Daily Answers

1-across – Clothing a couple of unknowns, tailor had a stylistic mode of floral design : LAZYDAISYSTITCH

9-across – See 26 : PANCAKE

10-across – The cracks in slippery surface required further assessment : RETHINK

11-across – Stuffed in general election, bitter : ALE

12-across – Those charging club, perhaps, as one selling pork pies? : BULLSHITTER

13-across – Series of bars as animal restraint, ultimately — walker free? : CATTLEGRID

15-across – Illegal drugs in clothing : GEAR

18-across – Beauty got to her feet? : ROSE

20-across – There’s silence after one’s pushed flexible tube into sheep : MUTEBUTTON

23-across – Attitude in US puritans abandoning lake for capital city : BUENOSAIRES

25-across – Fish, one in a warm stream? : RAY

26-across – A god involved in heinous act as entering bar, not a ripple to be seen : FLATASA

27-across – Hole provided between gold and diamonds : ORIFICE

28-across – Surgeries’ tender, qualified as medical worker : REGISTEREDNURSE

1-down – Cavalryman admitting first parts of puzzle difficult, attempts the teaser : LAPDANCER

2-down – Liquorice flavouring : ZANIEST

3-down – High table with odd locking device : DEADBOLT

4-down – Thought control in the end proving visionary : IDEAL

5-down – Entering bar, there is drunk with bishop and right little yapper! : YORKSHIRE

6-down – Shape-shifter tries to shift after a little time : TETRIS

7-down – Symbol of the British nation, not that it will crumble, all may conclude? : THISTLE

8-down – Fresh start for rider, as pedestrian : HIKER

14-down – Salt, surfeit going over a friend : GLUTAMATE

16-down – Where King John’s powers were diluted with weak alcoholic drink, say? : RUNNYMEDE

17-down – Might one be popped in quotes, perhaps? : QUESTION

19-down – Novel on crack, the whole thing? : SHEBANG

21-down – See 5 : TERRIER

22-down – Those crowned heads in outrageous leotards entering bar : MOLARS

23-down – Service industry job ends up in a class of its own : BYFAR

24-down – River, perfect river : RHONE

1-across – Result of evacuation from warship evacuated and jacketed : COWPAT

4-across – Navigator’s bit of kit to turn brown within 31 days : OCTANT

9-across – Turmeric mostly spilled between food store and toilet as result of overconsumption : DELIRIUMTREMENS

10-across – Ordinary soldier to serve as commander in Biblical land : GILEAD

11-across – Food parcel causing bulge in the nether regions? : LUNCHBOX

12-across – Scotch queen protected from displaying facial hair : WHISKERY

14-across – Rake keeping back pound coin : ROUBLE

15-across – Shostakovich and Elgar sheltering one of their ilk : HANDEL

18-across – Obstacle in path of form of speculation : ROULETTE

21-across – Four jabs administered through the looking-glass? Great! : FRABJOUS

22-across – Satirist’s turned vehicle into gardening tool : HORACE

24-across – Nudity evens out autism twice after necessary adjustments? : MUTATISMUTANDIS

25-across – Proceed unsteadily with introduction to dark stranger : DODDER

26-across – Slope put on ice : SHELVE

1-down – Dubious heirs to Switzerland’s treasure : CHERISH

2-down – Moan, if drink’s drunk hot : WHINE

3-down – Operatic heroine’s number to finish up : ARIADNE

5-down – Investigator of death trap concealing nothing : CORONER

6-down – A parasite receiving paper hat, originally from charitable institution : ALMSHOUSE

7-down – One old racist party piercing Labour’s protective wrapping : TINFOIL

8-down – Badly wanting a maypole to hire : EMPLOY

13-down – Took part, keeping pig in cupboard : SIDEBOARD

16-down – About to embrace girls, touching bottom : AGROUND

17-down – Revolutionary carrying round eagle’s head, like a big cat : LEONINE

18-down – Pick up birds raised to follow soldiers : RESUME

19-down – Hun running amok craving divorce? : UNHITCH

20-down – Cream, mostly, and fan thereof, turning touchy : TACTILE

23-down – Nearly, nearly suffering disorder of internal organ : RENAL

1-across – Game to stick pea, we hear, in honey : CUPTIE

4-across – Somewhere in 23, something that might tempt a parent endlessly? : MUMBAI

9-across – List first of names between us. say : MENU

10-across – Number discussed then better, it’s good to admit, as an indicator : FOREFINGER

11-across – Obscure Auden repertoire initially remaining on the bookshelf? : UNREAD

12-across – Somewhere in 23, arraigns criminal : SRINAGAR

13-across – Female into eating fool : DINGALING

15-across – Supporter after job : POST

16-across – Six abandoning support for members somewhere in 23 : AGRA

17-across – Flower border carrying disease beyond back of house : EFFLUENCE

21-across – In cell, our not entirely round cell bodies : NUCLEOLI

22-across – Coterie — measure of intelligence restricted by one of these? : CLIQUE

24-across – Crab has gone to scuttle past mongrel on soft earth : CURMUDGEON

25-across – Shop somewhere in 23, say? : DELI

26-across – Chicken’s job always to punch fish : LAYING

27-across – Embroidered, yet was covered in beads? : SWEATY

1-down – Shade found in middle of precinct somewhere in 23 : CHENNAI

2-down – Fruit somewhere in 23, about right : PRUNE

3-down – Where Cubans were asked to place their trust, I don’t believe : INFIDEL

5-down – Dirty place for entertainment, roof blowing off : UNFAIR

6-down – Report on a body of knowledge somewhere in 23 : BANGALORE

7-down – I complain at length about tennis elbow for starters, being repetitive : ITERANT

8-down – Screw is attached, then not — one assessing the cost to secure it? : PRISONOFFICER

14-down – I’m surprised to see old Russian premier casually embracing green : GORBLIMEY

16-down – Write about American city, American America just like you’d expect : ASUSUAL

18-down – But adversity comes later, perhaps, for somewhere in 23? : LUCKNOW

19-down – Old Irishman describing rugby with the ultimate in ugly savagery : CRUELTY

20-down – Court office unable to act? : WOODEN

23-down – Land essential to find, I assume : INDIA

1-across – Concealed behind books : LATENT

4-across – Increase in position of shabby cinema : FLEAPIT

9-across – Fish arrive for artisan : CARPENTER

10-across – Player fell after a collision, initially : ACTOR

11-across – Finished Sunday deliveries : OVERS

12-across – Stunning girl — heartless and lustful : GLAMOROUS

13-across – Girl’s prompt meeting eastern fugitive : EVACUEE

15-across – Play with boy born in valley : DABBLE

17-across – Footwear worn by English stars : BOOTES

19-across – Repairer retains bit of abdominal wind : MEANDER

22-across – Standard is incessantly naive : EVERGREEN

24-across – Nationalist in Jamaica is an assassin : NINJA

26-across – Knight enters sector of the battlefield : ARENA

27-across – I let Satan corrupt and torment : TANTALISE

28-across – Livingstone retained longing for the cookhouse : KITCHEN

29-across – Mad Hatter in danger : THREAT

1-down – Fail to detain one caught giving sweetener : LACTOSE

2-down – Article about soldier’s figure : THREE

3-down – Muse tends to be confused? It can’t be helped! : NEEDSMUST

4-down – Precocious footballer : FORWARD

5-down – Patron of the arts in That Riviera Touch : ERATO

6-down – Closely guarded pet tumbled over and over : PATROLLED

7-down – Squirm in Thursday’s eruption : THRASH

8-down – Egoist twirled cigar : STOGIE

14-down – A manner people init­ially take for making amends : ATONEMENT

16-down – Make one believe clothing’s to be laundered : BRAINWASH

18-down – Pacify ten ewes in distress : SWEETEN

19-down – Small car’s no good in heavy industry : MINING

20-down – Ruler ingests a compound that’s active : REAGENT

21-down – Comment on evangelist : REMARK

23-down – German to criticise hard diagram : GRAPH

25-down – Unworldly domestic’s short of time : NAIVE

1-across – He’s sponsored superior seating cricket side added : GODSON

4-across – Communicators briefly suffering setback during Great Plague : EPIDEMIC

9-across – Shameless supporter of female branch of religion : BRAZEN

10-across – Emperor’s declaration of independence welcomed by Santa’s other half : CLAUDIUS

11-across – I catch extremely blasé felons on the run : CHIEFCONSTABLE

13-across – On cruise, this paper, not the Scotsman, can be a lifesaver : COASTGUARD

14-across – Available power replaced by ten draught animals : OXEN

16-across – This leads to masses of tiny holes : MOTH

18-across – Legislative body funds facility for night-time relief : CHAMBERPOT

21-across – Sailor wrecked Cambridge college rowers, so they say : ROBINSONCRUSOE

23-across – US mother turning back on her brothers, perhaps : UNCLESAM

24-across – Stalwart’s reviewed rent — everyone included : PILLAR

25-across – Abandons dodgy element of play at Wimbledon : DROPSHOT

26-across – When to eat fish caught in Wear? : FRIDAY

1-down – Rock drummer’s penultimate taunt : GIBE

2-down – Crisis gripping Switzerland’s former capital : DRACHMA

3-down – Paris’s father in extravagant amateur musical : OPERETTA

5-down – Like Mum and Dad, I complain vigorously about doctor : PALINDROMIC

6-down – Mistrusts the French leaving for a short time during game of tennis : DOUBTS

7-down – Bill often gets here in armour leading fight : MAILBOX

8-down – Fruit cut up primarily to feed players : CASHEWNUT

12-down – Lethargic spectator from Chesterfield apt to shuffle over? : COUCHPOTATO

13-down – Drop in yield : COMEROUND

15-down – Distinctive copper bar put up to support drill : PECULIAR

17-down – What’s old country’s top navigator brought back? : TOBACCO

19-down – Working girl with key turned up and nosed around : PROWLED

20-down – Knight with lustrous clothing rises and prepares to 22, maybe : KNEELS

22-down – Run in to return petition : PRAY