Daily Answers

1-across – A river skirts Crosby, a town in England : ABINGDON

5-across – Son strode out when out of his skull : SPACED

9-across – Sovereign introduced to metalworker! That’s a fluke! : FLOUNDER

10-across – Spooks beset people returning from place of entertainment : CINEMA

11-across – Drink tisane brewed by Lawrence : ANISETTE

12-across – Native of seaside resort with no good hotel : BRITON

14-across – City in America canonised in Russia : PETERSBURG

18-across – Companion embraces sweetheart with desire – not as it’s reported : CLOVEHITCH

22-across – It is quite clear the monkey is wearing a hat : LIMPID

23-across – Bob’s making fun of needlework : SMOCKING

24-across – Reptilian soldier turned to university articles : IGUANA

25-across – Writer of note from Fair Isle : CLEMENTI

26-across – The Parisian follows requirement for a sewer : NEEDLE

27-across – The railway in an army camp on an island : BALINESE

1-down – A couple of fellows skate and row : AFFRAY

2-down – It’s incongruous that one club supports another : IRONIC

3-down – A shufti round site of air traffic control centre : GANDER

4-down – Public beneficiary receives a broadcast : OVERTHEAIR

6-down – Plain language written about border flower : PRIMROSE

7-down – Danish king receives ancient request for wood : CHESTNUT

8-down – Water soaking away from bedraggled gardenia : DRAINAGE

13-down – Statesman embraces one and all on the island. That’s sweet : PEACHMELBA

15-down – Kitchen staff gather in Israel : SCULLION

16-down – Rodent roomed with us unfortunately : DORMOUSE

17-down – Iron Age re-settlement looking initially to be from a certain area : REGIONAL

19-down – Tinker takes one kind of food : SCAMPI

20-down – Apron for local tucking into tart : PINNIE

21-down – Brown coal left off fire : IGNITE

1-across – Reportedly 20 13, or one fifth of 14! : SIXQUID

5-across – Turn into tree, as opposed to 25 : POPULAR

9-across – Annoys 1 downs : NARKS

10-across – Afterthought about stockpile of pickles : PRESERVES

11-across – Mutual sighting of sacred image spoken of with discretion : EYECONTACT

12-across – Sun King enters to cheers : SKOL

14-across – Turning ever, dropping verse 10, accepted by God’s 5across 25 1downs : THREETENORS

18-across – Manipulation of thread manacles midget : CHAINSTITCH

21-across – Relative not beginning to brag : AUNT

22-across – Dish for archer on hill in Italy : TORTELLINI

25-across – Girl in charge in state, as opposed to 5 across : CLASSICAL

26-across – Maker of dish for the advancement of culture? : PETRI

27-across – Northerners who’ve been pulled? : YANKEES

28-across – Having got into tabloid, fled – exchanging the Standard for the People : REDFLAG

1-down – A scorcher of a musician! : SINGER

2-down – Persian ruler upset Congress and King : XERXES

3-down – Untidy Gloucestershire opener’s tip: No runs?. That’s not cricket! : UNSPORTING

4-down – Drank up in the store : DEPOT

5-down – 101 in here showing foresight : PRESCIENT

6-down – Quiet hack’s sound of relief : PHEW

7-down – Look to 5 for intricate token – of commitment? : LUVEKNOT

8-down – Grapples topless with skinhead and becomes uneasy : RESTLESS

13-down – Mushroom ring, seedcase and seafood, potentially : CEPHALOPOD

15-down – Denies original story, admitting nothing, and is subsequently influential : RETROACTS

16-down – Second and Third of Borodin in memorable old recording, perhaps : SCRATCHY

17-down – Keep mum, thanks to one in the pub : MAINTAIN

19-down – Part of the architecture of artificial intelligence : LINTEL

20-down – Sloth and fish not doing too well : AILING

23-down – High-level worker left in middle of row : TILER

24-down – Man, say, whatever Donne said : ISLE

1-across – One’s wooden and stuck up and no longer orating! : OFFSTUMP

5-across – Wind from American prairie? : FLATUS

9-across – Examined fashionable drug seen round odd parts of city : INSPECTED

11-across – Stop sideshow : STALL

12-across – Cowardly island shows leadership in sport : YELLOWJERSEY

15-across – Work displayed in shop usually : OPUS

16-across – It’s calculated to enslave, so to speak : DELIBERATE

18-across – Ancient monument gets ruined when one bird nests in it : STONEHENGE

19-across – Fifty old books by one French novelist : LOTI

21-across – Pro a town site being redeveloped for electricity establishment : POWERSTATION

24-across – Eclipse brings alfresco party? : OUTDO

25-across – You’re hated, without love, tormented? Look back with regret : RUETHEDAY

26-across – County clique after return of corporal punishment : DORSET

27-across – Good person to encourage 2 : STURGEON

1-down – Miss showing sex appeal undermining honour : OMIT

2-down – Unhappy type that’s got hooked? : FISH

3-down – Beautiful goddess in street upset ancient city : THEBES

4-down – Trot around with me – lead etc may be found with this : METALDETECTOR

6-down – Magazine no longer available, one hears : LISTENER

7-down – Official at international meeting’s the person who moves a bishop, say? : TRANSLATOR

8-down – Stupidly irresponsible person lived like this? : SILLYDEVIL

10-down – The way in which political journalists sometimes speak publicly? : DOWNINGSTREET

13-down – Our shop due for renovation – to be made very tidy : HOUSEPROUD

14-down – See 2 : OUTOFWATER

17-down – Appalling little female, 6, taking part : FEARSOME

20-down – Important person and lady making a disturbance : POTHER

22-down – Tool acts as a calculator, they say : ADZE

23-down – Colour that could be fancy but not loud : CYAN

7-across – These MDs enter insane crises of conflict! : MEDECINS

9-across – Snake worshipper losing hope about it : OPHITE

10-across – See 7 : SANS

11-across – See 7 : FRONTIERES

12-across – Aviators losing time going East: that’s hairy! : PILOSE

14-across – Superior to Tommy’s tin helmet? : BRASSHAT

15-across – Code of the English and this involves many : ETHICS

17-across – What the economy needs: get-up-and-go! : UPTURN

20-across – Stop that Cartier-Bresson set! : APERTURE

22-across – Where the Normans stitched up the Saxons? : BAYEUX

23-across – Raise handlebar with force and quarrel at the pain of it : GROWATACHE

24-across – A spot of air-traffic control: b– cheek! : BLIP

25-across – I, Romulus Caesar, could for universal love become Emperor : MARCUS

26-across – : AURELIUS

1-down – Feel a git? Change! Join the race! : GETALIFE

2-down – 16 of 5 had four husbands with brass. Oh! Wicked female! … : BESS

3-down – … and only two farthings in a fortune: These things are as ______ in the wind : PIFFLE

4-down – US Marines train here by Potomac. B– awful! : BOOTCAMP

5-down – City where Kate’s put six feet under : SHREWSBURY

6-down – Wisdom, therefore, in articles : ATHENA

8-down – Boorish attempt to influence the mighty with society leader : SLOBBY

13-down – See 2 : OFHARDWICK

16-down – Left from incalculable role in The Marriage of Figaro : COUNTESS

18-down – Nuclear sub built from tin with usual reaction : NAUTILUS

19-down – Offer, say, his kingdom : MERCIA

21-down – River rat slaughtered and left at the gate : PORTAL

22-down – Exhausted by capturing a king : BLEARY

24-down – Papal demand for spit and polish : BULL

7-across – Deep in the past, for example : INTENSE

8-across – One filly in two hundred backed such a hob : CERAMIC

10-across – Ariel goes off with first-class fare : ECLAIR

11-across – After you, semi-literate becomes la creme de la creme : THEELITE

12-across – Zhivago’s girl looked over the shrinking sea : ARAL

13-across – Any player shown a couple of these will see red : YELLOWCARD

14-across – Silly fool : FOLLOWSHOME

19-across – Crumbs! Mat made date, brought wrinkly! : CORRUGATED

22-across – Some leave morosely for the airport : ORLY

23-across – Dim clue reset by compiler finally for cimbalom : DULCIMER

24-across – Some cauliflower from cholesterol-free lunch left over : FLORET

25-across – You French scoff back some dishes! : TUREENS

26-across – Little feller’s creatin’ about Ulster : MANIKIN

1-down – Murdoch’s work is a turn-off – Cronin : UNICORN

2-down – The odd one ogles, introducing painter to the harem : SERAGLIO

3-down – Smokers dump less heroin off the beaten track : ASTRAY

4-down – The monster! Is he dropping the Queen Mother? : BEHEMOTH

5-down – Lochnagar licensees supply bloodsucker repellent : GARLIC

6-down – Speed up in home improvement regimen : DIETARY

9-down – These aren’t flowers? Not on the surface, proverbially : STILLWATERS

15-down – Bond fast embraces rising kings : LIGAMENT

16-down – So taken aback by possessive regretful Miss making a bloomer : MYOSOTIS

17-down – Our slum development made capital founder : ROMULUS

18-down – A country tune, say, part of Lark Ascending : ALGERIA

20-down – It’s used to serve a dodgy business : RACKET

21-down – Deft, say, to conquer? : DEFEAT