Daily Answers

1-across – Height restricted by splitting a ficus plant : FUCHSIA

5-across – Using mobile to ring representative is critical : IMPUGNS

9-across – Good horse beef : GROAN

10-across – Margins revealed on Minis? : OUTSKIRTS

11-across – Deliveries were successful — but taxed unreasonably : OVERWORKED

12-across – Related to number one product of Swiss city’s inner area : URIC

14-across – Characteristically, Churchill’s gold chair repaired by Her Majesty : CIGARHOLDER

18-across – German involved with ghost story set in a fantastic castle : GORMENGHAST

21-across – Skin’s fine deposit : FLAY

22-across – Operatic production interrupted at intervals by hard left teddy bear fan : ARCTOPHILE

25-across – Aspect of main UK tit utilising tongue : INUKTITUT

26-across – Direct cowboy’s charge? : STEER

27-across – Unscrupulous professional in distress, hysterical : SHYSTER

28-across – Southern flounder stew : SWELTER

1-down – Meat roll which is commonly smoked and secured : FAGGOT

2-down – Cabinet’s mean temperature? : CLOSET

3-down – Was hidden plastic, encasing canine opening, like a filling? : SANDWICHED

4-down – Beloved’s mail not registered at first? : AMOUR

5-down – A three in rummy, coming to a close : INTHEAREA

6-down – Fish posture of diver : PIKE

7-down – Become rough restraining right drama queen : GERTRUDE

8-down – Band crew/outfit leaders on road — useful for light adjustment : SASHCORD

13-down – Tense before osteopath’s administered oral application : TOOTHPASTE

15-down – Censor’s on to author, who supplies stand-up material : GAGWRITER

16-down – Drinks made from good or bad type snaps : EGGFLIPS

17-down – Hear about revolutionary plan to secure a valuable collection : TREASURY

19-down – Channel bird at tide’s edge : DIVERT

20-down – Blunder into hill monkey : TERROR

23-down – Emperor’s bird houses lacking garden tools : TITUS

24-down – Half of certain instrumental groups going north ignore changes : STET

7-across – Added substances clean underwear : DOPANTS

8-across – Bird outside enclosure returned — outside a period of days : JANUARY

9-across – Actor as famous convert, born-again Christian? : PAUL

10-across – Some illumination in difficult situation following escape : LAMPLIGHT

12-across – Porn star in dalliance, sadly without affection : LINDA

13-across – Spooner’s slog, woman for taming being a dull person : CLODPATE

15-across – Capital performance by one half confused : OSLO

16-across – Biblical king given greeting with more than just a shofar, seemingly : HIRAM

17-across – Wild animal’s connections being read out : LYNX

18-across – Try to be more charming? Not I, if you do this! : TURNITON

20-across – Separate river drying up before the end : SEVER

21-across – Introductory enquiry — who played what sounds like rugby, briefly? : HOWAREYOU

22-across – Rude wife assumed command going about : LEWD

24-across – Squelchy tropical fish ship collected : MORASSY

25-across – Underwear back to front one king removed for a laugh : SNICKER

1-down – Cheese nasty woman cut for author : ZOLA

2-down – Funny opera : PARLANDO

3-down – Designer’s new maternal style — see more than one Conservative wearing it : STELLA

4-down – Cleaner covering everything in part of palace, maybe : BALLROOM

5-down – Rang off, being emotionally disturbed? : HUNGUP

6-down – Terrified female given instruction to slow down : FRIT

11-down – See 3 : MCCARTNEY

12-down – Exotic dance movement with which girl wins Bruno’s heart : LASSU

14-down – Engineers with crazy guy set up electronic device : TUNER

16-down – Horses apt to bolt, abandoning a warm Leopardstown enclosure? : HOTPRESS

17-down – See 12 across : LOVELACE

19-down – See 9 : NEWMAN

20-down – One of five children in street seen in a glance : SQUINT

21-down – Someone funny and passionate with extra love : HOOT

23-down – Watery stuff from two rivers being baled out of rowing boat : WHEY

1-across – Journalists eating Japanese bread that’s turning stale : HACKNEYED

6-across – Have no misgivings, exhibiting malice : VENOM

9-across – It’s cool, cold and dry outside in the shade : TINCT

10-across – Roast chicken eaten by agent with beetroot : REPREHEND

11-across – Expert buggy racer takes to person with 20 : PROCREATOR

12-across – Informally, the two of us have options here : MENU

14-across – Liberal’s new, dotty messages? : BRAILLE

15-across – Model during extra pirouettes showing sexy quality : EROTISM

17-across – Performer of Mozart is terrible! : ARTISTE

19-across – Officer right to grab pork pie — he’s digging into mine! : COLLIER

20-across – Heartless sorts making jokes : KIDS

22-across – Polish politicians backing small blackmail schemes : HONEYTRAPS

25-across – Slack rope — it’s by Golden Hind : POSTERIOR

26-across – Cockney’s leather or water, say : OXIDE

27-across – Lover swears it’s red hot : TROTH

28-across – New Age leader abandons steps for illumination : NEONLIGHT

1-down – Male sheep producing cross : HETUP

2-down – Politician and worker taking issue in letter : CONSONANT

3-down – Movement of wild animals around mating period, heading north : NATURALISM

4-down – Length of, say, a vehicle reversing : YARDAGE

5-down – Rue de Paris’s capital traditions : DEPLORE

6-down – Conviction that is for breaking into car : VIEW

7-down – Polite about end of tale one’s related : NIECE

8-down – Perhaps 24/06/2000 is seen here? : MIDSUMMER

13-down – Undesirable poster under cloth and paper in can : TOILETROLL

14-down – Britain is short of funds — there are problems here : BLACKSPOT

16-down – Rubbish I put into one sort of porcelain that’s taking off : IMITATING

18-down – Wearing nothing, in love and hot : EROSION

19-down – I’m off to celebrate a narrow football victory? : CHEERIO

21-down – Scoff at officer’s club : DISCO

23-down – Baker may use this pinch of salt and pepper : SPELT

24-down – The 5th person in the 8th group : SETH

1-across – Nick’s favourite dog : WHIPPET

5-across – Knew what was expected : FORESAW

9-across – Gather in and iron, right? : INFER

10-across – A channel swimmer accepts kiss from the great man : ALEXANDER

11-across – Heroes camp out but return to base with difficulty : SCRAPEHOME

12-across – Being awkward, mean to get the last word : AMEN

14-across – Snacks for new students in rest break : REFRESHMENTS

18-across – Rent vehicle plant that was dormant for a long period : RIPVANWINKLE

21-across – Island needing second rescue vessel : SARK

22-across – Tactful negotiator in charge : DIPLOMATIC

25-across – It normally has its contents back to front : BOOKSHELF

26-across – This prize brings back the good in French language : NOBEL

27-across – Lives in des res I converted : RESIDES

28-across – More than one slice of the right allotment of shares : RASHERS

1-down – My wish for something fancy : WHIMSY

2-down – Needing support in business : INFIRM

3-down – Repair with help involving minor : PERIPHERAL

4-down – Refuse to start treating skin problem : TRASH

5-down – Unusual forenames for a lodger? : FREEMASON

6-down – First rider on a new horse : ROAN

7-down – Small sum of money sent round as deposit : SEDIMENT

8-down – After no peace I head for caution : WARINESS

13-down – Makes effective tools : IMPLEMENTS

15-down – Wild winds rose, bringing violent disturbance : ROWDINESS

16-down – Helps to define the goal of angry lawyers : CROSSBAR

17-down – False encouragement given on debts : SPURIOUS

19-down – Good man, competent and reliable : STABLE

20-down – Trophies of victory for the brave : SCALPS

23-down – Criminal file that’s wrong, then put right : LIFER

24-down – To be taken advantage of isn’t new : USED

9-across – Mate rounded Cape unnot­iced : HUBBY

10-across – They worship former Tory leader, full of lies or nonsense : IDOLISERS

11-across – Had better drug previously, it seemed to Arachne : METHOUGHT

12-across – Split from husband, heading off to give birth in cowshed : HALVE

13-across – Grey matter with a laminated cover : THALAMI

15-across – Cold meal wrapped in foil : SCUPPER

17-across – Date of road tax moving forward : TRYST

18-across – Mo’s audible nervous habit : TIC

20-across – Perfectly embodies the ultimate in courageous soldier material : TOAST

22-across – Do successors occupy country, having ousted last PM? : PREMIER

25-across – Lure fish in a westerly direction and downwind : LEEWARD

26-across – Show indifference and keep quiet, when confronted with wig : SHRUG

27-across – People who undermine subordinates slyly, but noiselessly : SABOTEURS

30-across – They went in search of sheepskin, as bottled gas ran out : ARGONAUTS

31-across – Chat show host walks on water : PIERS

1-down – Buddy and Charlie don’t know the words? : CHUM

2-down – Passing mention of sex in broken Yoruba : OBITUARY

3-down – Rookie Conservative, upside down and back to front : TYRO

4-down – Six ducks living on Scottish islands, one with more than one tongue : LINGUIST

5-down – Chemist stocks drug for stars : BOOTES

6-down – Shadowy figure trashing hotel suite : SILHOUETTE

7-down – Friend tied knot round wattle : DEWLAP

8-down – American female tennis legend : ASHE

13-down – Ram’s purpose, in sum : TOTUP

14-down – Styptic band inserted into a temporary splint : ASTRINGENT

16-down – Esteemed journalist is buried under grass : RATED

19-down – A centre for research into breadfruit : CALABASH

21-down – You can count on these four Swedes swearing out loud : ABACUSES

23-down – Ends of Rice, Brown and Garner? Time for anger : ENRAGE

24-down – Hit squire near the knuckle : RISQUE

26-down – Most of matchmaker’s meeting with male went smoothly : SWAM

28-down – Booze off limits to birth control enthusiast : TOPE

29-down – Really big sizes are in the ascendant, OK? : SOSO