Independent Cryptic #11711

2024-04-23

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Across

8a

Nose traveller follows back from India (5)

Generating...

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

Nose traveller follows back from India <indi> A (“back from” means last letter only) + ROMA (=traveller, gypsy); the nose of a wine, say, is its aroma

9a

Relative starts to do elegant swan impression (9)

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10a

Pastry Lee Mack shortly demolished bit by bit (9)

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11a

Flat ceramic includes date mark in Spanish (5)

Generating...

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

Flat ceramic includes date mark in Spanish D (=date) in TILE (=flat ceramic); the tilde is the mark above the letter “n” in words such as España

12a

Jump on ice that hurts after jarring clash (7)

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14a

Staggered by 16A and D (7)

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16a

Design unfinished and home undecorated (5)

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17a

Builder who's 27 29 when the job's done (3)

Generating...

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

Builder who’s 27 29 when the job’s done The reference is to the BBC children’s TV programme Bob the Builder AND also to the expression Bob’s your (=entry at 27) uncle (=entry at 29), to indicate the successful completion of task, a result; this is the gateway clue to today’s puzzle

19a

Child pally with old Mr Banks (5)

Generating...

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

Child pally with old Mr Banks [IN (=pally, as in to be in with the boss ) + O (=old, as in OT)] in MR

20a

Curving flight of e.g. fly cut in half - what keeps it up? (7)

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22a

Barefooted South African agreed to make friends (7)

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24a

Meal with different side for you to take out (5)

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

Meal with different side for you to take out L U NCH (=meal); “with different side of y o u ” means letter “u” is replaced by “y”; to lynch is to bump off, kill, hence “to take out”

26a

Disastrous attempt at 16A 17 19 falling flat (9)

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

Disastrous attempt at 16A 17 19 falling flat A plain bob minor (16A 17 19) is a method in bellringing, so cryptically a bell y-flop could be a disastrous attempt at it!

28a

Still 19 just one away from (9)

Generating...

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

Still 19 , just one away from 18 18 – 1 = 17; if you are 17 years old, you are still a minor (=entry at 19)!

29a

Parents' friend has name in cryptic clue (5)

Generating...

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

Parents’ friend has name in cryptic clue N (=name) in *(CLUE); “cryptic” is anagram indicator; parents have their children refer to male friends of the family as “uncles”

Down

1d

16A old man's holding up map the wrong way round (6)

Generating...

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

16A old man’s holding up map the wrong way round PAM (MAP; “the wrong way round” indicates vertical reversal) + PA’S (=old man’s); the pampas are grassy plains (=entry at 16A)

2d

A famous 17 17 17 film with Sandra Bullock (10)

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3d

Secretary left without the FT is livid (4)

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4d

What you 17 for is relevant bar one (6)

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5d

New dustmen are not sorted by academic ability (10)

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6d

Swap last pair then middle pair of 3 ringing changes (4)

Generating...

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

Swap last pair then middle pair of 3, ringing changes Swap last two letters of “pa le (=entry at 3)” to give p ae l, then middle two letters to give “peal”!; in bellringing, a peal is when changes are rung, hence “ringing changes”

7d

Person using ticket in response to offer (8)

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9d

Secret internet - we'd be crazy keeping record (7)

Generating...

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

Secret internet – we’d be crazy keeping record EP (=record, i.e. extended-play) in *(WE’D BE); “crazy” is anagram indicator

13d

Jointly take bananas to lost property? (10)

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15d

Miniature portrait of Victoria 12 for a 17? (10)

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

Miniature portrait of Victoria , 12 for a 17? The reference is to the penny black, the first UK adhesive postage stamp, which bore a miniature portrait of Queen Victoria; in old money a bob (=entry at 17) or shilling was worth 12 pence, hence 12 penny blacks could be bought for a bob!

16d

No trouble taking 50 away from 16A + (8)

Generating...

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

No trouble taking 50 away from 16A + 19 P <l> AIN (=entry at 16A; “taking 50 (=L, in Roman numerals) away” means letter “l” is dropped) + LESS (=minor, i.e. entry at 19, inferior)

18d

Decadent place has honey left over (7)

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21d

Try British league and French cup (6)

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23d

Quickly deflate favourite doll (6)

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25d

Central section of Lexington Avenue (4)

Generating...

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

Central section of Lexington Avenue <lexi> N <gton> (“central section of” means middle letter) + AVE (=avenue); the nave is the central section of a church, a wheel

27d

A typical year banking bonus regularly (4)

Generating...

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

A typical year, banking bonus regularly <b> O <n> U <s> (“regularly” means alternate letters only are used) in YR (=year); “your” can mean “a typical …” in phrases such as your middle-aged white male