Guardian Cryptic #29890

2025-12-30

Solve on Guardian →

Across

1a

Unveiling trees, touch fruit with bent cane (5,10)

flowerflowerflower
9a

Jolly boyo, missing football club, depressed (7)

Generating...

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

FUN CHAPPY (jolly boyo) less FC

10a

A Beginner’s Introduction: Science 101 cancelled for non-attendance (7)

Generating...

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

A B[eginner] + SCIENCE less CI (101)

11a

Adorn orangutan with stethoscope? (5)

flowerflowerflower
12a

Compound rates I calculate with select elements discounted, using life tables? (9)

Generating...

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

Anagram of RATES I CALCULATE less the letters of SELECT

13a

Fail to deal with right-wing extremism with a bit of history (9)

flowerflowerflower
15a

Team leader requests you do them (5)

Generating...

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

T[eam] + ASKS

16a

Chinese coolness coming back around very softly, very cool (5)

Generating...

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

PP (pianissimo, very quiet) in reverse of YIN (as in Yin and Yang)

18a

Mix up root and rip up dried petals (9)

flowerflowerflower
20a

Provokes ire with artist fabrication (9)

flowerflowerflower
23a

Policeman’s undercover operation (5)

Generating...

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

Sting (aka Gordon Sumner) was the front man for the band the Police, so a Police-man

24a

Silly people name their belly buttons, sometimes (7)

Generating...

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

N[ame] + INNIES (inward-pointing navels)

25a

Controversially, Roman wine bar serves nail polish remover (7)

flowerflowerflower
26a

Chaps joined at the hip, later awkwardly embracing the cheerleaders (7,8)

Generating...

Down

1d

Formalised union with new arrangement in time and space (4-11)

flowerflowerflower
2d

Tries again to run lines, endlessly (7)

Generating...

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

REHEARSE (run through lines of a play) less its last letter

3d

Dump booze outside of a town in Ireland (9)

Generating...

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

TIP (dump) + A in PERRY

4d

Groups hiding in photography labs (5)

flowerflowerflower
5d

Fulfilment staff turned up: soldiers in casual shirts (9)

Generating...

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

Reverse of CANE (staff) + MEN in two Ts (t-shirts)

6d

Dreaded one uprising of a Russian leader (5)

Generating...

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

Reverse of A TSAR

7d

Poles welcoming musical girl, the likes of Mary Poppins (7)

Generating...

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

ANNIE (girl in the musical of the same name) in N S

8d

Evil, strange, barbarous, monstrous Lake Constance? (15)

flowerflowerflower
14d

Praise pet that’s barkingto get bite (9)

flowerflowerflower
15d

In Yorkshire, the philosopher’s wedding attire (9)

Generating...

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

’T + ROUSSEAU, using the often misrepresented Yorkshire trope of definite article reduction

17d

16 fish, about three took flight with some laughter (7)

flowerflowerflower
19d

Roots of Riemann zeta: only minus evens and half + imaginary includedthat’s where roots come from! (7)

Generating...

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

H[alf] I[maginary] in R[iemann] Z[eta] O[nly] M[inus] E[vens]. The surface is referring to the Riemann hypothesis , a famous unsolved problem in mathematics

21d

Tyrannosaurus raised upper leg (5)

flowerflowerflower
22d

Step-sister’s heart put out (5)

flowerflowerflower