Daily Answers

1-across – Esoteric source of classic No. 1? Not hard to be repulsed : GNOSTIC

5-across – Smaller proportion of soccer team backing union : OFFCUT

9-across – Bet about Jesus’s grandmother rejected, they feel : ANTENNAE

10-across – Reduced settlement, not entirely ample, regarding acid : CITRIC

12-across – Municipal building in USA involved with moonshine : MANSIONHOUSE

15-across – Vagrants? One holds forth, concealing point : ITINERANTS

17-across – Overturning of lie doing away with large worry : EAT

19-across – Regularly invent way of linking computers : NET

20-across – Play tunes excitedly with contralto – good playing would get you this : STANLEYCUP

22-across – Military officer presented by left-wing speaker as spy : COLLABORATOR

26-across – Is enough for decay, getting old, suppressing new : RUNSTO

27-across – The same is observed in large-scale outbreak : EPIDEMIC

28-across – American writer about North America? A breathtaking experience : APNOEA

29-across – Word meaning ‘sinning’ arrived back in reference book : ERRANCY

1-down – Green Arrow’s gutted in worry : GNAW

2-down – Exclamation involving a ‘Drat!’ ultimately : OATH

3-down – Stealing cattle is wrong in Cornish location : TINTAGEL

4-down – Stylish group ignoring initial legal process : CLASS

6-down – Initially found delicate wind instrument in black box : FLIGHT

7-down – French composer, ignoring love in heart, being unduly weighty : CORPULENCE

8-down – Heart recording providing something of a celebration : TICKERTAPE

11-down – Scoundrel’s broken patent leading to pressure in job : ROTTEN

13-down – I accept endless rain swirling in outdoor meal venue : PICNICAREA

14-down – Director truly disheartened over something said by actor ahead of new Stoppard play : DIRTYLINEN

16-down – See 4 : ACTION

18-down – See 6 : RECORDER

21-down – See 3 : CASTLE

23-down – See 11 : APPLE

24-down – Agreed title sees Knight in lower position : AMEN

25-down – Losing power in particular is unpleasant : ICKY

7-across – German golfer breaks clubs with mistakes : CLANGERS

9-across – Draw and shuffle 10 diamonds : ENTICE

10-across – Dance show : PLAY

11-across – Station filling with trains initially working : PADDINGTON

12-across – European 9 stealing £1,000 motor : ENGINE

14-across – Shaking hands, I will make a pile : SANDHILL

15-across – Wears small garments over and over, right : SPORTS

17-across – It’s laid-back to have worked inside farm : GRANGE

20-across – Unfortunately, Amy lands a seducer of women : LADYSMAN

22-across – Mr Scrooge welcomes ghost at the end : MISTER

23-across – Relative first takes day in Paris, no good staying : SOJOURNING

24-across – Labour MP is a fighter : BENN

25-across – ‘100 + 1 + 100 + 0? Not unknown’ – Roman senator : CICERO

26-across – English government invades space station, worried to move abroad : EMIGRATE

1-down – Knowing ships throw away river fishing gear : FLYLINES

2-down – Just single : ONLY

3-down – Footballer carries ball quietly in race : PEOPLE

4-down – Perhaps McCartney is gender fluid? : DESIGNER

5-down – Doctors tend gash as theatre workers : STAGEHANDS

6-down – Tutor taps into very old Latin : SCHOOL

8-down – Brute posed touring hell : SADIST

13-down – Corrupt Tory breaks first promise with queen’s retreat : IVORYTOWER

16-down – When there’s jam, pull over second expensive car by wheel : TOMORROW

18-down – Ring for a long time : ETERNITY

19-down – Ask and prompt Victor to substitute Charlie : INVITE

21-down – Agents taking test recalled type of power : ATOMIC

22-down – One who steals mother’s good food : MAGPIE

24-down – Obama withdrawing bill in clamour : BARK

1-across – This can treat low vitality and a persistent shaking : ANTIDEPRESSANT

8-across – What off-break does: cuts back : SPINS

9-across – Defector runs away from a section of male body : APOSTATE

11-across – Sleuths turn out most attractive : LUSHEST

12-across – Suggested little devil spun a tale : IMPLIED

13-across – Try to follow beat in dance : TANGO

15-across – Leave part of fishing tackle in fish : CONGEREEL

17-across – Prophet put back a tiny amount of weight on very hot day : ZOROASTER

20-across – Towards the end, almost getting coffee : LATTE

21-across – African managed to confine sickly-looking daughter : RWANDAN

23-across – Make a gesture or answer Italian woman : SIGNORA

25-across – Metal cruet prepared for drug solution : TINCTURE

26-across – Fountain: priest thrown into it backwards : TREVI

27-across – Rich food – complaint gets the boot : BEEFWELLINGTON

1-down – To be sure, Zola shivered in a measure of cold : ABSOLUTEZERO

2-down – Follows a possible fall of the pound? : TAILS

3-down – Wronged wife hides demon admirer, but not completely : DESDEMONA

4-down – Possible pollutant finally wrapped in film : PLASTIC

5-down – Men surrounded by clamour turning up and eating away : EROSION

6-down – Postpone bedtime for physical exercise : SITUP

7-down – It’s nourishing, with or without a little mustard : NUTRIMENT

10-down – Watering down of grown-up portion, with drug introduced : ADULTERATION

14-down – Make regular opera with pronounced deceit : NORMALISE

16-down – Make aware of pain at the back after shot in the leg : ENLIGHTEN

18-down – Brother may have this nurse to fancy : TONSURE

19-down – Philosopher’s whisper is audible : RUSSELL

22-down – Not prepared to hear about cold drink : DECAF

24-down – Finished on time, that’s plain : OVERT

9-across – Lost in London : MASON

10-across – See 9 : DIXONLINE

11-across – Skipped school : GAMBOLLED

12-across – Complain win against one side’s overshadowed : BLEAT

13-across – Dizzy missing end of Grand National : ISRAELI

15-across – ‘Won’t ed see daily covers?’ – gnarled old Fleet Street worker : SWEENEY

17-across – Half of those on bus superannuated : PASSE

18-across – Passover is a festival : EID

20-across – New farmer’s content to have fifty in field : REALM

22-across – Driving impatiently in South London? It’s commonplace : TOOTING

25-across – Don’t stop thinking of teacher receiving fine : DWELLON

26-across – Object to government lacking depth : THING

27-across – Not in reality the best players? : DREAMTEAM

30-across – Upset president involved in underworld contract : DISPLEASE

31-across – Scrubs up? : ASTIR

1-down – Sticks up for superior : SMUG

2-down – No way coffers filled with money in disused currency : OSTMARKS

3-down – Expecting Republican to get put away – dope! : INFO

4-down – Helen’s mum picked up on road north to Delaware’s state capital : ADELAIDE

5-down – Leaving bash held back in old country : EXODUS

6-down – Sexual liaison lifted simple-minded singer : KNOBKERRIE

7-down – Show strange alien forms : LIFEON

8-down – Dieter’s World is hit : WELT

13-down – Contribution from bad Vlad set down : INPUT

14-down – 10 anticipating Tory levelling-up policy? : EVENINGALL

16-down – Royal servants taking over country : YEMEN

19-down – Comic before getting tip from mover and shaker : DODDERER

21-down – Letters posted when cycling separately causing complaints : AILMENTS

23-down – Useless in practice so it ought to be returned : OTIOSE

24-down – Stupid to follow up oath : GODDAM

26-down – See 15 Across : TODD

28-down – Old birds back from tea in seconds : MOAS

29-down – See 7 : MARS

1-across – Flog song collection : WHIPROUND

6-across – Small branch snapped by male fawn : SMARM

9-across – Incur irritation of old characters : RUNIC

10-across – Who might produce a round rod to be attached to small boat : BARTENDER

11-across – Impressive model soldiers working at crematory art : TERRACOTTA

12-across – See 11 : ARMY

14-across – Jet rejected by rock band’s lead singer as a publicity gesture? : GIMMICK

15-across – Foregone conclusion of Romney that is directed to trap Democrat : YIELDED

17-across – American state engaged in providing backing for Italian food : FUSILLI

19-across – Press round outside of ‘death’ flower : BLOSSOM

20-across – Lively, leaderless fools getting workers to block street in safety evaluation : RISK

22-across – See 20 : ASSESSMENT

25-across – One of the things an expert should know to call a side dish item : ONIONRING

26-across – Peer round inside capsized slaver : DROOL

27-across – Addiction treatment cuts out a clock’s sound it’s said : DETOX

28-across – Given one’s input, log can be diverting : ENTERTAIN

1-down – Banger with rust corrosion : WURST

2-down – Sprinkled ‘Amour’ gin topping on strawberry fool : IGNORAMUS

3-down – Pitch a club music style : ROCKABILLY

4-down – Clear international HQ building in Manhattan? : UNBLOCK

5-down – Tornado victim needs to act before hill rears up – extremely hairy : DOROTHY

6-down – Was a killer left to go in all directions bar north? : SLEW

7-down – Calculating type’s more pathetic when losing head : ADDER

8-down – Suffering mother keeps bohemian on road : MARTYRDOM

13-down – Engineer is cornered? Think again : RECONSIDER

14-down – Take a liking to bling and aim to put yourself first? : GOFORGOLD

16-down – Tragic character of devil-embracing, deviant Sade : DESDEMONA

18-down – Popular tip: take a breath! : INSPIRE

19-down – Pot, drink and Cologne’s good : BEERGUT

21-down – Pop star’s prompt : SWIFT

23-down – ‘Claw of Time’: single ELO initially released : TALON

24-down – Ex-PM: ‘Time to go, having gained ten stone’ : ONYX