Daily Answers

1-across – Gone With the Wind? : DRIFTED

5-across – Public library ticket includes a notice : PLACARD

9-across – A long way to church, a ridiculous situation : FARCE

10-across – Important Russian composer covered in blood, see : GORBACHEV

11-across – A supremely awful ‘Don’t mention it!’ : MYPLEASURE

12-across – Say Rosemary is in another building : HERB

14-across – One result of successful seance, nothing extreme? : HAPPYMEDIUM

18-across – Provide food at a sort of box for young peacock : CATERPILLAR

21-across – An elected member’s current measures : AMPS

22-across – Seductive, appear to have success with woman : COMEHITHER

25-across – Long to take one fruit or another : PINEAPPLE

26-across – Hospital has not much custom : HABIT

27-across – Step on to platform and run into arrest : DETRAIN

28-across – Acts of disloyalty aren’t so bad : TREASON

1-down – Slander half-deaf celebrity : DEFAME

2-down – Break in and sound pleased about smashing something : IRRUPT

3-down – The corps not here? I sympathise : THERETHERE

4-down – Wise daughter looking up French artist : DEGAS

5-down – Depiction of grand entrance pierced by a little sunshine : PORTRAYAL

6-down – A container not properly closed : AJAR

7-down – As is lithe cat, racing around? : ATHLETIC

8-down – Come rapidly down to earth with a bang : DIVEBOMB

13-down – Wait a bit: I haven’t left Paddington : BEARWITHME

15-down – Such a nasty letter from Post Office, with wrong pension : POISONPEN

16-down – Cancelled, not without a fight? : SCRAPPED

17-down – Poet isn’t working: hurry up! : STEPONIT

19-down – Quietly tramps to see the moon : PHOBOS

20-down – For heavyweight, a tiny scrap : PROTON

23-down – Choose from the lectionary : ELECT

24-down – Father appearing twice a year : PAPA

9-across – Love games helping with theatre work : OPERATION

10-across – Poet’s successful hit in America, not #1 in France : HOMER

11-across – Suggestion: return online shopping basket? : TRACE

12-across – Foolishness as Archer caught out blocking – it’s spinning today at both ends : STUPIDITY

13-across – Goon loses face dumping 4951 grand fighter : PIKEMAN

14-across – Game over getting wife to wear jewellery : BOWLING

17-across – Space explorers beginning to launch in a manner of delivery : NASAL

19-across – Don Corleone finally quitting struggle : WAR

20-across – Fire maintained by King Lear : INGLE

21-across – Rank 1000, 500, 9/2 and 50? : COLONEL

22-across – Extremely emotional blackbird flying west a tiny amount? : DRIBBLE

24-across – Pot only two snooker balls in short holiday : MINIBREAK

26-across – Pull back to tackle United defender : GUARD

28-across – Country’s first chess champion, unknown : ITALY

29-across – Was superior to old tea, drunk stewed : OUTRANKED

1-down – Negative instruction suggesting you must leave US pastry : DONT

2-down – Comment on book : REMARK

3-down – Woman’s exciting role meant getting fruit : WATERMELON

4-down – Prime Minister once in slow dance : WILSON

5-down – Load of fruit 25% off following some brown ends : ENCUMBER

6-down – Switzerland attached to excellent drink : CHAI

7-down – Messaging me back, forgetting header’s deleted : EMAILING

8-down – Girl hugging Romeo with force : ARMY

13-down – Copper outside in a dreadful state of terror : PANIC

15-down – ‘Rubbish Tip’ drawing, perhaps owned by student : WRITINGPAD

16-down – Birds moving skywards, for example, taking in view : GEESE

18-down – Tablet penned by strange alien found between poles of the moon : SELENIAN

19-down – Individual with a small part, Starmer’s not one to break law : WALKERON

22-down – Old transport aircraft’s information about fine lift-off : DAKOTA

23-down – Ignores financial institutions stealing pound sterling : BLANKS

24-down – Sea island housing 28 : MAIN

25-down – Elitist changing negative answer to positive after raising children : BOYS

27-down – Fathers and theologians describe introduction to Apocrypha : DADS

7-across – Optimistic, like male of 17ac? : BULLISH

8-across – Writer in retreat welcomed by fat cat : LEOPARD

9-across – Eagle not the last for Gary Player? : HARP

10-across – Heavy defeat at home by City, as per usual : ROUTINELY

12-across – Ridiculous record by 17ac : CRAZY

13-across – Life’s in a mess for 17ac : FINALISE

15-across – Bed broken by adult film : COAT

16-across – Peer tackling drip in toilet : PRIVY

17-across – Swimmer occasionally ill at ease doing backstroke? : SEAL

18-across – Unlimited plums to take on again : REENGAGE

20-across – Gang member bored by opening of Magic Flute : CRIMP

21-across – Cabaret dancing queen is 17ac : CRABEATER

22-across – Brother working within revolutionary unit : MONK

24-across – British artist coming back in time to entertain : HARBOUR

25-across – Female virtue cracked secret : FURTIVE

1-down – Young adult in passive stage : PUPA

2-down – Footballer on the up – hard worker and big beast! : ELEPHANT

3-down – Husband leaving smoking pot in a lost state : ASTRAY

4-down – Communist country’s borders admitting drug tolerance : LENIENCY

5-down – “Howzat” call from Lyon saving Australia : APPEAL

6-down – Old nag : GREY

11-down – Most partisan United fan whipped up anger on street : UNFAIREST

12-down – Charlie to get away from 17ac : CLOSE

14-down – Mark regularly using satnav maps : STAMP

16-down – Sleepy dictator’s gun loaded : PEACEFUL

17-down – Square couple holding joint for fellow traveller : SHIPMATE

19-down – Barney Rubble is 12dn : NEARBY

20-down – Show around a lost American : CIRCUS

21-down – Crack and heroin smuggled by 17ac : CHAP

23-down – Blue, like stilton supplied by Spooner : NAVY

1-across – Undercover, American seen on rugby pitch twice? : HUSHHUSH

5-across – Protection for art students in the first instance sitting practice exams : SMOCKS

10-across – Star knocked back nearly a half of Benedictine : DENEB

11-across – Regrettably icy moment, representative of the bigger picture : METONYMIC

12-across – Stopped by Port of London Authority, bill recalled for our neighbour : REDPLANET

13-across – Reportedly change train’s destination? : ALTAR

14-across – Provide food including – finally! – sugar bowl : CRATER

15-across – Picture puzzles – about 16 and more? : REBUSES

18-across – Almost hassle-free, they’re used with mortars : PESTLES

20-across – Appropriate drinks passed around local characters : ALEPHS

22-across – Some are Olympian, running these round their rivals? : RINGS

24-across – Star has been here – problem for Starmer’s lot? : BLACKHOLE

25-across – Uninjured? Surprisingly alive, having got on it : INVIOLATE

26-across – Gold piece: ring : ORBIT

27-across – Old flame damaged tree somewhere in Devon : EXETER

28-across – Laureate composed sonnet about New York : TENNYSON

1-down – Ivy can be found in impoverished eras : HEDERA

2-down – They fly nighttime weapon aboard planes : SANDDARTS

3-down – Work close up with the Beeb to install lake observatory : HUBBLETELESCOPE

4-down – Group of undergrads mostly smearing bananas : SEMINAR

6-down – What may make you lament? : MENTALBREAKDOWN

7-down – Ludwig in bed, a heavenly body?! : COMET

8-down – Safest for armistices, on reflection, to include El Salvador : SECUREST

9-down – I announce small potato : STATER

16-down – What may be booked for field trip? Inappropriately, Soho clubs : SCHOOLBUS

17-down – Loosened rivets on wall of toilet facility, being playful : SPORTIVE

19-down – Spelling bee? : SABBAT

20-down – Made tipsy upon entering wicked world of scholarship : ACADEME

21-down – Genius running after salamander : NEWTON

23-down – Stars suddenly brighter and twinkly on average, before storm : NOVAE

4-across – Cat rough in the stomach, being taken for a ride? : COUGAR

6-across – ‘Nobel Prize winner!’ editor screamed : BELLOWED

9-across – Ring again to cancel : REPEAL

10-across – Smoking area I sound hesitant to install in work room : OPIUMDEN

11-across – Cut up into fragments, had jolly time collecting them : PARTITIONED

15-across – Carrying papa colt moved easily, but noisily? : CLOPPED

17-across – Confrontation between gangs over some grass? : TURFWAR

18-across – Vain monarch made out as a virtuoso pianist : RACHMANINOV

22-across – One PM, short bloke, EU citizen : IRISHMAN

23-across – It’s doubly dotty to write in German : UMLAUT

24-across – Capital’s sweetheart, old Scottish singer : HONOLULU

25-across – Force’s uniform concealed by gown : DURESS

1-down – Arab puts question to video game pioneer : QATARI

2-down – Sexually perverted cat? : PEEPINGTOM

3-down – Struggle and sink, going over lake : FLOUNDER

4-down – Hard top vehicle, fast : CARAPACE

5-down – Spurn one comic, a victim of cancel culture? : UNPERSON

7-down – Notice among those making jam it doesn’t always flow : WADI

8-down – Poet recited and finished : DONE

12-down – Popular national hero back injecting portion of drug, liable to be charged : INDICTABLE

13-down – Strut around the Parisian stage at last, dancing in this : SWANLAKE

14-down – Weight of cereal nearly filled with half of essential nutrients : GRAVITAS

16-down – Caver moving right into opening for light : PORTHOLE

19-down – Herald of rain coming up in under a minute : NIMBUS

20-down – Reporter’s hunt for Punjabi perhaps : SIKH

21-down – Cross, I say no every so often in ancient capital : XIAN