Guardian Cryptic #29312

2024-02-22

Solve on Guardian →

Across

1a

Stop key piercing skin (7)

flowerflowerflower
5a

One of those on the board in 'otel on street (7)

flowerflowerflower
9a
12a

Temple say, where church dignitary originally involved in criminal trials (5,4)

Generating...
10a

See 17 Down

11a

Where heaps could be made flabby? (3,2,5)

flowerflowerflower
12a

See 9

14a

Turn up for yoga class, did you say? Boo and hiss! (12)

flowerflowerflower
18a

Like some old houses where two little boys live with socialist behind hospital (4-8)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:

[ ALF,TIM(two little/shortened names for boys) + BE(to live/exist) plus ( with ) RED(a communist or socialist) ] ] placed after ( behind ) H(abbrev. for “hospital”).

21a

Titaness back on the radio? (4)

flowerflowerflower
22a

Playful crime fools jerks (10)

flowerflowerflower
25a

Those increasing pace of journey narrated story with twists (4,5)

flowerflowerflower
26a

Defeat finally complete after reversal, lose it (5)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:

Reversal of ( … after reversal ) [ last letter of ( … finally ) “ Defeat ” + PURE(complete/involving nothing else, as in “a complete waste of space”) ].

27a

Country game on river recalled (7)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:

Reversal of ( … recalled ) [ GIN(a form of the card game, rummy) placed after ( on ) AIRE(a river in Yorkshire, England) ].

28a

Naked dean back from Japan, say (7)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:

“ dean ” minus its 1st and last letters ( Naked … ) + STERN(the back/rear, of a ship, say).

Down

1d

Priest runs after page 3, for example (6)

flowerflowerflower
2d

Hot under the collar, collared and cuffed? (6)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:

SHIRT(a garment with a collar/collared and cuffs/cuffed) -Y(suffix indicating “has the characteristic of”, as in “storm/stormy”).

3d

Suffering if in need, it's endless (10)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:

Anagram of ( Suffering ) [ IF IN NEED + “ it’s ” minus its last letter ( endless ) ].

4d

Huddersfield initially at bottom of division - how far down? (5)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:

1st letter of ( … initially ) “ Huddersfield ” placed below ( at bottom of , in a down clue) DEPT(abbrev. for “department”, a division of an organisation).

5d

Explosive ingredient key in spirit, head of course blowing off (9)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:

ALT(abbrev. for “alternate”, another key on your computer keyboard) contained in ( in ) “spectre”(a spirit/a ghost) minus ( … blowing off ) 1st letter of ( head of ) “ course “.

6d

Island, 1/63,360 miles (4)

flowerflowerflower
7d

Feline and little piggies guzzling a fruit of the vine (8)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:

[ TOM(a male feline/cat) plus ( and ) TOES(called “little piggies” by young children) ] containing ( guzzling ) A .

8d

Relative instructed to cover a baked food (3,5)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:

NAN(familiar term of address for one’s relative, viz. grandmother) + BRED(instructed/trained and taught to behave in a particular way) containing ( to cover ) A .

13d

Where bishop might have to move quickly, sermons about five hundred seconds (5,5)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:

[ SPEECHES(lectures/sermons) containing ( about ) D(Roman numeral for five hundred) ] + S(abbrev. for “seconds” in time notation).

15d

Notes in old currency collected by Paul and mum (9)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:

[ O(abbrev. for “old”) RAND(basic currency unit of South Africa) ] contained in ( collected by ) [ ME(Paul, this crossword’s setter, using the self-referential pronoun) + MA(a familiar term of address for one’s mother/mum).

16d
20d

Dance bands on with the mostly funny old player (8,6)

Generating...
17d
10a

Hump: cop off in the arms of Morpheus? (8,9)

Generating...
19d

Amount of space in book (6)

flowerflowerflower
20d

See 16

23d

Thread is line in middle of bulletin (5)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Fifteensquared have:

[ IS + L(abbrev. for “line”) ] contained in ( in ) middle 2 letters of ( middle of ) “ bulletin “.

24d

Capsizing in warfare, weakened vessel (4)

flowerflowerflower