Independent Cryptic #11841

2024-09-21

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Across

1a

One bites firm end of fig (3)

Generating...

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

CO (company – ‘firm’) G (last letter or ‘end’ of fig)

3a

Old ripe bananas with decent chopped nuts getting tasted (11)

Generating...

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

EX (old) + an anagram (‘bananas’) of RIPE + an anagram (‘nuts’) of DECEN t missing the last letter or ‘chopped’

9a

Stores delivering Russian cars (7)

Generating...

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

A homophone (‘delivering’) of LADAS (Russian cars)

10a

Leave some lettuce on? No (7)

Generating...

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

HEAD (‘some lettuce’) OFF (not ‘on’)

11a

Dish made by male artists? (5)

Generating...

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

RA MEN might be male members of the Royal Academy – ‘artists’

12a

Broken by bread ultimately toaster fails special checks (9)

Generating...

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

An anagram (‘fails’) of TOASTER round or ‘broken by’ D (last or ‘ultimate’ letter of bread) + S (special)

13a

Trucks by which spaghetti's eaten? (9)

Generating...

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

Spaghetti is usually eaten with a FORK, which one LIFTS to the mouth

16a

Side of letter I forgot to write (5)

Generating...

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

CHI (Greek letter) + PS (post-script – ‘I forgot to write’)

18a

American guy crosses river and leaves (5)

Generating...

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

We had to check this one – it seems to be CHAD (American guy) round or ‘crossing’ R (river) – we had always thought that Mr Chad (the ‘wot no’….cartoon character from WW11) was British, but apparently he might have been brought over from America by GIs.

20a

Spooner's work with butter brand reveals a craft of sorts (9)

Generating...

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

A Spoonerism of TOIL (work) ANCHOR (a brand of butter)

22a

Former volunteers retired in California chasing a whiff of flowers? (9)

Generating...

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

TA (Territorial Army – ‘former volunteers’) + a reversal (‘retired’) of IN + CAL (California) after or ‘chasing’ BO (body odour – ‘a whiff’)

24a

Junk that is put on potato in Scotland (5)

Generating...

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

TAT (junk) IE (id est – ‘that is’)

26a

Drink cold water before date excitedly (7)

Generating...

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

ICE (cold water) + an anagram (‘excitedly’) of DATE

27a

Clown enthusiast that mimics a horse (7)

Generating...

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

COCO (clown) NUT (enthusiast)

28a

Passages coated with brown sticky stuff beginning to dry becoming stuck-up (11)

Generating...

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

NOSE (‘passages’) in or ‘coated by’ TOFFEE (‘brown sticky stuff’) + D (first letter or ‘beginning’ to dry)

29a

Fish from Marillion's penultimate album's out (3)

Generating...

Down

1d

Heating stoked coal on one fire almost turning cold (9)

Generating...

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

An anagram (‘stoked’) of COAL + a reversal (‘turning’) of I (one) FIR e missing the last letter or ‘almost’ + C (cold)

2d

Sauce made from fish and ... um ... that's it (5)

Generating...

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

GAR (fish) UM

3d

Endless roulade initially eaten in a frenzy then left (7)

Generating...

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

An anagram (‘in a frenzy’) of R (first or ‘initial’ letter of roulade) and EATEN + L (left)

4d

Show-off that's more 'sophisticated' rejecting last bit of sandwich (5)

Generating...

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

POS h ER (more sophisticated) ‘rejecting’ the ‘h’ (last letter or ‘bit’ of sandwich)

5d

Judges drunk by about 1:50 in Reading (9)

Generating...

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

HEARS (judges) in or ‘drunk’ by RE (about) A (one) L (fifty)

6d

The last ice-cream portion is bigger potentially (7)

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7d

Is it used to eat Chinese pork? Yes (9)

Generating...

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

CHOPS (pork) TICK (yes)

8d

Mess up the topping for summer puddings (5)

Generating...

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

DUFF (mess up) S (first letter or ‘topping’ of summer)

14d

Have a go at and complain - it's a British tradition (9)

Generating...

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

ROAST (have a go at) BEEF (complain)

15d

The natural order of things in Iceland? (9)

Generating...

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

Iceland is a CHAIN of FOOD shops

17d

Given too much seafood? Finally the diet is abandoned! (9)

Generating...

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

SURF (seafood, as in ‘surf and turf’) E (last or ‘final’ letter of the) + an anagram (‘abandoned’) of DIET

19d

Where one might eat catch taken in by high tide (7)

Generating...

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

NET (catch) in an anagram (‘high’) of TIDE

21d

Soldier on LSD that works to achieve neutrality (7)

Generating...

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

ANT (soldier) ACID (LSD)

22d

One-litre bar bottles produced (5)

Generating...

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

I (one) L (litre) in or ‘bottled by’) BUT (bar, as in ‘all bar one’)

23d

Vanilla Ice samples guitar parts (5)

Generating...

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

Double definition

25d

Weight I put on top of cement mixer (5)

flowerflowerflower