Daily Answers

1-across – Dizzy blonde? : LIGHTHEADED

9-across – Film, hidden from view on occasion : BLINDDATE

10-across – Caricature of girl in opera, lead in Carmen : MIMIC

11-across – Essayist is overwhelmed by extra charge : ADDISON

12-across – Abstemious – tea user, possibly : AUSTERE

13-across – Gloomy day – sail out across mouth of Mersey : DISMAL

14-across – Pretty girls using extortion in plant : LOVELIES

17-across – See 14 : BLEEDING

18-across – A dry heat out East, all things considered : ATTHAT

21-across – Master in pain through most of term : TEACHER

23-across – Firm not persuaded : UNMOVED

24-across – After hours, a lecturer was wearing : HADON

25-across – He, say, must stand in front of church to make an announcement : PRONOUNCE

26-across – Argue in protest about WW1 battle charge after commencement of truce : REMONSTRATE

1-down – Servant, 13, with day off : LADYSMAID

2-down – Old woman, awfully angry, penning note : GRANNY

3-down – Lawrence of Arabia’s birthplace – Democrat misdirected : TREMADOC

4-down – Girl’s TV awards : EMMYS

5-down – Golden Globe winning actress may make heaviest demand : DAMEEDITHEVANS

6-down – The Lord of the Flies novelist? : DICKENS

7-down – A plank on a ship, perhaps : ABOARD

8-down – Uncommonly splendid manure required? Don’t despair : NILDESPERANDUM

15-down – Ad lib from retired English politician in shot : EXTEMPORE

16-down – Warehouse, one pretty nearly bust : ENTREPOT

17-down – Killer, hideous brute grabbing child : BUTCHER

19-down – Row about Diane being neater : TIDIER

20-down – Copper getting a cut climbing dome : CUPOLA

22-down – Tennis champion served up nine after holding initially : HENIN

1-across – Opportunity to spin, backing chief minister : CHANCELLOR

6-across – Author, almost out of order : AMIS

9-across – First to actually tax an island : ATOLL

10-across – Ace fare it cooked? : CAFETERIA

12-across – Lose heart as pride injured : DESPAIR

13-across – Broadcaster’s aid, line reportedly written next to character : CUECARD

14-across – Ancient game, nim? No merriness involved : NINEMENSMORRIS

17-across – Such dealings may result in doing time – dash back to stop call : INSIDERTRADING

21-across – Two vehicles boxing in a mobile home : CARAVAN

23-across – Swine holding queue back is an unusually tall person : GOLIATH

24-across – Carriage entrance : TRANSPORT

25-across – Composer’s regal composition : ELGAR

26-across – Measure rodent? Mouse’s tail : RATE

27-across – Soft drinks best therefore when daughter enters : CREAMSODAS

1-down – Boy gives praise in church : CLAUDE

2-down – The study of sound could make one so caustic : ACOUSTICS

3-down – Birds caught on odd videos I released : COLLAREDDOVES

4-down – Lake plant : LUCERNE

5-down – Cold in Fife, so affected business premises : OFFICES

7-down – Start of Mame song, or one from another musical : MARIA

8-down – Messy hit-and-run? : SLAPDASH

11-down – Savoy opera song : THEGONDOLIERS

15-down – Manage newspaper – good editor exhausted : RUNRAGGED

16-down – Angler given apricots at sea : PISCATOR

18-down – Bitterness coming out in private, we hear : RANCOUR

19-down – Great at swimming event at the seaside : REGATTA

20-down – Part of a song about Egyptian god : CHORUS

22-down – Turn after river close to village – take it : REACT

1-across – A small amount of some poetry penned by mother : MODICUM

5-across – River vessel, and duck, on river heading west : POTOMAC

9-across – Wild duet, man out of tune : UNTAMED

10-across – Social worker, single, covering miles on runs : ALMONER

11-across – Playwright has tipple with performer right away : DRAMATIST

12-across – Saw commercial decline : ADAGE

13-across – Blatant overcharging, surprisingly by a third? Glory be! : DAYLIGHTROBBERY

15-across – Announcement about split in US Foreign Office : STATEDEPARTMENT

19-across – Copper, perhaps, and others following Bond’s boss : METAL

21-across – Won a card game and cashed in one’s chips : PEGGEDOUT

22-across – Way to describe fashionable number : ROUTINE

23-across – Acceptable to enter suit in public sale : AUCTION

24-across – Call home : ADDRESS

25-across – Sadden Delaware journalists : DEPRESS

1-down – Determined Rocker’s rival accepting foolish duel : MOULDED

2-down – Simple song about an aromatic plant : DITTANY

3-down – Bell tower in fortified site by a river : CAMPANILE

4-down – Film, ——– Cowboy, say : MIDNIGHTEXPRESS

5-down – Emperor’s men in ring at our parade ground : PRAETORIANGUARD

6-down – Have corrupt dealings, we hear, in Floridian resort : TAMPA

7-down – A charge and chap gets time : MANDATE

8-down – Restaurant car, jolly : CARVERY

14-down – Touch of blue, say, on prize flower : BUTTERCUP

15-down – A woman supporting son in region of ancient Palestine : SAMARIA

16-down – Surprise head of training in a firm : ASTOUND

17-down – English grounds arousing intense feeling : EMOTIVE

18-down – Note aunt’s chronic disease : TETANUS

20-down – Learning about one department : LOIRE

1-across – Box, almost free : SPAR

4-across – Very high, one girl backing singer outside : ALTISSIMO

9-across – Female with instrument that’s easy to carry in a black box? : FLIGHTRECORDER

11-across – Active, new hotline box office installed : ONTHEBOIL

12-across – Horse meeting second hurdle : SNAG

14-across – Rehearsed moves in Macbeth, say, on stage : SETPLAY

16-across – Deep red lips included in deception : CRIMSON

17-across – Drowned youth’s name used in editorial : LEANDER

18-across – Issue concerning tenancy agreement : RELEASE

20-across – Take off before ten for summit : APEX

21-across – Circus performer working with pride : LIONTAMER

24-across – Act like a rake in need of ocular treatment? : HAVEAROVINGEYE

25-across – Find nightclub ideal : DISCOVERY

26-across – Friendly member accompanying wife : WARM

2-down – One going into storyline for trial episode : PILOT

3-down – Unkempt woman in plant : RAGGEDLADY

4-down – Author’s horny tale – no plot involved : ANTHONYTROLLOPE

5-down – Novel youth politics Herod concocted involving sons : THEOLDCURIOSITY

6-down – See 5 : SHOP

7-down – Individuals entering country, a republic : INDONESIA

8-down – Colombian painter born in a state on the Pacific : OBREGON

10-down – Stud manager : BOSS

13-down – Scottish town eerie in low light : LINLITHGOW

15-down – Thieves duck coming to part of roof that sticks out : TEALEAVES

17-down – Hated to charge to store article : LOATHED

19-down – Organ, new make : EARN

22-down – Civic head in Irish county close to border : MAYOR

23-down – A long way, old European port : FARO

1-across – Penguins, say, of varying types : DIVERS

4-across – Poet, reportedly game, getting no backing : TENNYSON

10-across – Certainly a certainty : SURETHING

11-across – Street urchin playing endlessly : GAMIN

12-across – Poke about round small hen house : ROOST

14-across – Beautiful girl taking a piece in board game : BAGATELLE

15-across – A soft drink, something unattractive after beer? : BITTERLEMON

18-across – A number of swans in short biblical book : LAMENTATION

21-across – Station wagon’s condition in anticlockwise race : ESTATECAR

22-across – Els, for example, with one parting eagle : ERNIE

23-across – Honours European, corpulent : OBESE

24-across – Landlord to save in secret : INNKEEPER

26-across – Calamity resulting from Diane’s bloomer : DISASTER

27-across – Sunny on leaving resort : BRIGHT

1-down – Give account of journalist after editor turned up : DESCRIBE

2-down – Drink reverend upset over speaker? : VERMOUTH

3-down – Despicable person giving lift to sailor : RAT

5-down – Intended to wear this? : ENGAGEMENTRING

6-down – Nurse, popular girl after dark : NIGHTINGALE

7-down – Drop of sherry, enough to taste : SAMPLE

8-down – Stake in extremely notorious French city : NANTES

9-down – Amusement device nimble chaplain plays : PINBALLMACHINE

13-down – Vocal group’s threat spelt out : THEPLATTERS

16-down – Clean round pub close to big Canadian city : WINNIPEG

17-down – Nice rest spoilt behind closed doors : INSECRET

19-down – Lower back’s additional support : SECOND

20-down – Emphasise head of state rests uneasily : STRESS

25-down – Peter Rabbit’s blunder : ERR