Daily Answers

1-across – Someone helping Everest’s reconnoitrers planning ascent, primarily? : SHERPA

5-across – Musical parade : SHOWBOAT

9-across – Arranged toccatas, far from legato : STACCATO

10-across – Ladies’ man returning, embracing initially everyone – ladies’ man! : FELLOW

11-across – With no means of escape from latex, I cry: ‘bin pants’ : INEXTRICABLY

13-across – Boyfriend to play fiddle noisily : BEAU

14-across – Achievement on field that might involve rabbit : HATTRICK

17-across – Wanting more, slice of gâteau with extra piping : GREEDIER

18-across – Step gives way in, we’re told : GAIT

20-across – Films a bird that was in country once : WESTERNSAMOA

23-across – Pair of kings? You could do better : TUTTUT

24-across – Orchestral performance: singer Rita’s Brazil-bound? : ORATORIO

25-across – Counterfeit stone that’s worn on March 17th? : SHAMROCK

26-across – Ovine detailed by Eliot in parts of book : SHEETS

2-down – Feel aversion to some châteaux : HATE

3-down – Goodness, die cutter in need of repair : RECTITUDE

4-down – Jazzman regularly seen with meadow flower : AZALEA

5-down – What’s given to yobs? Spirits, lagers, wine : SHORTSHARPSHOCK

6-down – Old fellow, confounded pest if not on-topic : OFFPISTE

7-down – A little tribal sacrament in wood : BALSA

8-down – Each lecturer scratching head, frantic, seething : APOPLECTIC

12-down – President of Spain in canyon with scrubland : GEORGEBUSH

15-down – Set up spy, hiding a ruble, leading to palaver : RIGMAROLE

16-down – No-good silver-tongued weaselly type written up in book : LIBRETTO

19-down – Everyman going north, hostelries providing stops : EMBARS

21-down – Met up with scripture that’s sacred : TOTEM

22-down – Frenchman is tense finding water sprayed : MIST

1-across – Lift pig and howl playfully in mock combat : PILLOWFIGHT

9-across – Fruit loop runs, dividing with America First : APRICOT

10-across – Real’s once; now a Liga division owner, primarily? : RONALDO

11-across – Non-native regularly seen in Dáil Éireann : ALIEN

12-across – One sheep is eaten by you, French dish that’s spongy : TIRAMISU

14-across – A little malingerer, Everyman will watch online channel : MILLSTREAM

15-across – Remove ties from hunting hound repeatedly, not good : UNDO

17-across – Matter concealed by magistrate : GIST

19-across – A vile beach resort within reach : ACHIEVABLE

21-across – Economy supply, 50 florins : NOFRILLS

23-across – Big city German’s agreeable expression offering wine : RIOJA

25-across – Recalled a small gentleman with a hot spicy paste : HARISSA

26-across – What dentist will have done – trained? : DRILLED

27-across – Moderate rage first – get it? : SEETHELIGHT

1-down – Some clip-art I allow – not all : PARTIAL

2-down – Drifting, leaderless, anchorless right away in lake : LOCHNESS

3-down – Seeds explorer’s broadcast : OATS

4-down – Corrosive liquid police found on kitchen surface : FORMICACID

5-down – Home of St Catherine, they say: d’you know her? : GENOA

6-down – Did he make up Tolman, Kíli and Ents? Not half! : TOLKIEN

7-down – Mama had a thing about spiritual adviser : MAHATMAGANDHI

8-down – Crushed, and imposed our way of working : MODUSOPERANDI

13-down – Bad-tempered hives beekeeper finally leaves in tree : PRICKLYASH

16-down – Preventing giving tip-off, victory for Luxembourg : AVERTING

18-down – Loud Australian wearing dresses for expeditions : SAFARIS

20-down – Reserve Grant a little reading : BOOKLET

22-down – Children, go out : ISSUE

24-down – Perhaps pop star Dido cold at heart : IDOL

1-across – ‘Do OK in exam?’ ‘Dunno’ : PASS

3-across – Everyman on cycling trip with odour, glimmering : IRIDESCENT

9-across – Even so, setter is creature seldom seen : YETI

10-across – Romcom reboot ‘timeless’: any need of it? : ONEFINEDAY

11-across – Distracted wives romance soldier : SERVICEWOMAN

15-across – Atop donkey is Greek millionaire : ONASSIS

16-across – Recipients of ‘horse’ in jars not happy : TROJANS

17-across – Winged beast with rising stench, regularly in rage : GRIFFIN

19-across – Summer in France, sun hidden, snarl up lasting forever : ETERNAL

20-across – OK … oddjobber taking year to become reliable type : RIGHTHANDMAN

23-across – Scupper long tree : SCOTCHPINE

24-across – Source of music in Antipodes : IPOD

25-across – Next, I reply clumsily, clumsily : INEXPERTLY

26-across – Goddess seen in pigsties now and again : ISIS

1-down – Plan to spend a penny? : PAYASYOUGO

2-down – Wild Australian revelry : SATURNALIA

4-down – Football team runs, gets exasperated : RANGERS

5-down – Starters of duck egg fried, potato cake shortly put in microwave? : DEFROST

6-down – Islander to intone a critical review describing mineral deposit : SINGAPOREAN

7-down – Cockney’s intoxicating, in a whirl : EDDY

8-down – Pugs’ playthings? : TOYS

12-down – Resort trip a fiasco, I confess : ITSAFAIRCOP

13-down – Much champagne pours out without hint of restraint: great work! : MAGNUMOPUS

14-down – Guides plan a descent taking in waterside walks : ESPLANADES

18-down – Theatre work … um … non-starter : NOHOPER

19-down – Essential to hooch, a naturally occurring liquid, primarily? : ETHANOL

21-down – It’s a flipping fizzy wine : ASTI

22-down – Noisily rise, being peeved : SORE

1-across – Tell Lucy: coin minted for local authority : COUNTYCOUNCIL

8-across – A lovely person’s back? Very good : MEGA

9-across – Running tavern, taking time writing menu including starter of haggis : PUBLISHING

10-across – Losing cent, clerk increasingly pale : ASHIER

11-across – Opening of Coriolanus, tragedy needing excision: that’s obvious : CLEARCUT

12-across – Found fault with Independent writer about Latin expression : CARPEDIEM

14-across – Tennyson heroine to eat in style after retiring : ENID

15-across – Component of servo : OBOE

16-across – Arranged systematically; shocked! : STAGGERED

20-across – Primarily jumbo epicurean receptacle: outsize bottle of aerated merriment! : JEROBOAM

21-across – Foremost of Inuit gaffs with small rooms? : IGLOOS

23-across – Grub: for starters, one in France gets ‘minced steed’ – not eaten : UNDIGESTED

24-across – Loudly regretted getting cross : ROOD

25-across – 104 come in with lyre playing for declaration of love : CIVILCEREMONY

1-down – Radical university, a part of London : CHELSEA

2-down – A little rum : UMAMI

3-down – Record: wine gradually diminished : TAPERED

4-down – Bent copper, crime etc: I activated measure : CUBICCENTIMETRE

5-down – One solver honoured in announcement : UNITED

6-down – One creche assembled union : COHERENCE

7-down – Relaxed dipping into Milan guidebook : LANGUID

13-down – Musician’s press release to approve disc by Furious Five : PROKOFIEV

15-down – Big cocaine bust : OCEANIC

17-down – German Enigma that’s set on fire : GRIDDLE

18-down – In brasserie, at the end, old trick: Everyman’s saving money : ECONOMY

19-down – Live, accepting love – and prosper : DOWELL

22-down – Left without 100 goods’ slow movement : LARGO

1-across – Drinking quickly, setter unsteady somewhere in London : DOWNINGSTREET

8-across – Freaks of nature: mongrels ain’t regularly included : MUTANTS

9-across – A bit of ghastly cheese and fruit : LYCHEES

11-across – Greek character to provide roof for bird : NUTHATCH

12-across – Perhaps hearing report of euro’s make-up : SENSE

14-across – Painter : GOYA

15-across – Novel about brash strongman : CLOUDATLAS

17-across – Household devices prepared cold salmon : ALLMODCONS

19-across – To be heard, provoke ravens’ calls : CAWS

21-across – Light bike moved aimlessly : MOPED

22-across – I can be seen among bald men challenging part of bill : MANDIBLE

25-across – What’s seen in a chest, or somewhere below one? : DRAWERS

26-across – Shelters knight in an annexe with son : AWNINGS

27-across – Mint tea I aim to turn into modern culinary proposition : IMITATIONMEAT

2-down – Last longer than most of your stat might suggest? : OUTSTAY

3-down – Hitman in Japan’s hidden? : NINJA

4-down – ‘Hulk’ not half succeeds on getting reboot: chance’d be a fine thing : NOSUCHLUCK

5-down – One mason’s silent, essentially : SOLE

6-down – Light vehicle strains to turn left : RICKSHAW

7-down – With times moving on, that may be seen to become timeless : ETERNAL

8-down – Groom with ‘Mad Men’ stylings, like a fancy hanky? : MONOGRAMMED

10-down – Pop quintet is short, stunted family group : STEPSISTERS

13-down – Fertiliser reserves upset man’s invested in somewhere in Cuba : GUANTANAMO

16-down – Timidity caught by ancient poetry : COLDFEET

18-down – Everyman, blood pressure rising in the French lake with Frenchman wanting protection from elements : LIPBALM

20-down – Adriatic land, Balkan? Assigned name: Illyria? Absolutely, at first! : ALBANIA

23-down – Material extracted from ground, sent up : DENIM

24-down – Listen to me: some apps stink : PSST