Independent Cryptic #11609

2023-12-26

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Across

9a

Slice of tiramisu knocked back in China (5)

Generating...

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

IMARI ( reversed [knocked back] hidden word in [in] T IRAMI SU )

10a

Ah, Daniel Craig's heading off for meal in Leon (9)

Generating...

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

Anagram of (off) AH DANIEL and C ( first letter of [heading] C RAIG )

11a

Sycophant is curious about travel agents retiring (3-6)

Generating...

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

( NOSEY [curious] containing (about) REPS [representatives; travel agents]) all reversed (about)

12a

Spirit of game broken by Hearts wingers in shoot-out (5)

Generating...

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

( GO [board game] containing [broken by] H [hearts]) + ST ( outer letters of [wingers in] S HOOTOU T ) Hearts refers to Heart of Midlothian, a Scottish Premiership football club based in Edinburgh

13a

Mark King with a temperature in school (7)

Generating...

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

( CR [Charles Rex; current King] + A + T [temperature]) contained in (in) SCH (school)

15a

List of title's prime locations - almost 25 (7)

Generating...
17a

True blue perhaps changing direction at first (5)

Generating...

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

R OYAL (reference the colour ROYAL blue) with the direction right ( R ) changed to left ( L ) to form L OYAL

18a
23d

(and 23 Down) Singer cut Ma Baker's last line (3,6)

Generating...

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

BOB ([hair]cut) + MA + R ( final letter of [last] BAKE R ) + LEY (any of the straight lines between features of the landscape, possibly pathways, or perhaps having scientific or magical significance in prehistoric times)

20a

Dance round and round (5)

Generating...

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

DISC (round object) + O (round character), together giving ’round and round’

22a

Engineers union in another meeting (7)

Generating...

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

RE (Royal Engineers) + MATCH (marriage; union)

25a

Dickensian character goes mad about return of monster (7)

Generating...

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

Anagram of (mad) GOES containing (about) ORC (fierce sea-monster; also one of an imaginary race of evil goblis [monsters], especially in the fiction of J R R Tolkien ) reversed (return of)

26a

Song making Pink's stomach turn (5)

Generating...

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

C ORA L (shade of pink) with the central letters (stomach) ORA all reversed (turn) to make ARO and form C ARO L

27a

Mitch Marsh's guts upset by end of Ashes feast (9)

Generating...

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

Anagram of ITCHMARS ( central letters of [guts] M ITCH MARS H ) + S ( last letter of [end of] ASHE S – Mitch Marsh is an Australian test cricketer

30a

Serpent cryptic edited and put before the public (9)

Generating...

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

Anagram of (cryptic) SERPENT + ED (edited)

31a

Naked bloke chasing Black Beauty (5)

Generating...

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

B (black, when describing pencil lead) + F ELLE R (fellow; bloke) excluding the outer letters ( F and R )

Down

1d

Extra small sleepwear for Spooner (4)

Generating...

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

Reverend Spooner would pronounce TINY as NYTI or NIGHTIE [sleepwear)

2d

Old men host TV show (4,4)

Generating...

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

DADS (old men) + ARMY (a host of people)

3d

Bond eating his superior porridge (4)

Generating...

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

TIE (bond) containing (eating) M (codename for James Bond’s boss in the book and film series)

4d

Mike brewed Beamish in former wife's address (8)

Generating...

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

M (Mike is the international radio communication code for the letter M ) + an anagram of (brewed) BEAMISH

5d

Northern European screen princess (6)

Generating...

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

SCAN (screen) + DI (reference Diana, Princess of Wales [1961 – 1997])

6d

Spitting Image covering heavy metal band's number one (10)

flowerflowerflower
7d

Actor's nameless brother (6)

Generating...

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

JACOBI N (French Dominican monk; brother) excluding the N [name] thereby being nameless

8d

Half of 2 and 3 done (4)

flowerflowerflower
13d

Latitude involved in rise of The Sun (5)

Generating...

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

L (latitude) contained in (involved in) SOAR (rise)

14d

Gossip from account clerk (4-6)

Generating...

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

TELLER (accounts clerk) who relates TALE s [a gossip]

16d

Stir up memories of uplifting Janá?ek overture (5)

Generating...

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

EVOKE ( reversed [uplifting] hidden word in [of] JANÁC EK OVE RTURE )

19d

Top horse to dominate (8)

flowerflowerflower
21d

Porn star introducing Wild At Heart in a threatening manner (8)

Generating...

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

STORMY (reference STORMY Daniels [born 1979], American pornographic film star who had an affair with Donald Trump) containing (introducing) IL ( central letters of [at heart] W IL D )

23d

See 18 Across

24d

Supply teacher for the most part a goddess (6)

Generating...

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

Anagram of (supply derived from supple]) TEACHE R excluding the final letter (for the most part ) R

26d

Head of International Rescue's back (4)

Generating...

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

CAP (sportsmen receive a cap for every international match in which they play) + E ( last letters of [back] RESCU E )

28d

America's revolutionary baloney sandwiches (4)

Generating...

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

US (United States; America) reversed (revolutionary) + BS (bullshit; rubbish; baloney)

29d

Perhaps 18 Across will be solved at last (4)

Generating...

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

SLED ( final letters [at last] of each of ACROS S , WIL L , B E and SOLVE D )