Daily Answers

8-across – Flier in liquor to pour the tea : BEMOTHER

9-across – Colour known as point-blank? : ORANGE

10-across – What happens when you aim for the stars? : UPSHOT

11-across – Iberian transsexual in Jane’s? : MANOFWAR

12-across – Weapons returned, as is very well fitting : SNUG

13-across – G-girl clergy, there for the washing up : GLASSCLOTH

15-across – Least divided of France’s ports? : LORIENT

16-across – Being illiterate, I’m on my bike with hangers-on in the cold : ICICLES

18-across – Female a month ago reached Pole, making an unusual figure : HENDECAGON

19-across – Peculiar character of gold removed from the Lights : AURA

20-across – A number entered during a spell of work needing no thought : INSTINCT

22-across – Whatever I fancy doing, I use one hand, within reason : WHIMSY

23-across – Time allowed for payment: what an _____ , says the creditor : USANCE

24-across – Occupied by nurse before breaking in : TENENTED

1-down – Seek person : KEEPINGONESNOSE

2-down – : TOTHEGRINDSTONE

3-down – To get curtailed during vocal – such a one should be shot! : PHOTOGENIC

4-down – Verbal rules, with string attached, on sheep locking horns? : GRAMMAR

5-down – This is the way to cover chicks : DOWN

6-down – Having left the terrible Times, here’s what we’re going on about : LAWFULOCCASIONS

7-down – Big breakfast eater getting his … : AGIANTREFRESHED

14-down – … small-time twist, allowing further effort : SECONDWIND

17-down – Stir it when there’s an entry to the outside : AGITATE

21-down – Work with your hands saying what you should have : NEED

1-across – Drink from tap and ultimately get to feel rough : COCKTAIL

5-across – Sounds like ‘unger for something to offer stability : ANCHOR

9-across – Energetic folk from Dublin? Not one glum : LIVERISH

10-across – Beat old-fashioned side in Home Counties : SWINGE

12-across – Finding peace without depression is a lucky gift : SERENDIPITY

15-across – Wall hanging unknown from displays : ARRAS

17-across – Look around one church by street in city : LEICESTER

18-across – Brings up what’s been cooked with vile taste : LEVITATES

19-across – Book gets pound fine – library wants it back on this? : SHELF

20-across – Music teacher has organised riot marches : CHOIRMASTER

24-across – Time to see legs? : ELEVEN

25-across – Victory sign by adult in performance making the big break : VACATION

26-across – Die-hard gentleman is back in place : PURIST

27-across – What may have made step frantic : STAMPEDE

1-down – Company associate admitting failure on a huge scale : COLOSSALLY

2-down – Do a tarmac job outside the house? It could be a hit : COVERDRIVE

3-down – Modern city or much older one in the money : TURIN

4-down – Home depot contains harmful fitting : INSTILLATION

6-down – They must have tied in their recent match : NEWLYWEDS

7-down – Search for mountaineer on Everest : HUNT

8-down – Smell from bay about to go : REEK

11-down – Official replaced Vatican silver, except for one article : CIVILSERVANT

13-down – Knowing the way of life? : STREETWISE

14-down – Liking a brief page indication : PREFERENCE

16-down – Bits of machine put on ship with sailors aboard : SETSCREWS

21-down – A clout around the end of ear may give a warning : ALARM

22-down – Early ape evolving in an extended period : LEAP

23-down – : YEAR

7-across – Clasp is loose on the Spanish knife : SCALPEL

8-across – South American girl’s study? : PERUSAL

10-across – Show progress? Don’t exaggerate! : COMEON

11-across – Went into service? : ENLISTED

12-across – Live with a posh boyfriend : BEAU

13-across – Old personnel carrier, powerfully armed? : SEDANCHAIR

14-across – Relation found in a semi-religious order? : HALFBROTHER

19-across – Devotion of caretaker to head? : TENDERNESS

22-across – Study a book about publicity : READ

23-across – A city to impress sailors : SHANGHAI

24-across – You’ll never score with this girl : MAIDEN

25-across – High-rise flat : PLATEAU

26-across – Graduates meeting shortly? It’s in the wind : BASSOON

1-down – Pedestrian transport : SCOOTER

2-down – A word of praise : ALLELUIA

3-down – Threatened strikes that don’t come off : FEINTS

4-down – We shall shortly join firm : WELLKNIT

5-down – Sudden rising in output schedule : PUTSCH

6-down – Half-cooked scrap of food : RAREBIT

9-down – It’s the law in France : GENDARMERIE

15-down – In time the waves may recede from it : FOREHEAD

16-down – Rise late, perhaps, but still be the first : EARLIEST

17-down – An opening for an opener : KEYHOLE

18-down – Didn’t go much on Arthur’s place! : CAMELOT

20-down – Point has a need to be put differently : DENOTE

21-down – Mother’s coming up on a vessel – a Chinese one : SAMPAN

4-across – Starts fiddling with switch on judge’s black box : FLIGHT

6-across – : RECORDER

9-across – Reprimand after dropping a cake in the rubbish : ROCKET

10-across – Sort to get married and miss embracing dairy worker : MILKMAID

11-across – Fat father ruined tin of theatrical make-up : GREASEPAINT

15-across – There’s no way distilled spirit can be a medicine! : NOSTRUM

17-across – Fragrant ring, the same before turning sour : ODOROUS

18-across – Cafe, as in dull colour, soon takes very little money : GREASYSPOON

22-across – Laugh at clear clue I made a mess of : RIDICULE

23-across – An embellishment acceptable in an open court : ATRIUM

24-across – Time to finish making improvements … : AMENDING

25-across – … for nothing great is pointless : GRATIS

1-down – Man declines to come round for bed linen : SHEETS

2-down – Happy with Louis etc, if dancing : FELICITOUS

3-down – Removing coat, cook bird : COCKATOO

4-down – Inventing article to be inserted when searching : FORAGING

5-down – In patient about to be admitted, it’s up : INCREASE

7-down – Expensive letter opener? : DEAR

8-down – Travelled east after staff : RODE

12-down – Attractive French lady admitted striking : PUMMELLING

13-down – Pioneer carelessly lost coin : COLONIST

14-down – Big waves miss aunt when swimming : TSUNAMIS

16-down – Which makes a royal person late? : REGICIDE

19-down – When upset, go to God : SATURN

20-down – District standing a long time : AREA

21-down – Had zealot hidden a timber dresser? : ADZE

1-across – The adding of water etc in the matter of established political norms : RECONSTITUTION

9-across – There’s a boom when it reads 1, caused by hammer etc : MACHMETER

10-across – Uniform choice, as in 1900 or with the Falklands factor : KHAKI

11-across – Imperial cat? : OUNCE

12-across – Near Eastern front, money held by Southern general : LEVANTINE

13-across – Most of our air needs re-toning : NITROGEN

14-across – Bit of trouser for the book? : TURNUP

17-across – Parasite having a rest at the table : JIGGER

19-across – See 10 : ELECTION

22-across – Predicament after strike dispels darkness : LAMPLIGHT

24-across – Legal bar to poet’s work : ESTOP

25-across – Run away, as insect from ungulate : ELOPE

26-across – Work hard to enter Magic Circle before eating raw flesh : OMOPHAGIC

27-across – Rates flop badly at 1 down’s county: it requires the adding of water : PLASTEROFPARIS

1-down – Lovers’ memory of dawn before a month in parliament : ROMEOANDJULIET

2-down – It’s giving milk that has people shy : COCONUT

3-down – Nobody keeps pigment for himself : NUMBERONE

4-down – Written off to journalist of stature : TOTALLED

5-down – In the earth rivers enable us to live well : THRIVE

6-down – Symbolic presence granted to Livingstone : TOKEN

7-down – Eggs changed into what could be standing : OVATION

8-down – Deserts etc produce woes with appendices burst : WIDEOPENSPACES

15-down – He’s turning in: take away keeper with relative status : UNCLESHIP

16-down – Trouble about gambling game – it isn’t over yet! : ALOTTODO

18-down – Soup I left, having trouble in the mouth : GUMBOIL

20-down – 3 is 3, say, in between : INTEGER

21-down – Take no notice of Italian men losing their head : IGNORE

23-down – City is 3, say : LEEDS