Daily Answers

7-across – Vegetable Eric and Alec cultivated : CELERIAC

9-across – Single out for breaking ground in advance : PICKON

10-across – Part of car for sale? : BOOT

11-across – A time, a period in jail, if really necessary : ATASTRETCH

12-across – Mother to question the material : DAMASK

14-across – Mastermind drops book in fight : BRAINBOX

15-across – One’s missing on a flower. Is that so? : REALLY

17-across – Discussion about the French holiday place : CHALET

20-across – Sleepy old English mascot, perhaps? : COMATOSE

22-across – Acceptable time for 23s? : PAYDAY

23-across – Sack, possibly, for one with the job : POSTHOLDER

24-across – Manage officer’s exercises : COPE

25-across – Fly? A second half of instruction*s needed : ASTUTE

26-across – Seen in dark room: size of print by unusual glare. Right? : ENLARGER

1-down – Carefree young lady broadcasting : DEBONAIR

2-down – Part of 10: some little wader coming up : WELT

3-down – Call sailor to seize control : HIJACK

4-down – Notice change : SPOTCASH

5-down – Cover freedom of movement in film script : SCREENPLAY

6-down – Cape in South America : PONCHO

8-down – Word game: first clue’s a brute! : CRAMBO

13-down – Plant a tattered sun-hat after a break : AGAPANTHUS

16-down – Disregard switching parts to make an inspection : LOOKOVER

18-down – Phoney art spied, having made a tedious journey : TRAIPSED

19-down – An official position portrayed in OT : BEADLE

21-down – A player, 10, is changed : OBOIST

22-down – To some extent is left in the political group : PARTLY

24-down – A crop of trite material? : CORN

9-across – Tune Polly played in luxury : OPULENTLY

10-across – In search for a teapot spout : ORATE

11-across – Self-centredness: somehow it goes to my head : EGOTISM

12-across – Pull fish back to where the wind blows : LEEWARD

13-across – Vicious hooker, member of the Eagles : TALON

14-across – Second floor behind the scenes : BACKSTAGE

16-across – The station for Penny Lane? : LIVERPOOLSTREET

19-across – Learned student emptied library : SCHOLARLY

21-across – A successful doctor is also a smoker : CURER

22-across – Express without punctuation : NONSTOP

23-across – Peter, the King Cat! : PANTHER

24-across – A dance very lacking in invention : DISCO

25-across – Bring about spasm once tormented : ENCOMPASS

1-down – Everyone inhabiting trees is getting there first : FORESTALLS

2-down – State musicians stay up for European : YUGOSLAV

3-down – Many on charge : LEGION

4-down – Stop a police forces rising : STEM

5-down – How the Tour de France comes round? : CYCLICALLY

6-down – County put under strange mores : SOMERSET

7-down – Country with superior border! : CANADA

8-down – Shortage of nitrogen up-river : NEED

14-down – One whose life is in books : BIOGRAPHER

15-down – Daring printers experimenting with two Es : ENTERPRISE

17-down – Daughter, perhaps, at the end of her Ecstasy : RELATION

18-down – Heart-broken fellow visited by ET? : EARTHMAN

20-down – Some telephones transmit direct : HONEST

21-down – Where the projectionist came in reeling? : CINEMA

22-down – Send awa hooligans : NEDS

23-down – Press forwards : PACK

1-across – Useless comment about a free lunch? : GOODFORNOTHING

9-across – Cavity with opening left inside grain : VENTRICLE

10-across – Loathe tales involving character abroad : THETA

11-across – Protection casting 45 degree shadow : UMBRA

12-across – One’s not aware when on this : AUTOPILOT

13-across – But dates can make a bit of sense : TASTEBUD

14-across – Follower of spirit? : CHASER

17-across – Rouse up and go east, taking cash initially : EXCITE

19-across – Capital to hear tom-tom act : KATMANDU

22-across – Par hole by playing for curve : HYPERBOLA

24-across – Gun or rot can finish soldier : TOMMY

25-across – Runs out of thread – that’s smart : STING

26-across – Whence workers’ heroes died in polluted environment : TOLPUDDLE

27-across – Try to see eggs turn in change of climate : METEOROLOGICAL

1-down – Surrender or die? : GIVEUPTHEGHOST

2-down – The volume of traffic? : OMNIBUS

3-down – The heavens stabilise one mentally deficient : FIRMAMENT

4-down – Most of westerly isle has … wait for it … mineral : ROCKALUM

5-down – The bar that doesn’t allow singing : OMERTA

6-down – Male sheep is excited : HETUP

7-down – Paradoxically, almost pointless landmark : NEEDLES

8-down – What to do with dead ringer? Go easy at first, blossom : CANTERBURYBELL

15-down – Hogtied : HAMSTRUNG

16-down – Not meeting the standard on whole railway : PARALLEL

18-down – Best food is fancy : CAPRICE

20-down – Roaming around Dominica without one : NOMADIC

21-down – Cook up rubbish fish : DOCTOR

23-down – Wayward parachute doesn’t open : ROGUE

9-across – No force in spin doctor’s art: New York finds it mesmerising : HYPNOGENY

10-across – See 1 : CLOSE

11-across – His barber was 25, he noted … : ROSSINI

12-across – … and his doctor had lawyers to see! : BARTOLO

13-across – Fly-killer was making time : SWAT

14-across – Thick German plate smash-ed into dead pieces : ADDLEPATED

16-across – Unwaged? Don’t spend so much! : PAYLESS

17-across – Sibelius was without a local angle : FINNISH

19-across – Hood and train for success donned here! : ROBINGROOM

22-across – An eminent figure in the history of the postal service : HILL

24-across – Gold prospector’s instrument absorbing a man of music : ORPHEAN

25-across – For such an omelette, pan is hot and square initially : SPANISH

26-across – Foreign masher married in Kent : SWEDE

27-across – Popular song in Waterfoot refreshed : TEAFORTWO

1-down – O snail, I beseech, speed or spurt! Oh calamity! Why? Do I hear 3 23? : THERESAPORPOISE

2-down – Desertion from a job, say? Possibly : APOSTASY

3-down – He commissioned Corelli in Les Bourrées, I gathered : LOUIS

4-down – See 1 : BEHINDUS

5-down – Clash with St Paul’s uncharitable tinkler : CYMBAL

6-down – Stockholders raising a bargain, not a fracas : SCARFPINS

7-down – Legionaries blowing hot or cold : COHORT

8-down – Seventh Age to support the minority : SECONDCHILDHOOD

15-down – See 3 : BERNIERES

17-down – Feste’s international dimension? : FOOLSCAP

18-down – Show one the ropes in it and knot a tie : INITIATE

20-down – Rural guardian, unable to raise charges, is out of work: page her! : BOPEEP

21-down – Fraulein’s in the arena! Terrific! : RENATE

23-down – Waits to sing this : CAROL

1-across – Chap going to kiss girl modelling art wear gets the bird : MANXSHEARWATER

8-across – Having taken on cargo at lake port… : LADEN

9-across – …dirty child on platform is even more dirty : GRUBBIER

11-across – Characteristic of Persian cat in the distance? : FURLONG

12-across – Unfathomable element in baby’s maltreatment : ABYSMAL

13-across – Account not rendered by historian : ACTON

15-across – Society girl meeting poet in tube, perhaps : DEBUTANTE

17-across – Dispense with outdoor party? : DOWITHOUT

20-across – Country where, for example, youth leader takes little part : EGYPT

21-across – Seldom met with portion of food : RAREBIT

23-across – He tries to give confidence to underwriter : ASSURER

25-across – Fearful of being socially acceptable in island circles : TIMOROUS

26-across – Waxed enthusiastic about figure in a red jacket : RAVED

27-across – Fruit to place round kitchen fireplace : BLENHEIMORANGE

1-down – Mary familiar with battlefield in book : MOLLFLANDERS

2-down – Partly train a director to cope with bottom of recession, perhaps : NADIR

3-down – Poem about bun involved a summer hat : SUNBONNET

4-down – Promised to become enmeshed : ENGAGED

5-down – Right hand turn Jag takes in garden : RHUBARB

6-down – Sailor takes governor to church : ABBEY

7-down – It’s a fair bet doctor takes old French soldier to flat : EVENMONEY

10-down – Boy game to help people across the Thames : ALBERTBRIDGE

14-down – Drag Wendy Hiller to place of execution : TOWERHILL

16-down – Club official sure in re art anyway : TREASURER

18-down – Lasted longer than couple embraced by roué, perhaps : OUTWORE

19-down – Managed to take back outside most of the crosspiece : TRANSOM

22-down – Tired after stroke to point : BLOWN

24-down – Sailors holding girl up to see bird : RAVEN