Daily Answers

1-across – Primarily, sort of relationships for sentimental people : SOFTIES

5-across – A setter takes fool round a castle … : CAMELOT

9-across – … and another somewhere in West Yorks : LEEDS

10-across – Not half bad candelabra prince left in ballroom? : DANCEHALL

11-across – Former cargo ship docked by Russian river outside city walls : EXTRAMURAL

12-across – See 21 : WING

14-across – We suspect it’s a reputed 21-12er in 26 and 20s … : GUARDIANISTA

18-across – … so 5 across suggests betting I clued booty crudely, for all to see : ITCOULDBEYOU

21-across – English newspaper has women in underwear? Er … that is taken as read, we hear : LEFT

22-across – State of repair of small Oklahoma art house : SOUTHKOREA

25-across – Inclined to fight nasty libel case? Ring for answer : BELLICOSE

26-across – Role finally penned by Shakespeare for Vandyke? : BEARD

27-across – Musical, as Sir Robin’s wife might have been : LADYDAY

28-across – Win through spin at a live game : PREVAIL

1-down – Over 50s dancing? 18! : SOLVER

2-down – Holiday at sea curtailed, if overturned : FIESTA

3-down – Where Francis Rossi plays with only one son, just as before : INSTATUQUO

4-down – Religious leader had us fooled : SADHU

5-down – In singing style of Cambridge priest doing a turn : CANTABILE

6-down – Like a mouse beginning to make fearful sound : MEEK

7-down – Stole a 2, interior part of which is offering best shade of green? : LEAFIEST

8-down – Message left in note, eg Castle in the morning : TELEGRAM

13-down – Nancy’s article about Blake contains argument rejected as impractical : UNWORKABLE

15-down – Set record unknown to medical science : RADIOLOGY

16-down – Female, about 50, under maiden name in error : MISLABEL

17-down – Fought with second copper, getting fine — then ran away : SCUFFLED

19-down – Fleet Street’s third magazine to provide content for adults : ARMADA

20-down – You might have set foot in this bit of West Yorks : SANDAL

23-down – Silly chap with awfully wet way of speaking : TWERP

24-down – Warm beer : MILD

7-across – Floating at sea, for the most part? : INTHEMAIN

8-across – Make a correction to starboard : RIGHT

9-across – Dieting so mistakenly could adversely affect this : DIGESTION

10-across – Strictly speaking, the tail of a dog : STERN

12-across – Almost ready to include me in the cure : REMEDY

13-across – Secret American organisation : INCAMERA

14-across – Tabby is prepared to look after another’s young : BABYSIT

17-across – An abstract point, to be exact : PRECISE

20-across – Uncommitted affect­ion? : FREELOVE

22-across – It is said to aid meditation : MANTRA

24-across – Enter the office uninvited? : USURP

25-across – Destroy bacteria, that is with Lister’s treatment : STERILISE

26-across – One hears word of it : MOUTH

27-across – Lincoln is such a city — see around it : CATHEDRAL

1-down – Small number elevated to job connected with computers : ONLINE

2-down – One caught in the very act of stealing : THIEVERY

3-down – Workshop occupied by strikers : SMITHY

4-down – Delay decision on what to do with a chair : SITONIT

5-down – Some contradict umpire’s ruling : DICTUM

6-down – Cathedral plans to include religious education : CHARTRES

11-down – A better mark : SCAR

15-down – An undergarment one’s upset about, showing wear : ABRASION

16-down – Press for an element essential to life : IRON

18-down – Decide to terminate : CONCLUDE

19-down – The perfect chap to be a match official : BESTMAN

21-down – Such mistakes are holding a sailing man up : ERRATA

22-down – She shows skill in carving ham : MARTHA

23-down – Car’s crashed with a learner — a culpable character : RASCAL

9-across – Revealed by Houdini, some trick relating to muscular contraction : ISOMETRIC

10-across – Turn out to be headless spoof : ENDUP

11-across – Sexy girl primarily on page three? It might get game birds : SHOTGUN

12-across – 3 of wrong visits : DROPSIN

13-across – Second working satellite : MOON

14-across – One mobile Scalextric set out — dispatch to these stores? : ELECTRONIC

16-across – Make love to broken record : LAYDOWN

17-across – Fighter backing America, Action Man initially enters endless attack : SAMURAI

19-across – Rampant Rabbit oddly bucks round bend : RUBIKSCUBE

22-across – See 14 : MAIL

24-across – Game ’60s dancer : TWISTER

25-across – Turn to softly, almost romantic : UTOPIAN

26-across – Form of medication — drug going the wrong way, so be it? : ENEMA

27-across – Basic header from footballer — off his head? : ELEMENTAL

1-down – Contrasts left one girl upset in diaries about sex : DISSIMILARITIES

2-down – Starts to order one My Little Pony grooming game : MONOPOLY

3-down – Release toy in time, on the contrary : LETGO

4-down – Soul singer’s father cut joint at home : FRANKLIN

5-down – Like tart? Heavy metal band picks up two, separately : ACIDIC

6-down – Mad Men’s lead role — a sad performance : MELODRAMA

7-down – English inventor current for Yankee inventor : EDISON

8-down – Crave mostly hot food, filling solely in way that shocks : SPINECHILLINGLY

15-down – Judge caught in fine, small net — support for sportsmen? : JOCKSTRAP

17-down – Be out injured after reserve game : SUBBUTEO

18-down – About ace tips, they’re practical : REALISTS

20-down – British trips — do they have trains? : BRIDES

21-down – Shaper of body, no pressure to model : CORSET

23-down – See 14 : BOXES

1-across – Broadcasting channel failed to answer : DUCKED

4-across – The thoughtless take car out, in accordance with recurrent idea : THEMATIC

9-across – Singer acquired good piece of drum kit : BONGO

10-across – Youth announces panto is to be held, but not at home : SALADDAYS

11-across – Transport once set off right to the house : STAGELEFT

12-across – Discover original of really thin walls : LEARN

13-across – Close to swearing? : NEARASDAMMIT

17-across – Ideal sort of loan for flat : INTERESTFREE

20-across – Going, going … what am I bid? : ADIEU

21-across – Leader’s symbol of office that is with something pink inside : CHIEFTAIN

23-across – Loudly disapprove of sugary confection that may come back on you : BOOMERANG

24-across – Down — why unable to fly? : OWING

25-across – War crime perhaps men committed in hatred : ENORMITY

26-across – Very fast stretch of water : SOLENT

1-down – Depressing quality of extremely deplorable town : DEBASING

2-down – Bright red, about to drink in one hostelry and another : CINNABAR

3-down – On ’orse, what man did wear : ERODE

5-down – No end of break in playing on the sea, typically Elizabethan arrangement : HALFTIMBERING

6-down – Sort of winner is still made to struggle : MEDALLIST

7-down – Armoured vehicle shortly suppresses revolutionary rising, without exception : TOAMAN

8-down – In a comparison of sides, wrong for runner to go round : COSINE

10-down – Drug pusher who acknowledges no limits? : SPEEDMERCHANT

14-down – Past bearing boy, accepting an uplifting employment : ADNAUSEAM

15-down – Ignores a possible fix : ORGANISE

16-down – Party of women succeeded replacing husband for a week : SENNIGHT

18-down – Horse swallows black stone : MARBLE

19-down – Wrapper of novel — it’s horrible! : KIMONO

22-down – He held the greatest ring not to be enough : FRODO

9-across – Crudely satirical opponent of 6 11? : RACIALIST

10-across – Organise Ireland’s part in first Japanese issue : NISEI

11-across – Family member that’s wearing glasses : SPECIES

12-across – Sea cow’s bottom’s first to come out : EMANATE

13-across – Study English novelist of the Victorian era : READE

14-across – I wouldn’t bet on these 6 11 : OUTSIDERS

16-across – Top story gets this clear and the rest get too old : BLANKETCOVERAGE

19-across – What 9s do for soil? : DISCOLOUR

21-across – They rescue 11 and scrap bats : RSPCA

22-across – Make balls of hands in lap : SCREWUP

23-across – Its giant 11’s toxic in corner pot : HOGWEED

24-across – A short distance in, say, round : GIMME

25-across – Slow progress, as indicated by conducting faster? : TEMPORISE

1-down – Abridged Plain Words copy editor outlawed : PROSCRIBED

2-down – After school, swimming team ace models : SCHEMATA

3-down – Gershwin’s last musical’s about local : NATIVE

4-down – Regular doings with spades : DIGS

5-down – Badger resorted to exit by road : STREETDOOR

6-down – Van is out at 4.15, popping up everywhere : INVASIVE

7-down – Progenitor of some 6 11 duck : ESCAPE

8-down – Reintroduced bird and fox cub close to home : KITE

14-down – Beat favourite in effect : OUTCOMPETE

15-down – Put on light after untidy desk’s cleared out : SKEDADDLED

17-down – Granny, for instance, got rid of water in plant : KNOTWEED

18-down – Order pudding : APPLEPIE

20-down – Model who lost weight’s not much of a catch : SHRIMP

21-down – What Japanese 11 of 17 do, perhaps, right in line : REGROW

22-down – Greenhouse gas ultim­ately built up in plant : SAGE

23-down – House doctor’s 6 11 : HOMO