Daily Answers

1-across – In play Viola’s stopped by a knight in the country : SLOVAKIA

5-across – Cattle food from trough changing hands : MANGEL

9-across – Father takes turn with little inclination : APPETITE

10-across – Hollywood star, one of 12 drinking G&T : BOGART

12-across – Fastens covers over farm animals : BOARS

13-across – One circle converted to square : RECONCILE

14-across – Characteristic step heard after troops’ second entry into the Tower : TRAITORSGATE

18-across – 10 asked for it in due course : ASTIMEGOESBY

21-across – Summary of artist’s stage exit is not recorded : OFFCAMERA

23-across – Little woman in song knocked back wine : RIOJA

24-across – Urgency ranking, say, overturned after short hearing : TRIAGE

25-across – Snake’s come a cropper, an unexpected bonus : WINDFALL

26-across – Player of course could find it tricky to follow on : DOGLEG

27-across – Definitely trendy equipment for use in bed : INSPADES

1-down – Cast getting hold of adult books in poor condition : SHABBY

2-down – Solitary individual old pub’s managed without : ORPHAN

3-down – I’m nature’s fluid remedy for disease : ANTISERUM

4-down – Confused in calling the French Dutch : INTERMINGLED

6-down – Unpalatable fruit or a cereal? : ACORN

7-down – Dignity — informer briefly clutches Bible with it : GRAVITAS

8-down – Production of Cats, say, editor covered haphazardly : LITTERED

11-down – Go into care managed by an oldie : OCTOGENARIAN

15-down – Nasty smells on the rise until most of mug dried out : SOBEREDUP

16-down – Frisked about and drove cat wild : CAVORTED

17-down – What choirs do about sound of violent shoving? : STUFFING

19-down – Officer giving orders to tie up chicken : COWARD

20-down – US city depressed everyone coming in from the south : DALLAS

22-down – Wife leaves deviously to get fish : ANGLE

9-across – Swift horse you resolved to enter in very hard inaugural National Hunt November meeting : HOUYHNHNM

10-across – Friend finishing up a complete fool : CHUMP

11-across – Adversary in military manoeuvre has a tricky problem : OPPOSER

12-across – Nectarine not an unusual tempter : ENTICER

13-across – Detailed perfect scheme : IDEA

14-across – Recent maps show this landscape feature : ESCARPMENT

15-across – Internal airline reportedly to keep in touch with receiver : TRACHEA

17-across – Sale with a changed drawing power : SUCTION

19-across – Ring for this appointment? : ENGAGEMENT

22-across – Bird found mostly in the same place : IBIS

23-across – Reformed paper not the middle state school one : ORIGAMI

24-across – Harangues one involved in deals : TIRADES

26-across – Counts as a run outside : EXTRA

27-across – South African golfer’s clothing reportedly lacking presence : ELSEWHERE

1-down – Concede when worth toilet training : THROWINTHETOWEL

2-down – Author not available to support small firm over summons : SUBPOENA

3-down – It is so evident in one famously very old : THUS

4-down – Lure fish to island on the fringes of Malaysia : CHARISMA

5-down – Organism takes a short time first emerging by artifice : AMOEBA

6-down – Scoot off with photograph of vision in darkness : SCOTOPIC

7-down – Strength required for first managing cryptic clues : MUSCLE

8-down – Computer essential for hospital activity to get statutory covering support : OPERATINGSYSTEM

16-down – Pig farmer gets extremely angry at the end of the year : HOGMANAY

17-down – Sterilise hospital shortly before it is stripped clean : SANITISE

18-down – Firmly fixed that setter is to be tucked up for the night : IMBEDDED

20-down – A verdict on mulligatawny soup, given without lawman being present : GUILTY

21-down – Poster writer : MAILER

25-down – Argues over part of the make-up of crosswords : ROWS

1-across – Primate tucks into preserves and small eats : CANAPES

5-across – Kent gets a regulatory area facing offshore : SEAWARD

9-across – Carnivore decapitated craftsman : OTTER

10-across – Shoot queen’s minister in entrance : GERMINATE

11-across – Harmony in a musical instrument : CONCERTINA

12-across – Tramp’s caresses rejected : STEP

14-across – Drool when taking trip for taskmaster : SLAVEDRIVER

18-across – Spin doctor calling for incitement : PROVOCATION

21-across – Pretence produces endless embarrassment : SHAM

22-across – First man to market keeps very quiet, getting a lump in the throat : ADAMSAPPLE

25-across – Rechabite cooked bairn’s tea : ABSTAINER

26-across – Plunge into Dutch river : DOUSE

27-across – Made certain when monarch’s followed around : ENSURED

28-across – Light lunch initially before the service : LANTERN

1-down – Bend down to king in Chesterfield : CROUCH

2-down – Nathaniel retains sunburn when floating : NATANT

3-down – Kinkiness for every type : PERVERSION

4-down – Complain over time of show : SIGHT

5-down – Tiger seen frolicking in animal sanctuary : SERENGETI

6-down – Help to keep Victor keen : AVID

7-down – Doctor paid a vet to be compliant : ADAPTIVE

8-down – Duty leader always to leave car in animal sanctuary : DEERPARK

13-down – Possibly die in Roman instrument of torture : IRONMAIDEN

15-down – Boycott achieved during commercial is very wicked : ABANDONED

16-down – Dissenter beaten to a paste : APOSTATE

17-down – Doctor the girls’ syrup : MOLASSES

19-down – Trim a tree : SPRUCE

20-down – Lop off pole in river : SEVERN

23-down – Extra large fungus : MOREL

24-down – The food sounds OK : FAIR

1-across – Place for meeting? Get on with opportunity : BOARDROOM

6-across – Member worried partner : MATE

8-across – This paper’s ignoring another? Front of Times showing full face : GUARDANT

9-across – Stopped spouting rubbish, primarily, with year in retirement : RANDRY

10-across – IT system in hospital dividing opinion : THENET

11-across – See 22 down : ELEPHANT

12-across – Got up to speed: final letter about low returns : ZOOMED

15-across – Throw in on close of play as filling — it’s bedlam : LOONYBIN

16-across – It’s reflected within uses for pay : STIPENDS

19-across – See 17 : SECTOR

21-across – Doctor inhales lit piece : DECIPHER

22-across – Hit in the morning — money coming into question? : WHAMMY

24-across – State going forward, on the contrary, poster having a short opening : NEVADA

25-across – Steer to enter these businesses? One points to ambition : DRIVEINS

26-across – One cuts confusion, having switched first half : ADZE

27-across – Rolling Stones out, individually sustained in music : SOSTENUTO

1-down – Touch base at start : BRUSH

2-down – Account right? Gross on my radar, say : ACRONYM

3-down – Plan which might be taken on board, we hear : DRAFT

4-down – Contract beginning — beginners perform better in business : OUTSELL

5-down – Lethal drink knocked back roused drunk : MURDEROUS

6-down – Regularly in day they replace English with bull, ultimately : MONTHLY

7-down – Director managed to cut rubbish : TARANTINO

13-down – Working with those people? Stop improving : ONTHEMEND

14-down – No good stopping awful “heads up” for business gatherings : DUNGHEAPS

17-down – Place for business? Proactive to work with rest : PRIVATE

18-down – Hears director invested after section walks : STRIDES

20-down – Possible place for grapevine gossip? Nice water : CHATEAU

22-down – “Reinventing the wheel” inapt: it’s not needed : WHITE

23-down – Staff love to take last of low-hanging fruit : MANGO

9-across – Gas from wicked, heartless Tory, poor in speech : ACETYLENE

10-across – What you need to do here is 2 28, 4 24 across, 14 27, 23 12 and 20 1 : SOLVE

11-across – Poem mostly about a girl : LYDIA

12-across – See 23 : OFGRAVITY

13-across – Made tender love very loudly, flushed after ecstasy : OFFERED

14-across – Duck eggs returned in sack, about to be served? : FIRSTIN

17-across – Soldiers here showing character : THETA

19-across – Bit of scale from tailless fish : SOL

20-across – God of war has time to don armour in bit of cloud : MARES

21-across – Redknapp, involved in scam, makes fuss : CARRYON

22-across – Screw going round prison in fear : PANICKY

24-across – See 4 : INCOMMAND

26-across – Mandarin is thus found in Washington? Almost : TONAL

28-across – See 2 : STATE

29-across – Instructions to batsman, causing some sort of accident : HITANDRUN

1-down – See 20 : TAIL

2-down – Maybe Hollande’s foe had to reform, say : HEADOF

3-down – Musical boy tucking into extremely mouldy brownie : MYFAIRLADY

4-down – Support wages getting cut? Damn terrible vice : SECOND

5-down – Destroying Gulf, even seeking to do harm : VENGEFUL

6-down – Many countries like raising capital : ASIA

7-down – Lane found in court by queen’s secluded area : CLOISTER

8-down – What Molly Bloom said about snatching kiss is erotic : SEXY

13-down – Concerned with seeing old photo, taking time : OPTIC

15-down – Seaman admits hesitation in philosophical activity : RUMINATING

16-down – English child brought up close to Dorothy Parker may be so : NOSEY

18-down – Travelling troupe with car leaving piano player in Brussels : EUROCRAT

19-down – Get brown paper bag with no good article : SUNBATHE

22-down – Games on a particular day could be footy : PEDATE

23-down – Criminal forgery in VAT etc? Force must act here! : CENTRE

24-down – November 1st’s around this month : INST

25-down – William gave Kate rank, ultimately they will inherit! : MEEK

27-down – See 14 : LINE