Daily Answers

1-across – Play with little cat after a change of heart : PYGMALION

6-across – Modellers may use this ointment endlessly : BALSA

9-across – Primate in church with young offender : CHIMP

10-across – Stripper from 12 Coron­ation Street? : SUGARSOAP

11-across – Rhode Island has it as a coastal feature : RIVERMOUTH

12-across – Treasure Island — finally shell-like : DEAR

14-across – German city provided backing with subtle skill : FINESSE

15-across – It’s glee that’s out for a writer of sad stuff : ELEGIST

17-across – Rough one succeeding, grabbing contents of sack : INEXACT

19-across – Charles Stuart’s head is in the frame : CHASSIS

20-across – A little means such a lot as an indication of holiness : HALO

22-across – Front man judge listened to right away : FIGUREHEAD

25-across – Prudence may be a relative of Soames, as reported : FORESIGHT

26-across – Twig, for example, brought back by bird : GETIT

27-across – Old master in Belgian city : LIEGE

28-across – There’s an element such as yttrium? What a wonderful world! : RAREEARTH

1-down – With due deference to right horse : PACER

2-down – Getting even, Craig settled score : GRIEVANCE

3-down – Reading University’s accepted good grades initially — not unexpectedly : ASPERUSUAL

4-down – Heron is up the creek not far from the coast : INSHORE

5-down – Almost secure cover for one who’s retired? : NIGHTIE

6-down – Spike has doll that is missing : BARB

7-down – Unattached and promiscuous : LOOSE

8-down – Pennsylvania gunmen in suitable American gear : APPARATUS

13-down – Smart lawyer allowed dog to have lead re­moved : LEGALEAGLE

14-down – Ghastly female? True! : FRIGHTFUL

16-down – Insert cop’s rank : INSPECTOR

18-down – Provoke one making an effort to import goods : TRIGGER

19-down – Untidy accumulation left in vessel : CLUTTER

21-down – At it, on the 7 : LARGE

23-down – End one’s relationship with dyke : DITCH

24-down – Man is one spreading lies : ISLE

8-across – Staff officer’s initial impressions: I am spy possibly in conferences : SYMPOSIA

9-across – When first of primroses appears in a covering of seeds? : APRIL

10-across – Medicine man, two-thirds a fake : SHAM

11-across – Patronise, deceive and go down : CONDESCEND

12-across – Bandage was altered on article : SWATHE

14-across – Period at end of this punishment? : SENTENCE

15-across – Unit working in the Seychelles and New York in effective cooperation with others : SYNERGY

17-across – Aid must flow to this sporting venue : STADIUM

20-across – Main part of a resort : SEAFRONT

22-across – Celebrity getting substantial cover in court : BIGWIG

23-across – Real and patchy — crudely typical! : ARCHETYPAL

24-across – Gave a lesson reportedly on tense : TAUT

25-across – University position but not for the rest : CHAIR

26-across – One giving conventional treatment cut into a thin piece : ALLOPATH

1-down – Believe in the proposed route, say, in passing : BYTHEWAY

2-down – Plans turn up in unsolicited mail : SPAM

3-down – Originally, young person’s chess mainly played in the mind : PSYCHE

4-down – Spot, a bit like a mountain lake : TARNISH

5-down – Cob surprising hunt with zeal : HAZELNUT

6-down – Following a break one follows the smell : TRACKERDOG

7-down – In charge, following most of prison’s medical unit : CLINIC

13-down – One less than this number and one does not get to bat : TWELFTHMAN

16-down – Gone to ground but this is kind and helpful : GOODTURN

18-down – Maybe buy it — about a pound — mainly to show popularity : UBIQUITY

19-down – A dentist might, as a temporary measure : STOPGAP

21-down – Improve Scripture in National Curriculum during English hour : ENRICH

22-down – Cheekily made delivery, we hear, and left unknown : BOLDLY

24-down – Kind face : TYPE

1-across – Power cross round back of defenders before clinical header : MUSCLE

4-across – King, perhaps, outlining an untrue story : CANARD

9-across – Night and Day was his food and drink : COLE

10-across – Cherry around thirteen miles? So inch out : MARASCHINO

11-across – Hand once named as brave : PAWNEE

12-across – Sick topless girl after a kiss on the armpit : AXILLARY

13-across – How long might one be expecting process to go, a president introducing one? : GESTATION

15-across – What’s designed to stabilise an Austrian state, right behind Libya, oddly : ANTI

16-across – Stop promotion : PLUG

17-across – Parrot catching, for example, the bowling strategy : LEGTHEORY

21-across – Dense food dry, a beer is drunk : RYEBREAD

22-across – By restricting flow, it keeps one dry : BROLLY

24-across – Two hundred failures, unfortunately very little entertainment : FLEACIRCUS

25-across – The father of pop? : ABBA

26-across – Old coins from Madrid I lost on the way back : SOLIDI

27-across – See 9 : PORTER

1-down – Parking fee causing madness in cows? : MOORAGE

2-down – Talk about a barbarian when 16 down with this mug! : STEIN

3-down – Unit of luminance, centre light seen in extremes of light : LAMBERT

5-down – Trouble seen under idiot: attack! : ASSAIL

6-down – One’s bald head at first appearing stupid, very pale on top : ASHBLONDE

7-down – One country starts to excavate, digging up old coins : DENARII

8-down – Having turned back, do seek run to get off the mark : BREAKONESDUCK

14-down – Miniature person getting from A to B in the end : THUMBNAIL

16-down – Girl’s ridiculous sauce, upside down : PHYLLIS

18-down – French shop stocking head of squid over duck sauce : TABASCO

19-down – See 15 : ROLLBAR

20-down – See 13 : PERIOD

23-down – Round component’s modern style : OPART

1-across – It clearly holds small fish but less clearly holds big fowl : GOLDFISHBOWL

8-across – Where one may get quick treatment? : NAILBAR

9-across – Long dress, backless, seen in French capital : LONDRES

11-across – Railway taken from sold­iers by a king’s daughter : INFANTA

12-across – Border river turning over Russia’s borders : NIAGARA

13-across – Sheer fabric woven in one piece : NINON

14-across – Halfback out of picture made an impression : IMPRINTED

16-across – Beam in doorway needed painting : PORTRAYAL

19-across – Measure binder : CHAIN

21-across – Small dog one fed with mint, say : LABIATE

23-across – Reveal odd Scottish vicar making a comeback : UNCOVER

24-across – Hotter drink I ignored is getting colder : SPICIER

25-across – A false notion of The Merchant of Venice : ANTONIO

26-across – Challenging words girl put into Old English, starting with pig : WHOGOESTHERE

1-down – Dog repeating phrase, almost missing out : GRIFFON

2-down – Nancy’s the outlaw taking on a country : LEBANON

3-down – Country has doubled score without observing convention : FORMALITY

4-down – Girl working for art exhibition : SALON

5-down – Tongue twister for Belgian? : BENGALI

6-down – Justify sabre-rattling diatribe? : WARRANT

7-down – Country supported by Italian city and South American city : INDIANAPOLIS

10-down – Provision for the unseated union representative? : STANDINGROOM

15-down – Survey by UN secretary general once rejecting heroin as harmful substance : POLLUTANT

17-down – Cobblers, being critical, put the boot in : RUBBISH

18-down – Belt round propeller making a loud noise : ROARING

19-down – Senior officer repeatedly refusing alcohol and beginning to eat a little casserole : COCOTTE

20-down – Go ahead with loan : ADVANCE

22-down – Disturbing set-up of European republic? : EERIE

1-across – Sadat kept it back being pacific : ANTIWAR

5-across – Winged beast rejected drink containing herb : PEGASUS

9-across – Winger not fully putting on clothes : ROBIN

10-across – Adjudicator’s superb breaking weak patent : BAREFACED

11-across – About to get fired? Away and ring the president! : FORTHECHOP

12-across – Murderer I put in jail : CAIN

14-across – Worry about endless fury with navy irregularity : STRANGENESS

18-across – Street cred — a fusion of special expertise : TRADESECRET

21-across – Whip old Roman statesman : CATO

22-across – In the morning old priest’s lecture is to make things better : AMELIORATE

25-across – Assessor crept in so cunningly : INSPECTOR

26-across – Mark British and foreign money : BRAND

27-across – Boy after information that’s comprehensive : GENERIC

28-across – First opportunity : OPENING

1-down – Austria and Germany feud? That’s aimless! : ADRIFT

2-down – Thanks poet for jacket : TABARD

3-down – Booze runs out of case from bottle : WINCHESTER

4-down – Insurgent endlessly clubs old sound producer : REBEC

5-down – Cleaner hides meat from thief : PURLOINER

6-down – Foreman, without hesitation, produces landing gear : GAFF

7-down – Oscar set puzzle for philosopher : SOCRATES

8-down – African petition to restrict Vikings : SUDANESE

13-down – Corrupt impersonator is hunched over : BENTDOUBLE

15-down – A cur hit me unexpectedly and I’m in pain : RHEUMATIC

16-down – Carrying clothing : STOCKING

17-down – Penny takes craftsman underground : PARTISAN

19-down – Spies accept a set of rules in Africa : MALAWI

20-down – Dosage ordered for mariner : SEADOG

23-down – Large old ship is broad and slow : LARGO

24-down – Sovereign’s appreciation of humorist : LEAR