Daily Answers

8-across – Mistake to put ‘male’ after only matching gender observed at birth : SOLECISM

9-across – See 17 Down : POETS

10-across – <span>Emperor having cameo in </span><i>They Shoot Horses,Don’t They?</i> : OTHO

11-across – Teacher prepares fruit for markers : HEADSTONES

12-across – Dislike of despicable supervillain leads to dangerous game ending : GRUDGE

14-across – Brief stops Romeos taking forever : LAYOVERS

16-across – Make provision for poison tentacle tips in a frisky toad : ADAPTTO

18-across – <i>Brief Encounter</i><span> at start of quarantine: you said,‘That’s horrible,that is’</span> : QUICKIE

21-across – Barking Scot has scraggly beard – even for a poet : ABERDEEN

23-across – Source of Russian news takes on the Spanish threads : TASSEL

24-across – Long shot,but here’s an opportunity to diet : SLIMCHANCE

26-across – In suspense? Half excited? Try always turning round : AGOG

27-across – Canniness concealing squares : NINES

28-across – These knocked back by Westminster set if drunk : SWIFTIES

1-down – See 17 : TORTURED

2-down – See 26 : HERO

3-down – See 15 : WITHME

4-down – Have I got it in me to be ‘nice’? : AMIABLE

5-down – Chooses shady spot : OPTS

6-down – Once more assigns blame for space to play on six courts : RECONVICTS

7-down – Honest to God,I burn within? : ISWEAR

13-down – See 17 : DEPARTMENT

15-down – Elbowing youth aside,setter’s a hit among 28 : YOU

17-down – Where Angelou and Auden are put on the rack for collection favoured by 28? : THE

19-down – Reserve at port grew cold : ICEDOVER

20-down – Windy mansion that makes one go blind? : ONANISM

22-down – See 15 : BELONG

23-down – The spies’ line of argument : THESIS

25-down – Hong Kong accepts American protection : HUSK

26-down – ‘Morally flawed protagonist’ for 28 is another I messed up : ANTI

1-across – Makeshift untried army beaten : RUDIMENTARY

9-across – Busy preparing for wedding : ENGAGED

10-across – Grand thriller writer? I bet : GAMBLER

11-across – To Saturn,a trip for her : ASTRONAUT

12-across – Stick around hospital with a woman : RHODA

13-across – What the uncaring owl doesn’t give? : HOOT

14-across – Fit after work out,not too expensive : REASONABLE

16-across – Athlete murdered golfer : SHOTPUTTER

19-across – I must sit in oily car : FIAT

20-across – Holiday island’s clubs,four in resort : CORFU

21-across – Picture police build up of one kitten I’d mistreated : IDENTIKIT

23-across – Such relaxing music in the morning wreathed around one : AMBIENT

24-across – River,one under Wimbledon Common? : ORINOCO

25-across – Worthless sort of notepaper is stupid : EMPTYHEADED

1-down – How to handle a privy counsellor? : RIGHTHONOURABLE

2-down – Quietly hiding pet,leave : DOGGO

3-down – No time to contemplate – intervene : MEDIATE

4-down – Renders ineffective nearly new entrances : NEGATES

5-down – Enjoying watching rigid man relaxing : ADMIRING

6-down – Way to fictional city made of monochrome Lego? : YELLOWBRICKROAD

7-down – Philosopher went to see a doctor : METAPHYSICIAN

8-down – Annotate minor change in embellishment : ORNAMENTATION

15-down – Neaten Christmas tree after erection : SPRUCEUP

17-down – Lisper heard to struggle with start of Med island,so weedy : THISTLY

18-down – I complete speaking,getting something to look through : EYEHOLE

22-down – Chinese gang sending up missile across India : TRIAD

9-across – Perfect 1-wood : IDEAL

10-across – Communication system is common kind for Spooner : MORSECODE

11-across – Wales played by captain’s physical principle : HOOKESLAW

12-across – Hotel entertained by country backing group : SHOAL

13-across – Sweet Caroline’s opening fight in Madison Square Garden : CRUMBLE

15-across – Heather in Shropshire borders close to the heart of Percy Thrower : SLINGER

17-across – <span>Agree Machiavelli partly reflected </span><i>The Prince</i> : AMEER

18-across – 1 main partner : SEA

20-across – Fat detective wearing hat : LIPID

22-across – Harry Lime drinking tea for 1? : MICHAEL

25-across – <span>Shivering </span><i>après-skier</i><span> may finally put new coat on</span> : RESPRAY

26-across – Ashe regularly missed out in Court No.1 : WAHOO

27-across – See 7 Down : ANDTHANKS

30-across – See 7 Down : FORALLTHE

31-across – Flat 1 has entrance in Shepherd’s Bush? : SKATE

1-down – See 7 : FISH

2-down – Determined 1 cycling is overtaken by true rogue : RESOLUTE

3-down – Down-and-dirty : BLUE

4-down – Metal producers manufactured steel frames occasionally : SMELTERS

5-down – <span>Thoroughly investigates tips from </span><i>The Repair Shop</i><span> to cover boring item</span> : TRAWLS

6-down – Words in song embracing trouble ending for Crystal Palace : VERSAILLES

7-down – Flash Gordon in on the talks with Flash Liquid to produce a novel quote : SOLONG

8-down – Strip from page 1 : PEEL

13-down – Allure of 1 million : CHARM

14-down – Spanish players delivered part of song : BARCAROLLE

16-down – Amber perhaps originally yellowish-red : RUDDY

19-down – Potted game eaten by Bill : ABRIDGED

21-down – 1 brief period gripping nation : PIRANHAS

23-down – Group of hot men in bed : COHORT

24-down – Shed Seven essentially leaving the Eastern Mediterranean with nothing : LEANTO

26-down – See 18 Across : WIFE

28-down – Pikachu’s sandwich contains dog meat : HUSS

29-down – Clairvoyant brought up on drugs : SEER

1-across – Just as orgasm prompts poem by Yeats … : THESECONDCOMING

9-across – … wrongly read note by misfortunate Keats : MISTAKE

10-across – For example,Keats and Yeats : RHYMERS

11-across – See 25 : THE

12-across – Heretics are punished for unfaithful acts : TREACHERIES

13-across – You might slip on this bats blood : BANANASKIN

15-across – Light’s non-binding energy : NEON

18-across – E … e : ECHO

20-across – Bible teaching wrongly maligns Eve : EVANGELISM

23-across – Gordon’s starter presented to massive foody? : GASTRONOMIC

25-across – That man follows backwash of river froth : SEE

26-across – Playing bingo,the French are mean : IGNOBLE

27-across – Beast of burden returned to castle : CAMELOT

28-across – Fascist leader controlled Houston with rumba master general : FRANCISCOFRANCO

1-down – Backup part of database liable to corruption : TEMPTABLE

2-down – Sea-sick seabird from China? : EASTERN

3-down – Challenging former lover on stage : EXACTING

4-down – Huge honour to sit on banks of Seine : OBESE

5-down – Re-entering language course : DIRECTION

6-down – Gone wild with axes splitting something needed for fire : OXYGEN

7-down – Provide detailed account of quite miserable passage : ITEMISE

8-down – Donates,as replacing 4,6 and 15 : GASES

14-down – International waters still surrounded by dumb-asses : SEVENSEAS

16-down – Dropping dead,wrote frantically : NUMBERTWO

17-down – Fresher report of any toilet more sullied : NEWCOMER

19-down – Take end from communion wafer – on reflection,an exaltation! : HOSANNA

21-down – Slight temperature dropping off with cool hormone : INSULIN

22-down – A right-beginning,dotted-letter-including alphabet : ARABIC

23-down – Sadness as building terminally fire-damaged : GRIEF

24-down – <span>Like </span><i>Top Gun</i><span> pilot’s taxiing speed : MACHO

1-across – Cheers one who’d expect to be paid to be an MP? : PROSIT

5-across – Light material suffering more snags if not new : GOSSAMER

9-across – Safe getting hot as Venus in the Louvre : HARMLESS

10-across – Official Aussie pick-up counter : REFUTE

11-across – Putting two lots of uranium into affected corpuscles is dim! : CREPUSCULOUS

13-across – Marine fish in abandoned clay : MARL

14-across – Oval’s pitch initially breaking up till ice melted : ELLIPTIC

17-across – Opera section with city situation : SCENARIO

18-across – Frame in which beauty pageant winner appears? : SASH

20-across – A fibre carpet used to make flatpack kit,say : PREFABRICATE

23-across – Wow,performing with a cigar! : CORONA

24-across – Very into fancy lingerie but right off sweet-talk : INVEIGLE

25-across – Expert: ‘Nessie is mostly brass’ : PERTNESS

26-across – Cat circling a rocking lead vocalist’s equipment : LARYNX

2-down – Fancy knocking off leader for paper? : REAM

3-down – Mark’s house settlement’s not finished : SEMICOLON

4-down – Lulu’s half escaping depression in the old city : THEBES

5-down – Cynically proposing futile measures – a ‘two-fingered salute’ way of governing? : GESTUREPOLITICS

6-down – Lyricist dancing – time for one very popular show : STRICTLY

7-down – Foul’s legal – linesman’s heading off : AWFUL

8-down – Sushi: meant to be prepared with relish : ENTHUSIASM

12-down – End cut off cob stuffed with Parmesan cheese : MASCARPONE

15-down – Notice soldiers pinching one’s bottom : POSTERIOR

16-down – Church head one books into rave for a game : CRIBBAGE

19-down – Wonder if a motorhome’s possessed by a Spice girl? : MARVEL

21-down – US state not allowed to mock : FLOUT

22-down – Nut-covered Latin dish : FLAN