Guardian Cryptic #29754

2025-07-23

Solve on Guardian →

Across

1a

Hide here to remove hair, and engage at last in feeble sex (4,3)

Generating...

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

(engag) E [ at last ] in LIMP ("feeble") + IT ("sex") A lime pit was traditionally used by tanners to remove hair from hides.

5a

News: it’s about former chess champion (7)

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9a

Dance around home regularly and grunt (2,3)

Generating...

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

<=JIG ("dance", around ) + (h) O (m) E [ regularly ]

10a

Aching, distress me with haircut (9)

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11a

Misdoing career, getting involved in this (9,5)

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13a

Where to build small unit, a metre short (4)

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14a

Point dropped after men smashed and netted (8)

Generating...

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

E (east, so "point") + SHED ("dropped") after *(men) [anag: smashed ]

17a

Shown to have been given another escalope? (8)

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18a

Laurel back in several Asian republics (4)

Generating...

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

STAN is first name of the film comedian Stan Laurel and is at the "back" (end) of "several Asian republics" (Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, etc)

21a

Entire genitals transplanted elsewhere in body (5,9)

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23a

Seabird’s remorse being wrong to eat most of fruit (9)

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24a

A little concern about a European that’s often on the card tables (5)

Generating...

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

( BIZ (short for business, so "a little concern") about A ) + E (European)

25a

No love for speeches, being issued food (7)

Generating...

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

No O ("love", in tennis) for (o) RATIONS ("speeches")

26a

Cunning insult coming to ears (7)

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Down

1d

Large, commonly very overweight, one goes downhill fast (4)

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2d

One arrived at perhaps ten to two (8,7)

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3d

Supposedly temporary accommodation to be great later? (6)

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4d

Swede sort of makes to flip a coin (6)

Generating...

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

TURN ("to flip) + 1p (a penny, "a coin")

5d

Goddess of youth entertained by dancing not a comic (3,5)

Generating...

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

HEBE ("goddess of youth") entertained by *(not a) [anag: dancing ]

6d

One prosecuting spies imprisons a hundred, one with suspended death sentence (8)

Generating...

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

DA (district attoney, so "one prosecuting") + MOLES ("spies") imprisons C (a hundred in Roman numerals) The "suspended death sentence" refers to the "sword of Damocles".

7d

Despite marking, brave to slip through (15)

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8d

Following one GCSE dunce struggling (10)

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12d

Predictably a star analyst (10)

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15d

One making rolls (toilet) in a line for London (8)

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16d

Under pressure, man seen to rewrite such as Saki and Mark Twain (3,5)

Generating...

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

Under P (pressure), *(man seen) [anag: to rewrite ]

19d

Hospital in wartime facilities perhaps that are placed just past the point (6)

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20d

Baby Jesus not getting rocked here? (6)

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22d

Garment seen in volume over time in New York (4)

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