Guardian Cryptic #29684

2025-05-02

Solve on Guardian →

Across

1a

£500 (double the amount in cash) (6)

Generating...

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

An envelope (‘in’) of K (‘double the amount’ – that is, £1000, perhaps more commonly rendered as G, rather than K) in MONEY (‘cash’).

4a

Man is one (except according to Donne!) (6)

Generating...

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

A reference to the quote from John Donne “No man is an island”.

8a

Mystical style of Gangnam artist? (7)

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9a

After work, a priest knocks off (7)

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11a

Island natives spooked Argonauts and, ultimately, Jason (5-5)

Generating...

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

An anagram (‘spooked’) of ‘Argonauts’ plus N (‘ultimately, Jaso N ‘). Orangutans (with or without the hyphen) are now found in the islands of Borneo and Sumatra.

12a

Employed setters and someone more senior (4)

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13a

German publican’s spirit (5)

Generating...

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

A charade of G (‘German’) plus HOST (‘publican’).

14a

One suspends cuts, recounting encounter with leader of 9 (4,4)

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16a

Spooner’s ‘kick in the pants’ drink (4,4)

Generating...

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

A Spoonerism of BOOT REAR (‘kick in the pants’).

18a

From the mouth, heard by the ear (5)

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20a

Rocks back, kisses me, gently content (4)

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21a

Might those they work with be stingy? (10)

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23a

Ernie and Ritchie meet Alec, perhaps (4,3)

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24a

Behaves badlyboorish tussling’s no good (7)

Generating...

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

An anagram (‘boorish’) of ‘tusslin[g]’ minus the G (‘no good’).

25a

Batman’s thus indicated cloak? (6)

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26a

Like 13as, having no right to short notice (6)

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Down

1d

One doesn’t like spending time away from man (5)

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2d

Negative letters from company? Impossible! (2,3,2)

Generating...

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

A charade of NO (‘negative’) plsu C AND O (CO, ‘letters from company’).

3d

Body of letter describes quite questionable manners (9)

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5d

Heading for Sandwich in small craft (5)

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6d

Looking to the sky, weighs up a taskit’s taken on if really necessary (2,1,4)

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7d

Passes Morlocks’ prey, left for fuel (6,3)

Generating...

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

A charade of DIES (‘passes’) plus ELOI (‘Morlocks’ prey’ – eaten by Morlocks in H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine) plus L (‘left’).

10d

Handy plants for sandy shade? (4,5)

Generating...

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

Punning definition, with PALM for ‘handy’, and the association of palms with Saharan oases

13d

Ordered cigs, unopened beer, or household supplies (9)

Generating...

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

An anagram (‘ordered’) of ‘cigs’ plus ‘[b]eer’ minus its first letter (‘unopened’) plus ‘or’.

15d

Trump’s slogan boosted men struggling against legendary warrior (9)

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17d

Teaching paper will be in Spanish as part of the bigger picture (7)

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19d

Part exchange delivered: you are last to receive transport (7)

Generating...

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

A charade of RAPT, an anagram (‘exchange’) of ‘part’ plus UR, sounding like (‘delivered’) ‘you are’, plus E (‘last to receiv E ‘).

21d

Wild country with river running through shrubby area (5)

Generating...

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

An envelope (‘with … running through’) of R (‘river’) in BUSH (‘wild country’). I think that is the better interpretation of the clue structure, rather than taking ‘wild country’ as the definition.

22d

Scored and wore away missing veneer (5)

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