Guardian Cryptic #29624

2025-02-21

Solve on Guardian →

Across

1a

Floors warp slowly at first with buff carpeting (5,4)

flowerflowerflower
6a

Anchor, one swallowed by fish (5)

Generating...

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

An envelope (‘swallowed by’) of I (‘one’) in BASS (‘fish’).

9a

Lost when navigating? (2,3)

flowerflowerflower
10a

Affluent London district with bitter constituents, by the sound of it? (5,4)

Generating...

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

‘By the sound of it’ MADE OF ALE.

11a

Quiet when kids finally kicked out, eh? (3)

flowerflowerflower
12a

Blandishments from Wellington at Waterloo? (11)

Generating...

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

A play on Wellington as the boot, and the victor in the battle.

14a

Stick figure, head in Hangman to goin trouble up there? (3,4)

Generating...

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

A charade of GUM (‘stick’) plus T[h]REE (‘figure’) minus the H (‘head in H angman to go’), with reference to the expression “up the gum tree”.

15a

Recognise extract (4,3)

flowerflowerflower
16a

Great Arsenal leader in Italian stallion perhaps tackled by those from Chelsea? (3,4)

Generating...

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

An envelope (‘tackled by’) of I (‘leader i I talian’) plus GG (‘stallion perhaps’) in BUNS (‘those from Chelsea?’).

19a

Stole 23 across? (7)

flowerflowerflower
22a

A tight shirt features again on back of striker in Scottish team (5,6)

Generating...

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

An envelope (‘features’) of OVER (‘again’ – “do it right or do it over”) in R (‘back of strike R ‘) plus ‘a’ plus ITHRS, an anagram (‘tight’) of ‘shirt’.

23a

Quiet quip (3)

flowerflowerflower
24a

Central politician or whip stymied by it (9)

Generating...

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

An envelope (‘stymied by’ – an unusual indicator, and it seems to me the wrong way round) of MP (‘politician’) plus ‘or’ plus TAN (‘whip’, verb) in ‘it’.

26a

Last of five huge boxes to lift (5)

Generating...

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

An envelope (‘boxes’) of ‘to’ in E (‘last of fiv E ‘) plus XL (‘huge’).

27a

Where one might be putting London park (5)

flowerflowerflower
28a

Bath full of beer ultimately quaffed by difficult setter (9)

Generating...

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

A double envelope (‘full of’ and ‘quaffed by’) of R (‘bee R ultimately’) in SPA (‘bath’) in HAIRY (‘difficult’)

Down

1d

Grasp Spooner’s headlouse? (4,3)

Generating...

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

A Spoonerism of HAIR BUG (‘headlouse’).

2d

You and I pretend to save time for team (4,3)

Generating...

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

An envelope (‘to save’) of T (‘time’) in WE (‘you and I’) plus SHAM (‘pretend’).

3d

Very difficult installing engine part in Yorkshire town (11)

Generating...

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

An envelope (‘installing’) of CARB (carburetor, ‘engine part’) in SO ROUGH (‘very difficult’).

4d

Go low boarding vessel (7)

flowerflowerflower
5d

One mistake at end of game in suburb of West London (7)

Generating...

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

A charade of RU (Rugby Union, ‘game’) plus I (‘one’) plus SLIP (‘mistake’).

6d

‘Cold-blooded’ killer, swine wanting closure (3)

flowerflowerflower
7d

Sixties singer bringing power into song in brief theatrical performance (7)

Generating...

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

A double envelope (‘into’ and ‘in’) of P (‘power’) in AIR (‘song’) in SHO[w] (‘theatrical performance’) minus its last letter (‘brief’), for singer Helen.

8d

Top and bottom of small cube in trick (7)

flowerflowerflower
13d

Tip over beer in London station (11)

Generating...

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

A charade of COCK (‘tip over’) plus FOSTER’S (‘beer’ Australian brand).

16d

Bananas, except top banana (7)

flowerflowerflower
17d

Catch monkeys in valley when ground cleared (7)

flowerflowerflower
18d

Food processor plugged in connects to machine (7)

flowerflowerflower
19d

Art is with me modelling for great artistes (7)

Generating...

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

An anagram (‘modelling’) of ‘art is’ plus ‘me’.

20d

Swine loses top match (7)

flowerflowerflower
21d

Maiden coming into Bank via Victoria, say? (7)

flowerflowerflower
25d

Career issue (3)

flowerflowerflower