Daily Answers

1-across – Back ‘obson’s choice? : ENDORSE

5-across – Southernwood induces repose : SLUMBER

9-across – Firm agreement with a publisher, perhaps : BINDINGCONTRACT

10-across – Excites hothead among former moderate Conservatives : WHETS

11-across – Game that may be worn out : NEWMARKET

12-across – Give indirect advice, but no hard tip? : DROPAHINT

14-across – Comparatively dismal colour put on right : BLUER

15-across – Thrown out, it is said, by class system : CASTE

16-across – Tears by poor head’s supporters : ADHERENTS

18-across – One obliged to tipple gin in plenty : ABOUNDING

21-across – Operatic heroine who has attained full maturity : ISOLD

22-across – Political pact in much trouble with correspondence : MUNICHAGREEMENT

23-across – Kind of stakes for young children? : NURSERY

24-across – Refrains from upsetting sides on the way back : DESISTS

1-down – England leader bowled out and jostled : ELBOWED

2-down – Play at accident black spot, perhaps : DANGEROUSCORNER

3-down – Put back in control over country : REINSTATE

4-down – The Spanish drink from Scotland? : ELGIN

5-down – Timing device for outpost sentinel : STOPWATCH

6-down – Awful tragedy involving political extremist : ULTRA

7-down – Nomads by the dark stream’s side : BLACKBURNROVERS

8-down – Revolver of dual aspect : ROTATOR

13-down – One girl holding a drink that’s non-existent : IMAGINARY

14-down – He did not see a timer fault in the public service vehicle : BARTIMEUS

15-down – Pedlar of the realms of gold? : CHAPMAN

17-down – Keeps calm as boy jumps over broken seat : SEDATES

19-down – Suitable position for hospital in French resort : NICHE

20-down – Stained with blood, as skirt may be : GORED

1-across – So Kipling’s great steamers, travelling world incognito: not a hundred left or scuttled : ROLLING

5-across – Panda car crashing during tour of duty : BEARCAT

9-across – Soldier wearing waterproof: that’s charming! : MAGIC

10-across – See 1 : DOWNTORIO

11-across – It’s Hoddle with we ten, sadly: so what did the eleventh do? : LETTHESIDEDOWN

13-across – Jack’s address keeps a place for the Old Man : AHOY

14-across – See about charm offensive? Who knows? : SEARCHME

17-across – Blackguard and apostate living in old city quarter : EXECRATE

18-across – Haul left in robbery : BLAG

21-across – The Mr Fixit of the Child Support Agency? : MAINTENANCEMAN

23-across – Photograph a man with creativity: might get snap out of it : TAKEHEART

24-across – Faultless banker’s self-assertion? : IDEAL

25-across – Say! Not bad for excellent line one carries : LITOTES

26-across – Bohemian syncopation? : OFFBEAT

1-down – Frost’s poem, the Ancient Mariner? : RIME

2-down – Some bowlers aim to wreck: oblige feet to move : LEGBEFOREWICKET

3-down – Work up? Nice work – if you can get it! : INCITE

4-down – Appliance of modern-day force: get out of it! : GADGET

5-down – Rued looking up Miss Smith’s recipe network : BEWAILED

6-down – Right! Name a beast evolving from the aardvarks : ANTBEARS

7-down – Joyce who wrote: Work hard, raise a City partner and point to a growing family : CARYOPHYLLACEAE

8-down – H-horned characters, perhaps, get around this barrier : THORNHEDGE

12-down – Hitchcockian setting of O! Let me stab wildly! : BATESMOTEL

15-down – Tiny Tim right to get a ticking-off about it : CRATCHIT

16-down – Antigone’s tragedy no good to such collegians : ETONIANS

19-down – Double blow from the micro-network : ONETWO

20-down – Outstanding work sought in disaster areas : RELIEF

22-down – Mass circulation impediment : CLOT

1-across – Rum-running mastermind? : MOVINGSPIRIT

8-across – Who in French film gets Guardian employees discharge from office? : QUIETUS

9-across – One charges single PC, losing business : IMPUTER

11-across – One can’t detect hum with this and ends on one’s back : ANOSMIA

12-across – Adjust to conditions, as must the batsman Polyphemus? : GETONES

13-across – : EYEIN

14-across – This gauges resources and signifies a river : MEANSTEST

16-across – Redesign short business ad from a neutral point of view : UNBIASSED

19-across – Loud parrot describing Czech novelist : KAFKA

21-across – See inventor shake a piece of laboratory equipment : BELLJAR

23-across – Close case neatly : NONSUIT

24-across – One needing bananas hurried outside fast : RAMADAN

25-across – Cruel hoax by one in pub : INHUMAN

26-across – What ferryman’s heard to charge – nothing for actor : RIVERPHOENIX

1-down – A gold coin extra for entertaining language : MOIDORE

2-down – 6 breakin’ in useful substance : VITAMIN

3-down – 13 motion from big apple men only get to add up : NYSTAGMUS

4-down – Playground music? : SWING

5-down – The force of 9s, not having right to change : IMPETUS

6-down – Concentrated decimal point : INTENSE

7-down – Old fashioned anaesthetic for 9, say : SQUARENUMBER

10-down – Does it offer the first clue for deciphering a setter? Not so! : ROSETTASTONE

15-down – Instruction that’s for use at the bar and not in a brawl : ANDANTINO

17-down – Tree’s one branch in two? : BILIMBI

18-down – Award music presenter university degree in latter years : ADJUDGE

19-down – Short ruler contains short measure for member of Fagin’s gang? : KINCHIN

20-down – Puzzle spy chief with instant outward flow : FLUMMOX

22-down – Would you see railwaymen as a result of taking this approach? : RUNUP

1-across – Limp little books found in dingy place : HOBBLE

5-across – Contrite writer, one seen in front of canvas dwelling : PENITENT

9-across – Bottle or tin kept in check : DECANTER

10-across – Turned to me to get into religious eduction, though far away : REMOTE

11-across – This for a honeymoon, but the record was faulty : THREESACROWD

13-across – Cooker turns iron hot and cold : CHEF

14-across – Mere talk describes this turn in skiing : TELEMARK

17-across – A good man, a lieutenant, holding combat to be courageous : STALWART

18-across – Thus half one’s home is in this part of London : SOHO

20-across – Summary law gives less than the correct amount : SHORTMEASURE

23-across – Good backlog not finished for tradesman : GROCER

24-across – Morally suspect behaviour of departing boy : GOINGSON

25-across – Bonnet, perhaps, hides top set of wheels : HEADGEAR

26-across – Short journey made for another in Clermont-Ferrand : ERRAND

2-down – Maiden, perhaps, says it’s your turn to speak : OVER

3-down – A fuel tub I mended is not ugly : BEAUTIFUL

4-down – Absolute savage in tree : ENTIRE

5-down – True street guide – you don’t know him from Adam : PERFECTSTRANGER

6-down – Number: a thousand in a gathering as a rule : NORMALLY

7-down – Settle up for a clocklike device : TIMER

8-down – Remarkable school put up with a local celebrity : NOTEWORTHY

12-down – Wave to attract pale animal : WHITEHORSE

15-down – Delivery boy holding pickle, green as it might be : MESSENGER

16-down – Friend with moving meter provides symbol of success : PALMTREE

19-down – I’m like a stalactite in dark red volcanic rock : PUMICE

21-down – Hurried to get account in the red : RACED

22-down – Blue Western concealed by university teacher : DOWN

1-across – Stiff stuff made by males … : BUCKRAM

5-across – … one of whom talks about meat in coral islands : BAHAMAS

9-across – Queen engulfed in volcano and left for ever : ETERNAL

10-across – Origin of the Bible : GENESIS

11-across – Duty on a lot of spirits? That was my idea : METHOUGHT

12-across – Resurrect the god that is Egypt’s head : RAISE

13-across – Cast hasn’t finished the quarrel : THROW

15-across – For 23down 24 no beer in the Arndale Centre’s the chief worry : ARCHFIEND

17-across – Forest destroyer’s regularity sounds a mathematical concept : LOGARITHM

19-across – Conservative member to 12 himself : CLIMB

22-across – Utility supplies hands across the Channel : MAINS

23-across – Unwanted growth has proceeded round the whole street : GALLSTONE

25-across – Cause lack of prefabrication in place of disrepute : DEPRIVE

26-across – Model place in Kipling’s tale by himself : CATWALK

27-across – Return cosy and glowing from report : GUNSHOT

28-across – What Internet users produce is ruin : TINTERN

1-down – Insect and rodent drink a little milk, under a pint : BEERMAT

2-down – City succeeding to win for another : CHESTER

3-down – Top of range: enter Beatle : RINGO

4-down – Spiteful male model about to get dressed : MALIGNANT

5-down – 23down changed to one that’s dyed in the wool : BIGOT

6-down – Respectful of choir in trouble : HONORIFIC

7-down – Girl I have reached by letter : MISSIVE

8-down – Turn the Guardian blue and it will stop functioning : SUSPEND

14-down – Writer sadly dims in value : WORDSMITH

16-down – Fellow member according to law knowing what goes on? : COMPLICIT

17-down – Delay about building of Dome – help needed with stile : LAMEDOG

18-down – Forbidding the writer : GRIMPEN

20-down – Press for time? It’s early days : IRONAGE

21-down – Interrupt a burglary? : BREAKIN

23-down – Take Oxford course : GREAT

24-down – : SATAN