Daily Answers

1-across – Starting for club and a fight? About time! I’ll get you a taxi : CABTOUT

5-across – Bird of the quickest relative speed : KESTREL

9-across – Oratory fought fight, beat beast, missing bus at random : THEGIFTOFTHEGAB

10-across – Head of operations with a knowledge of wood : OAKEN

11-across – Half a pint? : SMALLBEER

12-across – Mexican actor on day one away from insurgent body : MONTALBAN

14-across – Poor quality drinking water in river : TATTY

15-across – Smith’s fake : FORGE

16-across – Grandma’s shot at milk producer : NANNYGOAT

18-across – React badly in a number of fruit : NECTARINE

21-across – Explorer’s name and number for unfinished course : VASCO

22-across – Auxiliaries inland, first to call : TERRITORIALARMY

23-across – Sea, it’s said, as religious article : CASPIAN

24-across – Changed agreement performed as reported : AMENDED

1-down – Copper couple with jolly caterpillar : CUTWORM

2-down – Doing better than before in destruction of 78s? : BREAKINGRECORDS

3-down – You get nothing for nothing in French pictures to align : ORIENTATE

4-down – Arch-emperor? : TITUS

5-down – Unofficial thumping for most of party in Ireland : KOFIANNAN

6-down – Where some African countries are off the leash : SAHEL

7-down – Teased Tory leader to provoke left-wing philanthropist : RAGGEDTROUSERED

8-down – Free range item cooked by litre : LIBERTY

13-down – Unofficial financiers, one body : BANKIMOON

14-down – Unofficial effort to prove missing one false? : TRYGVELIE

15-down – Cooler part of house, say, for extreme enthusiast : FANATIC

17-down – Couple looked unlike Cyclops : TWOEYED

19-down – A bit of 8 first line of defence : ALIBI

20-down – Life in Rome after English musical : EVITA

1-across – Quality controller eats duck found in the kitchen : TOASTER

5-across – Setter’s established proofreader’s charged : IMPUTED

9-across – Vulnerable former model died : EXPOSED

10-across – Primate caught in deception set back defence : PARAPET

11-across – Post about a break in the cloud : MARESTAIL

12-across – Material produces anger after a short time : MOIRE

13-across – Stir a large watercourse : CANAL

15-across – Madam favouring kippers has seconds : PROCURESS

17-across – Philosopher tries a lot when in trouble : ARISTOTLE

19-across – Bugs devouring American’s appetisers : TAPAS

22-across – Medicine containing sulphur is a disaster : CURSE

23-across – Charlie’s urged on to be contrite : CHASTENED

25-across – Rascal learning to appeal : IMPLORE

26-across – Six-footer keeps quiet in survey : INSPECT

27-across – Saw note about piece of cake : NOSWEAT

28-across – Girl blustered: That’s OK : GRANTED

1-down – The marine in charge of heat : THERMIC

2-down – Cravin’ a drug : ASPIRIN

3-down – Team leader requests work : TASKS

4-down – Revolutionary vehicle cherished for bearing stars : REDCARPET

5-down – Instigate wicked lie about politician : IMPEL

6-down – Cardinal’s mean on the whole : PARAMOUNT

7-down – Cut kills fish : TOPSIDE

8-down – Red hits out and wavers : DITHERS

14-down – Flexible article like this splits fruit : LITHESOME

16-down – On choosing to conceal age : OPERATING

17-down – Conflict about acceptable type of sale : AUCTION

18-down – Breaks in damaged stirrup : IRRUPTS

20-down – Hanging gives writer depression : PENDENT

21-down – Bridge players went out together under the influence : SEDATED

23-down – Climber initially has a break below the summit : CREST

24-down – Opera almost in proportion : TOSCA

1-across – Pick off reptile hiding in French 9 : CULLEN

4-across – Tea is after 9 : BREWIS

9-across – Very excited, for starters : SOUP

10-across – Make home in space station with 1 9 : MINESTRONE

11-across – They’re scaled by companions, but not at first : ADDERS

12-across – Lively hostel accommodating public, almost packed : YOUTHFUL

13-across – Kind of 9 adult leaves ahead of schedule : BROTHERLY

15-across – Dirty money, mostly : MEAN

16-across – No money in one’s chest : BUST

17-across – Tempera is mixed at leisure : SPARETIME

21-across – 9 a month is about right : JULIENNE

22-across – Twice left food back at bar : BISTRO

24-across – Exposed a member after sheepskin top removed : OUTONALIMB

25-across – Some auxiliary bones : ILIA

26-across – Appointments to hear Tory leader aboard ship : TRYSTS

27-across – Biscuit company, one from Oklahoma : COOKIE

1-down – Dog race lost by 9 : CHOWDER

2-down – Slip, keel over, pass away : LAPSE

3-down – Drunken seamen take first shower all together : ENMASSE

5-down – Spicy 9? Recipe for book trade : RISQUE

6-down – Best time to hurry when caught in crush? : WORTHIEST

7-down – Hide irritation after lengthy exposure : SUNBURN

8-down – Distribute a licenced copy full of information : ENCYCLOPAEDIC

14-down – It notes my criminal statement : TESTIMONY

16-down – After short fight I leave inoffensive scent : BOUQUET

18-down – Indian gentleman goes after game 9 : RUBABOO

19-down – Pot holding 9 — love it or hate it! : MARMITE

20-down – Perfect degree subject for a diplomat? : INTACT

23-down – See 1 across : SKINK

5-across – Scoundrel best avoided by soldiers : BADEGG

6-across – Scholar regrettably about to make obeisance : SALAAM

9-across – Maintain there’s some body in the beer : ALLEGE

10-across – Textile manufacturer’s bequest to his son? : HEIRLOOM

11-across – Baked beans need this lid for protection : TOPI

12-across – A certain reluctance to give credit : SCEPTICISM

13-across – Southern way out unfit for the voyage : UNSEAWORTHY

18-across – Austerity budget afoot : SHOESTRING

21-across – Mean? No, jolly! : NORM

22-across – A boss in a limited company : OLIGARCH

23-across – Missing sailors — ten adrift : ABSENT

24-across – Catch ten out with a quick blow : ENTRAP

25-across – Forms issued when there’s no employment : DISUSE

1-down – Had spread rumour about attachment : ADHESION

2-down – Consents but will be a long time coming round again : AGREES

3-down – Is jesting about providing support in flight : BANISTER

4-down – Plant the Italian found in rock climbing : GARLIC

5-down – Writer to ring firm up : BELLOC

7-down – Revolutionary form of Taoism : MAOIST

8-down – A spokesman? : WHEELWRIGHT

14-down – One sort of examiner always circles a wrong mark : EXTERNAL

15-down – Distributes striking proclamation : HANDSOUT

16-down – Put off by girl wanting affection but no ring : SHELVE

17-down – It takes an age to get a suntan : BRONZE

19-down – Numbers set out in rows : EIGHTS

20-down – Free a deserter held by soldiers : GRATIS

8-across – A king given independence in new surroundings is a bit odd : FREAKISH

9-across – Ready to circle river 26 down : CRASH

10-across – In shock — needing a bender! : KNEE

11-across – Audio device by which the musically illiterate might play an instrument : EARTRUMPET

12-across – Cut, say, in number of people involved in legal process : INJURY

14-across – Exposed as a fraud and deprived of a berth? : DEBUNKED

16-across – US state benefits from brownie-importing Herts town : WELFARE

18-across – Gaily, casually welcoming sex leads to suppleness : AGILITY

21-across – City well taken in by criminal : FLORENCE

23-across – 26 down underwear short woman returned : BRAZIL

24-across – Fixed price mythological bird with a £ given in return : RECIPROCAL

26-across – People of mixed Latin and Korean origins : FOLK

27-across – One and minus one, continuously : ONEND

28-across – 26 down edited Mail on Sunday article : MONALISA

1-down – Alternative jig, say, to secure new mounted guns : ORDNANCE

2-down – 26 down’s second-rate old president : BABE

3-down – Spender’s opposite end of poetry for 26 down : MISERY

4-down – 26 down’s one day cuts into cleaner energy : CHARADE

5-down – Tree wizard on river : ACER

6-down – A solemn organisation overturning everything that could poison you : SALMONELLA

7-down – Abandoned hope with live satellite : PHOEBE

13-down – 26 down’s not a description of the Prodigal Son : UNFORGIVEN

15-down – Independence gained by backward country’s 26 down : BIG

17-down – Leaderless country’s 26 down : RAN

19-down – After time get healthier, as the three blind mice became : TAILLESS

20-down – Be glad to see jewel comets without jets : WELCOME

22-down – Keep out of sight of porky bass : LIELOW

23-down – Newspaper credit causes b***y row : BYLINE

25-down – 26 down’s contribution to endangered species : REDS

26-down – Blur record almost ahead of McFly’s No. 1 : FILM