Daily Answers

8-across – Glossy horse corralled in front of the French house of horror : HELLHOLE

9-across – Where to try to win affection : COURT

10-across – Hide in shower : PELT

11-across – A quiet mutterer perhaps supplying hearing aid : EARTRUMPET

12-across – Robust articles censored when Grundy died? : STURDY

14-across – Seed carrier not beginning to precede fruit? Correct! : EMENDATE

15-across – Chameleon’s kitchen equipment? : BLENDER

17-across – Fitzgerald goes to bog with Fielding : FENELLA

20-across – Former governor securing little time to make shawl : PASHMINA

22-across – Provide fresh handle for queen scooping hair back : RENAME

23-across – Nothing terminal caught by southern-style academic : SCHOLASTIC

24-across – Nut loaf : HEAD

25-across – Figure achieved by women shedding pounds, maybe? On the contrary : EIGHT

26-across – Turncoat having a gender-bending experience, initially : RENEGADE

1-down – Support for sweetheart embracing little boy : PEDESTAL

2-down – Dull place to live : FLAT

3-down – Mundane setter given divine setting : HOMELY

4-down – Encourage to catch 25 + 2 : HEARTEN

5-down – Director’s to purchase drugs, popping first of sugared pills : SCORSESE

6-down – Sourpuss has gone off covered with dog dirt : CURMUDGEON

7-down – Thoroughfare — let it be without troops : STREET

13-down – Transfix in rehearsal : RUNTHROUGH

16-down – Baked pie, not at all nice, causing downturn : EPINASTY

18-down – Unruly mob occupying fatty part of Italy : LOMBARDY

19-down – Left an aquatic bird light : LANTERN

21-down – Protester decapitated by old soldier : ARCHER

22-down – Sporting arena receiving account of sport : RACING

24-down – Stoned possible precursor of summer school society? : HIGH

1-across – Old entertainer calming a dicky bird : MAGICLANTERN

8-across – Island almost won by lucky man before a battle : IWOJIMA

9-across – Hesitation before one crucified Italian : UMBRIAN

11-across – Sheds listed by cartographers : LEANTOS

12-across – Attractive but ignoring fine print : ETCHING

13-across – Hampshire needed part in The Forsyte Saga : IRENE

14-across – Fat cat or animated dog caught stool pigeon : PLUTOCRAT

16-across – March about Stoke Poges when king is deposed : GOOSESTEP

19-across – One thing after another for school : TRAIN

21-across – Old boy’s meeting place that’s disgusting : OBSCENE

23-across – A thrice-cooked kind of biscuit? : RICHTEA

24-across – Prior possibly more noble? : EARLIER

25-across – Friendly questioning of speaker’s power : AMIABLE

26-across – Offering no respite, bank admits reduced funds for borrowers : RELENTLESSLY

1-down – Place to drop anchor, say — a space taken up : MOORAGE

2-down – Miller’s material extremely low-grade? That’s hard to swallow : GRISTLE

3-down – Dave’s mate gets thirty days, having concealed old rifle : CHASSEPOT

4-down – A clipped English accent : ACUTE

5-down – Explorer who is standing firm leaves for a smoke : TOBACCO

6-down – Prince with more cats and dogs? : RAINIER

7-down – I got landline working — that means phone may be used : DIALLINGTONE

10-down – Fliers approaching? Can air force get squadron leader? : NIGHTINGALES

15-down – High Court trial that’s appropriate when starting sentence? : UPPERCASE

17-down – Keep watch, say : OBSERVE

18-down – Lime tree not left out for recluse : EREMITE

19-down – Alarm bells when harmful substances are mentioned : TOCSINS

20-down – Call for support when cricketer turns up in a play : ATTABOY

22-down – Winger showing remorse when missing header : EGRET

1-across – The Germans stayed there? France joining messy towel wars around Torquay’s borders : FAWLTY

4-across – Philosophical alternative to chicken comes first for intellectuals? : EGGHEADS

9-across – Disturb please — on the contrary for kipper’s state! : ASLEEP

10-across – First couple from Turner artist blocking the killing of animals in the name of art? : CULTURAL

12-across – Dentist’s recommendation taking lead from fluoride deficiency : FLOSS

13-across – Heart of communication problem — ultimately after a plan : AIM

14-across – Explicit girl in Beatles’ song heard with diamonds : LUCID

15-across – Bring back some relic, if use relates to a Muslim : SUFIC

16-across – Home counties after place to put cultural extreme? : INTENSE

18-across – Introductions to the builders with O’Reilly in the middle left one catchphrase of 1 25 for capital : TBILISI

19-across – Dear left following favourite start to anniversary : PETAL

21-across – Animal cry in stable attack : BLEAT

22-across – Remains after fire alarm sounded primarily by hotel : ASH

23-across – Organised body, dead body — disposing of evidence at the start : CORPS

24-across – Pertwee’s limits in Dr Who, perhaps: a touch of class well defined : SPECIFIC

25-across – See 1 : TOWERS

26-across – Heather’s broken by one piece from McCartney: sex with bounds : LIMITING

27-across – Partner would make supermarket run if opening of tills moved to the earliest slot : ESCORT

1-down – Fluke — Gordon’s description encapsulating explosive fit? : FLATFISH

2-down – Leader of wedding party going inside Alan’s little room for singles, initially, a lady almost gives classic order in 1 25 : WALDORF

3-down – They almost managed it! Script has year to produce episode of 1 25 : THEPSYCHIATRIST

5-down – Classic 1 25 straightening menu : GOURMETNIGHT

6-down – Helicopters not flying south — surprise guests at 1 25 : HOTELINSPECTORS

7-down – January is colder, now and again, for outer part of ear : AURICLE

8-down – See 2 : SALAD

11-down – What 21 down was in one 1 25 story — one story about a seal of approval : RATIFICATION

17-down – Not much distance between spectators at either end: Celtic goes down at the start of extra time : CLOSESET

18-down – Draw smile from joiner in loft : TIEBEAM

20-down – To make a further attempt to capture Polaris’ top missile? : TORPEDO

21-down – Herb found in 1 25’s kitchen? : BASIL

1-across – Title for chap guarding queen, in a way : MANNER

4-across – Work in parts arranged for each of Queen’s musicians : POPSTAR

9-across – Queen invariably accepted by African country? Not altogether : GUINEVERE

10-across – Queen Mother meeting first lady : MAEVE

11-across – The Queen, say, to perfection welcoming head of state : TOAST

12-across – Queen briefly appearing in 9, 16 and 27 : ELIZABETH

13-across – Doctor knew half of royals — that includes Queens : NEWYORK

15-across – Necklace from ancestor queen acquired : TORQUE

17-across – Queens in East spotted a king going west : RANEES

19-across – Queens, for example, on being embraced by merry monarch : COLLEGE

22-across – Queen I expelled from Mediterranean city : ALEXANDRA

24-across – In hand, bridge partners spot queens, potentially : PAWNS

26-across – Queen awfully hot, it was said : QUOTH

27-across – Film player capturing the rook or queen : CATHERINE

28-across – French queen’s refusal received by English king : ELEANOR

29-across – A short step for queen going from one European country to another : ASTRID

1-down – Size of big explosion turning up no precious stone : MEGATON

2-down – New song raised money in Africa : NAIRA

3-down – Part of circuit chosen, then travelled : ELECTRODE

4-down – Anticipate publicity proclamation : PREDICT

5-down – Plain maiden taken in by old man : PAMPA

6-down – Encountered in English and French articles music associated with 20, say : THEMETUNE

7-down – Produce sound reflections contributing to free choice : REECHO

8-down – Old stringed instrument on sign : REBECK

14-down – Hit with something contentious in part of foundation : WHALEBONE

16-down – Real disruption perturbed press — their complaints get worse again : RELAPSERS

18-down – Mixed with cider, as required for cocktail : SIDECAR

19-down – Keen to include a measure that’s shrewd : CRAFTY

20-down – Part of our capital retrieved from enterprise as ten dividends : EASTEND

21-down – Embargo what French put in vessel : BARQUE

23-down – Pale in colour, like one kind of crustacean : ASHEN

25-down – Noise made by fans, leading West Ham in rare recovery : WHIRR

7-across – Tramp is unlikely source of 12 down : ARMPITS

8-across – Staff vote about Scots town : PAYROLL

9-across – 6 in Devon : BEER

10-across – Uncertain purposes of Radio 4? : LOOSEENDS

12-across – Fantastic figure one can’t produce : ANTIC

13-across – It’s wrong to use clairvoyance in interpreting stars : TRESPASS

15-across – Fish with a sort of tailpiece : CODA

16-across – Of an ass, it’s said, for example, all stupid : LEGAL

17-across – Low number may be seen at night : MOON

18-across – Nips with variation of ball : BACKSPIN

20-across – Hidden wealth is a pain to many : CACHE

21-across – Point to puns, like fencing : SWORDPLAY

22-across – Stone’s no good in ball game : RUBY

24-across – Dramatist increasingly without deceit : MOLIERE

25-across – Operation that finds you past recovery : AUTOPSY

1-down – Charge is about right — nothing! : FREE

2-down – Performance not quite open spoiled treat : OPERETTA

3-down – Character showing inclination? : ITALIC

4-down – Spooner’s alarm for a tart? : BAKEWELL

5-down – Agreement before the ceremony to smarten oneself : PRENUP

6-down – What may be drawn from local essentials? : ALES

11-down – Shape of label put by officer on a trainee : OCTAGONAL

12-down – A capital fragrance : AROMA

14-down – Trollope’s inclination? : SLOPE

16-down – Drink dairy product — it’s set in stone : LAPIDARY

17-down – A vehicle in 17 across takes the biscuit : MACAROON

19-down – No timber? Then it’s back to China clay : KAOLIN

20-down – Rodents shy at Manx cat : COYPUS

21-down – China’s revolution has to cease : STOP

23-down – Fish may be bottled 6 : BASS