Daily Answers

1-across – Two pieces performed by minor player : BITPART

5-across – Shot into the air when excited : FIREDUP

9-across – Fine detective captures a forest creature : OKAPI

10-across – Drawing a description of chessboard : ALLSQUARE

11-across – Old magazine spreading sick abuse : BACKISSUE

12-across – Part of mainframe needs backing up – it will remove waste : ENEMA

13-across – Doctor I have contracted to provide spin : DRIVE

15-across – Cooking native oil is perfectly safe : INVIOLATE

18-across – They may have boxers leave when getting into drugs? : DOGOWNERS

19-across – Bags, totally shorter for the younger generation : TOTES

21-across – Losing against opposition that’s game? : UPFOR

23-across – Fire idiot with heroin – it’s rough stuff : SACKCLOTH

25-across – At home, kid gets prepared for light work : THEMIKADO

26-across – Twist what he is really like at first : WHIRL

27-across – Recognised expert ready to acquire some currency : DOYENNE

28-across – Phrase regularly re-used in time when spouse requires affirmation? : YESDEAR

1-down – Boy threw up having applied small drop : BLOBBED

2-down – Rush job on cottage? : THATCHING

3-down – Pal’s fibs built central part of criminal defence : ALIBI

4-down – Stoical view when the flat is turned over : THATSLIFE

5-down – Nothing capital university put together is wrong : FALSE

6-down – Surprise stronghold, reportedly something crumbly? : ROQUEFORT

7-down – Fourth rate swinger perhaps out for a duck : DRAKE

8-down – Hunt for food before meeting with romantic partner : PREDATE

14-down – Old style master abandons median location for medical facility : EDWARDIAN

16-down – Doctor may covet adopting son; it avoids having another? : VASECTOMY

17-down – Writer checks out reports of sanction : AUTHORISE

18-down – Came together when I left after father gets intimidated : DAUNTED

20-down – Academic check into potentially free form of energy : SCHOLAR

22-down – Spicy and extremely intense ingredient of greasy food : FIERY

23-down – Attack credit record : SLATE

24-down – Conservative members of parliament are hoods : COWLS

1-across – Occasionally working for another paper? : ATTIMES

5-across – Like a racket? Excitable perhaps, highly so : STRUNG

9-across – Leave stranded, eating a bit of Club biscuit : MACAROON

10-across – Look pleased, comprehending one figure of speech : SIMILE

12-across – Substitute at the altar has nowhere to sit : STANDINGROOM

15-across – We may feel in our bones they are trying to do us good : OSTEOPATHS

17-across – Place of feline repose? : MAT

19-across – Swan feather : PEN

20-across – Outline design for hotel suite : SILHOUETTE

22-across – Stop arguing and put bag down : RESTONESCASE

26-across – Liable to consumption, I bleed badly : EDIBLE

27-across – Stagecraft at the Savoy : PINAFORE

28-across – In pouring rain, get off toboggan? : DELUGE

29-across – A foreboding one is not yet wise? : PRESAGE

1-down – A millimetre round, or rounds : AMMO

2-down – Second good mark : TICK

3-down – Long-running battle : MARATHON

4-down – Small crop creates contempt : SCORN

6-down – Wounded tiger receives a medical assessment : TRIAGE

7-down – In fury, omit to organise consistency : UNIFORMITY

8-down – Intellect can be a depressing affair : GREYMATTER

11-down – Given a small part, finishing after seven : EIGHTH

13-down – Police commissioner is a snake : COPPERHEAD

14-down – Bear, as before, getting jam : STANDSTILL

16-down – A page is making muttered comments : ASIDES

18-down – Pots grouse and pheasant, say, a futile occupation : MUGSGAME

21-down – Sharp bend, one at each corner of the lab? : DOGLEG

23-down – Check one mischievous cousin of ours : CHIMP

24-down – Programmer some hear gets the last bit of work : CODA

25-down – Festival taking place in cafeteria : FETE

1-across – Comprehensive traversal of a few dictionary pages? : FROMSTEMTOSTERN

9-across – Violent offence involving crime that initially comes from drink : ABSINTH

10-across – Fewer characters than 5 taking equipment aboard public transport : TRIGRAM

11-across – Golf hotel, India – part of the cuisine it serves? : GHI

12-across – This primarily isn’t hoarse? That must be wrong : THROATINESS

13-across – Crude porn images showing bloomers? Just the one : ANGIOSPERM

15-across – It’s not much, having only half the characters available : ATOM

18-across – Dodgy behaviour, guzzling soft drinks : SUPS

20-across – Original demure face drawing men in : PRIMORDIAL

23-across – Power in Eurocrat disturbed resident of island : PUERTORICAN

25-across – Largely avoid speed downhill? : SKI

26-across – Changed in last year, with an unpleasant impact : NASTILY

27-across – One scrapes most of whisky container with doctor intervening : STRIGIL

28-across – Possibly London fuel test will involve much-used Government levy : CAPITALGAINSTAX

1-down – Fellow contacted the French over island’s conflicted language : FRANGLAIS

2-down – Getting rid of last of tourists during trip : OUSTING

3-down – Allow small military operation to capture North : SANCTION

4-down – Number not given for lower number : ETHER

5-down – Thatcher, perhaps, upset about source of threat provided by four characters : TETRAGRAM

6-down – Place about to go off? Let’s not go there : SKIPIT

7-down – Lug home payment to secure contract : EARNEST

8-down – Biblical text without hesitation is deadening : NUMBS

14-down – Some light coming through doorway in stage performance : PORTRAYAL

16-down – Consider accommodating dump on former location of cinema : MULTIPLEX

17-down – Romeo brought in beer round – how many provided? : PRINTRUN

19-down – Jerk, say, having papers in a frenzy : PRESSUP

21-down – Enlightenment almost here? : INSIGHT

22-down – Regular twinkling mostly seen in stone : STRICT

23-down – Shock article presented in movie : PANIC

24-down – Damage observed on a Spanish holiday area : COSTA

1-across – Form being praised after reversal, sharp turn : DOGLEG

5-across – Might contractor pen records? : BICEPS

8-across – Retina operated upon after I will find sloth : INERTIA

9-across – Dark, dark colour, one lining bag : SATANIC

11-across – High street trader is worker in Liverpool, say, son into urban music : FISHANDCHIPSHOP

12-across – 18 across, where soft touches rejected : SPAT

13-across – Apology appropriate after whoopsie lands on King Charles’ head : POOREXCUSE

17-across – Tool for mincing beef : AXETOGRIND

18-across – Principal made redundant in awkward dispute : TIFF

20-across – A steadying hand I supply now : INTHISDAYANDAGE

23-across – Get a hack to dictate for author : NABOKOV

24-across – Whippersnapper committed perjury, it’s understood : IMPLIED

25-across – Cross with leader on breaking free after evacuation of Hungary : HYBRID

26-across – Barrel loaded by negative force – taking down various characters? : KEYING

2-down – Embroider no more, say : OVERSTATE

3-down – Able to kill, all with the motive : LETHAL

4-down – God takes rat run, cycling in Giro d’Italia, say : GRANDTOUR

5-down – Painter of fantastic scenes, with my eye by my ear? : BOSCH

6-down – South American hothead in bed, attention-seeker embracing peace : COTOPAXI

7-down – Drink in box? : PUNCH

8-down – Where emergency service building would have Irish plague? : INFESTATION

10-down – See 22 : COPPERFIELD

14-down – Slippery surface tricky ultimately, delicate drop shot lousy : RINKYDINK

15-down – Worshipper, nun after conversion welcoming it with song : UNITARIAN

16-down – Paul, for example, the thief of time? : MONICKER

19-down – Smart – as a crocodile? : SNAPPY

21-down – Sticker alongside that might be silver : TABBY

22-down – Is it a spelling book? : DAVID

1-across – Brummie’s view of football club’s getting international prestige finally? : CITYSCAPE

6-across – The point of putting sulphur in container : CUSP

8-across – Putting up with enduring British group, aged rock symbols : STANDING

9-across – See 8 : STONES

10-across – Remuneration down under initially lacking for poor : FEEBLE

11-across – Enduring, so it seems to jaded scholars? : LONGTERM

12-across – Cast encasing top of leg for protection : SHIELD

15-across – Issue’s chapter 1: ‘Leader’s short measure’ : CHILDREN

16-across – Shades of old book’s remedies : OBSCURES

19-across – A dear daughter and a Greek character : LAMBDA

21-across – Decline to go this way : DOWNHILL

22-across – One pound tucked into crack headwear : TRILBY

24-across – Cathedral supporter is nevertheless into very short hair : FLYING

25-across – See 24 : BUTTRESS

26-across – Old King Cole’s chief fan : CNUT

27-across – Characteristic of a puffed joint? : RHEUMATIC

1-down – Wound one’s seen on butt of snake charmer : CUTIE

2-down – Figure getting fit can be supported : TENABLE

3-down – Beat time, frantically following soprano : SMITE

4-down – Very good name in Gaelic rum : ANGELIC

5-down – Key Republicans’ focus after senate is disrupted : ESSENTIAL

6-down – As Cream might be producing record including set by The Void : CLOTTED

7-down – Lead soldier’s cap put with fruit and nut : SPEARHEAD

13-down – Spirit produced by tramp dropping round – proceed to get drunk almost : HOBGOBLIN

14-down – Cardinal possibly turns up with replica gun : DERRINGER

17-down – One who’s in the nick of time after politician Vera, investigating corruption, starts : CONVICT

18-down – As this should be very large, blue novel : SOLUBLE

20-down – Police force hosting broadcast about Glasgow’s top detective : MAIGRET

22-down – It’s symbolic of male bear taking precedence : TOTEM

23-down – Spartan language, technically : BASIC