Daily Answers

1-across – Completely defeat Nathaniel, unexpectedly holding one : ANNIHILATE

6-across – Celebrity, half-naked : STAR

9-across – Ben is mistaken for a dramatist : IBSEN

10-across – One who cheats a fair deal? : CARDSHARP

12-across – Agriculturist : TULLE

13-across – Judges in El Salvador, bent at times : ESTIMATES

14-across – Embarrassed about blunder by one who has a last drink : SHERRYCOBBLER

18-across – A horrible mess follows quickly after interval : DOGSBREAKFAST

20-across – Eight runs batting? A certainty : SURETHING

22-across – Suffer at home, remedy falling short : INCUR

24-across – Any number during telecast put out feelers : TENTACLES

25-across – Thai cooked one in a Caribbean country : HAITI

26-across – The same flat : EVEN

27-across – You’ll have to think of a better tale than that was and hit town afresh : ITWONTWASH

1-down – Crucial appraisal dictates changes : ACIDTEST

2-down – Space agency, first to lie about the nose : NASAL

3-down – Sporting festival that may be elegant and hearty combined : HENLEYREGATTA

4-down – Entice round clubs offering money : LUCRE

5-down – Move round to move part of record player : TURNTABLE

7-down – Pie brought over to one entertained by artist in restaurant : TRATTORIA

8-down – Rest in peace : REPOSE

11-down – Film me wearing this tie – look flash? : SOMELIKEITHOT

15-down – English trained nun cared for patient suffering : ENDURANCE

16-down – Taxi permit required round port for a horse-drawn carriage : CABRIOLET

17-down – Sea creature has first to be gutted : STARFISH

19-down – Fly – set off with crew aboard : TSETSE

21-down – Doofer US soldiers and army medic wanted : GISMO

23-down – Mate from Norwich, in advertising : CHINA

1-across – Shy? So drink : SHANDY

4-across – Stiffness shown by celebrity at church : STARCH

8-across – Star entertainer needs finest fruit : TOPBANANA

11-across – Loaded and left Yemeni port : LADEN

12-across – Girl in hostel in Darlington : LINDA

13-across – I’m plus one, playing rashly : ONIMPULSE

14-across – This was first brought into town to make parachutes : THISTLEDOWN

16-across – Favoured brief, one man quick on the uptake : INTELLIGENT

19-across – Be eager to land in US city : LONGBEACH

21-across – Take off from Stansted, initially, on holiday : STRIP

23-across – RC priest’s inside getting a souvenir : RELIC

24-across – Kitchener may have had a hand in it : OVENGLOVE

25-across – A herb tea brewed in east : TISANE

26-across – A guy, relaxed : ATEASE

1-down – Make one’s home in a small market town : SETTLE

2-down – Tree in a small enclosure : ASPEN

3-down – Playwright has tipple with expert right away : DRAMATIST

5-down – A bulb can be extremely useful in the end : TULIP

6-down – Reportedly studied flying machine close to nearest celestial body : REDPLANET

7-down – Watch trapper : HUNTER

9-down – Drink – all do it wildly after a short working day : AMONTILLADO

10-down – Hymn from leader of Wesleyans in habit I deem unfit : ABIDEWITHME

14-down – Musical instruments in largest complex : TRIANGLES

15-down – Inadvertent mistake concerning landmark : OVERSIGHT

17-down – Girl has drop of Tokay wine : CLARET

18-down – A gun each : APIECE

20-down – Scholar to study English philosopher : BACON

22-down – Spanish drink port? Yes, in Germany : RIOJA

1-across – Stop copper, a good sort : CUTOFF

4-across – Alarm! Oil running out, here in Texas : AMARILLO

9-across – Mysterious, first half of Cats penned by composer : ARCANE

10-across – Note a pal changed with no effort : ONAPLATE

12-across – Girl volunteers to cage first of hound dogs : IRISHTERRIERS

14-across – Article located in ruins? That’s hearsay : ANECDOTAL

16-across – Painter from eastern state : ERNST

17-across – Colonel knocked back a litre in nearby pub : LOCAL

19-across – This could be best fare : ROASTBEEF

21-across – One who exposes referee? : WHISTLEBLOWER

24-across – I tell lies about one from Jersey, perhaps : ISLANDER

25-across – I rowed angrily with a strange person : WEIRDO

26-across – Ninety, possibly, round centre of Naples, and teeming : INPLENTY

27-across – Paper is written after the end of Michaelmas : THESIS

1-down – Generous daily, albeit misguidedly : CHARITABLE

2-down – Pleasant to touch, climbing cat I let out : TACTILE

3-down – Fine island bird : FINCH

5-down – Drink fizzy wine and rare malt : MINERALWATER

6-down – Mean about gift : REPRESENT

7-down – I suffer over boy’s affair : LIAISON

8-down – Frank, old writer : OPEN

11-down – Withdraw, exhausted, to a sanctuary : BEATARETREAT

13-down – Where teachers may be, in form fatso’s vandalised : STAFFROOMS

15-down – Flirting, daughter before marriage : DALLIANCE

18-down – Female creature’s sitting on border flower : COWSLIP

20-down – Yachtswoman Tracy saw red, drifting round close to dockyard : EDWARDS

22-down – Doctor about to inject into raised part of foot : LEECH

23-down – Sister’s short skirt : MINI

1-across – Sharp, a group of investigators : ACID

3-across – High liver, Emil, eating cold pasta : VERMICELLI

9-across – Quaintly attractive copper given endless tea : CUTE

10-across – Nobody about as he waved toy weapon? : PEASHOOTER

12-across – Doing wrong wearing the German pistol : DERRINGER

13-across – Reportedly spotted site : SCENE

14-across – An orchestra should be well-informed : KNOWTHESCORE

18-across – On the board, proven man-managers? : GRANDMASTERS

21-across – Star part : ACTOR

22-across – Oven dish, as Creoles prepared : CASSEROLE

23-across – Appropriate name that is found in nunnery : CONVENIENT

24-across – Singer promptly dropping off instruments : BASS

25-across – Newspaper magnate in crowd at pub, tipsy : PRESSBARON

26-across – Carry large animal : BEAR

1-down – Emperor’s son cooked her a duck : ARCHDUKE

2-down – Topliner abroad in crime unit : INTERPOL

4-down – Holly, say, always retaining popularity : EVERGREEN

5-down – One thinking about male drug addict : MUSER

6-down – Transvestite annoyed over actor’s assistant : CROSSDRESSER

7-down – Refuse a stretcher : LITTER

8-down – One’s upset king and country : ISRAEL

11-down – Plants found on a golf course between autumn and spring? : WINTERGREENS

15-down – Inherits from murdered economist : COMESINTO

16-down – Be beaten up during meeting – it makes one very sad : DESOLATE

17-down – One who judges animals, tailless kind : ASSESSOR

19-down – Oddball in stupid hat : MADCAP

20-down – Good man’s article on church reveals point of view : STANCE

22-down – Punch a mate : CHINA

1-across – This area of England isn’t eyed badly : TYNESIDE

5-across – Cold, with frost on a peninsula : CRIMEA

9-across – Trouble hiding blemish? Just the opposite, with make-up : WARPAINT

10-across – Make offensive remarks in toboggan : SLEDGE

12-across – Missing starter, start to speak about fish : ROACH

13-across – One up with the lark, worm catcher? : EARLYBIRD

14-across – Promise preacher sainthood and modesty is blown : CROSSMYHEART

18-across – See 14 : ANDHOPETODIE

21-across – Small restaurant could make money by lake : BRASSERIE

23-across – Wild cat, on one occasion seen round Uzbekistan’s capital : OUNCE

24-across – Honest in 1A,20 : DECENT

25-across – Small window girl reportedly used in getaway : FANLIGHT

26-across – City, extremely sunny, film producer is missing : SYDNEY

27-across – Small fish stuffed with one Italian mushroom : SHIITAKE

1-down – Tastelessly showy marble, dull : TAWDRY

2-down – Ordinary girl, first to leave : NORMAL

3-down – Second article she found in disorderly room is a thing of superlative quality : SMASHEROO

4-down – A long time on Skye – ready for a change, heading for Scotland : DONKEYSYEARS

6-down – Runs over supporter in motoring event : RALLY

7-down – Glad, Irma burst into song : MADRIGAL

8-down – Story date once concocted : ANECDOTE

11-down – Girl, Pat, getting on horse the easy way : PRIMROSEPATH

15-down – The masses in Orkney island, say, vote-casting round island : HOIPOLLOI

16-down – Local, uncomfortable on very large island : BARBADOS

17-down – Went ahead and provided loan : ADVANCED

19-down – Riddle in game worked out : ENIGMA

20-down – Heart and clubs put down, we hear : CENTRE

22-down – Char individual left out : SINGE