Daily Answers

1-across – Highest money for those in authority : TOPBRASS

5-across – Ancient city member in South America : SPARTA

10-across – Unable to relax in it, church close to Ely : ITCHY

11-across – White stone in altar base, cracked : ALABASTER

12-across – What can make you be so long adding drop of espagnole sauce? : BOLOGNESE

14-across – Ring back about one supplying tree : LILAC

15-across – Quiten down tailored suit with pink coat? : PUTASOCKINIT

18-across – Trust able seaman? A loan may depend on it : CREDITRATING

21-across – Novelist’s wrong : AMISS

22-across – Club official, person much valued at end of year : TREASURER

23-across – Dramatist in Bonn working with Jones : BENJONSON

24-across – Greek character, the brightest star : ALPHA

25-across – Level, holding the Parisian football team : ELEVEN

26-across – Chapel H.E. Bates unfortunately died inside : BETHESDA

1-down – Attempt to secure one pound for a du Maurier novel : TRILBY

2-down – Mischief-maker, almost drunk : PICKLE

3-down – Skate in narrow beam of light : RAY

4-down – Held a demonstration with foreign despot as target : STAGEDAPROTEST

6-down – Certain costermongers in shocking pink argyles : PEARLYKINGS

7-down – Quick and energetic, and extraordinarily good : RATTLING

8-down – Heinous act at Petrograd, say, involving soldiers after revolution : ATROCITY

9-down – Complaint got by one failing to keep joint dry? : WATERONTHEKNEE

13-down – Ascend during fog and vanish : GOUPINSMOKE

16-down – Chapter on mob after second game : SCRABBLE

17-down – Opposition of French intended : DEFIANCE

19-down – Lapses surrounding old university exam : TRIPOS

20-down – Fleet branch supported by a US lawyer : ARMADA

24-down – A quiet wood : ASH

1-across – Fail to avoid young lady : MISS

3-across – Mount unlikely check, about work of little value : NOTMUCHCOP

9-across – Name one volatile gas : NEON

10-across – TV lawyer, character defending army suspect : PERRYMASON

12-across – Provider of childish amusement, card giving evidence? : JACKINTHEBOX

14-across – Drink from trophy after Cambridge college lost at last : CLARETCUP

16-across – Fortunate? Very possibly : WELL

17-across – Opposed to some in Constantinople : ANTI

18-across – Volunteers to feed US artist’s fish : MANTARAYS

20-across – One eager to leave bang on time caught guard breaking into cupboard : CLOCKWATCHER

24-across – Drudge recalled being beaten about at home : CINDERELLA

25-across – First to recognise a French character : RUNE

26-across – Weak type, complete killjoy : WETBLANKET

27-across – Extremely clever? Yes, to some extent : VERY

1-down – Leader of military junta shot head of charging animal : MUNTJAC

2-down – They provide traction, as shown in broadcast about foremost of cars : SNOWCHAINS

4-down – Clear above top of tower : OVERT

5-down – One keeping score by enclosure with a felt-tip : MARKERPEN

6-down – Accepted the law needs changing in a protectorate : COMMONWEALTH

7-down – Mould in shed : CAST

8-down – Evergreen, over in glen, I pollarded : PINE

11-down – The enemy is bound to take its toll? Wait and see : TIMEWILLTELL

13-down – Book desolate inn : BLEAKHOUSE

15-down – Tell all to move nearer fair : COMECLEAN

19-down – Contemptible involving Church of England in witchcraft : SORCERY

21-down – Reportedly distraught playwright : WILDE

22-down – Broadcast about introduction of cigarette lighter : SCOW

23-down – A single person, out of condition, losing heart : UNIT

1-across – Outstanding performer, kind to imitate : CLASSACT

5-across – Cavalryman caught in country road close to Sedgemoor : LANCER

9-across – Left to choice in platoon, I suspect : OPTIONAL

10-across – Temple of a deity in Pennsylvania : PAGODA

11-across – Urgency shown by the man crossing a street : HASTE

12-across – Awfully mean celebrities – say who they are : NAMENAMES

14-across – Mavericks may make no charge for gins, vodkas, etc. : FREESPIRITS

18-across – London home of detective in song? : BAKERSTREET

21-across – Four-letter word used by girl upset about closure of restaurant : TETRAGRAM

23-across – Cheese made by pair back in Georgia : GOUDA

24-across – Grease gear in drilling installation : OILRIG

25-across – Aim to provoke compromise : ENDANGER

26-across – Endure sister, drunk : RESIST

27-across – Along with a very fashionable person, meets a head of state : ASWELLAS

1-down – A hat, something for the gardener outdoors? : CLOCHE

2-down – Painter displaying unusual traits : ARTIST

3-down – Track about boy with female, romantically attached : SPOKENFOR

4-down – What may arrive in the post from Manx chap, in character : CHAINLETTER

6-down – Military commander, elected once more : AGAIN

7-down – Chinese-style dish, food had by me at home : CHOWMEIN

8-down – Make another appraisal concerning fools on top of statue : REASSESS

13-down – Teacher resents planners : MASTERMINDS

15-down – Join unfortunate gent coming in hopping mad : INTEGRATE

16-down – A racket rising, rising in slaughterhouse : ABATTOIR

17-down – Hoax the French about time for game : SKITTLES

19-down – Caddy initially glued broken club : CUDGEL

20-down – A doctor tucking into mother’s curry : MADRAS

22-down – Sign of tooth decay, canine needing to be extracted : ARIES

1-across – Publicity that’s sent round to confuse : PUTOFF

4-across – One holding a sword, blackleg confronting poet : SCABBARD

10-across – Fancy Lorraine getting behind France, finally, in the past? : EARLIERON

11-across – Jelly shown in a small photograph : ASPIC

12-across – Illegal trading in vehicles : TRAFFIC

13-across – First to tell funny story about king and revolutionary : TROTSKY

14-across – So don’t regret getting different dog : GORDONSETTER

18-across – More than one infantryman in base joins one inside : FOOTSOLDIERS

21-across – Reveals bit of scandal gathered by the Parisian solicitor : LETSOUT

23-across – Shot a line after private action that backfired? : OWNGOAL

24-across – Stole aboard alien vessel : EBOAT

25-across – A French composer held in Fleet, ultimately extremely lucky to get free : ATLIBERTY

26-across – Better money for the most important officials : TOPBRASS

27-across – Shellfish in Savoy’s terrific : OYSTER

1-down – Rather charming to look at : PRETTY

2-down – Danger that must involve sappers : THREAT

3-down – Goes mad about failure to find sandals : FLIPFLOPS

5-down – Round-the-clock work blocking busy line in old city : CONSTANTINOPLE

6-down – Vote against party? : BEANO

7-down – Suitable model brought in by a new Pope : APPOSITE

8-down – Weed quadrangle in naval establishment : DOCKYARD

9-down – Lines written about race, sign of insincerity : CROCODILETEARS

15-down – One delivering shopkeeper’s goods may be confused by an order : ERRANDBOY

16-down – A leader in fashion, elegant and wealthy : AFFLUENT

17-down – Swallow, initially, a spot of outrageously used flattery : SOFTSOAP

19-down – Left out of main story involving old Irish detective : POIROT

20-down – Actor, powerful participant : PLAYER

22-down – Fur cap removed from scoundrel : OTTER

1-across – Husband on board poorly lit boat : DINGHY

4-across – Candour unwisely shown about large witches’ pot : CAULDRON

10-across – Splendid Havana, say : CAPITAL

11-across – Person vandalising cowl on chimney : HOODLUM

12-across – Crude thug with money : ROUGHANDREADY

14-across – Who will have reviewed this Sheridan play? : THECRITIC

15-across – Magistrate imprisoning duke for evasion : DODGE

16-across – Leader of opposing side is outstanding : OWING

18-across – Children’s author had dollar exchanged : ROALDDAHL

21-across – On what a local tax may be based in area A : RATEABLEVALUE

23-across – Captain brought in an eastern perennial : ANEMONE

24-across – Grandmother cutting a cotton cloth : NANKEEN

25-across – Dagger found in street by messy toilet : STILETTO

26-across – Opening bowler, perhaps American, catches one : HIATUS

1-down – Star of French cinema’s first speech : DECORATION

2-down – New record a while ago with melody taken from 9 : NEPTUNE

3-down – One would expect a player to behave appropriately : HITTHERIGHTNOTE

5-down – Language used when armchair almost collapsed : AMHARIC

6-down – Painter cooked vindaloo and rice : LEONARDODAVINCI

7-down – Revolutionary university in revolutionary broadcast : RELAYED

8-down – Celebrity from Dublin, a megastar : NAME

9-down – Earth perhaps flat? Theory, initially : PLANET

13-down – Very evil trap set up for game : REALTENNIS

17-down – One from the Middle East is one king brought over : ISRAELI

18-down – Get near volatile chemical substance : REAGENT

19-down – Article put in last, possibly at an angle : ASLANT

20-down – Complaint from the Italian chaps stationed in the outskirts of Aldershot : AILMENT

22-down – Girl in form caught out : LASS