Daily Answers

8-across – Elvis due to reincarnate? Unreal! : DELUSIVE

9-across – Dear church members, you need a cat here : OCELOT

10-across – A band of zebras? : STRIPE

11-across – War memorial not cheap to rebuild : CENOTAPH

12-across – Some blame Zeus for Greek food : MEZE

13-across – The Swiss state is in N Italy, true? False : NEUTRALITY

15-across – Part of a summer shower, in itself regularly mild : PERSEID

16-across – Work garment more than a couple of pounds : OVERALL

18-across – Eccentric or angry, as Humpty ended up : OFFTHEWALL

19-across – Primate burying saint in rear of church : APSE

20-across – Lifting weights with this a breeze, to a girl : WINDLASS

22-across – So far, fox fed itself : TODATE

23-across – Where every country can obtain water for the sick? : UNWELL

24-across – Racing here, great deal? : GOODWOOD

1-down – Flier the RAF redefined to have failed : FEATHEREDFRIEND

2-down – Possible employer looks carefully at A-level choice : BUSINESSSTUDIES

3-down – This may speed through the streets, if I re-engineer part : FIREENGINE

4-down – Hangman promoted? The sauce : KETCHUP

5-down – Almost pretty Scottish city : BONN

6-down – Sadly lament holiday not operational, given health crisis : MENTALBREAKDOWN

7-down – Being taken in, isolation is path for treatment : HOSPITALISATION

14-down – Unveiling the final book in the series : REVELATION

17-down – Extract bus ticket and get on : PASSAGE

21-down – Colleague that puts an end to a lot of adverbs : ALLY

8-across – Leaders of first revolution in crash … : MONARCHS

9-across – … way before next bust, perhaps … : STATUE

10-across – … fearful of acting next : AWED

11-across – Critical of population growth: wild animals taking over next : MALTHUSIAN

12-across – Next target for the ambitious and spirited : FRISKY

14-across – Next heretical saint, Lucifer’s follower : SATANIST

15-across – After start of assembly, next socialist moving to Left separately : ASUNDER

17-across – Maintain surveillance over next terrible riot : MONITOR

20-across – Patrons of hospital: Boatman : HABITUES

22-across – Country’s next dash : SWEDEN

23-across – Boatman’s cell, harsh at first, next emerged empty and vividly coloured : BRIGHTHUED

24-across – Next ton of material for glass : FRIT

25-across – A place in the heavens for next to win, say : SATURN

26-across – Odds and ends from next drains : SUNDRIES

1-down – Due to conflict over the middle of the Red Sea ahead : FORWARDS

2-down – Tough end cut off vegetable : HARD

3-down – Contemptible but delectable, showing no resistance : SCUMMY

4-down – Pursue aliens: ask ‘even this is futile?’ : USELESS

5-down – Really minced its oaths : ISTHATSO

6-down – Woman rings boy to collect rustic drink : DAMSONWINE

7-down – Leaders of hominids, usually making a nuisance somewhere? : HUMANS

13-down – Badly stung, I go in bawling : SINGINGOUT

16-down – Rejoicing in extravagance, raised by parent, ultimately a six-footer : EXULTANT

18-down – A joke describing the Titanic, for example : ONELINER

19-down – Station on the Oxted line where one second is painful, time slipping away : ASHURST

21-down – Gay porn stash discovered: they keep the blood flowing : AORTAS

22-down – People used to call for these to bear them, but some ceased answering : SEDANS

24-down – Report of having taken part in battles – here : FORT

1-across – Longing suppressed by a baseball player : PITCHER

5-across – Pet making small mark in The Guardian? : PAMPER

9-across – As character making repeated appearance, female artist blocks entrance : GEMINATE

10-across – Ask to engage member of parliament – support is not straight : BOWLEG

12-across – Writer to act as bodysnatcher? Little hesitation, time to intervene! : ROBERTGRAVES

15-across – EU nice and calm after disruption, helping to tolerate different beliefs? : ECUMENICAL

17-across – Regret impolite daughter being banished : RUE

19-across – Feature of the ideal religious festival : EID

20-across – Power to discern the future in a time of no experimentation? : PRESCIENCE

22-across – Inability to go against outpost holding minimal cash? : CONSTIPATION

26-across – One geometrical section as a defining image? : ICONIC

27-across – Six taking time to collect vehicle from house near church? : VICARAGE

28-across – Sound irritates Oxford school : GREATS

29-across – What could make pest move decisively : STEPOUT

1-down – Servant making contribution to a … : PAGE

2-down – … ___, as far as I’m concerned : TOME

3-down – Transfer completed finally in German city : HANDOVER

4-down – The artist coming first is blooming early : RATHE

6-down – Sailor gets ‘eap up on ship : ABOARD

7-down – See nag prevail, somehow talking gibberish? : PALAVERING

8-down – Listed heart, previously in appropriate colour : REGISTERED

11-down – Reportedly makes hard bargains : STEALS

13-down – Begging rail-destroyer to stay outside home counties : BESEECHING

14-down – Irritating bounders upset your setter : BURDENSOME

16-down – One time to limit sound of contentment that will rise and suddenly grow : IRRUPT

18-down – Holy group over time offering guidance : PILOTAGE

21-down – Severe princess once banished from region : STRICT

23-down – Take off clothes, first to last, making short journeys : TRIPS

24-down – Decisive blow upsetting old animal : KAYO

25-down – Church officer, member of a tribe : CELT

1-across – Giddy, similar having struck head : ELATED

5-across – Serious film about a double Dutch lover? : BIGAMIST

9-across – One Direction’s corrosive agent on the radio? : OCCIDENT

10-across – Girl, cross with deadline, finally gets extension : ANNEXE

11-across – Garbage in tum, husband – one of those? : HUMANDUSTBIN

13-across – Somewhere for swimming cap, one’s head! : LIDO

14-across – Virtue in large settlement, hurrying to bank when last one divorced! : CHASTITY

17-across – Stumble across wrong wire in security device : FIREWALL

18-across – Bloomer in cunning manner initially erased : LILY

20-across – Is that concealed by instrumental entertainer? : HIDDENTALENT

23-across – Not appreciated – as a number made redundant? : UNSUNG

24-across – Turkey probed by animal doctor, alas, some leave : DUVETDAY

25-across – Reassembly of gun, doable after unloading a weapon : BLUDGEON

26-across – Before year, second went fast : SPEEDY

2-down – Best lap : LICK

3-down – Body part raised, black in colour : THIGHBONE

4-down – Romantic novel read well! : DREAMY

5-down – Where plants studied in old forest on which log cabin built, housing much appreciated : BOTANICALGARDEN

6-down – Powdery on the moon, scrap’s gathered up : GRANULAR

7-down – He painted Earthling and Venutian, say : MANET

8-down – The other pieces for old band : SEXPISTOLS

12-down – Local call outlining prophecy : DIVISIONAL

15-down – I don’t want to listen – but a labourer might? : TALKTOTHE

16-down – A generic kind of philanthropist or self-help guru : CARNEGIE

19-down – Legend written below canopy of pine, part of trunk : PELVIS

21-down – Doctor you and I had, healer : DRUID

22-down – See 15 : HAND

8-across – Encourages viewers to leave when reporting Oxford’s dimensions : SHOESIZE

9-across – Arrival still not settled : INFLUX

10-across – Charge made impression with European : STAMPEDE

11-across – Continue swallowing occasional rage with someone who is petrifying : GORGON

12-across – Is that Schrödinger’s luggage? It’s quickly resolved : OPENANDSHUTCASE

15-across – It relieves blockage caused by number occupying street : STENT

16-across – Feel gutted abandoning bat, say : UTTER

20-across – It’s time for physicists to explain general relativity : FOURTHDIMENSION

21-across – A huge number leave retro brand : GOOGOL

23-across – Broad description of good book’s contents : ALLROUND

25-across – Deny one’s in depressed state : DISOWN

26-across – Young fish found in drier – has it been cooked there? : AIRFRYER

1-down – AI facilitates talk with doctor over temperature : CHATGPT

2-down – Met ran riot, mistreated returning killer? : TERMINATOR

3-down – Award for play : GIVE

4-down – Iron included in heavy American shielding : DEFENSE

5-down – Idle and strung out, becoming upset : DISGRUNTLE

6-down – Endless quest to see wild life from a distance : AFAR

7-down – Crucial clause vetoed biopsies lawyers used to investigate death : AUTOPSY

13-down – Halt cannon being moved in a careless manner : NONCHALANT

14-down – Where queens are always men : CHESSBOARD

17-down – Composer with personal problem supported by sculptor : BORODIN

18-down – Bugs army boss when getting a low rise : CICADAS

19-down – He might stop you entering empty bar carrying weight : BOUNCER

22-down – Finally getting power to reject shoddy goods : GROT

24-down – Entice Charlie to abandon dodgy money : LURE