of Jane Eyre : NEE

22-across – Loss of intelligence suggesting cups down the sewer? : BRAINDRAIN

25-across – Public houses lament unintentional failure : OVERSIGHT

26-across – Regret writer’s people listened to puzzle setter : RUBIK

27-across – Hacks no more, say : EXPRESS

28-across – Illegal drinking establishment for queen and knight? : SHEBEEN

1-down – Sydney idiot seeing medic in position worth £200? : DRONGO

2-down – Plant sending over two fasteners, one short : CATNIP

3-down – Tried to find passage of writing on charming daughter : PROSECUTED

4-down – Coffee encountered, when tipped over : DECAF

5-down – Fans of literature — a thousand then queue up during the good times : BOOKWORMS

6-down – Scoundrel afoot? : HEEL

7-down – Taking on the issue, a bird protecting rubbish tip : ADOPTIVE

8-down – Nothing goes into seven quarters? I disagree! : NONSENSE

13-down – Nuts on me later toasted, ultimately? : ALMONDTREE

15-down – Dame into emptying of bounteous drinks : BEVERAGES

16-down – Gig with funny men Laurel and Bob : STANHOPE

17-down – Partially immersed in poverty, save sandwiches : KNEEDEEP

19-down – Couple toyed with by Nazi, having whipped naked woman’s bottom : BARBIE

20-down – See 19 : ANDKEN

23-down – Mites invading seraglio, tasered : IOTAS

24-down – Man possibly lives, if removed from life : ISLE

1-across – Planned diversity hasn’t succeeded in main court — not the ideal finding : MAJORITYVERDICT

9-across – Dexterity of extremely skilful boat crew : SLEIGHT

10-across – Barge carrying less cargo? : LIGHTER

11-across – Get rid of short test, on reflection : AXE

12-across – Queen regularly insulted reformed offenders : DELINQUENTS

13-across – Spotted second fielder conked out on the boundary : DISCOVERED

15-across – Muffle sound of punishment : WRAP

18-across – Grudge disheartened Eastern visionary : ENVY

20-across – Program by amateur brought in to deliver value : APPRECIATE

23-across – Like Rod, Henry leaves clinic hardly changed : CYLINDRICAL

25-across – Bath’s transport system 75% complete : TUB

26-across – Game on, following at once with run out : PONTOON

27-across – Going round is good in Paris, in small amount : AMBIENT

28-across – Means of opening adult’s first gift? : THEKEYOFTHEDOOR

1-down – Make a hash of announcing composer’s daughter? : MISHANDLE

2-down – My record’s held in derision : JEEPERS

3-down – Firemen all together out of bounds soon heading off for dance : RIGADOON

4-down – Unqualified bunch turns up full of thanks : TOTAL

5-down – Lively tune penned by lover bursting to propose : VOLUNTEER

6-down – Charity event banned highly seasoned food : RAGOUT

7-down – Reprobate not initially welcoming to monotonous speaker : INTONER

8-down – Ring? You could say it’s a sign : TORUS

14-down – Language of Home Counties sent up by queen in Christmas show : ESPERANTO

16-down – Minister from cabinet almost right about several bits of information : PRESBYTER

17-down – Workplace hampered by hierarchy that you should get over : SCALABLE

19-down – Group of medieval ancestors hanging round bed : VALANCE

21-down – Firm supporting dodgy trade in style between the wars : ARTDECO

22-down – Weep after a couple of cardinals drop off : SNOOZE

23-down – Get irrational in bed and suffer the consequences : COPIT

24-down – Beach ball grabbed by players : COAST