Daily Answers

7-across – Top rank in the most advanced units : FRONTLINE

8-across – Shanty for the rest of the sailors : CABIN

9-across – Crude and rude : UNREFINED

10-across – Playboy? : ACTOR

12-across – Festivities involve a number in lively dances : REVELS

13-across – An insect metamorphosis, for example : INSTANCE

14-across – Loving the commotion and the band : ADORING

17-across – Old streets may be repaired at last : COBBLED

20-across – Waiting without complaint, head accepts nice break : PATIENCE

22-across – Jumbo pilot? : MAHOUT

24-across – Silver down at melting point? : AGLOW

25-across – Organises us a minder — for a small charge? : NURSEMAID

26-across – Steps outside : STILE

27-across – Fractional dividend : NUMERATOR

1-down – Edge hoop in iron : FRINGE

2-down – Audio centre? : INNEREAR

3-down – A student tells tales, but makes friends : ALLIES

4-down – Lace with gin in a way that’s divine! : ANGELIC

5-down – She turns a gatecrasher over to US secret service : MARCIA

6-down – A split personality? : DIVORCEE

11-down – Ducks to see in European capital : OSLO

15-down – They may make people cold drinks : DRAUGHTS

16-down – Darling pet for Wendy : NANA

18-down – Unconventional description of old Prague : BOHEMIAN

19-down – Weak sun out, perhaps, around the East : TENUOUS

21-down – An expression of regret, perhaps : IFONLY

22-down – Smiled wryly when given the wrong directions : MISLED

23-down – International group is performing in concert : UNISON

9-across – Be rough in breaking one who’s close to you : NEIGHBOUR

10-across – Awfully coy at heart, Jane without a name gets a name : JOYCE

11-across – Turn with snake in the grass : WHEEL

12-across – Confined section of the theatre gripped by Bottom : ENCIRCLED

13-across – Grant the ex-president less latitude stifling last vestige of democracy in America? : ULYSSES

14-across – See 24 : OFPOWER

17-across – A second city gets senior to cut beastly sound : BASRA

19-across – Book setter having day off : SHE

20-across – Steadfast as a king changing sides at the start : LOYAL

21-across – A tiny amount for meringue maker? : WHISKER

22-across – Tough, having to accept gag cracking when run down : HAGGARD

24-across – Whitehall’s CID-proof — or worse — corrupt source of rumours : CORRIDORS

26-across – Contemptible sort of king interrupting Louis XIV, briefly : SKUNK

28-across – A chief of police, breaking restriction, performed a caper : LEAPT

29-across – Some think the Elgin Marbles were long involved with title : ILLGOTTEN

1-down – TV interference once broadcast goes over western tip of Norway : SNOW

2-down – Woe is me going round on reduced public transport : MISERY

3-down – With hot drinks, listen out for the largest fish : WHALESHARK

4-down – Underwear? We may well have seconds : BOXERS

5-down – Cure soft-spun sugar : FRUCTOSE

6-down – Open a ruler up : AJAR

7-down – Revolution Road’s dedicated track : CYCLEWAY

8-down – Nose blocked, eyes streaming? In that case, wear a hat! : HEAD

13-down – Pushy string player’s action, having finished with acknowledgement of applause? : UPBOW

15-down – Supposedly released by burning local firewood, oxygen entering isn’t freed : PHLOGISTON

16-down – US state accepted by Red Cross : RILED

18-down – Entry to motorway displays northbound alternative lager publicity : SLIPROAD

19-down – Moving jet-like over a road that’s dry : SARDONIC

22-down – Trouble when Hardy grabs smalls : HASSLE

23-down – Sharpness of mind very lacking in emptiness : ACUITY

24-down – See 8 : COLD

25-down – Trace a lover of Zeus, thanks : IOTA

27-down – Stock sum of money that may well be checked : KING

1-across – Number of games to support check : SETBACK

5-across – Live telecommunicators about to put on what they’ll never get back : BADDEBT

10-across – Trade mark mathematically undefined : LOGO

11-across – Roughly concerned with role played in my lawn? : MOREORLESS

12-across – What Susan had, a bright one of 9? : SHINER

13-across – Having gentle exterior, I don’t allow I might follow 4 : MILIBAND

14-across – : PLACENAME

16-across – Book to study after most of 21? : BLAIR

17-across – Briefly that extra distance that brings evidence of happiness : SMILE

19-across – A solver’s pursuing an inclination to dislike : ANTIPATHY

23-across – Saint’s part of design to be convenient for article from the East : IGNATIUS

24-across – Far off meteor : REMOTE

26-across – Where it all happens to cure stammering not with cheese : ONTHESCENE

27-across – Scots sweethearts surrounding wrong half of Greenham right after most of 21 : JOHN

28-across – Primitive punishment for doing what drugs do? : STONING

29-across – Sign on line with volumes : LIBRARY

2-down – Periodic table ends up with a lot of ducks in it : EPOCHAL

3-down – Sort of study to follow 16 : BROWN

4-down – Tory with some US input after 3 : CAMERON

6-down – God’s ahead when it comes to love : APOLLO

7-down – Caesar’s messenger to Cleopatra heard to favour US currency? : DOLABELLA

8-down – Dog when kept by Disraeli, say, familiarly? : BASENJI

9-down – Disraeli etc gives page setter in Italian city troubled rest : PRIMEMINISTER

15-down – Visit African country — the last first before most of 21 : CALLAGHAN

18-down – Eastern astronomers not on line : MAGINOT

20-down – Middle Eastern 9 losing head : ISRAELI

21-down – Egg developer of 9 losing head : HATCHER

22-down – Slow in working out predecessor of 15 : WILSON

25-down – See 27 : MAJOR

1-across – Post letters for Switzerland in different nations : STANCHION

6-across – Run male and female quarters : HAREM

9-across – Not the last reversal for queen and country : NIGER

10-across – Notice perch in extremely hard times : ADVERSITY

11-across – Fawns walk in confined area : CRAWLSPACE

12-across – Shoulder or stomach : BEAR

14-across – Mouth of smiley supporter : BRACKET

15-across – Unhappy Social Democrat finally resigned : STOICAL

17-across – Bone from tail of flightless bird? I’m not sure : STERNUM

19-across – Simple soldiers at ease outside : COMFREY

20-across – A lot of porridge or just a bowl of cherries? : LIFE

22-across – After quiet period artist produces exciting work : PAGETURNER

25-across – Feeling sorry for Estonians : SENSATION

26-across – Lancashire town providing support when king abdicates : BACUP

27-across – Role for Patrick Macnee’s horse : STEED

28-across – Fashion parades in which male’s taken lead : SPEARHEAD

1-down – Issue one cent coins for circulation? Carrying on thus — within reason — I create a sort of boom : SONIC

2-down – Garage repaired tank entering compound : AGGRAVATE

3-down – Singer-songwriter in Wenceslas Square, finally? : CAROLEKING

4-down – Current not carrying snake up the creek : INASPOT

5-down – Potential nuns may be turned on by bad habits : NOVICES

6-down – Divine consort from another age : HERA

7-down – Rubbish ends in English river : RHINE

8-down – Office in springtime said to have emptied tea trolley : MAYORALTY

13-down – What’s yielding for bare bum? : FOAMRUBBER

14-down – Hotel owner is seen with a thousand small lizards : BASILISKS

16-down – Liberace is disheartened after very bad record : CHRONICLE

18-down – Wealth that is retained for those lacking generosity : MEANIES

19-down – Slim Pickens finally entering church free from sin : CLEANSE

21-down – Criminal found with ring? : FENCE

23-down – Lightning strike brings in first of pickets : RAPID

24-down – Fish on film dropping a stick : WAND

1-across – List of items to finish in the oven : AGENDA

4-across – Supposed to be set in the grass : REPUTED

9-across – Regret about a lot of leisure, as artists do : REPRESENT

10-across – Love to diversify with reproductive organ? : OVARY

11-across – Food store hard to find in eastern capital? : DELHI

12-across – Party programme easily seen to come to nothing : MANIFESTO

13-across – Auntie, say, loses head in high spirits : ELATION

15-across – Models may be overhauled, but not often : SELDOM

17-across – To some extent unprepared, perhaps, for a marital contract : PRENUP

19-across – Leading sniper did his work, being good at it : SKILLED

22-across – Mount a siege to join society? : BELEAGUER

24-across – Shadow causing some encumbrance : UMBRA

26-across – Hum of old bishop at older city : ODOUR

27-across – In some degree the whole of Ireland can be seen dancing : BALLERINA

28-across – Regrettable adventure to the abyss with immature backing : GULFWAR

29-across – Result of mixed race involving heartless king and wife cut short : HYBRID

1-down – Contract given to a composer : ABRIDGE

2-down – Peel gets cross, upset and put out : EXPEL

3-down – What’s cast by artist who knows how to feed : DIETITIAN

4-down – Popularity lists for sailors? : RATINGS

5-down – Assured fact that may have to be corrected? : PROOF

6-down – Growth of Grahame’s character’s instrument? : TOADSTOOL

7-down – Time’s not up in Ohio : DAYTON

8-down – European nearly related, but not quite : GERMAN

14-down – Fill a poor mocked victim with embarrassment : APRILFOOL

16-down – A wreath doubtless required, but in no hurry : LEISURELY

18-down – Could Wodehouse be right as performer on pipes? : PLUMBER

19-down – Brook, quiet at first, took on a high note : SHRILL

20-down – Appliance for the unsound? If dead, a mistake : DEAFAID

21-down – Shape departed at length : OBLONG

23-down – Shaft, thin, without head but with head : ARROW

25-down – Growth of scripture teaching among lawyers? : BRIAR