Independent Cryptic #11706

2024-04-17

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Across

7a

Bill's vice is returning in Spanish city (7)

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

Bill’s vice is returning in Spanish city AL (=Bill’s vice, i.e. Al Gore, Vice President to Bill Clinton) + LIVES (=is); “returning” indicates reversal

8a

Rabble-rousing nurses head off Mary Berry in Glasgow (7)

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

Rabble-rousing nurses head off Mary berry in Glasgow M <ary> (“head off” means first letter only) in *(RABBLE); “rousing” is anagram indicator; bramble is a Scottish word for blackberry

10a

Prepare the way for metal pot somehow to hold uranium (8)

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

Prepare the way for metal pot somehow to hold uranium LEAD (=metal, i.e. Pb) + [U (=uranium, i.e. garden party) in *(POT)]; “somehow” is anagram indicator

11a

Eat around one in site of Oktoberfest (6)

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

Eat around one in site of Oktoberfest I (=one) in MUNCH (=eat); the Oktoberfest is an annual beer festival held in Munich

12a

Reserve national team for national leader (6)

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

Reserve national team for national leader WALES A (=reserve national team, in sport); the reference is to former Polish President Lech Walesa

13a

Flipping bighead John Campbell? (8)

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

Flipping bighead John Campbell B <ig> (“-head” means first letter only) + LOO (=john, lav) + MING (=Campbell, i.e. former leader of the Liberal Democrats)

14a

Caribbean Island accepts mistake sick of opposition to the activity of partisans (13)

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

Caribbean Island accepts mistake, sick of opposition to the activity of partisans [ERR (=mistake, in judgment) + ILL (=sick)] in ANTIGUA (=Caribbean island)

17a

Free oil on tap is not compulsory (8)

flowerflowerflower
20a

Partygate in magistrate's office (6)

flowerflowerflower
22a

Dry Fe(III)? (6)

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

Dry Fe (III)? Cryptically, ferrIC  could described as IronIC, i.e. Fe (III), as opposed to Fe (II), which is ferrOUS; a dry sense of humour is ironic

23a

Highlight organised demonstration's centrepiece being outrageous (8)

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

Highlight organised demonstration’s centrepiece being outrageous FLAG (=highlight, e.g. an issue) + RAN (=organised) + <demons> T <ration> (“centrepiece” means middle letter only); cf. a flagrant breach of the rules

24a

I'm not obliged but try to leave the cost generally (7)

flowerflowerflower
25a

Supports welcoming a recipient of bequest (7)

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

Supports welcoming a recipient of bequest A in [LEG (=support, for e.g. table) + TEE (=support, in golf)]

Down

1d

Get payback for turning up to promote German city (6)

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

Get payback for turning up to promote German city AVEN G E (=get payback for, wreak vengeance); “turning up” indicates vertical reversal; “to promote German (=G)” means letter “g” moves to the top (=first letter) of the entry

2d

American frontier stew? (8)

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

American frontier stew? Wild West defines “stew?”, i.e. an anagram, indicated by “wild”, of *(STEW)

3d

Friends i (8)

flowerflowerflower
4d

Millions in bed over the festive period? (6)

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

Millions in bed over the festive period? [M (=millions) in CRIB (=bed, for child)] + O (=over, on cricket scorecard); Crimbo is slang for Christmas

5d

Mine repeatedly claims songwriter (6)

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6d

Organ put next to altar initially (8)

flowerflowerflower
9d

Double bluff? (11)

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

Double bluff? The solution simply reproduces the clue in the ultimate double bluff!!

14d

Hoping to be American secret agents say? (8)

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

Hoping to be American secret agents, say? A (=American) + homophone (“say”) of “spy ring (=secret agents)”

15d

I traded with a crook and beamed (8)

flowerflowerflower
16d

Delivery left for one dodgy baker (8)

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

Delivery left for one dodgy baker L (=left) + E.G. (=for one, for example) + *(BAKER); “dodgy” is anagram indicator

18d

Pay no attention to topless foreign eccentric (or topless foreign man) (6)

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

Pay no attention to topless foreign eccentric (or topless foreign man) Two forms of wordplay: *(<f> OREIGN ); “topless” means first letter is dropped from anagram, indicated by “eccentric” AND <s> IGNORE (=foreign man, i.e. Italian; “topless” means first letter is dropped)

19d

Delicate point raised in church extremely tetchily (6)

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

Delicate point raised in church extremely tetchily NI (IN; “raised” indicates vertical reversal) + CE (=church, i.e. Church of England) + T <etchil> Y (“extremely” indicates first and last letters only)

21d

Leather worker in 6d (6)

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

Leather worker // in 6d Double definition: a tanner is a worker who tans animal hide AND a sixpence, hence 6d (which is not a reference to the solution at 6 Down!)