Daily Answers

1-across – Leading actors, high-pitched? : UPCAST

5-across – Superficial harm resulting from friction among climbers : ROPEBURN

9-across – Piano included in arrangement of eg Irish or Italian composer : RESPIGHI

10-across – Extended rant from one caught in traffic : TIRADE

11-across – Doctor agreed on cure – given new heart : REENCOURAGED

13-across – Accumulation of ice in December gales : BERG

14-across – Campanological scandal? Pay to get through it : TOLLGATE

17-across – Herb and I coming across right area for capital : BRASILIA

18-across – His jumble is included by Disraeli – for instance! : EARL

20-across – Measure concealing dishonest statements about firm is most unwise : FOOLHARDIEST

23-across – Colour used finally in my opening statement? : INDIGO

24-across – Plant one in Guardian, perhaps, with indication of hesitancy : ORIGANUM

25-across – Like English author, they check for flaws in material : ASSAYERS

26-across – Stuff thrown out from jet ace reassembled : EJECTA

2-down – Hold up for quick inspection : PEEK

3-down – Vegetable in a healthy establishment, with sauces added : ASPARAGUS

4-down – Bouncer putting two grand in bank : TIGGER

5-down – Rule, as stated, over Persians, Afghans, and others – come down hard on all : RAINCATSANDDOGS

6-down – Terriers in pub still running amok : PITBULLS

7-down – Early problem raised in land of cats? : BURMA

8-down – Those mortified by bad cluemanship? They’re still aware of grouse : REDSETTERS

12-down – Does try to outrun these pursuers : DEERHOUNDS

15-down – Breed in Grand National from Europe : GREATDANE

16-down – Infamous criminal better placed in solitary : ALCAPONE

19-down – Like certain animals in pounds and ounces, say : FELINE

21-down – Pioneer space-traveller left, otherwise called about one : LAIKA

22-down – Male you tease audibly, fool : MUTT

7-across – Create too much suspense in project : OVERHANG

9-across – Man, old, was suffering : OSWALD

10-across – Comfy as an insect in a carpet? : SNUG

11-across – Cheddar is too bad : HARDCHEESE

12-across – Give some bribes to warden : BESTOW

14-across – Taken by surprise, confess to being exhausted : AMBUSHED

15-across – Robust door finally installed in workroom : STURDY

17-across – Home leave, only a little : INPART

20-across – Seat that you filled in serious cinema : ARTHOUSE

22-across – Pile into business that’s worth little : CHEAPO

23-across – Random scans for measles? : SPOTCHECKS

24-across – Feminine, quiet, gliding movement : FLOW

25-across – The colour of an old house : ORANGE

26-across – He cannot work out modern engineering : NANOTECH

1-down – Seekers of justice squirted nerve gas : AVENGERS

2-down – Pick up dress to show off : BRAG

3-down – Money we raised for a tree : CASHEW

4-down – Enter body of aircraft for start of journey to Pennsylvania Avenue? : LOGCABIN

5-down – Keeps a stew bubbling – it’s a bit of a gamble : SWEEPSTAKE

6-down – One palace in two dioceses : ELYSEE

8-down – Hamburger, say, one that infects a number : GERMAN

13-down – Criterion for judging fool on stage : TOUCHSTONE

16-down – At sea, guard the offspring : DAUGHTER

18-down – Excellent shirt, not check? : TOPNOTCH

19-down – Senior cleric keeping care of a junior one : DEACON

21-down – Bear name of rugby forward : RUPERT

22-down – About to go astray ending with nothing here, I bet : CASINO

24-down – That’s your lot! : FATE

1-across – Floors warp slowly at first with buff carpeting : BOWLSOVER

6-across – Anchor, one swallowed by fish : BASIS

9-across – Lost when navigating? : ATSEA

10-across – Affluent London district with bitter constituents, by the sound of it? : MAIDAVALE

11-across – Quiet when kids finally kicked out, eh? : HUH

12-across – Blandishments from Wellington at Waterloo? : BOOTLICKING

14-across – Stick figure, head in Hangman to go – in trouble up there? : GUMTREE

15-across – Recognise extract : PICKOUT

16-across – Great Arsenal leader in Italian stallion perhaps tackled by those from Chelsea? : BIGGUNS

19-across – Stole 23 across? : MUFFLER

22-across – A tight shirt features again on back of striker in Scottish team : RAITHROVERS

23-across – Quiet quip : GAG

24-across – Central politician or whip stymied by it : IMPORTANT

26-across – Last of five huge boxes to lift : EXTOL

27-across – Where one might be putting London park : GREEN

28-across – Bath full of beer ultimately quaffed by difficult setter : HAIRSPRAY

1-down – Grasp Spooner’s headlouse? : BEARHUG

2-down – You and I pretend to save time for team : WESTHAM

3-down – Very difficult installing engine part in Yorkshire town : SCARBOROUGH

4-down – Go low boarding vessel : VAMOOSE

5-down – One mistake at end of game in suburb of West London : RUISLIP

6-down – ‘Cold-blooded’ killer, swine wanting closure : BOA

7-down – Sixties singer bringing power into song in brief theatrical performance : SHAPIRO

8-down – Top and bottom of small cube in trick : SLEIGHT

13-down – Tip over beer in London station : COCKFOSTERS

16-down – Bananas, except top banana : BARKING

17-down – Catch monkeys in valley when ground cleared : GLIMPSE

18-down – Food processor plugged in connects to machine : STOMACH

19-down – Art is with me modelling for great artistes : MAESTRI

20-down – Swine loses top match : LIGHTER

21-down – Maiden coming into Bank via Victoria, say? : REGALLY

25-down – Career issue : RUN

1-across – Holy man almost completed kinky epitaphs – capital things : STOVEPIPEHATS

10-across – Limits time in power, overlooking Government crime : REINSIN

11-across – Opening that is never for supplementary player : RIPIENO

12-across – In France, Malbec’s served after a second course : ASCOT

13-across – Colin, shivering, reluctant to appear in minimal garment : LOINCLOTH

14-across – Turning tense with alarm, mostly unjustified : INAPT

16-across – It produces nothing of note, however plucky you are : AIRGUITAR

18-across – Backed flag about minor abuses : GASLIGHTS

19-across – Body temperature, at a rough estimate : TORSO

20-across – Has cleverer ideas than vote losers linked to markets : OUTSMARTS

23-across – Question about including Italy gets key support? : QUOIN

24-across – Marks comments about children : NOTCHES

25-across – Less quiet? Backed change suppressing volume : NOISIER

26-across – Loosely tethers single dog : ENGLISHSETTER

2-down – Go after version of Tosca in formal dress : TAILCOATS

3-down – Excursion: one’s taken in a lot of the view : VISIT

4-down – Jury initially not empowered in China : PANEL

5-down – Inclination to right in European city is a local bias : PARTIPRIS

6-down – Feature of Roman villa thus represented with a copy : HYPOCAUST

7-down – Old rhythm picked up in Korean exercise : TAEBO

8-down – Good topic after burglary: how stressful is this? : BREAKINGPOINT

9-down – Second nobleman beginning to rule in my homeland : MOTHERCOUNTRY

15-down – Area taken from lobby – quiet room, largely displaying success : TRIUMPHAL

16-down – Wise words Miss Oprah broadcast : APHORISMS

17-down – Own goal perhaps is transfixing half of team in scare : TERRORISE

21-down – Some orbit it and a satellite : TITAN

22-down – What regularly rises is rising, doing for cavity : SINUS

23-down – Abandon importing large quantity of bedding : QUILT

1-across – Less able to observe an outstanding performance : BLINDER

5-across – Criticize the drink in French, causing stir : SLAMMER

9-across – A threesome that would control your life? : FATES

10-across – Moderate version of Delft soap : SOFTPEDAL

11-across – Isolation ruins Italy’s cooking : INSULARITY

12-across – Western power accepts one’s a weak type : WIMP

14-across – Deacon’s lot is somehow sad : DISCONSOLATE

18-across – Intimidation of Chief of Staff by Prudence on manoeuvres : SCARETACTICS

21-across – See 23 Down : ARTS

22-across – Unstable, so disillusioned with Equity : OFFBALANCE

25-across – Biblical wife breaking the Sabbath? Not at first : BATHSHEBA

26-across – Mature mount : GETON

27-across – Narrow arachnid squeezes into cap : LIMITED

28-across – Where there might be a range of gear, hence endless changes : KITCHEN

1-down – Research expert Dicky gets stuck into container : BOFFIN

2-down – One question on tax that shows how smart you are? : IQTEST

3-down – Denial of miracle is revised after departure : DISCLAIMER

4-down – One emerging from the sack found on the stair : RISER

5-down – Splayed feet – nasty, but a tightrope walker’s requirement? : SAFETYNET

6-down – Peaks since holding record : ALPS

7-down – Song from Ratty, Kit and half a countertenor : MADRIGAL

8-down – Slipped back : RELAPSED

13-down – Handy illumination if right cloth is spread : TORCHLIGHT

15-down – Michael Caine’s part in raw fuel source : COALFIELD

16-down – ‘City Lives’ by Brown & Bigness : ISTANBUL

17-down – Information? Ring corporation’s multitasking employee : FACTOTUM

19-down – Kidnap head of state? Certainly : SNATCH

20-down – News during Christmas about former famous group member : LENNON

23-down – Bad spelling etc creates shortage in London hospital : BLACK

24-down – A word in your ear: not all chaps stink! : PSST