Daily Answers

1-across – Turn universal desire into artistic medium : GOUACHE

5-across – Vessel’s unusually dark brown, previously : TANKARD

10-across – Take it easy, having recounted sexual conquests : LAZE

11-across – Pack clerical garment into total nerd’s collection? : STAMPALBUM

12-across – Beam about impediment to love : LINTEL

13-across – Relative — nephew, cousin, husband? — starts to loosen up : UNCLENCH

14-across – Boatman’s song — something sung in nude? : BARCAROLE

16-across – Like backing Norse god or Greek one : SATYR

17-across – Cellar-bound : VAULT

19-across – Crawler to yield, adopting opponents’ advice : CENTIPEDE

23-across – Clue to foster-child’s disadvantage? : DRAWBACK

24-across – Tenor’s heart gets put into temperamental solo : MONODY

26-across – One undertaking to fiddle with agricultural equipment : CONTRACTOR

27-across – Repair oath : DARN

28-across – Jump across 51 illumin­ated after dusk : STARLIT

29-across – The French king filling Paris, perhaps, with brightness : CLARITY

2-down – Reconstructed source of Aztec or Inca instrument : OCARINA

3-down – Obviate, or declare, time : AVERT

4-down – Solicitor breaking the rules, lacking energy : HUSTLER

6-down – Face muscle, in a way : ASPECT

7-down – Wicked program in which 9 character absorbs sick end of tape : KILLERAPP

8-down – Erotic fish consuming meal topless : RAUNCHY

9-down – Writer badly mauled : SAMUELBECKETT

15-down – Supply food, entertaining elderly women with adverse criticism : COLDWATER

18-down – Irish river featuring in pictures of transport hub : AIRPORT

20-down – Medic disturbing weary trainee with bit of percussion : TIMBREL

21-down – Cheated and ran over thinker : DIDEROT

22-down – Some sausages à la Milanese? : SALAMI

25-down – Free an upturned bottom : NADIR

1-across – The Church is after him, say, to deliver judgment : PRONOUNCE

6-across – It breaks and breaks around the West : DAWN

8-across – Criticism for decent chap leading strike : BRICKBAT

9-across – German sub : ERSATZ

10-across – Nit-picker takes notes in exercise books : PEDANT

11-across – You won’t care if you lose it : INTEREST

12-across – Noted and objected : MINDED

15-across – One with minor responsibilities in a newspaper : GUARDIAN

16-across – Prank ceased being funny when father came in : ESCAPADE

19-across – Not a person of substance, presumably : NOBODY

21-across – Seizes egg collections : CLUTCHES

22-across – Private doctor comes in this month : INMOST

24-across – Go back by air? : REPAIR

25-across – Criminal who runs a 13 down business : RECEIVER

26-across – Indication that a writer’s revision is not better : STET

27-across – I wondered about getting a bedcover : EIDERDOWN

1-down – Quietly fancy a witch-hunt : PURGE

2-down – Fruit supplier made love to cleaner in street : ORCHARD

3-down – Circulate gold coin : ORBIT

4-down – Love to be on night shift : NOTHING

5-down – Complaint as regards public transport : EYESTRAIN

6-down – Title in fact much wished for : DESIRED

7-down – Oppose having a base : WITHSTAND

13-down – Rude about vessel’s prow being on the rocks : INSOLVENT

14-down – Orders hay to be put out for this animal : DRAYHORSE

17-down – A pamphlet said to make a personal appeal : ATTRACT

18-down – Guaranteed safe, when in extremity : ENSURED

20-down – Young Italian graduate doctor in love : BAMBINO

22-down – Experience part of the main current : INCUR

23-down – Grim end to a ship : STERN

9-across – See 15 : ONEBASKET

10-across – See 22 down : BUCKS

11-across – Former minister, communist 16 : REDWOOD

12-across – A first for Groucho in his brother’s show : CHICAGO

13-across – Follow up to joke — have sex? : GETIT

14-across – Bird, obstructed by wide tree, sadly died and made this sound? : TWITTERED

16-across – Rivers, perhaps Po and Cam used in opening to television broadcast : STANDUPCOMEDIAN

19-across – Thoughtless Gazza initially left one German with space in goal : NEGLIGENT

21-across – Noisily take in House, interrupting Conservative politician : CHOMP

22-across – Saying about overdoses with line: If it can go wrong it will : SODSLAW

23-across – The word’s gone around street: American hot women with Italian : WHATSIT

24-across – Sharp tip off : ALERT

25-across – Revered one expensive watch design — times out : ROLEMODEL

1-down – See 15 : YOUREGGSIN

2-down – Screen reservists assuming outcome for bloody dispute : VENDETTA

3-down – Prance around with one of the characters in short videotape? : CAVORT

4-down – Detailed Murdoch’s business and papers lose control : SKID

5-down – Staff on strike over computing go to the bitter end : STICKITOUT

6-down – Drink at home — French tea after six-pack? : ABSINTHE

7-down – Sweet 16 : ECLAIR

8-down – Strasbourg’s punishment for yobs? : ASBO

14-down – Put up spread, rewrap sandwich — last piece of cheese in this? : TUPPERWARE

15-down – Keep options open using Bolton — adult Peter Kay’s gone off : DONTPUTALL

17-down – Small amounts doctor allowed to stop cause of diarrhoea? : DRIBLETS

18-down – Decrease part for TV detective : IRONSIDE

20-down – Gizmo in middle of night ate dinner — gremlins originally appear on Spielberg film : GADGET

21-down – Close Mac Meal ultimately — a sign of McDonald’s goodness : CLAMMY

22-down – Chain of old bodyguards surrounding 16 : STAR

23-down – Turn down female? He won’t : WOLF

1-across – See 4 : TOFFEE

4-across – Expensive entertaining revolting upper-class twit, promising to miss starter that’s calorific : STICKY

9-across – What’s testable in a crash? : SEAT

10-across – Old backward language of criminals in pubs, still : PHOTOGRAPH

11-across – See 6 : DINNER

12-across – Brown trapping Blair finally, Labour leader cut short in dispatch : TRANSMIT

13-across – Analyser put paper cups in wiggly line : LEFTBRAIN

15-across – Superior sticks around : SMUG

16-across – See 9 : BELT

17-across – Canal man hurried to tether boat, not heading back : DELESSEPS

21-across – The Barbarian crossing street, little time for uniform : CONSTANT

22-across – Spurs getting to grips with new balls? : GONADS

24-across – Do it in dry surroundings — this dripping? : STALACTITE

25-across – Female cuckoo steals one : MAID

26-across – Again, arrange to see Blackpool, perhaps : RESORT

27-across – Unknown craft not to be trusted breaking surface at sea : FLYING

1-down – Man dressed as Scotsman upset English just the same : THELIKE

2-down – Amusing pockets to 9 : FUTON

3-down – King penguin? : EMPEROR

5-down – Try to catch hockey initially, or a bit of some cricket, perhaps? : THORAX

6-down – Sardine this moronic, oddly fishy as a 16 down? : CHRISTMAS

7-down – Wages rocketing, game not half barking! : YAPPING

8-down – Two painters blended in red mark : PORTWINESTAIN

14-down – Professional calling, else fashioned in lies? : TELESALES

16-down – Fish left in hat : BLOATER

18-down – Ovum has to do well, roughly speaking? : EGGCELL

19-down – See 4 : PUDDING

20-down – See 27 : SAUCER

23-down – Monsoon ending, doctor between two thunderclouds : NIMBI

9-across – Bizarre replies to letter writer : EPISTOLER

10-across – British military force that’s not all there : BARMY

11-across – US codes broken — they no longer work in Europe : ESCUDOS

12-across – Met nine or ten men I somehow distinguished : EMINENT

13-across – Gradually reduce fear, with soldier ignoring the odds : ERODE

14-across – Restrained Conservative went with expedition : CHASTENED

16-across – Something offensive hidden in crosswords, say — and other across answers : CONCEALEDWEAPON

19-across – Before a doctor returned, put alcohol in new ointment : SPIKENARD

21-across – Girl’s name, as usual, initially written in wrong size : SUZIE

22-across – Holding back game in Japan, avoids leaders there : SHOGUNS

23-across – Drink with vegetables, we hear, in some North American homes : TEEPEES

24-across – Marble article placed in front of entrance : AGATE

25-across – Contracting, hurried back with work for crew : NARROWING

1-down – Testimonials on the subject of barriers around monarch : REFERENCES

2-down – Remove symbol of royalty from record, with name below line : DISCROWN

3-down – For example, spots rising fare unpalatable to consumers : STODGE

4-down – Dump all you possess, ultimately — that’s a positive sign : PLUS

5-down – Generous letters he has delivered outside : FREEHANDED

6-down – Kind of alcohol available in labs, in theory : ABSINTHE

7-down – Incite masked man in theatre, losing head : URGEON

8-down – Biological liquid container kept in pharmacy store : CYST

14-down – Coming down pass, have a little drink and celebrate : COLLAPSING

15-down – Warning as gardening’s gone wrong : DANGERSIGN

17-down – Performs, engaging in sometimes exaggerated accounts? : EXECUTES

18-down – No square meals in this restaurant? : PIZZERIA

20-down – Lives on old bank, on which pressure is constant : ISOBAR

21-down – Audibly spelt out copper’s parting statement : SEEYOU

22-down – Animal found in loch as well as ocean : SEAL

23-down – Attempt to retain old prayer in Church of England? : TORY