Daily Answers

1-across – The Right Stuff and Top Gun aged badly : GETUPANDGO

6-across – What to say to a horse while holding on anxiously, primarily? : WHOA

9-across – Period during which you might have an unpleasant shock? : BADHAIRDAY

10-across – For starters, alcoholic sparkling tincture, Italian : ASTI

11-across – Singer confused bride with shrug in church : CHRISDEBURGH

15-across – Tragic Greek figure, skinny, next to the German : LEANDER

16-across – Drugs dipped in caviar for Brat Pack actor : ROBLOWE

17-across – Once again, accepts contract’s terms and quits : RESIGNS

19-across – ‘Pescatarian option’? Ham is doubly out of order! : SASHIMI

20-across – Interrogate corrupt cronies about Congress in the morning : CROSSEXAMINE

23-across – Poet, retiring lone wolf at heart : OWEN

24-across – Real idiots misconstrued views of the Observer, etc : EDITORIALS

25-across – Middle section taken from Muslim holy book: it’s a Buddhist riddle : KOAN

26-across – Sympathisers omitting greeting disturbed intelligence chiefs : SPYMASTERS

1-down – Travel over most of large desert : GOBI

2-down – Cut a dash, to some extent – voilà! : TADA

3-down – Breakfast items stolen, for example case of grapefruits : POACHEDEGGS

4-down – Less socially adept, demanding more energy, not right : NERDIER

5-down – King George and Queen Elizabeth: that’s even more majestic : GRANDER

7-down – That man’s little musical group, iconic, not half theatrical : HISTRIONIC

8-down – Crime that I arranged, being calculating : ARITHMETIC

12-down – Naïve types accepting president’s to get rid of weapons : BABESINARMS

13-down – In the manner of Royal Marine, punch time-keeper : ALARMCLOCK

14-down – Spies entrap idiot, minor poet regularly following stars : CASSIOPEIA

18-down – ‘River Dee rising,’ son first exaggerated : SEXEDUP

19-down – During autopsy, MP to manipulate evidence : SYMPTOM

21-down – Blue European nobleman? : SADE

22-down – Stinging insects, with tip of wings clipped, remain poisonous creatures : ASPS

1-across – ‘Perhaps Stamp Act’s boring?’ – renowned army officer : TELAWRENCE

6-across – Second chop is unappealing food : SLOP

9-across – Lacking a piano, music therapy revised for ’80s pop duo : EURYTHMICS

10-across – Berliner oddly taken with cheese : BRIE

12-across – Little is known about these biscuits baked with roe : OBSCURITIES

14-across – Instrument whereby Europe divides UK and the French, twice : UKELELE

15-across – Son loses enthusiasm about, primarily, higher educational establishments : SCHOOLS

16-across – During crash of Euro, fellow returns with charm : ENAMOUR

18-across – Solver’s taking long time? I accept that : YOUREON

19-across – Narcissistic novelist given small amount of money and wine : SELFCENTRED

22-across – What odds may – or may not – be : EVEN

23-across – Comedian’s heartless joke describes higher echelons : JOHNCLEESE

24-across – Idiot comes back with waterproof : TARP

25-across – Going around Cyprus, Dick gets something to eat : CRISPYDUCK

1-down – Draws even with final four of penalties : TIES

2-down – Primarily, lipoid adiposity rendered digestible? : LARD

3-down – Notice how I’ve given free rein to a man : WITHONEVOICE

4-down – All together, magically, finally: ‘Open Sesame!’ : ENMASSE

5-down – Company with £1,000 invested in support’s making mistakes : COCKUPS

7-down – Act as master in torrid love resort : LORDITOVER

8-down – Throng, with nose out of joint, continues moving forward : PRESSESON

11-down – Wild youth ate nuts hastily : WITHOUTDELAY

13-down – Suppressing a pain, regret inflamed rear that’s used in cycling : DERAILLEUR

14-down – Independent in US Senate troubled, most troubled : UNEASIEST

17-down – Enmity engendered by Franco urgently : RANCOUR

18-down – Norse wearing strangely frosty underwear : YFRONTS

20-down – Assistance in ordering some prime numbers : MENU

21-down – Queen’s shielded by bishop and king? Idiot : BERK

1-across – Perusing change, daydream ultimately internalised by comic character : WALTERMITTY

7-across – Where a slope is regularly seen? : ALP

9-across – Bishop in fancy car, finding borderland of Hell : LIMBO

10-across – Routine I’m rewriting for Radio 4 show : INOURTIME

11-across – Violent protest about von der Leyen etc being privileged : TOPSECRET

12-across – ‘Noise of geese not hard,’ Everyman accepted, producing noise of pigs : OINKS

13-across – Yearned for title, ‘knight’ included : DESIRED

15-across – ‘Sincere’ earl corrupted : REAL

18-across – Ignore extremes in Holy Land’s measure : ACRE

20-across – Cockney’s come to us on a horse, they say : ROEDEER

23-across – Don’t just throw away waste, avoiding fine : REUSE

24-across – Staggered around drunkenly, etc, and returned to office : REELECTED

26-across – Both parents touring North Australia, energy fading in heat, getting protection from sun : PANAMAHAT

27-across – Run into Brexiteer in wood : GROVE

28-across – Step back, idiot : SAP

29-across – Lousy granular brass tacks : NITTYGRITTY

1-down – Rich, healthy stew : WELLTODO

2-down – The French politician to put online support for Enlightenment : LAMPPOST

3-down – Wear down the Queen with dedicatory verse : ERODE

4-down – Confused mediator ignoring old hotel employee : MAITRED

5-down – Walk unsteadily with end of skewer stuck in foot : TROTTER

6-down – ‘Much beer ordered for lad?’ ‘Aye’ : YARDOFALE

7-down – Inseam tailored in city near Lille : AMIENS

8-down – A sleep, for a change – I’d like that : PLEASE

14-down – Number one coming down to 20? : ROCKETMAN

16-down – Soundly thrashed, English batsman visibly embarrassed : BEETROOT

17-down – Dickens’ protagonist entered into dreary monotonous labour : DRUDGERY

19-down – Hearing indication you’re being talked about! : EARSHOT

20-down – Perhaps rocket wanting gravity to attempt return to atmosphere : REENTRY

21-down – With essential ingredient missing, recipes made dodgy French food : CREPES

22-down – Puritan zealously rejected a root crop : TURNIP

25-down – King Ethelred garrotted : EDGAR

1-across – Technocrat redesigned form of protection : TRENCHCOAT

6-across – Lost, wandering around Norman city : STLO

9-across – Article ensuring independence abandoned when changing side : THEGUNNERS

10-across – Suggestive banter, perhaps, revealed in regressive corporations : SMUT

11-across – French girl in beret attends dance : STBERNADETTE

15-across – ‘Poop a swear word?’ ‘Almost’ ‘That’s clear’ : INFOCUS

16-across – Think about taste? Oddly, it needs to be experienced : MUSTSEE

17-across – Embroils parents in strife : ENTRAPS

19-across – Cool to reach number one, perhaps, for musician : ICECUBE

20-across – What’s blazing in zest, purée, etc? : CREPESUZETTE

23-across – Early on, a harpooner and boy? : AHAB

24-across – Evergreen Shakespearean killer, not half: ‘Ides isn’t tragic’ : ASPIDISTRA

25-across – African national? Not so: African nation : MALI

26-across – Old writers mentioned before, adopting eastern magic words : OPENSESAME

1-down – Archbishop’s skirt : TUTU

2-down – PM of Sweden missing the point at first : EDEN

3-down – Nobleman taking year to be concerned about lough in part of Ireland : COUNTYCLARE

4-down – In ruins, discern evidence of blaze : CINDERS

5-down – An associate member of Nato, perhaps : ACRONYM

7-down – Potato and mouse : TOMATOSOUP

8-down – Highest degree, English, old examination accepted, above board : ONTHELEVEL

12-down – Diners’ sweet concoction? : DESSERTWINE

13-down – Prepare for Auld Lang Syne, with number going wonderfully : LIKEACHARM

14-down – How fell fat sort!? : OFFTHEWALL

18-down – Gags and locks away : SHUTSUP

19-down – Cold, topless, in Spain and Portugal : IBERIAN

21-down – Estonian regularly visited Italian hot spot : ETNA

22-down – Art gallery’s thank-you note : TATE

1-across – Fervently adored hymn,In The Bag : HOMEANDDRY

9-across – To raise some children? No blessing : ENNOBLE

10-across – Oriental force, hostile and red : CHIANTI

11-across – A lever to push, by the sound of it : PEDAL

12-across – Primarily, ecologists’ crusade: release of gases : EMISSION

14-across – Twisted mess, they say? It’s not oblique : RIGHTANGLE

15-across – Disburden yourself in part: say ‘no’ : DENY

17-across – Primarily dim and fairly thick? : DAFT

19-across – Favourite of the Queen, he’s entangled with cowgirl : WELSHCORGI

21-across – Clothing from River Island included in something to treat woman : TEESHIRT

23-across – Old hat : PASSE

25-across – ‘Then!’ … ‘Any minute now!’ … : ANDSOON

26-across – Where a ruble’s circulated? : BELARUS

27-across – First signs of opposing Brexit: time ended by prorogation evokes passions : OBSESSIONS

1-down – Put 19 to death, perhaps, for appearing guilty : HANGDOG

2-down – Thousand members of aristocracy decapitated for a kind of freedom : MOBILITY

3-down – Inhaling helium in the morning: excuse me! : AHEM

4-down – European Community overcome by mad idealism to get rid of the pound, etc : DECIMALISE

5-down – Miser, drunk, in Champagne city : REIMS

6-down – Keep speed trap working?Thatmight be rare : PEPPEREDSTEAK

7-down – Leaves tip? Everyman has : ENDIVE

8-down – Yes indeed, I ask about diagnosis : KIDNEYDISEASE

13-down – Writer where bonnets aren’tendlesslyrepresented! : ANNEBRONTE

16-down – Latin offered by a top university, first third of course somewhere in Latin America : ACAPULCO

18-down – Deals with American comedian : FIELDS

20-down – Makesanotherlist of holiday destinations : RESORTS

22-down – Explosive on the fringes, hubbub includes rising rabble : HBOMB

24-down – A bird spotted in hibiscus : IBIS