Daily Answers

1-across – Not just any flyer for a movie? : THEAVIATOR

6-across – Russian ruler ‘beats a retreat’ … bottles it : TSAR

9-across – Employee appraisal at the House of Lords? : PEERREVIEW

10-across – Repelled a raven, largely predatory beast : ORCA

12-across – Deaf-ish nans treated, being well looked after : INSAFEHANDS

15-across – More sickly, kind of green, perhaps slalomer’s heading off : PEAKIER

16-across – Morally improved duke earlier, becoming exalted : DEIFIED

17-across – Artist’s empty landscapes’ sad lines : LSLOWRY

19-across – Hates seeing sights with son not about : DETESTS

20-across – A sad, a bleak king ordered pudding : BAKEDALASKA

23-across – In France, one is where courses take a long time to get through : UNIS

24-across – Hoping for an ‘h’ sound : ASPIRATION

25-across – Made pencil portrait of Andy : DREW

26-across – Brand new day, etc, for coward : SCAREDYCAT

1-down – Gratuities regularly shunned; at a push, Everyman will chip in : TIPS

2-down – Days before, golfer becomes upset : EVES

3-down – State broadcast assessed value of Wimbledon champ : VIRGINIAWADE

4-down – Guide daughter to wear a sun-blocker : ADVISOR

5-down – Lover Federer admits was excessively giving? : OVERFED

7-down – Spirited grittiness, tough in the extreme : STRINGIEST

8-down – To talk with enthusiasm in talk about hard earth is exhausting at first : RHAPSODISE

11-down – This acid rain alarmed campaigners : CHRISTIANAID

13-down – Mesmerized by Alexander Graham’s weight, according to Spooner : SPELLBOUND

14-down – Arrangement of elements: potassium, nickel, iron and silver, in part : TABLEKNIFE

18-down – Membrane unusually scaly? OK … : YOLKSAC

19-down – File ‘requiring less effort’, fancifully? : DOSSIER

21-down – Realize, after losing six balls: it’s a record : DISC

22-down – Commonly, Norseman underestimating tides, primarily? : CNUT

1-across – Academic point of view produces sympathy : FELLOWFEELING

8-across – Post-It’s regularly showing trident shapes : PSIS

9-across – Bungling tail captures spy concealing note that’s irrelevant : TANGENTIAL

10-across – One might add fine powder; more often, one removes it : DUSTER

11-across – A performance-enhancing drug for a flier : ASTEROID

12-across – However casually learner is given direction, styles ensue : LEASTWAYS

14-across – Misfortune: Everyman is going to speechify at the opening : ILLS

15-across – Seamen like part of a church, we’re told? : NAVY

16-across – Genova resort with boy making safe journey : BONVOYAGE

20-across – Most expensive horse doesn’t finish – bother! : STEEPEST

21-across – Greek island reportedly closes? : RHODES

23-across – Walk Amelia round body of water : LAKEMALAWI

24-across – Enclosed by what pyramids must enclose : AMID

25-across – Battered half of old sign seen in cataclysmic weather : FLASHFLOODING

1-down – Fussier tailoring producing slit : FISSURE

2-down – Catalogue includes unknown composer : LISZT

3-down – Wore pants with gut that’s got too big for? : OUTGREW

4-down – Loyal staff running with baton in team-building exercise : FANTASYFOOTBALL

5-down – Fixtures in north taken on by northbound Redgrave? : EVENTS

6-down – Dramatist not beginning his work, ‘Give And Take’ : INTERPLAY

7-down – Some detecting rat in some French dishes : GRATINS

13-down – Revolutionary operatives losing power: it ended with glasnost : SOVIETERA

15-down – Tense following refusal. Little drink? Absolutely : NOTHALF

17-down – From advert, I got a queasy feeling : VERTIGO

18-down – What gingery may become? : GREYING

19-down – Supremely ethereal, revered angel playing horn, primarily? : SERAPH

22-down – Yemeni’s neighbour soon to be rising : OMANI

1-across – Bay’s home, standing firm : STABLE

4-across – Clots in kitchens, cooking : THICKENS

9-across – Communist, English, ultimately smitten with posh ladies : ENGELS

10-across – Cave in, having consumed most of ale, in resort port on the Med : VALENCIA

12-across – Up to cultivate the land : TILL

13-across – What moon reveals after autumn in Oregon Trail : FALLBEHIND

15-across – With no humility, half of mum’s brothers advanced : UNCHASTENED

18-across – Pulling muscles earlier in inattentive state : ABSTRACTION

21-across – ‘Pudding!’ announced by footballer in glad rags : SUNDAYBEST

22-across – By sound of it, put up with a swine : BOAR

24-across – Arrest, finding weapon in bibliophiles’ association : BOOKCLUB

25-across – Trained gudong, one working with hunters : GUNDOG

26-across – Stir herb stews; they’re regenerative : REBIRTHS

27-across – Fancy: ‘Prussia’ contains name of another country : CYPRUS

1-down – Range small, not large – pick! : SPECTRUM

2-down – Perhaps Merkel’s eaten 40% of icing that’s used on cakes : ANGELICA

3-down – Flower, gilt edges removed, clutched by gutted lady : LILY

5-down – Old range destroyed in quiet stampede : HEADLONGRUSH

6-down – Smarty-pants, cold, the French musician, vacuous crook : CLEVERDICK

7-down – Setter had cryptic clue earlier: ‘father of geometry?’ : EUCLID

8-down – ‘How do you spell shy?’ That’s pretty light stuff : SHANDY

11-down – Silly, stupid, bad: a fast scramble : DAFTASABRUSH

14-down – Primarily modernized African democracy, although governor’s a strongman called Andry Rajoelina? : MADAGASCAR

16-down – Incomplete romantic gift Everyman had offered up in muddle : DISORDER

17-down – Perhaps krypton might make you angriest? : INERTGAS

19-down – Weatherman’s line: ‘I weep over a drop of rain’ : ISOBAR

20-down – A little belligerent ombudsman in Bury : ENTOMB

23-down – Report of low reef in wharf : QUAY

1-across – My jape is silly, overshadowing isolated overnight events : PYJAMAPARTIES

8-across – Bootlegging, excluding number that’s suggestive : RACY

9-across – A nun, woozy with a cigar from somewhere in Central America : NICARAGUAN

10-across – Small amount of money Everyman’s hiding, getting stick : CEMENT

11-across – Without a plan to lose home, becoming derelict : UNTENDED

12-across – Dame; unsettling macabre author, uncomfortable reading including eerie Rebecca, primarily! : DUMAURIER

14-across – Some Blairism that’s essential in vision : IRIS

15-across – Tasteless rubbish! American! I’m off! : TATA

16-across – Monsieur altered canton to include limits of Basel and an Alp : MONTBLANC

20-across – Scratching head, orthopod’s performing skilful manœuvre : DROPSHOT

21-across – Haunt with unnatural sobs describing evacuated entrails : OBSESS

23-across – Leafy green – or cheese and white wine? Not half! : SWISSCHARD

24-across – Complain as storyteller returning : RAIL

25-across – Strict type of ballerina, initially narcissistic drama queen withholding support : PRIMANDPROPER

1-down – ‘Table‘ in France: a single dish with water : PLATEAU

2-down – Writer in bliss before seeing cheque … gutted : JOYCE

3-down – Troll using some ‘gammon’ stereotypes : MONSTER

4-down – Correspondence from overseas resort captured Tropics : PICTUREPOSTCARD

5-down – Equality – with prince becoming king – it’s seldom seen : RARITY

6-down – Ordinarily, flipping Luxembourg and Austria mostly backslide, ‘neutral; independent’ : INGENERAL

7-down – They rebuke people found on roofs : SLATERS

13-down – Topple after a little Negroni and fizz as starters : ANTIPASTI

15-down – Pour most of the whiskey out – what you may do later? : THROWUP

17-down – Also, the German harbours run as per specifications : TOORDER

18-down – Time to note: what was more savoury now more indecent : NASTIER

19-down – Tea, followed by tea dance : CHACHA

22-down – Hone temper : STROP

1-across – Unstraps a little sarong shifting in warm spots : SUNTRAPS

5-across – Primarily, full lists of regions’ Amaryllidacaea, etc! : FLORAE

10-across – Tense, like a guitar neck? : FRETFUL

11-across – They’re seen with soldiers, say, getting George Cross: happy times : EGGCUPS

12-across – Sides of langoustine consumed … off-colour in French city : LILLE

13-across – US cop story, not right to reboot film : OCTOPUSSY

14-across – Sees chest heaving, having eaten undercooked snack : CHEESESTRAWS

18-across – How rotor-head’s spinning is a problem : HARDROWTOHOE

21-across – In home counties these days, smallest part unsullied : SNOWWHITE

23-across – Some nonlinear systems offering approaches : NEARS

24-across – ‘Podgy’ : LARGISH

25-across – ‘A very European’ fury? That’s mean : AVERAGE

26-across – Go back into – or out of – employment : RESIGN

27-across – Face cry that’s voiced for pasta topping : MEATBALL

1-down – Sneaky, frequently hiding piano : SOFTLY

2-down – Tease a little weak-kneed learner : NEEDLE

3-down – First-year divinity student’s a sweetie! : REFRESHER

4-down – Upon swell, exercising rowers – what each must do? : PULLONESWEIGHT

6-down – Help large English dog that’s upset : LEGUP

7-down – Primitive painter showing topless bride’s outfit : ROUSSEAU

8-down – One writes 19th letter a year before first : ESSAYIST

9-down – Does roast with beef, batter and timing advice for chef? : BESTBEFOREDATE

15-down – Model superlatively lusty: most problematic : THORNIEST

16-down – He painted his mum, a referee at times : WHISTLER

17-down – A Queen’s wavy patterns in wardrobes : ARMOIRES

19-down – Country’s athletic club taking in judo practitioner, amateur ascendant : CANADA

20-down – A second spring besides : ASWELL

22-down – Loudly call for squeeze : WRING