Daily Answers

1-across – President grandly dines, leading to gym session : PRESSUPS

5-across – Invention that secures part of level crossing : VELCRO

10-across – Report following that woman’s affair : SHEBANG

11-across – Russia’s banks fiddle endlessly with cases from Italy : RAVIOLI

12-across – A little dab at Ikea fabric : BATIK

13-across – Dislocated nine noses? Definitely not : INNOSENSE

14-across – Why so blue, kid? Regrettably, it’s the drink : DOUBLEWHISKY

18-across – Uninjured, rare bird almost crashed into something met at high speed : SOUNDBARRIER

21-across – Recklessly races back for pescatarian’s dish : CRABCAKES

23-across – Next to west section of church, left a kind of orange : NAVEL

24-across – Oaf’s to run about, in a way : OFASORT

25-across – Opens a French port and sips : UNCORKS

26-across – Shocked? About time to become experienced : TASTED

27-across – So splendid : VERYGOOD

1-down – Ignore eyewitness without hesitation : PASSBY

2-down – Lets out what a Cockney comic does, we’re told : EGESTS

3-down – Cask of don drunk with crisps, etc : SNACKFOOD

4-down – Silk pants being laid out as festive treat : PIGSINBLANKETS

6-down – Tolkien’s language not hard, reveals the King : ELVIS

7-down – Colonel ingests oxygen atop headland, showing aplomb : COOLNESS

8-down – Cartoon character sounded kind of fat : OLIVEOYL

9-down – A curry, beer cans laid out as festive treat : CRANBERRYSAUCE

15-down – Tint with blubber, leading to commotion : HUEANDCRY

16-down – Intimidate and turn spy with touch : PSYCHOUT

17-down – Alcoholic aficionado on vacation, scoundrel’s drinking orangey liqueurs : CURACAOS

19-down – Clever? Solomon? To some extent? To a huge extent! : EVERSO

20-down – Miss getting into album? Shut up : CLOSED

22-down – What goes in mulled wine? Bit of cinnamon, dear : CLOVE

1-across – A loud attack? Well, sadly, yes : AFRAIDSO

5-across – Wipes beer mats less regularly : ERASES

10-across – Perhaps Netanyahu is PM losing backing of Likud : ISRAELI

11-across – Engage some dim Merseybeaters : IMMERSE

12-across – After review, hotel won’t accommodate screeching infant : OWLET

13-across – Discerning acts of love : MAKINGOUT

14-across – Hide with Star Trek character getting emaciated : SKINANDBONES

18-across – She’d start off falteringly, less likely to get job done : SHORTSTAFFED

21-across – Cook cassoulet? It’s not worth the effort : LOSTCAUSE

23-across – Back-to-back houses leading to a fuss : HOOHA

24-across – Draw what to put on horse, an ornamental trinket : TIETACK

25-across – Increases likelihood of popular verse in, for starters, Times Educational Supplement : INVITES

26-across – Composed, seated, relaxed : SEDATE

27-across – Vacantly using authoritarian dogma, nicks Africans : UGANDANS

1-down – A child’s key : AMINOR

2-down – Once in a blue moon, rate cut in half by bank : RARELY

3-down – Bizarrely, I twice knitted image of suspect : IDENTIKIT

4-down – What’s seen with floating torsos? : SWIMMINGTRUNKS

6-down – Type such as Abramovich : ROMAN

7-down – Gentleman with symbol of potency: red meat : SIRLOINS

8-down – ‘Most fragrant’ wife involved as judge presides over trial : SWEETEST

9-down – Single fine king uneasily delivers premonition : SINKINGFEELING

15-down – He arranged veg on hot cooker : BEETHOVEN

16-down – Vis-à-vis Ola, Tess largely makes interaction impossible : ISOLATES

17-down – Relaxed with name dropping? Something to explain : LOOSEEND

19-down – Cirro-strati partially forming platforms : ROSTRA

20-down – Passes, lacking energy, making errors : LAPSES

22-down – Gold is one asset initially included in valuation : COAST

1-across – Out of harm’s way, a sodden faun’s given treatment : SAFEANDSOUND

9-across – Demented broadcast with no time to be edited : EMENDED

10-across – Having no time or energy, distractedly vindicate historical figure : DAVINCI

11-across – Endlessly desiring friendly words from driver : HOPIN

12-across – In retrospect, ‘sound of approval’ politician claimed? It’s a sound of disapproval : HARRUMPH

14-across – Head hurt? Let’s get together some food : NUTCUTLETS

15-across – Primarily, smear, libel, undo reputations? : SLUR

17-across – Anarchist, to some extent, is mischievous : ARCH

19-across – In line with plan, a second place in Scotland revoked degree : ASARRANGED

21-across – Delivered by Spooner, rug prepared in old Asian capital : KATMANDU

23-across – Fast-food freebie recalled, growths found on skin : STRAW

25-across – Perhaps McKellan’s comeback: singer contracted in safari destination : NAIROBI

26-across – Charmer is lovelier, not very unreliable : LORELEI

27-across – Sat idly, years wasted: there’s still time! : ITSEARLYDAYS

1-down – Eminent scientist makes you think when page’s turned : STEPHENHAWKING

2-down – Pale, shuddering, overcome by convulsion in infested locale : FLEAPIT

3-down – PS: Tipsy dad and mummy regularly hugging, close : ADDENDUM

4-down – Dead bird komodo dragon’s eaten, brought up : DODO

5-down – Art’s models represented by these! : OLDMASTERS

6-down – Nebuchadnezzar, extremely welcoming Old Testament figure? In no degree! : NEVER

7-down – ‘Everyman’s superseded’: note in chronicle that’s brutal : ANIMAL

8-down – Scientist Darwin gets in a muddle with dishrack : RICHARDDAWKINS

13-down – Instant urge to get IT gismo : FLASHDRIVE

16-down – Show’s host appears after 500 commercials : DADSARMY

18-down – Perhaps to keep a Persian in attic’s wrong : CATSIT

20-down – On the radio, an insurgent ape : GORILLA

22-down – Ampere: unit giving current : AFOOT

24-down – Band’s promotional material is abridged : BLUR

1-across – Refined charisma, a thing of the past : ARCHAISM

5-across – With weapon? Not I packing heat : WARMTH

10-across – Composer with practically modest, humble dwelling : PURCELL

11-across – Rejecting queen, marquess turns philosopher : ERASMUS

12-across – Ad-libs entrance, getting around playwright : IBSEN

13-across – Section of cathedral undergoing renovation for a long time : ORGANLOFT

14-across – Australia hadn’t thrown Test; England missing bowler – perhaps? End of story! : ANDTHATSTHAT

18-across – … but a stem cell could become salad ingredient : LAMBSLETTUCE

21-across – Take advantage of past boyfriend when something goes bad : USEBYDATE

23-across – Get rid of quiet, accommodating Republican : ERASE

24-across – Belittle English in German leaflet : DETRACT

25-across – Horny male wanting introduction, wearing come-hither look: withdraw! : PULLOUT

26-across – Enjoy a condiment : RELISH

27-across – Pants with pockets : TROUSERS

1-down – A posh couple’s help : AUPAIR

2-down – Short, extremely seemly gesture : CURTSY

3-down – A mountain range, a mountain range : APENNINES

4-down – Decent type with soft heart, health for the most part failing : SALTOFTHEEARTH

6-down – Old-fashioned stove favoured once more : AGAIN

7-down – Mania on vacation: ‘1,000 insects! Enormous creatures!’ : MAMMOTHS

8-down – Think twice about abandoning cultivated aesthetic : HESITATE

9-down – Fabulous officer in range set out to discharge gunshot : SERGEANTPEPPER

15-down – Scare about European Union suppressing retrograde imperial weight: blimey : SACREBLEU

16-down – Awkwardly struggle with fish : FLOUNDER

17-down – Take case from Edam before getting crackers and cheese : EMMENTAL

19-down – Asian city where movie villain returns to get minerals : LAHORE

20-down – Tory PM’s barren lands : HEATHS

22-down – Stay up to let in eastern poet : YEATS

1-across – No date including ‘to be announced’ is acceptable : NOTBAD

4-across – Auntie with tiny antiquated computer : BBCMICRO

9-across – Figure in Christianity, Father Xmas, heading to North at the end : SATAN

10-across – Learner pulled into street, kept turning left, source of children’s amusement : ROALDDAHL

11-across – Say, are you familiar with goddess of marriage? : JUNO

12-across – Privacy regulation initially gets department panicking royally : GDPR

13-across – United overwhelmed by many hooligans : LOUTS

15-across – Strange: Everyman’s turning into extremely blasé urbanite : BRUMMIE

16-across – Cross-beam, just what doctor ordered : XRAY

19-across – Head of lettuce in oil lacking spice : FLAT

20-across – Slippery Gove circumventing Regina to add embellishment : OVEREGG

23-across – Old Opel needing starter given speed: va-va-voom! : OOMPH

24-across – German hiding among grottoes : OTTO

25-across – Smoker about to open bidding : ANTE

27-across – Instrument you imagine is involved in heavy metal? : AIRGUITAR

28-across – Poet is on fire : BURNS

29-across – What might make you frigid and testy? : COLDSORE

30-across – City seeing wild Thebans losing capital in Boeotia : ATHENS

1-down – Is familiar with, they say, patient figures coming to surgery : NOSEJOBS

2-down – Volatile bituminate shedding casing to reveal element useful for aeronautics : TITANIUM

3-down – Source of French river is outstanding, outstanding : AONE

5-down – Victorian figure, stimulating a Brexit, to do very little work : BEATRIXPOTTER

6-down – ‘Gilded Mead’ brewed for 40-60 years? : MIDDLEAGED

7-down – Try to impress bowler, perhaps, in prize competition : CHATUP

8-down – Wise, capable of most points of view? : OWLISH

10-down – Dry tone affected by rogue comic character : RODNEYTROTTER

14-down – Hot, Everyman’s wearing lingerie in period after midnight : SMALLHOURS

17-down – Childcare specialist went berserk, sure to be replaced : WETNURSE

18-down – Man-eaters go back to get topless clothing : OGRESSES

21-down – Work of art describing Jewish lawgiver : MOSAIC

22-down – Unprincipled city’s backing withdrawn from mayoral motion : AMORAL

26-down – Kicking heroin habit for short while : ABIT