Daily Answers

1-across – Private school head’s not initially remote : SAPPER

5-across – Luggage carrier, originally from vehicle back into castle : ROOFRACK

9-across – Increase number in layer : HEIGHTEN

10-across – A display of inexperience after cancelled service? Hatchback is deadly : LETHAL

11-across – Tool returning chez Dad for a bit : ADZE

12-across – Downpour : CLOUDBURST

13-across – Part of Liverpool 9, say : HUYTON

14-across – New Brighton? Head off about the distance from equator given by grid reference : NORTHING

16-across – Two rock bands of the ’70s, one halving drug use, take time showing expressiveness : ELOQUENT

19-across – Threaten to go out with head of government, say : GUTTER

21-across – Soldier’s messing about in task : ASSIGNMENT

23-across – Some oddities of uncertain recollection : UFOS

24-across – Almost 5 or 10, with 10 the turning point? : VORTEX

25-across – Informed about husband reportedly drunk in foreign city : SHANGHAI

26-across – Get rid of black snot I produced : JETTISON

27-across – Foreign agreement embraced by parties in folk dance movement : DOSIDO

2-down – At first agreed to lug old case round Englishman’s castle for PM : ALECDOUGLASHOME

3-down – Eg pork pie given to a model carrying little weight : PIGMEAT

4-down – Eccentric characters mostly surprised by English reserve : RETICENCE

5-down – Weak summary : RUNDOWN

6-down – Cooked topless when tipsy : OILED

7-down – Make fresh contact with outreach organisation, after adult goes missing : RETOUCH

8-down – Old French epic song from one of the Rat Pack? : CHANSONDEROLAND

15-down – Sort of man that can be relied on to be far from sinister : RIGHTHAND

17-down – Band in which piano takes up odd bits of tune : QUINTET

18-down – Turncoat’s foremost pretext for disloyalty : TREASON

20-down – Walks wearily as a Dickensian in outskirts of Totnes : TRUDGES

22-down – Vetoes the other trendy set-up : NIXES

7-across – Organise strike that will achieve aim unerringly : DIRECTHIT

8-across – Conduct British band : BRING

9-across – Winning by rendering defenceless? : DISARMING

10-across – Fish appeared to be off : SMELT

12-across – They involve a shift in one’s beliefs : FAITHS

13-across – Hold a show trial : REHEARSE

14-across – Major transaction sarcastically acclaimed! : BIGDEAL

17-across – He’s unpopular, having dismissed the actors : OUTCAST

20-across – Scotsman has his brief moment of masculine glory : MACHISMO

22-across – Managed football team without love for autocratic foreigner : FRANCO

24-across – They guide southern sailors : STARS

25-across – Fairy with opportunity for looking around : PERISCOPE

26-across – He sculpted man embracing girl : RODIN

27-across – Purge has racist components : CATHARSIS

1-down – Note article cannot be reduced : MINIMA

2-down – Started out late : DEPARTED

3-down – Must fix rider’s wooden legs : STUMPS

4-down – Soldier’s stood up girl and married woman abroad : SIGNORA

5-down – Misdeed on a battleground : CRIMEA

6-down – Snail, say, is about to show determination : ANALYSIS

11-down – It became you : THOU

15-down – Idleness seen at work : INACTION

16-down – In addition a number’s coming to zero : ALSO

18-down – Opening lines in court : CHANCERY

19-down – Odd name for gang leader : FOREMAN

21-down – Horse on hire, having been broken : HEROIN

22-down – Escape of fifty during battle : FLIGHT

23-down – A round game, perhaps : CUPTIE

7-across – Apes?! : MUSHYPEAS

8-across – Faint with illness after vegetable starter : VAGUE

9-across – Lunatic unmanned? Not in this puzzle! : ONEACROSS

10-across – Island escape : MANGE

12-across – Charm unhealthy pal into eating vegetable : APPEAL

13-across – Support for essentials of writer’s home: king’s copper penny : INKSTAND

16-across – Vehicle disintegrates : CARROTS

19-across – Boatman gets sack in church : CABBAGE

22-across – Bedlam as Spooner ate rodent : MADHOUSE

25-across – Vegetable gum : LEGUME

27-across – Somewhere in the north : SWEDE

28-across – Tragic result about one lost from nine miners : TUNNELERS

29-across – Shiny little vegetable : SLEEK

30-across – Fool that is not perturbed by Spain’s first slave treaties : ASSIENTOS

1-down – pi ?! : TURNIP

2-down – Bird in celebrity magazine putting on outer garments : WHEATEAR

3-down – Formation of tornado in southern April storms : SPIRAL

4-down – Lays blame over … : PARSNIP

5-down – … container container container container of nothing : VACANT

6-down – Trump started to live, excluded, away from home at first : OUTGUN

11-down – Good god! : OKRA

14-down – See 16 : ANA

15-down – Cash in chips at the casino? You might need this : DIE

16-down – Metal image of God reputedly placed above a South American city : CUM

17-down – Tell diner about … : RED

18-down – See 10 : TOUT

20-down – … startling horse eaten by naughty goblin : BOGGLING

21-down – Fight off engineer over vegetable : REPULSE

23-down – Too much wave motion beneath one : ASWELL

24-down – Avoids commitment when Shed, say, is playing tricks : HEDGES

25-down – See 17 : LENTIL

26-down – Dispute after damage : MARROW

1-across – Bouncer, saving time, bad spy tailed? : POTOROO

5-across – British PM’s obvious success : BALDWIN

9-across – Journalists hurry : PRESS

10-across – The Rain King is, they conclude, in love : HENDERSON

11-across – Double manoeuvre against province men met with calamity : PINCERMOVEMENT

13-across – Aesthetic or non-aesthetic? He’s gone for the former : ARTY

14-across – Rogue repaired air con, trapping oxygen; there’s little change ahead : PICAROON

17-across – Work to repeat work : OPERETTA

18-across – Gem? : TWIN

21-across – Function involving end of exam: every candidate taking part received a little food course : SMALLINTESTINE

23-across – Principle or not a popular order for CAMRA members! : RATIONALE

24-across – Slowly responded to some of the advice of Polonius? : LENTO

25-across – C-in-C, one taking both sides in rumour : WARLORD

26-across – Fashionable place to walk along the pier topless : RIGHTON

1-down – Mediocre writing by a follower of Oscar : PAPA

2-down – Batter who makes test runs all the time : THELITTLEMASTER

3-down – Cut away some of trees out of control around castle : RESECT

4-down – Books belonging to Esther or Ruth, say — or those not yet mentioned : OTHERS

5-down – Head up, in maintaining current easy disposition : BONHOMIE

6-down – Short, general email off the subject : LIEGEMAN

7-down – Throwaway remark? : WASTENOTWANTNOT

8-down – Ice cream for the perspiring parts of genius? : NINETYNINE

12-down – Under counter, old drunken farts won sham argument : MANOFSTRAW

15-down – Ding-dong involving Johnny Green and Tommy Stout in fortunate circumstances? : WELLTODO

16-down – Blasts upwards and pierces flag : STANDARD

19-down – Energy packs divers never finish : VENEER

20-down – Floor formation, not a little camp : STALAG

22-down – Can he? : JOHN

7-across – Fox’s situation’s sadly been lost : BELSTONE

9-across – I stay at Maidenhead, in the same place : IBIDEM

10-across – Short funeral hymn reflected basis for puzzles : GRID

11-across – Precede clown by one head : ANTICIPATE

12-across – Mostly attached by firm plaster : STUCCO

14-across – Organ composition that requires looking into? : EYEPIECE

15-across – Smallholder in the old sultanate? : YEOMAN

17-across – Like entrance to court, or what’s inside? : ATRIAL

20-across – Clever date arranged over the fast : TALENTED

22-across – Penalty over it must be within limits : FINITE

23-across – Mere wood at first, just in, in a word : TIMBERLAKE

24-across – Setter’s bird? : KNOT

25-across – Well known part of a mouse in film : FAMOUS

26-across – Irrational hate follows not being quick on the draw : DEADHEAT

1-down – Adviser was droll, without sin : WERRITTY

2-down – Employed American journalist : USED

3-down – Murphy finds crap without crap : POTATO

4-down – Its creed could be judicious : DISCREET

5-down – Said to feel absence of one jailed for failure of duty : MISPRISION

6-down – Cold after the start of a month is rotten : SEPTIC

8-down – Poor Terence, caught out of course : ENTREE

13-down – Mystery of exclusive order? : CLOSEDBOOK

16-down – Flower is grand, as seen on the keyboard : ASTERISK

18-down – Some rubbish said to be found on the beach : LITTORAL

19-down – King of 3? : EDWARD

21-down – Creature turned layer : ANIMAL

22-down – Gaffer lost Roger — against 15? : FOEMAN

24-down – Black stuff sounds like old chancellor : KOHL