Daily Answers

1-across – Plant with a sting stuck in the chimney : LABURNUM

5-across – Jack on the way to distant climes? : ABROAD

9-across – Five small English bays suitable for tiny vessels : VEINLETS

10-across – Stuck with History Man : PASTED

12-across – Dexter changing sides develops a delicate touch : LIGHTHANDED

15-across – Catches the blows : HOOKS

17-across – My love, for the record, is starting training as a muscleman : MYOLOGIST

18-across – Measure topless girl by sight : OPTICALLY

19-across – Alien following cat around with hymnal music : MOTET

20-across – Fetch Ron the rum after that : THENCEFORTH

24-across – Pander to wit : HUMOUR

25-across – Small insect, one in a pudding in Chile : SANTIAGO

26-across – Remains of drug in fertilizer : POTASH

27-across – Mechanical writing found to be lacking in diversity : TYPECAST

1-down – Reportedly bright criminal devised means of support : LIVELIHOOD

2-down – Fabulous thornbird holds key to Shropshire town : BRIDGNORTH

3-down – Slater turned up, having been fired again : RELIT

4-down – Free upstanding girl: two students have turned clumsily around : UNTRAMMELLED

6-down – Meeting place with offer of food and lodging : BOARDROOM

7-down – Curse that’s old hat, possibly : OATH

8-down – At Carthage she saw the sights for nothing : DIDO

11-down – Noisy cry said to be caused by a personality trait : IDIOSYNCRASY

13-down – Old curiosities cross to the New World : VICTORIANA

14-down – Two chits – right? – required for the plant : STITCHWORT

16-down – Garden tool Tiger hauled into the Bishop’s office, pursued by Bear? Almost! : SECATEURS

21-down – Archaic song, loud yet madly out of tune : FYTTE

22-down – Buy such talk? : SHOP

23-down – Bellies up! Bit of rudeness : SMUT

1-across – Blue swallow found on shed : DOWNCAST

5-across – Managed to cheat millions by chance : RANDOM

9-across – Scold great man touring the West End : TERMAGANT

11-across – Spike is to pop back round : PITON

12-across – Somewhere between flights, bar which pilots use? : LANDINGSTRIP

15-across – Some pianoforte chords reverberate : ECHO

16-across – Running water experiment for use in manufacturing : INDUSTRIAL

18-across – Where, on sea-battered point, you get back trouble? : EASTANGLIA

19-across – Kiss a number, coming back round after that : NEXT

21-across – Sensuous performance, gut reaction to good news? : BELLYDANCING

24-across – Can return in American groups : UNITS

25-across – Imagine going to dig being fantastic? : DREAMLIKE

26-across – The most sensible sink is French : SAGEST

27-across – Bones and leeks cooked by weight : SKELETON

1-down – Tax office : DUTY

2-down – Caution if climbing pole and inexperienced : WARN

3-down – Credit note with tax on is for neckwear : CRAVAT

4-down – Rule about GI with gun, trained and acting as a sentry : STANDINGGUARD

6-down – Pop up and put it in fitting : APPOSITE

7-down – Decide you need time at home when caught in the act? : DETERMINED

8-down – Manage to improve upon lap a minute : MANIPULATE

10-down – Insincere language invol-ved with insolence : TONGUEINCHEEK

13-down – In this area theres a house Bert rebuilt : HEREABOUTS

14-down – Cheating companion, one taking money : CHISELLING

17-down – Songs about plays in Greek island : CALYPSOS

20-down – Brutal for a short time? Thats up to Capone : ANIMAL

22-down – Student first to reach table : LIST

23-down – Japanese buyer about a quarter interviewed : SEEN

1-across – Prove right, merely by changing book to Kipling poem : JUSTIFY

5-across – One disposing of irritations following Labour Party round : FLYTRAP

9-across – Express boarded by Latin Society : WORLD

10-across – Magistrate’s conflicting votes left America in recession : PROCONSUL

11-across – Big, big band in organ rendition : BROBDINGNAGIAN

13-across – Serviceable fellow rejected northern banker : OUSE

14-across – War and Peace personified: not I – the king’s old gamekeeper : WARRENER

17-across – Round the twist or up the pole? : DUENORTH

18-across – The Animals may initially make a persistent noise! : ZOOM

21-across – Besotted, they pop without introduction up chapel! : THEHAPPYCOUPLE

23-across – Great conqueror’s kiss collected by a beautiful youth : ALEXANDER

24-across – Essential part finally bottled? : VITAL

25-across – Clear drama enacted on court? : NETPLAY

26-across – Fool’s eating bitter plant off the wall! : BERSERK

1-down – Two little women with start of lock jaw : JOWL

2-down – The lead for which one was unprepared? : SURPRISEELEMENT

3-down – Badly behind, missing third payment, ultimately still owing : INDEBT

4-down – Young professional lady’s ending up tart? : YUPPIE

5-down – In terror, disorderly go to pumps? : FOOTGEAR

6-down – Volunteers of yore, with many suffering : YEOMANRY

7-down – Chambers won’t have an entry here, if you’re lucky! : RUSSIANROULETTE

8-down – One retiring medic follows another back into queue behind Dad – or Mum, for example : PALINDROME

12-down – Commercial transport showing considerable stress : GOODSTRAIN

15-down – Number 50 secures bye to last place in quarter-final – my pleasure! : NOTATALL

16-down – Like a fool, puts up with way layabout behaves : STUPIDLY

19-down – That is a horse beetle : SCARAB

20-down – Show fear – this is a case for Robin Hood : QUIVER

22-down – Adverse criticism almost to the end of the scale : FLAK

9-across – A high mark, with luck and a half, within range : ALPHAPLUS

10-across – See 16 : LEACH

11-across – 21, the writer, an unconventional farceur? : BEATRIX

12-across – Altitude with no time before morning attained after 21 in Norfolk : HEIGHAM

13-across – Bear accepting stakes : TOTE

14-across – The tyranny of the subconscious? : REPRESSION

16-across – 21 hesitatingly put aromatic oil in disinfectant : BERNARD

17-across – 21, good at games, suggests bird’s-foot : STEPHEN

19-across – Finishes beheaded, not carried over : ENDSTOPPED

22-across – Norfolk water used to be the start of 12 : WASH

24-across – The Little Prince, a title with fire in it : KINGLET

25-across – Reversing loco around this place in Norfolk : DEREHAM

26-across – Scottish town, the Irish being held by Granny : NAIRN

27-across – Brian Close, damaged with loss of student, needs a lawyer : ESCRIBANO

1-down – With entry of b-big 22, a sword and a ruler will not be kosher : SABBATHBREAKING

2-down – Southern dish to make a mess on the wall, perhaps : SPLATTER

3-down – 21, the young wizard – don’t leave him in peace : HARRY

4-down – To eat without slack’s to make cake without oil : FLAXSEED

5-down – 3’s funny girl in the Bible : ESTHER

6-down – Prairie-dwellers devise a scheme about reconstructed mines : PLAINSMEN

7-down – Commercial television is upset about a tree supplanted by 3 : VASHTI

8-down – Would-be traveller to Norfolk finds those folk a fraction : THEMANINTHEMOON

15-down – Common phones for loyalists on their toes? : PARTYLINE

17-down – Bird in detention put in to copy a mammal? : SHELDUCK

18-down – Agreement with both ears? : HEARHEAR

20-down – 21, the dramatist, did the wrong thing the wrong way : DENNIS

21-down – Dawdle like a nerd after 23s : POTTER

23-down – Educate followers on-line : TRAIN

1-across – Support act’s return with ruler’s mark of approval : WALKINGSTICK

8-across – Tipsy grandee gets bitter : ANGERED

9-across – The devil is rough-and-ready : SCRATCH

11-across – New article needs sharp material : NANKEEN

12-across – Address of old allotment : ORATION

13-across – In Lancashire town, student makes stout : BURLY

14-across – Novelist produces a beer mug by the stream : STEINBECK

16-across – A Ford T car is renovated, showing motorist’s skill : ROADCRAFT

19-across – A bit of padding inserted to dry out weapon : SPEAR

21-across – Social climber mounted Ernst’s last two paintings : UPSTART

23-across – A defect from some terrible mishap : BLEMISH

24-across – Desirous of touring a country : HUNGARY

25-across – One turned awkwardly and thrust oneself forward : INTRUDE

26-across – School Esther reformed is a model : CLOTHESHORSE

1-down – Haulier found dead in conflict : WAGONER

2-down – Crime Clare contrived on the State : LARCENY

3-down – Land somebody on Sunday in the country : INDONESIA

4-down – Apparent disgust often betrays enthusiasm : GUSTO

5-down – Queen appears in school ground : TERRAIN

6-down – Act badly upon desire. That’s sneaky : CATLIKE

7-down – Artist gets Bob endlessly agitated : GAINSBOROUGH

10-down – Long to dress daughter with outstanding accessory : HANDKERCHIEF

15-down – Found habit less developed : ESTABLISH

17-down – Magazine shows money in the sea : ARSENAL

18-down – Noisy petitioner loses impact, initially : CLAMANT

19-down – Queen supports fish-processing works : SMELTER

20-down – English beauty losing heart to person of taste : EPICURE

22-down – A plant for the said occasion : THYME