Daily Answers

1-across – Iron edicts, fierce instructions : DIRECTIONS

6-across – Regularly reimburse Australian natives : EMUS

9-across – FBI agent hollers for Spooner and associates : BEDFELLOWS

10-across – Loudly performed hornpipe for navy? : BLUE

12-across – Celebratory music describing monarchs with horrible droning : DRINKINGSONG

15-across – Makes peer and earl run away from home, twice : EQUATES

16-across – Primarily strongly tasting, it’s legally trademarked : STILTON

17-across – Sheep cries about what pig becomes in the islands : BAHAMAS

19-across – Earnest European getting behind how metric system counts : INTENSE

20-across – Where music heard awfully regularly, carry tune? Can do! : COUNTRYDANCE

23-across – With temperature dropping, blended Tokay wine may taste like this : OAKY

24-across – Hobnobs and a slice is so refreshing : SOCIALISES

25-across – Protective cover idiot’s pulled back : TARP

26-across – A glutton, Stu baked goods earlier including piping : GREEDYGUTS

1-down – Smears fingerprints : DABS

2-down – Republicans: ‘Commies!’ : REDS

3-down – O my! The carrot, surprisingly: technically a fruit! : CHERRYTOMATO

4-down – At first, not doing splendidly for ‘Months in Islam’: ‘… Christmas, Easter etc?’ : ISLANDS

5-down – Beginners understood insects, we’re told : NEWBIES

7-down – French ‘pain‘: ingredients make you bellyacher : MALCONTENT

8-down – Arrest Fred’s accomplice for something spicy : STEMGINGER

11-down – In self-centred fashion, off I go, etc? I’ll say! : EGOISTICALLY

13-down – Robots care about language : SERBOCROAT

14-down – President and spin doctor getting something to eat in Australia : BUSHTUCKER

18-down – Henry’s wife certainly upset when beheaded, love : SEYMOUR

19-down – A strong drink imbibed by Everyman, twice: fancy that! : IMAGINE

21-down – Isaac’s son given some thesaurus : ESAU

22-down – No time for chores: big ones are onerous! : ASKS

1-across – Uncertainly peel off tape that’s sticky … sweet! : TOFFEEAPPLE

9-across – Got into regressive irrational spiritual teachings for self-aggrandizement : EGOTRIP

10-across – Not tense at first, prepared notation for The Merchant of Venice : ANTONIO

11-across – Capital city of Alaska …?’ ‘… Bullwinkle?’ : KABUL

12-across – Freshened up … but king’s malodorous creature : STINKBUG

14-across – Cor, that’s some brass! : FRENCHHORN

15-across – Starters of midye, ezme, zacuscă & enginar? : MEZE

17-across – Heidegger’s regularly showing irritation : EDGE

19-across – Discovered Everyman wearing large amount of make-up : FOUNDATION

21-across – Crossword setter in ramshackle hut, down to make something with clues : WHODUNIT

23-across – Planet’s environment agreeably receptive to humans … initially : EARTH

25-across – Take a gander at cocktail in East End bar : EYEBALL

26-across – Who’s in charge of bishops? Big ape, perhaps : PRIMATE

27-across – Setter sips a little soup cooked for family members : STEPSISTERS

1-down – Getting tense over money – bother! : TROUBLE

2-down – Golfer calls this rugby player ‘hairy bit at the front’ : FORELOCK

3-down – Show some of convex polyhedron : EXPO

4-down – In style of Bible stories : ALANTURING

5-down – It’s his historic fourth term: submit! : PUTIN

6-down – Coming up in the Spanish-German city, Earl to get more distinguished : ENNOBLE

7-down – Time and time again, freak out about time in water spent by King : WEEKAFTERWEEK

8-down – Perhaps English eke out small amount to be eaten: that’s ironic : TONGUEINCHEEK

13-down – Deplorable, the French historian’s work : CHRONICLES

16-down – Plastic bag finally forsook for good : BAKELITE

18-down – Creeps travel aimlessly in Golfs every now and then : GROVELS

20-down – Progress with play, mostly sardonic : INROADS

22-down – Practice in America: ‘grey’ oddly seen : USAGE

24-down – Those on smartphones in part of church called out : APPS

1-across – Fine food, a weakness : DELICACY

5-across – Primarily unrealistic? Thomas once pictured it acerbically! : UTOPIA

10-across – Poet writes; ‘special’ Queen Elizabeth described! : SPENSER

11-across – Marmite regularly seen around in France: well, that’s relaxing : AMBIENT

12-across – Reported harvest in country : GHANA

13-across – Instilled deeply in English: bad weather and, regularly, feuds : ENGRAINED

14-across – Whirl twig around welcoming back rub for pilot : WILBURWRIGHT

18-across – Theatre backer, not bold, abandoned play : THECARETAKER

21-across – Shuns cat : UNSCATHED

23-across – Horned beast losing oxygen and energy in river : RHINE

24-across – Tax part of … most of … unsophisticated neckwear : CRAVATS

25-across – Pop act of the ’80s, The Firm? : ADAMANT

26-across – Where you see Italians get some shut-eye … and the French : NAPLES

27-across – Given three seconds, revolutionary lefty oddly missing kings, queens, etc : CHESSSET

1-down – A little shade’s ignored in sketch : DESIGN

2-down – Change course: slippery fish turns around with room to manoeuvre : LEEWAY

3-down – Country with value on continent : COSTARICA

4-down – He’s fed her bacon, fried, for meaty supper : CORNEDBEEFHASH

6-down – Shin up, Everyman? In a bit : TIBIA

7-down – GNP’s fine! Rolling in cash … once : PFENNIGS

8-down – A holy book … solemn vow … what else? Finally, something to combat evil : ANTIDOTE

9-down – Terribly bad manners, drinking gallons: a Sirah’s drained with meal : BANGERSANDMASH

15-down – Skipping starter, greybeard’s chewed baked goods : RYEBREADS

16-down – In ancient culture, centaurs made merry : ETRUSCAN

17-down – Instrument, Japanese : JEWSHARP

19-down – Enemies in European and Irish rising : RIVALS

20-down – A bird going after bee, endlessly : BEATIT

22-down – Conscious of feature missing in tea set : AWARE

1-across – Baked good might make you portly? As if! : FILOPASTRY

6-across – ’70s sitcom, fluffy fare? : MASH

9-across – ‘Republican monarchy’: hard to penetrate crazy vestiges of Empire : ROMANBATHS

10-across – Withdrawing exasperated utterance, seeing celeb : STAR

12-across – Place for experiments; artist with sketch being cross : LABRADOODLE

15-across – Musician, chaste? Around about 50/50 : PURCELL

16-across – Piece of work announced: instructions for gardener, seamstress? : SOANDSO

17-across – Slice of apricot tart and cheese : RICOTTA

19-across – Vegetate on vacation touring Chile resort in caravan, perhaps : VEHICLE

20-across – Waving hello, maniac creates despair : MELANCHOLIA

23-across – Number of regressive Leninists : NINE

24-across – Playing in flames is penultimate set of games : SEMIFINALS

25-across – A canal God recalled : SUEZ

26-across – Notes describing sheep liver, perhaps, somewhere in US : NEWENGLAND

1-down – Some of Armenia is agricultural land : FARM

2-down – Shiny fabric? Implausible : LAME

3-down – Biplane agent repaired : PANELBEATING

4-down – Dish, German, in Baden-Baden … maybe throw up : SPAGBOL

5-down – Tries once more removing Bottom from what actors do with play : REHEARS

7-down – After seeing, perhaps Golf: Introduction to Driving Everyman would play : AUTODIDACT

8-down – In training, rower hopes to achieve measure of potency : HORSEPOWER

11-down – ‘La ti re so‘? Hang about: this gives me energy! : SOLARHEATING

13-down – A standard time before workers finally built employers’ homes : APARTMENTS

14-down – Aggression displayed by curt, uppity, oddly ugly eunuch with energy : TRUCULENCE

18-down – Let hate wildly make you a competitor : ATHLETE

19-down – Cunning and very posh, the French will conceal banking info : VULPINE

21-down – Duchamp’s art, denying aesthetics primarily? : DADA

22-down – American edition : USED

1-across – Protect two companies? Almost; one : COCOON

4-across – M. le Président, missing mother, drinks fizz to become resolute : CASTIRON

9-across – Museum for the blind? : LOUVRE

10-across – Playwright, Shaw, not half confusing reading, mostly : SHERIDAN

12-across – In a little Nissan, Guinevere is cheerful : SANGUINE

13-across – Spout about aliens: ‘They’re often seen in the sky’ : JETSET

15-across – Young and wary, woo nervously in song : GOYOUROWNWAY

18-across – Superintendent Kerr: ‘Folks, cow has run amok’ : CLERKOFWORKS

21-across – Everyman’s wearing, on and off, clergy’s distinctive garb : LIVERY

22-across – Some forks I’d picked up in the northeast : TYNESIDE

24-across – Butler’s conveying luggage at first: I’m grateful, that’s capital : VALLETTA

25-across – Moistens black turnip after flipping : BEDEWS

26-across – With Pence gone, White House inhabitant’s now a kind of doctor : RESIDENT

27-across – Exceedingly determined inventor; salesman of note, primarily? : EDISON

1-down – It’s heard on radio: ‘In California, 50 N American soldiers rising’ : CALLSIGN

2-down – Relishes chance to slyly hit you up, nervous, excited, initially aroused : CHUTNEYS

3-down – Victorian novel in which Spooner solicits orange healer? : OURMUTUALFRIEND

5-down – Desire fish in East End : ACHE

6-down – Rudely, they wakened deer needing longer rest : THREEDAYWEEKEND

7-down – Spoke up, at first ignored, wanting hot veg : RADISH

8-down – Degree of precision: ‘Number … not 100 … bit less than 100’ : NINETY

11-down – Fuss about nothing, principally, arriving from South in principality : ANDORRA

14-down – Opposite motorway, under a Gormley : ANTONYM

16-down – Personal ones may wear these! : TRAINERS

17-down – Announces only a little blusher’s intended to be seen : USHERSIN

19-down – Musical old organ : OLIVER

20-down – Tuvalu’s topless resort with fleshy bodies : UVULAS

23-down – School kept going with odd absences : ETON