Daily Answers

1-across – Chris drunk after drop of kümmel and brandy : KIRSCH

5-across – Ruth, for example, born at Lincoln? : BABE

8-across – Fighting with the military in civvies, create diversion : ACTIVESERVICE

11-across – Gullible type flourishing? Blow me! : GREENHORN

12-across – Girl rejected benefit : ASSET

13-across – One invested in property in fact : REALITY

15-across – Set off in time ahead of scaffolder : TRIGGER

16-across – Tragic romance here in Lombardy : CREMONA

18-across – Left in making better game : CURLING

20-across – Zeno, say, coming from Cyprus to Icaria : STOIC

21-across – A drunken sot is after a pint, ordered as a starter! : ANTIPASTO

23-across – Surprised chair, accepted a subordinate position : TOOKABACKSEAT

24-across – A great deal of land in Kansas I auctioned : ASIA

25-across – Take long steps in short trousers : STRIDE

2-down – Similarly situated, like the Owl and the Pussy-Cat? : INTHESAMEBOAT

3-down – Number, small, not odd? : SEVEN

4-down – One article supporting hospital’s record : HISTORY

5-down – Title, one held by composer : BARONET

6-down – Costume worn by a bride bemused army officer : BRIGADIER

7-down – Risk daughter’s wrath : DANGER

9-down – Strangest idea involved a West Sussex town : EASTGRINSTEAD

10-down – Celebrity’s launch, unfinished : STAR

14-down – Annoyed after golf club medal : IRONCROSS

16-down – Mould in shed : CAST

17-down – A monk accommodating a bishop in a US state : ALABAMA

18-down – Blade wounded girl : CUTLASS

19-down – Take rubbish over to cave : GROTTO

22-down – Writer holding king and queen in card game : POKER

1-across – Design that sounds like a set of rustic steps : STYLE

4-across – Golden Hind, empty, sank unexpectedly in a Baltic port : GDANSK

7-across – Count on pub profit : BARGAIN

8-across – Reliable social worker missing in Santa Fe : SAFE

10-across – Send terms of reference : REMIT

11-across – Withdrew, injured : SCRATCHED

13-across – I’m one to make writer’s point : PENCILSHARPENER

15-across – Still lacking rank? : NOTWITHSTANDING

19-across – Most important soldier on scale : PARAMOUNT

20-across – A new member returned with a backer : ANGEL

21-across – Energy worker back on high peak : ETNA

22-across – Odious negative is first to overwhelm me : NOISOME

23-across – Admission made by expert striding around ship : ACCESS

24-across – Irish novelist, reportedly, is demanding : STERN

1-down – Terrible bores at university become serious : SOBERUP

2-down – Cathedral is to dismiss clergyman when one’s gone : YORKMINSTER

3-down – Former statute, correct in every detail : EXACT

4-down – Book band : GENESIS

5-down – Capone leaving one country for another : AUSTRIA

6-down – Tennis star carrying new type of fastener : SAFETYPIN

9-down – Round the German river : ODER

12-down – On intimate terms in passing romance : HANDINGLOVE

14-down – Certain phrases may be meaningless, mother admitted : IDIOMATIC

15-down – Tots toss up : NIPS

16-down – Male in possession of gold and silver crossing centre of Delhi to get transport : HAULAGE

17-down – Ate nuts, nuts causing an illness : TETANUS

18-down – Vessel taking quantity of fuel round the east : GALLEON

20-down – A young lady, out of order : AMISS

1-across – English bank : SIDE

3-across – Actually take measures on incomplete gen : INFACT

7-across – Old boy ordered case – claret, in the event : OBSTACLERACE

10-across – Ability to describe bishop, her ideal partner? : MRRIGHT

11-across – Revolving handle gets a note to emerge : EMANATE

12-across – Finally involved an old falconer : ONCEANDFORALL

15-across – Serial killer, sailor – he got caught by tourist : JACKTHERIPPER

17-across – Monsters in Ireland? That’s right : ERINYES

19-across – Forest animal, a pig : GLUTTON

21-across – Skirt citadel, in ruins, here in NW England : LAKEDISTRICT

22-across – Silly jokes about parking in capital : SKOPJE

23-across – Happy, former PM having lost weight : GLAD

1-down – Passionate tale gripping millions : STORMY

2-down – Horse, cert, did jumping? : DESERTORCHID

3-down – One everyone upset – guy that’s awkward : ILLATEASE

4-down – Mug’s about right in Rookery Nook? : FARCE

5-down – Fellow leading a band is extremely pleased : COCKAHOOP

6-down – Report name found in case : BANG

8-down – They used to charge tons to leave fabric : CAVALRYTWILL

9-down – A plentiful supply? Very probably : WELL

13-down – Tea clipper in Tay struck rocks : CUTTYSARK

14-down – Criminal gone timid in prison? : DOINGTIME

15-down – Magistrate touring heart of Greece in vehicle : JEEP

16-down – Joined one before editor : UNITED

18-down – Brush, a puppet : SWEEP

20-down – As far as Chester suburb? Not quite : UPTO

1-across – Slander Irishman visiting New York : CALUMNY

5-across – Property close to Nice, say : ESTATE

9-across – Trap about to be laid by the Spanish boy : NIGEL

10-across – Bound to put an end to children’s game : HOPSCOTCH

11-across – Rectories I mixed up delivering desk : ESCRITOIRE

12-across – Cat, black, in vault : TOMB

14-across – Stategy to avoid unpleasant realities employed by one in a trap? : BUNKERMENTALITY

17-across – To play this, must one have a round using an iron? : RUSSIANROULETTE

18-across – Carry last of wine into pub : BEAR

19-across – In nightclub, hold forth about duo, initially off-key : DISCORDANT

23-across – Member hasn’t arrived on time to do what members do? : LEGISLATE

24-across – Friend, male one, filling in the past : AMIGO

25-across – The French deserter carrying one rope : LARIAT

26-across – Pilot goes about a mile in vessel : STEAMER

1-down – Type of flower produced from a bulb recently out round river : CANTERBURYBELL

2-down – Reason one joins record clubs? : LOGIC

3-down – Way of presenting data from MUD? Email it, possibly : MULTIMEDIA

4-down – Coarse person in hostelry, a hooker : YAHOO

5-down – Ten operas rewritten in international language : ESPERANTO

6-down – Instant credit : TICK

7-down – One who’s got designs on some of you? : TATTOOIST

8-down – Red-hot on box, yet comic is just an ordinary young chap? : THEBOYNEXTDOOR

13-down – Adroit male rolled a cigarette : TAILORMADE

15-down – Lots again suffering homesickness : NOSTALGIA

16-down – Beggar declaring inability to rehabilitate? : MENDICANT

20-down – This game teaches strategy, in part : CHESS

21-down – Short cut – over 10 minutes, in truth : AXIOM

22-down – Up endlessly making wine : ASTI

1-across – Dance with sergeant, say, on fire : FLAMENCO

5-across – Playing well, batting instead of Middlesex’s opener : INFORM

10-across – Try holding nameless pet lizard : GECKO

11-across – Dish done differently in French city by Italian composer : TOURNEDOS

12-across – See 11 : ROSSINI

13-across – Heavy metal stuff by Austrian composer : WOLFRAM

14-across – Arresting son, surprisingly admitting extremely serious crimes : TRANSGRESSIONS

17-across – Each side slow at sea, around turn, in fruitless pursuit : WILDGOOSECHASE

21-across – Puts up covers : TAKESIN

23-across – Boy takes home poems : SONNETS

24-across – Powerful woman in secret society snubbed during parade : MATRIARCH

25-across – Irregular bears a sword : SABRE

26-across – Bob breaking rule causes one to stand down : RESIGN

27-across – Decidedly trendy suit : INSPADES

1-down – Build a number : FIGURE

2-down – Inherited a northern castle : ANCESTRAL

3-down – Feeling generated by Ernest’s first proposal : EMOTION

4-down – Taking the easy option on finding problems supporting excavation : CUTTINGCORNERS

6-down – Bewilder small number with new perk : NONPLUS

7-down – Command from frontier bishop ignored : ORDER

8-down – Fail to catch service, according to drunkard in a muddle? : MISHMASH

9-down – Broadcast he feared unwise, being so long : AUFWIEDERSEHEN

15-down – Main place for the rest of the natives? : OYSTERBED

16-down – Pair watch, perhaps, for an unfaithful lover : TWOTIMER

18-down – Young bird shot by catapult : GOSLING

19-down – Who knows workers at university? : HANDSUP

20-down – Fools appearing before singular judge : ASSESS

22-down – More than one toy aircraft : KITES