Daily Answers

7-across – Couples go around it,vegetation covering the lot : BALLROOM

9-across – Business’s crushing bloody beliefs! : CREDOS

10-across – Colleague : ALLY

11-across – Variant of ‘Mao flu’ carried by US composer in disguise : CAMOUFLAGE

12-across – How to end a verbal communication problem : HANGUP

14-across – Enterprise,say,of burglars finally breaking into celebrity joint : STARSHIP

15-across – Pan’s range of talents : SKILLET

17-across – Ecstasy ring encouraged to carry injector : SYRINGE

20-across – Organisation with criminal department initially open to access : UNFENCED

22-across – Insect might escape : MAYFLY

23-across – Player isn’t playing with broom? End of concert! : TROMBONIST

24-across – Musical refrain led by Henry : HAIR

25-across – Short period before southern agency turns over decorative piece : MOSAIC

26-across – One of the Krays,possibly Reg,retired full of dread : GANGSTER

1-down – Distinctive feature of hot finale from Diana Krall improvised around Miles : HALLMARK

2-down – Compere’s toy army : PLAY

3-down – Criminal group takes cover – that’s old hat! : MOBCAP

4-down – True quality of a cold copper blue : ACCURACY

5-down – Schoolkids in worship – remove from security list? : DECLASSIFY

6-down – Trim foreign girl,not right for wild boy : MOWGLI

8-down – Bush maligned Maoism : MIMOSA

13-down – Lemonade drunk in gallon containers,the moderate way! : GOLDENMEAN

16-down – <span>The lead on Eddie Cochran’s arrangement for </span><i>Trespass</i> : ENCROACH

18-down – Traveller wants to carry back organ : GULLIVER

19-down – Creating a border,don’t start being non-committal : EDGING

21-down – Mean to get slimmer : NARROW

22-down – Greek character leading pocket uprising : MUTINY

24-down – See 2 : HOST

1-across – Society axed expert : SKILLED

5-across – Preserve carton to stuff full : JAMPACK

10-across – Man who will change sex if promoted : PAWN

11-across – In hole I repot flourishing plant : HELIOTROPE

12-across – To reporters,team expressed disappointment : SIGHED

13-across – Sort of saw letter being passed round : CIRCULAR

14-across – Bubbly Pam toying with change : CHAMPAGNE

16-across – Special aquarium betrayed lack of cleaning? : STANK

17-across – With violence eject unknown dog : SPITZ

19-across – Annoy detectives,if you will : DISPLEASE

23-across – Immature feelings for one of the herd? : CALFLOVE

24-across – Lifts very warm? Result! : UPSHOT

26-across – Still deadpan,without leader : MOTIONLESS

27-across – Enticement is a bit off : BAIT

28-across – The opposite – of ‘prosaic’? : INVERSE

29-across – Don’t travel far enough to suffer? : UNDERGO

2-down – Mischievous,like Jack? : KNAVISH

3-down – Set off without a meal : LUNCH

4-down – This animal can hide in disguise : ECHIDNA

6-down – Notice about pig on the bus : ABOARD

7-down – In turn quickly rue tiptoe manoeuvre : PIROUETTE

8-down – One who has more responsibility in the navy than in the army : CAPTAIN

9-down – Rash not well treated : ILLCONSIDERED

15-down – Forecasters got together away from freezing conditions : METOFFICE

18-down – Army group also opening map : PLATOON

20-down – Connects up advertisement wrong : PLUGSIN

21-down – Small job for gardener,and one for farrier : SHOEING

22-down – Regularly moving parts of railway line : POINTS

25-down – Little furry animal wild in Basle : SABLE

1-across – Starchy brown bread’s introduced : PURITAN

5-across – <span>Juicy thing terror,no mistake,</span><i>Beloved</i><span> and </span><i>The Ring</i> : TANGELO

9-across – Drink: mole caught when in it? : CIDER

10-across – Primates discussing a mix of black and white videos? : GREATAPES

11-across – Trick while opening metal container : LEADASTRAY

12-across – Sun’s percentage of radioactive gases : VEGA

14-across – Cleaner linen children put on dry : TOILETTISSUE

18-across – Leader of government has Boris,Rishi and Liz etc for dinner? They’re all dreadful! : GHOSTSTORIES

21-across – Opera ladies and gentlemen heard? : LULU

22-across – Meet requirements in advance,the same provided in probe : PREQUALIFY

25-across – European city,one featured by magazine from another world? : MARSEILLE

26-across – Copybook baldie blotted after shaving of bonce : IDEAL

27-across – <i>Dark Matter </i><span>seemingly invisible to youth in test</span> : TRAGEDY

28-across – Arm in difficulty,squashed : NEGATED

1-down – Little monkey in rabbit hole? : PICKLE

2-down – <span>Change </span><i>Turn of the Screw</i> : REDRAW

3-down – Tractor crashed into teapots? : TERRACOTTA

4-down – See 19 : NIGHT

5-down – Other,not the first to drink coffee – but this? : THELATTER

6-down – What would bring nurse into the school,observing all heads? : NITS

7-down – <i>The Sixth Sense</i><span> and </span><i>The Others</i><span> almost like that – it might set one’s heart racing!</span> : ESPRESSO

8-down – See 23 : OFSPADES

13-down – Reformed,I’m a new man in the drinks business : WINEMAKING

15-down – Recovery at the death,crabwise? : LATERALLY

16-down – A stick,that’s what I am after – how old can I be? : AGELIMIT

17-down – With shot on a field,a region firstly defended – is it? : GOALAREA

19-down – <span>Christian observance very soon put in place in </span><i>A Christmas Carol</i> : SILENT

20-down – Fold of skin unknown in identification of fish? : EYELID

23-down – <i>The Woman in Black</i><span>,pack leader?</span> : QUEEN

24-down – Measure force and energy : METE

8-across – Great skill from expert – start from pub,needing a drink : WIZARDRY

9-across – Widespread complaint following change of side in this city : PRAGUE

10-across – Optimal routes for those wanting to enter spelling contest : BEELINES

11-across – Form of payment native of 9 or 16 announced : CHEQUE

12-across – How to secure admission in kind way that careless writer might get wrong : COMPLIMENTARILY

15-across – Period charm : SPELL

16-across – Inspector is employed to do this arrest : CHECK

20-across – E.g. minimal answers for today – they may not be fully spelt out : FOURLETTERWORDS

21-across – Results of writer’s carelessness,as revealed in slips : ERRATA

23-across – Finishes off this kind of clue with mark of approval – it uses initial letters : ACROSTIC

25-across – Run article old-fashioned spelling expert goes over : MANAGE

26-across – Satirical publication a university degree-holder pens : GRAUNIAD

1-down – Person representing monarch butterfly : VICEROY

2-down – Two pages I already revised for publication : DAILYPAPER

3-down – With cargo on board,hasn’t left port : ADEN

4-down – Travellers having pain that is contained in seconds : GYPSIES

5-down – Smiley type and a cryptic she reviewed without one : SPYCATCHER

6-down – Final 16 victory for partner : MATE

7-down – Investments as usual fluctuating over time? Bond’s superior initially : MUTUALS

13-down – Naughty Brendan will cheat in plot : ILLBEHAVED

14-down – Republican congress upset about one taking new steps to reach other side : RECROSSING

17-down – Submissive type may be bearer of welcome message : DOORMAT

18-down – Unfamiliar stone on chain : STRANGE

19-down – Naval officer I’d alarm at sea : ADMIRAL

22-down – High cards followed by a ten and top club : AJAX

24-down – Forecast being heard as weak person or lefty,depending on tense choice : READ

1-across – Measures showing vitamin in fruit : PLUMBS

4-across – A pastry poet hasn’t finished – that’s more than enough : ABUNDANT

9-across – Half of London at home in reserved community : COLONY

10-across – Scandal broke but with practically nothing behind it : DIRTPOOR

11-across – <span>Force breezy </span><i>mafiosa </i><span>to become a benefactor</span> : FAIRYGODMOTHER

13-across – Surprisingly lush poetry that contains a lot of padding : UPHOLSTERY

14-across – Sentry abandons uniform and retreats – it’s a nuisance : DRAG

16-across – Excessively praise ingredient in mushy peas : HYPE

18-across – Flat part of silly wager will spoil the fun : WETBLANKET

21-across – It displays heat from lighter magma in flux : THERMALIMAGING

23-across – Clearance given for Crown allowance : HEADROOM

24-across – What’s a common alternative to standard academic request for repeat : PARDON

25-across – Prepares to follow detective’s case,so gets off at Waterloo? : DETRAINS

26-across – Messenger getting stuck into another messenger : HERMES

1-down – Small volume that has some bite : PECK

2-down – Free houseplant,wilted and missing plastic pot : UNLEASH

3-down – Finance Spooner’s class stadium in the US : BANKROLL

5-down – Crack appearing because construction worker is bent : BUILDERSBUM

6-down – Idea that’s impossible for one to get into : NOTION

7-down – Alternative way to ask about buying more drink? : ANOTHER

8-down – Go off authority and become less liberal : TURNRIGHT

12-down – You will be sick hearing this : GETWELLSOON

13-down – Single or just divorced? It could be both! : UNHITCHED

15-down – English for example long for Scottish union over time : LANGUAGE

17-down – Woven carpets already fashioned : PRECAST

19-down – Country that includes a huge variety of creatures : KINGDOM

20-down – In central Rome,clergy retain vow of silence : OMERTA

22-down – These men had ideas finally to deliver objectives : ENDS