Daily Answers

1-across – Centralised arrangement for employment qualifications : CREDENTIALS

9-across – Ransome’s written about a group in a boat : OARSMEN

10-across – Revolutionary painting? Very upset: it’s hard work : TRAVAIL

11-across – Leaves out some whom I.T. suggests : OMITS

12-across – Blasted duck – or beautiful bird : FLAMINGO

14-across – United appoint endlessly wealthy Australian dietician, ultimately opposed to apple pie? : UNAMERICAN

15-across – Everyman finally did change a lightbulb – in a manner of speaking : IDEA

17-across – Friends: they’ll give you flowers : BUDS

19-across – Mountain rock by cape; piercing yell – who’s making it? : SCREECHOWL

21-across – Male bird of prey one captured with weapon : TOMAHAWK

23-across – Provide new container for flipping drunkard : REPOT

25-across – Land in trouble tucking into dodgy cure : ECUADOR

26-across – No longer working, detective, unerring marksman : DEADEYE

27-across – Blockbusting books from footballer and comedian : BESTSELLERS

1-down – I’m taken aback and largely ill on a French island : CORSICA

2-down – Needs hem altering, being tangled up : ENMESHED

3-down – Eagle – rather nautical eagle, primarily? : ERNE

4-down – Tantalised by a little bird, I will have dined on starter of duck : TITILLATED

5-down – Rattle and bell, often : ALARM

6-down – A little barista in Edinburgh is covered in blotches : STAINED

7-down – Unhealthy cornet cut out, assuming bachelor’s wanting vegan fare : COCONUTBUTTER

8-down – Regrettably, a tour fell flat making you nervous : ALLOFAFLUTTER

13-down – Minister having disagreement about church to speak with delicacy : MINCEWORDS

16-down – Protection from wind given to top pilot in film : SCARFACE

18-down – Chump and onion that’s hard to see? : DIMBULB

20-down – Shore up revival for legendary musician : ORPHEUS

22-down – Doesn’t show animals’ skin : HIDES

24-down – Superstar’s out of work, we’re told : IDOL

1-across – Subjects such as History, English, Classics on ice regrettably : SOCIALSCIENCES

8-across – Primarily Islamic republic, Azerbaijan’s neighbour? : IRAN

9-across – ’80s ballad that’s ornate was fast enthralling one : PURPLERAIN

10-across – C. European city, in retrospect, used to be chilly : WARSAW

11-across – Oddly, loner awash, swimming with toothy mammals : NARWHALS

12-across – Great Dane cavorting in genteel eatery : TEAGARDEN

14-across – Scoffs wines, spirits etc loudly : BOOS

15-across – Pint? Regularly bleary, Everyman’s beginning to tuck in : BEER

16-across – Beautiful princess with roly-poly dessert: very excited! : PSYCHEDUP

20-across – Ale container, a large piece of brass : BASSTUBA

21-across – Somewhere in France, piece of offal’s acerbic : ALSACE

23-across – Good old pancakes, finally disappeared inside cookers: frightful apparitions : HOBGOBLINS

24-across – Extravagant praise for dance party : RAVE

25-across – Sees bronco told off on the wagon : STONECOLDSOBER

1-down – Arise in plane, perhaps : SURFACE

2-down – Ice creams consumed by deaconess : CONES

3-down – A nation with naval strength, we’re told: it’s in the mains : ACPOWER

4-down – The queen to cross parting water : SPRINGERSPANIEL

5-down – The writer had 50 hesitant expressions: they won’t work : IDLERS

6-down – Cold spot, Norway: the European’s replaced by another : NORTHPOLE

7-down – Being somewhat high-minded, I blessed foodstuffs : EDIBLES

13-down – It’s used for pumping reggae with sun out : GREASEGUN

15-down – Corroborate order to get some distance from Paddington? : BEAROUT

17-down – Lectures caught by young women : CLASSES

18-down – Show half of mum’s brothers having left : UNCOVER

19-down – You should see Papa before seeing this city! : QUEBEC

22-down – Abandon in brushwood : SCRUB

1-across – Monsoon, so golf’s abandoned: here’s a good book! : SONGOFSOLOMON

8-across – Shy actors : CAST

9-across – Edifies the vacuous English knight in need of reform : ENLIGHTENS

10-across – Largely superficial on-screen device : CURSOR

11-across – Feline coils wool : TOMHANKS

12-across – Everyman’s retreated inside, mean Northern heavyweight wanting a game : BADMINTON

14-across – Judge issued punishment verbally : FIND

15-across – What’s found in some sausages? : SAGE

16-across – Bringing off the boil, begin clam stews : BECALMING

20-across – Hearty piece of steak and drinks : CORDIALS

21-across – Back-to-front Italian headgear worn by one in Gauguin’s subject : TAHITI

23-across – Playing Castle : CATSCRADLE

24-across – Perhaps Murdoch’s integral to Blairism? : IRIS

25-across – Honest type dated cameraman : SQUARESHOOTER

1-down – Implement argument over university city in California : SPATULA

2-down – Jottings offering twisted attack : NOTES

3-down – Exceed a single in cricket after six balls : OVERRUN

4-down – Cracks up and leaves a ship on 15^th March? : SPLITSONESSIDES

5-down – Fleshy tissue and starter of escargots with the French bean : LEGUME

6-down – Losing time, ultimatums resolved, needing interdependence : MUTUALISM

7-down – Rector leaving, no drinks drunk, not slipping about : NONSKID

13-down – Converted Siam dough in Indian Ocean port : MOGADISHU

15-down – Mottos without … without function : SLOGANS

17-down – Initially, arty Roaring Twenties design embracing chrome ornamentation! : ARTDECO

18-down – Better-dressed nephew : NATTIER

19-down – More above board with fewer clouds seen : FAIRER

22-down – One lacking faith not at bank job : HEIST

1-across – Berating daughter, not grand in dress that’s far from formal : DRESSINGDOWN

10-across – Coffee time : INSTANT

11-across – A Maine resort with a lack of vitality : ANAEMIA

12-across – In France, you tucked into vessel of coffee … leading to change of plan : UTURN

13-across – Dutch doctor’s note unopened, producing delay : DEFERRAL

15-across – I end siesta groggily in Malaysia – or maybe Philippines? : EASTINDIES

16-across – British left starts to organise communitarian alliance : BLOC

18-across – Was aware of latest via report : KNEW

20-across – A famous Peruvian has more than one way of serving beef : WELLINGTON

22-across – Let’s Dance first offers rhythmic groups of notes : TRIPLETS

24-across – Somewhat undelectable pick : ELECT

26-across – Dash back to look at very famous dancer : NUREYEV

27-across – After brief second, press ‘one’ endlessly for operator : SURGEON

28-across – Install tools following crash: there’s still hope : ALLISNOTLOST

2-down – Secures extraordinary saves : RESCUES

3-down – Hosts catch marine gastropod : SEASNAIL

4-down – Leading character in Iliad : IOTA

5-down – Aussie criminal’s after favour for movie star : GRACEKELLY

6-down – Regularly taking hour, tatty Everyman’s beginning to deliver speech : ORATE

7-down – Perhaps one playful Ulsterman’s no saint : NUMERAL

8-down – Judges royal personage fencing at Olympic event : FIGURESKATING

9-down – Chill with Antiguan, tipsy, under the influence? : HALLUCINATING

14-down – There’s one of these in The Ugly Duckling and two in The Little Red Hen : ADJECTIVES

17-down – Solution of triangle not involving fractions : INTEGRAL

19-down – Elizabeth I gets cheers, touring about country : ERITREA

21-down – Wobbles: support’s abrupt, abrupt : TEETERS

23-down – Put up with old lecturer that’s reliable : LOYAL

25-down – Capital of Laos: Louangphabang? : OSLO

1-across – Yes, biddies perambulating two abreast : SIDEBYSIDE

6-across – Covering part of altarpiece : TARP

9-across – Records when things happened in newspaper presses : TIMESTAMPS

10-across – Little rascal destroying quiet, making racket : SCAM

11-across – He tosses and turns: Spooner’s hearing a little flea? : LIGHTSLEEPER

15-across – Contacted when Everyman’s beginning to get bothered about Frenchman : EMAILED

16-across – Queen boarding Eurostar, perhaps for the landscape : TERRAIN

17-across – Pilgrimage venue was enticing, they say : LOURDES

19-across – Once Prince Hamlet’s ‘evermore lady’; insanity awaits, primarily? : OPHELIA

20-across – Naïvely fight being re-allocated toughest part of project : HEAVYLIFTING

23-across – Issue of magazine recalled : EMIT

24-across – Making low-down English share : GENERATION

25-across – Many women leaving urban communities : TONS

26-across – Scouts’ pies rancid? You’re probably right : ISUSPECTSO

1-down – Where to find badgers in Massachusetts : SETT

2-down – Desert, unpleasant place : DUMP

3-down – At last, Sacha Distel ably performing Le 14 juillet : BASTILLEDAY

4-down – Small potatoes: journalist inebriated : SMASHED

5-down – Vacuous divorcé to assume payment made earlier : DEPOSIT

7-down – Satisfactory working, capable, etc : ACCEPTABLE

8-down – In open air, man exercising dog : POMERANIAN

12-down – Near the NW area’s constituents – or the Potteries? : EARTHENWARE

13-down – Husband skipping starter – extremely rich – is most wholesome : HEALTHIEST

14-down – In King’s Cross, perhaps, regularly call out greeting : SALUTATION

18-down – Their web sites hopefully contain bugs! : SPIDERS

19-down – Shops for sockets : OUTLETS

21-down – Menu? Tip : LIST

22-down – Cancel a French party : UNDO