Guardian Cryptic #29612

2025-02-07

Solve on Guardian →

Across

1a

Blight form (5)

flowerflowerflower
4a

Where milk once regularly placed with piece of bread? (8)

flowerflowerflower
8a

Wake-up call, cross-party talks? (4-1-6-3)

Generating...
10a

Discrimination therefore involves a thousand people (8)

Generating...

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

EAR (the ability to discriminate sounds) + M (1000) in THEN (therefore)

11a

Range from Ark ultimately covered by dove? (6)

Generating...

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

[ar]K in COOER (as a dove might be described)

12a

Funny serial about shaving people from behind, very prickly! (9)

flowerflowerflower
15a

Arabian Peninsula city Arabs rebuilt (5)

flowerflowerflower
17a

Bright boy speaking up? (5)

flowerflowerflower
18a

Chaining cycle, punctured tyre on it (9)

Generating...

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

T[yr]E + THE RING (Wagner’s cycle of operas)

19a

Line in a report that’s out (6)

flowerflowerflower
21a

March slightly lacking in recollection of spring, for comparison (8)

Generating...

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

RALL[y] (march) in reverse of LEAP

24a

Jazz Age superstar, wild thing masking pain, she be dancing? (9,5)

flowerflowerflower
25a

Plant saving fuel, plant saving fuel? (8)

flowerflowerflower
26a

Scruffy legion fed gruel, primarily (5)

Generating...

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

G[ruel] in MANY (legion)

Down

1d

For which Roux trains when cooking? (8,4)

Generating...

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

MICHEL (Roux, chef) + TRAINS, and it’s an &lit or clue-as-definition

2d

A nice turn that’s high up in the air (9)

flowerflowerflower
3d

The inevitable schadenfreude at house arrests (5)

flowerflowerflower
4d

Muck in bidet soon spattered about (2,4,3)

flowerflowerflower
5d

C_A_C_? (4)

Generating...

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

C A C are the ODD letters of ChAnCe, which can also mean “odds”

6d

Get large drink and experience its effect? (3,6)

flowerflowerflower
7d

Digital reference, nothing in Japanese city coming up (1-4)

Generating...

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

O in reverse of KOBE

9d

Moving left and right with angularity, one way, then another and back? (12)

Generating...

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

Anagram of L R ANGULARITY. Not a word I think I’ve ever come across, and the repetition of ANGULAR in answer and fodder makes this rather weak, I’d say

13d

Content to leave early in matches with East Asian, once (9)

Generating...

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

EarlY less its ”content” in CLONES (matches) + E. “Once” because we would now say Sri Lankan

14d

Ten wheels came down on public transport (9)

flowerflowerflower
16d

Thin piece that’s served up I finish off in bites (9)

Generating...

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

Reverse of I KILL in NIPS. A piece in the game Spillikins, also called Pick-up Sticks

20d

Hanging head in embarrassment, going places earlier? (5)

Generating...

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

LOOS (places to go, going paces) + E[mbarrassment]

22d

Salt pocketing black book (5)

Generating...

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

B in ALUM. I originally had BIBLE here, thinking salt=bile=bad temper

23d

Still ruined (4)

flowerflowerflower