Daily Answers

1-across – Check, one related to ear that’s messy : CHAOTIC

5-across – Lay out clues with a solver’s tip : SECULAR

9-across – Light, so aren’t moving in line regularly? : LANTERN

10-across – Current game’s unfinished : DRAUGHT

11-across – Spam is ‘the works’ for the rest of the crew : SHIPMATES

12-across – Kidnap missing leader? Certainly : NATCH

13-across – Anglo-Saxon hairy creature one’s neglected until now : ASYET

15-across – City in which a pair takes daily exercise initially : BUCHAREST

17-across – Lying about copper : RECUMBENT

19-across – Brummie goes on record over animated artificial human : GOLEM

22-across – Sheen appearing at last on Casualty? : GLOSS

23-across – One who belittles journalist reversing vehicle : DETRACTOR

25-across – Say, Loren’s excited to go inside soon! : ERELONG

26-across – Union-related joke about ‘turning tail’ : NUPTIAL

27-across – Reserve cast put by lake : SHYNESS

28-across – Admit high speed force used in breaking noses : CONFESS

1-down – ‘It’s played in confidence’ – Les Taylor : CELESTA

2-down – Unit involved in some unspecified periodic payment : ANNUITY

3-down – Article on empty space unit : THERM

4-down – Officer deceives board : CONSTABLE

5-down – Vicious drugs parties? : SIDES

6-down – Convicted felons with connections : CHAINGANG

7-down – Ambassador: he commonly is a beneficiary : LEGATEE

8-down – Toothy thing’s liberal chatter : RATCHET

14-down – Ben’s motto translated as ‘That’ll be over my dead body!’ : TOMBSTONE

16-down – Rigid Tom needs a boost : CATATONIC

17-down – ‘Get back to your old state!’ gives Republican a way out : REGRESS

18-down – Cask-maker’s craft: weaving rope in modest surroundings : COOPERY

20-down – Art arranged in row for convenience : LATRINE

21-down – Game that Greece would like to see making a return? : MARBLES

23-down – Painter’s daughter turned up a shade of green : DEGAS

24-down – It quivers, similar to a swan : ASPEN

1-across – Clean up dog, perhaps, sweet little youngster : MOPPET

5-across – Skin treatment: couple it with dressing : POULTICE

9-across – More flashy in short underwear : BRASSIER

10-across – Back on the floor? : SUPINE

11-across – Stubborn person has something afoot : MULE

12-across – Reckon one comes in to support band leader : COUNTBASIE

13-across – Forced smile eating posh breakfast : MUESLI

14-across – Formal agreements in dissertation to be read out : TREATIES

16-across – No one left, since you insist : ALLRIGHT

19-across – Abrasive, turn up with computer equipment : PUMICE

21-across – This admission to castle is a let-down : DRAWBRIDGE

23-across – 18 letters returned in the course of duty : ROTA

24-across – Remember to phone again : RECALL

25-across – Sleep on this problem? No way : INSOMNIA

26-across – Lender makes these improvements : ADVANCES

27-across – Vivacious agent going round lifeboat : SPARKY

2-down – Classic story of armoured unit suffering with flu : OURMUTUALFRIEND

3-down – Have groups of urban youths set on son? : POSSESS

4-down – Apparently nervous, time being such a ghoulish hour : TWITCHING

5-down – Almost perfect clothes for hobby : PURSUIT

6-down – Superior group displaced : UPSET

7-down – Pledge to welcome head of government that’s put up in sailing ship : TOPMAST

8-down – Assurance over one round of cards is a swindle : CONFIDENCETRICK

15-down – Indicates they miss most of the stops : EXPRESSES

17-down – Basic facts that could end up cooked? : RAWDATA

18-down – Youth once fails to get soft toys : TEDDIES

20-down – This comes under the hammer, two graduates holding the edge : MARIMBA

22-down – Keepsake from barrel I collected : RELIC

1-across – Small guard required for small piece of carpet : SWATCH

4-across – Players beginning to drink liquor? Just one in the percussion section : SIDEDRUM

9-across – Stop eating father’s food : REPAST

10-across – Old Fellows with a new lecturer? Not all the time : OFFANDON

11-across – Help pair out with adhesive for operation : HIPREPLACEMENT

13-across – European figures about return of competition vehicles : ESTATECARS

14-across – Classic ship in the past seen around river : ARGO

16-across – Woman’s throttling a judge : HEAR

18-across – Cadge trousers – they’re useful for travellers : SPONGEBAGS

21-across – Spa’s constant inclination for annual overhaul? : SPRINGCLEANING

23-across – Galvanises return of vigour with injection of energy : ANIMATES

24-across – American satisfied about University lecturer’s charm : AMULET

25-across – Ain’t Mass traduced in this? : SATANISM

26-across – Key argument in computer encryption process : ESCROW

1-down – Kind hearts absent in brief : SORT

2-down – A quiet fielder put in position : APPOINT

3-down – Scoundrel among performers with a bit of oomph is performer missing something : CASTRATO

5-down – As it happens, that is accommodating new symbol of nationalist tirade : INFLAGRANTE

6-down – Member of syndicate wearing the Spanish coat : ENAMEL

7-down – Podcast’s studied expensive target of hunters? : REDDEER

8-down – Stuns room, misbehaving: outrageous : MONSTROUS

12-down – Those against scabs covering scar in nippers : PICKPOCKETS

13-down – Members of Biblical flock, as in ‘sheep’, possibly : EPHESIANS

15-down – Prison leading famous people to develop pseudonyms : PENNAMES

17-down – Emergency aid? One international link initially filling gap : AIRLIFT

19-down – Invalidate second and third of marriages with a ring : ANNULAR

20-down – Very, very good to reside in pub, but pointless : INVAIN

22-down – Broadcaster finally dodging broadcast trouble : STEW

5-across – Pointed item: observe cutter, did you say? : ICICLE

6-across – In protest, I only want meat loaf! : VEGOUT

9-across – Fix good fish dish : SCAMPI

10-across – So energy has filled object – pumped up : ENTHUSED

11-across – Tragic narrative as wally thrown in river? : TEAR

12-across – One side hearing report of lofty Harry? : HYPOTENUSE

13-across – Cold hand uncharged? : PASSIONLESS

18-across – Way to press button on watch for alarm call : WAKEYWAKEY

21-across – Girl in suit’s half twirl? : MAID

22-across – Dictator king fed to Jaguar? : AUTOCRAT

23-across – British imperialist channels on the radio? : RHODES

24-across – Enemy, O my, has kidnapped crack recruit : ENGAGE

25-across – See 11 : JERKER

1-down – Drink in The Crown for temptress: they call me Queen of the Night, say : TIAMARIA

2-down – Language of spirits the King articulated when tipsy? : ELVISH

3-down – Dry, English child having been rescued by duck : TEETOTAL

4-down – Trashing of mundane cliches on having forsaken Hamlet, say – critic’s lot? : COLUMN

5-down – See 4 : INCHES

7-down – Crime under control in the centre, I believe : THEIST

8-down – Pots of gravy in bottomless trousers : DEEPPOCKETS

14-down – Filthy liquid in vessel quaffed by pandit : SEWERAGE

15-down – Fiddle embraced by aforementioned soul artist : SAMCOOKE

16-down – Toast ending on plate with cheese on, port forgotten : SALUTE

17-down – Straight organ, over which zip pulled up : LINEAR

19-down – Opera company that’s awful shut up! : ENOUGH

20-down – Ball in house, on having bounced back : YORKER

1-across – It can energise a mobile horse : CHARGER

5-across – Father figure’s load : FREIGHT

9-across – The French prepare something welcomed by car passenger? : LEGROOM

10-across – Cloth, weak type – angler’s bait? : RAGWORM

11-across – Postpone decision regarding what to do with a four-poster? : SLEEPONIT

12-across – Capital provided by a country’s leader – endless stuff : ACCRA

13-across – Played by musician just starting out? : INTRO

15-across – Unacceptable extremes, not to be gone into : OFFLIMITS

17-across – Wedding collection of tense, naive painter : TROUSSEAU

19-across – Diver taking part in quelling rebellion : GREBE

22-across – Hardly a lead actor’s ‘bye’ : EXTRA

23-across – Joker on table, showing boxing material : CARDBOARD

25-across – Well, I messed up with gala : MYALGIA

26-across – Planner who produces a graph? : PLOTTER

27-across – Dramatic character, Lear, tentatively put back : LAERTES

28-across – One college involved in developing alder rootlet : RADICLE

1-down – Titanic individuals giving officer brief SOS: ‘crashed against tip of iceberg’ : COLOSSI

2-down – American nutmeg assortment – swell! : AUGMENT

3-down – See 24 : GROUP

4-down – A feature of Nero’s name, or son, ‘Dicky’ : ROMANNOSE

5-down – Splendid start to one’s education? : FIRST

6-down – Burying a work of art : ENGRAVING

7-down – One leaves Chicago possibly around noon for pasta : GNOCCHI

8-down – Female-chasers – most act abominably : TOMCATS

14-down – Byron’s laugh, thought to embody ‘offensive’ : ONSLAUGHT

16-down – Entrance to front parlour’s molten mineral : FLUORSPAR

17-down – Article on a naval corps has a line which is uplifting : THERMAL

18-down – Unreleased film clip issued by Nick : OUTTAKE

20-down – Flexible sort of ice-covered shoe form : ELASTIC

21-down – Give support to ‘ack that came last? : ENDORSE

23-down – See 5 : CLASS

24-down – O, it might well be family gathering : BLOOD