Daily Answers

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

8-across – See group, oddly, as source of self-criticism : SUPEREGO

9-across – Not ourselves, and not herself – not entirely : OTHERS

10-across – Puzzle followed by two seconds without speaking : WORDLESS

11-across – For instance, consuming a container of food : EATING

12-across – Errant life feels misrepresented, as is autobiography : SELFREFERENTIAL

15-across – Important politician, one ranked moderately highly : MAJOR

16-across – Inhibit action drawing attention to oneself : STUNT

20-across – Many folk find them foul : FOURLETTERWORDS

21-across – Left-winger that’s replaced extremes of Eastern philosopy : MAOIST

23-across – Scattered in USSR as some of its people were : RUSSIANS

25-across – Thus cover the person writing in oblique symbols : SOLIDI

26-across – Flowers from self-absorbed type? No way, ultimately : NARCISSI

1-down – They can be disorderly for sure : FURORES

2-down – Point of Hamlet’s first appearance that could come as shock : HEADOFHAIR

3-down – My repeated appeal for attention that rapidly spreads : MEME

4-down – Sailed, having taken in small crew : BOASTED

5-down – Key individual like me, who can help with dislocation? : BONESETTER

6-down – Finishes off this photograph to print another : SHOT

7-down – Conclude in British article who’s responsible for this? : BRENDAN

13-down – For example, concert organized around one, considering nobody else : EGOCENTRIC

14-down – Muscle problem to continue nursing? That’s right : TENDONITIS

17-down – Revolutionary device that reproduces itself when up-ended : ROTATOR

18-down – Keeping stone circle around another : STORING

19-down – Peculiarity exemplified in what comes before and after : ODDNESS

22-down – Like some setters, mostly kind of ornamental : IRIS

24-down – One selfie’s border making American angry : SORE

1-across – Closing piece from Supertramp live: sit to play : PRESIDE

5-across – Terrible article, not after hits, looking back : ABYSMAL

10-across – Conceal skin : HIDE

11-across – One fading out record: speaker restricting volume before album’s opener : EVAPORATOR

12-across – A year in squalid neighbourhood retreat : ASYLUM

13-across – Used to perform with Rick missing cover of 24 : DIDACTIC

14-across – Pick up track’s opening with class beat from organ : HEARTRATE

16-across – Conservative Rudy Giuliani initially hit out : RIGHT

17-across – Skirt in church causing offence : CRIME

19-across – Hearing hit single in chart, finally : LISTENING

23-across – All against cutting weird single : EVERYONE

24-across – Perhaps many perch in toilets, turning around to grab chain : SCHOOL

26-across – In a terrible state: fine when treated with tablet : FLEABITTEN

27-across – Clearly in good health : WELL

28-across – Scream over tune in production for a long time : CENTURY

29-across – Following regulars to sue for slander : ASPERSE

2-down – Put out once more by class of 24 children : REISSUE

3-down – Case of husband stuck in traffic : SHELL

4-down – Romantic date at end; bored by Tramp : DREAMER

6-down – Darned large hole in main section : BLOODY

7-down – Drunk this can leaning against bar : STANCHION

8-down – Stop crazy Basil taking over hotel : ABOLISH

9-down – i.e. teetotal dude originally going out for something alcoholic : EAUDETOILETTE

15-down – Arrangement for Supertramp: only one piano : RUMPROAST

18-down – Turn 16 and develop : REVOLVE

20-down – Herbal tea not completely hot? Is an espresso? : TISANES

21-down – Improvises lots following note : NOODLES

22-down – Bootlegger, perhaps caught round main stage? : COPIER

25-down – Part of ship in harbour, stormy sea over west : HAWSE

1-across – Politico with cases of kleptomania, megalomania logorrhoea : KAMALA

4-across – Do some bonding, embracing one mafia member : SOLDIER

9-across – Relax with musical instrument and East End pooch : SITAROUND

10-across – Sick and tired – in total disarray? : FEDUP

11-across – Dalton followed him and Heath east : MOORE

12-across – Red meat I’m cooking for Paul’s lovely subject : METERMAID

13-across – Prince is not so thirsty : RAINIER

15-across – Big mice to owl, predatory bird : OSPREY

17-across – Stalled in orbit, passing over City of London : STATIC

19-across – Made out like someone with acne? : SPOTTED

22-across – Domingo, notably, worked as a porter : OPERASTAR

24-across – Parts of skunks trimmed for offal : TRIPE

26-across – To detect solar event? Natural ability : FLAIR

27-across – Mexican chaps invite bridge partners in : HOMEBREWS

28-across – Watson’s boss, materialistic chap, is bankrupt : BELLYUP

29-across – Locale of Hardy novels with Elizabeth’s favourite : WESSEX

1-down – Money, pure and simple, reportedly area of dispute : KASHMIR

2-down – Tube in which postmortems, in part, returned : METRO

3-down – One taking and playing clarinets : LARCENIST

4-down – Hunk of beef picked up as well: it may be labelled ‘B’ : SIDETWO

5-down – Flier in tailspin: he won’t get out alive : LIFER

6-down – I lecture, mostly describing how Irvine Welsh writes : INDIALECT

7-down – What to shoot in Grand Canyon; on reflection, what to shoot at St. Andrews : RAPIDS

8-down – Couple of drinks raised: Grouse? : MURMUR

14-down – Posted where jouster may be seen : INTHEMAIL

16-down – Look up! There’s drink all around. You can bank on it! : POOLTABLE

18-down – Get the latest sauce? : CATCHUP

19-down – Wee fellow loses last of cash, gaining bit of courage to make do : SCRIMP

20-down – Upwardly mobile Greek characters tinkled in American trash : DEEPSIX

21-down – Chat with Italian: ‘Like the Beatles?’ : CONFAB

23-down – Gus standing up to abandon Leonard in grand display : ARRAY

25-down – Concepts central to Levant? : IDEAS