Daily Answers

1-across – Quick drink, tipsily strut about hotel where some pork pies might be found? : HALFTRUTHS

6-across – Row with flipping concerning Italian : TIER

9-across – Eccentrics, according to Spooner, jeer at scribbles : SCREWBALLS

10-across – The stunted not-half ugly lout : THUG

11-across – Educates boy wizard, one seen on King’s Cross platform? : TRAINSPOTTER

15-across – Celebrate detailed newspaper : OBSERVE

16-across – Closely examine peculiar shelled jellybean : EYEBALL

17-across – Architect, so to speak, to collapse : FOUNDER

19-across – Pastes group of cricketers, now : BATTERS

20-across – Keen tourist, German, given piece of brain and pig’s foot : GLOBETROTTER

23-across – Some light fish : RAYS

24-across – In pursuit of muscles, taking exercise? Right away, refusing to take part : ABSTAINING

25-across – Band essential to salsa shows : SASH

26-across – Fixed unhealthy Basil’s diet : STABILISED

1-down – Compère presenting piece from Shostakovich : HOST

2-down – Sightseer bloated, ultimately, following the French calorific ingredient : LARD

3-down – English getting run, going after draw: game in London location : TOWERBRIDGE

4-down – Ian and Luke, wildly different : UNALIKE

5-down – State whose borders are all land – or entirely water, we’re told : HOLYSEE

7-down – Encountering trouble, like one using 19? : INHOTWATER

8-down – Ignore more, by implication anyway : REGARDLESS

12-down – Getting on in the Runaway Train’s destination : OVERTHEHILL

13-down – Shapes wobbling about: refocusing : CONFIGURES

14-down – So send up my silly aliases : PSEUDONYMS

18-down – Regionally associated refreshment: evidently beery, invariably toasted, primarily? : RAREBIT

19-down – Flutter, only hot when rising in location for washing : BATHTUB

21-down – Everyman’s up and about on front of stage, needing help to address audience : MICS

22-down – For example, a daughter giving antiquated oath : EGAD

1-across – After time, I have chess kit laid out for friendly : THICKASTHIEVES

9-across – Dry burger : BRUT

10-across – For free gin, turning to handy index? : FOREFINGER

11-across – Student follows code, in small part : MORSEL

12-across – Much-performed play, in more ways than one : WARHORSE

13-across – Stridently yelling about ’80s film selling out : BETRAYING

15-across – Twice, Everyman’s beginning to take against nephew: that’s not odd : EVEN

16-across – Moving starter of potato to end for desserts : PUDS

17-across – Heart aflutter amid nervous motions: what a performance : THEATRICS

21-across – Retailer that’s most thick English abandoned : STOCKIST

22-across – One of a pair in All’s Well That Ends Well? : ADVERB

24-across – Reduction in account of self-absorbed period : WITHDRAWAL

25-across – Ring from swimming facility returned : LOOP

26-across – ‘Wonky tea trolley fixed by tool?’ ‘We don’t yet know’ : TOOEARLYTOTELL

2-down – Constitutional regulator seizing some wealth or money : HORMONE

3-down – Names and locations in report : CITES

4-down – Absolutely dreadfully : AWFULLY

5-down – Knitted her tent with wool? Give up : THROWINTHETOWEL

6-down – No firm’s infirm, in brief : INFORM

7-down – Vehicle to go across … to go across university city : VANCOUVER

8-down – Crushes a relative : STEPSON

14-down – Leaves from orchid CIA cultivated : RADICCHIO

16-down – Nationalist, smooth and funny individual : PATRIOT

18-down – American, obscenely bloated, losing energy: don’t trust him : ABADLOT

19-down – Author wanting banger, perhaps with bread : CARROLL

20-down – Character in pursuit of Romeo? : SIERRA

23-down – Vigilant, attentive lackey: expeditiously tending, primarily? : VALET

1-across – Sailors travel here for substantial part of meal : MAINCOURSE

6-across – Almost perfect notion : IDEA

9-across – Trunk of gin ordered; it helps musician get started : TUNINGFORK

10-across – Bite from insect that’s repelled : TANG

11-across – Singer to emit pained expression before piano piece : YELLOWHAMMER

15-across – They provide warmth in essence, husband and son : HEARTHS

16-across – One found in hedge, perhaps, to argue and quarrel : SPARROW

17-across – Some emus tangled with wild equine : MUSTANG

19-across – Spicy sausage mostly unpleasant task, ultimately seeing ennui chez Léo : CHORIZO

20-across – Stinking Emmenthal Sir put away : INTHESLAMMER

23-across – Call for massage, loudly : NEED

24-across – Authorisations for acts of demolition : CLEARANCES

25-across – Exclamation expressing annoyance with a 2022 World Cup host city : DOHA

26-across – Do big trees make up this place? In a sense; largely not! : GOBIDESERT

1-down – Tiny beast’s enormous power, we’re told : MITE

2-down – Primarily infinitesimal objects; negative, sometimes? : IONS

3-down – Focus your thoughts: what might your drink be made from? : CONCENTRATE

4-down – Develops – or decreases? : UNFOLDS

5-down – Moves slowly, after brief second dashes off : SCRAWLS

7-down – Rat Pack star working in tandem to secure Alfa Romeo : DEANMARTIN

8-down – Own goal, or a dummy: balls getting weaved? : ANGORAWOOL

12-down – A father failing O-level about a Catholic computer programmer : ADALOVELACE

13-down – Impeach Don, ineffectively defended : CHAMPIONED

14-down – Fellow athlete’s flying, taking drug and artificial body part : FALSETEETH

18-down – Noted heretic in scene of Jesus’ ministry cut short by duck : GALILEO

19-down – Italian liqueur one consumed in holiday accommodation on Rhode Island : CAMPARI

21-down – In the entrance, adjusting central heating: Everyman’s beginning to be a pain : ACHE

22-down – A little app’s strangely quiet alert : PSST

1-across – Watch online series, Dead Smooth : STREAMLINED

9-across – S. American booze English knocked back; they’re hard to understand : ENIGMAS

10-across – A northern wally seeing Belgian city : ANTWERP

11-across – From the outset, Everyman’s vigorously ignoring teenagers aged 18 : EVITA

12-across – A détente almost arranged – very much the reverse! : VENDETTA

14-across – Examination including piano, in part : INSPECTION

15-across – In November, Victor called out sin : ENVY

17-across – A little African-American celebrity : NAME

19-across – I’m surprised to get into starters of brie, langoustine, escargots, unusually: fancy, French food! : CORDONBLEU

21-across – Punishment for masses : LASHINGS

23-across – National army’s hiding fear : ALARM

25-across – Avionics not very developed in island capital : NICOSIA

26-across – Stroke seabird: that’s an order : PATTERN

27-across – Place residents with officers : LIEUTENANTS

1-down – Apparitions as may appear after cheese? : SPIRITS

2-down – Force summoned, ran amok : RAMPAGED

3-down – Architectural projection. Sometimes ecclesiastical? Primarily! : APSE

4-down – Property contracts: she does all sorts : LEASEHOLDS

5-down – Celebrated what a melody is : NOTED

6-down – Couldn’t stop thinking about uprising, perfectly proper? : DWELTON

7-down – Titian, perhaps drunk, suggesting something to draw at night : VENETIANBLIND

8-down – ‘Timid? You have backbone!’ says Spooner, to express thoughts plainly : SPEAKYOURMIND

13-down – Gallants to rematerialize after much delay : ATLONGLAST

16-down – Loose faun sent off : UNFASTEN

18-down – I calm us with arrangement that’s harmonious : MUSICAL

20-down – Editorials making readers switch sides at first : LEADERS

22-down – Problem children : ISSUE

24-down – Begin tennis tournament? : OPEN

1-across – Remove restrictions on students I caught in dare : DECLASSIFY

6-across – Public transport in shopping centre that’s revolutionary : TRAM

9-across – Poor plasma set is quite unsuitable : MALAPROPOS

10-across – Seen in royal racecourse, topless Northerner : SCOT

11-across – Regretfully rue cosy hut? No, it’s a grand home : COUNTRYHOUSE

15-across – Deliveries proceed quickly in storm : OVERRUN

16-across – Dog suppressing disgusted expression in entrance : BEWITCH

17-across – Early aviator regarded highly as redoubtable trailblazer, primarily? : EARHART

19-across – Male, hairy: to him it’s a salutation! : SPOONER

20-across – Land one time in blazing row with Massenet about second piece in Manon : WESTERNSAMOA

23-across – Sea eagle’s gross, we’re told : ERNE

24-across – What ten dancers will hold: an audience? : ATTENDANCE

25-across – Special Forces getting hot in military gear : SASH

26-across – Characters in R&B, &c.? : AMPERSANDS

1-down – Not smart to send up bishop with slander : DUMB

2-down – In report, betray group of spies : CELL

3-down – Assume it’s suitable : APPROPRIATE

4-down – Given investment, son made more comfortable : SWORNIN

5-down – Service provided by personal digital assistant? : FOOTRUB

7-down – Narrating another reckoning : RECOUNTING

8-down – Discharge warning signal somewhere in the Alps : MATTERHORN

12-down – Awkward situations, greetings : HOWDOYOUDOS

13-down – Householders, horrible horsewomen : HOMEOWNERS

14-down – Agent is bitter about shows : REPRESENTS

18-down – Small-time Everyman’s a pitiful character : TINYTIM

19-down – Messiaen abruptly composed description of blue-eyed cat : SIAMESE

21-down – A little man, one who hasn’t been named? : ANON

22-down – The French starters of snails – succulent? Not so much : LESS