Independent Cryptic #11858

2024-10-11

Solve on Independent →

Across

1a

Sort of pet cosmetic? Tad ridiculous! (11)

flowerflowerflower
7a

Where people read of marriage not working (3)

Generating...

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

UNI ON (marriage) excluding (not) ON (working)

9a

Mistake made by scary person taking temperature (5)

Generating...

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

T ERROR (a scary person) excluding (taking) T (temperature)

10a

European people covering Master of Arts in effluent (9)

Generating...

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

( E [European] + NATION [people]) containing (covering) MA (Master of Arts)

11a

Gawpers getting a load of king with no clothes on? (8)

Generating...

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

STARERS (gawpers) containing (getting a load of) K (king)

12a

Variety of green fruit sent by English company (6)

flowerflowerflower
14a

Protective cover cold sailor put on end of oars (4)

flowerflowerflower
15a

Fellow responsible for locking up greatest possible lag (10)

Generating...

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

( F [fellow] + BEHIND [responsible for as in ‘She was BEHIND the decision to do something’ meaning ‘She was responsible for the decision’]) containing (locking up) ALL (everything; greatest possible)

18a

Corrections sent madmen off the rails (10)

flowerflowerflower
19a

What might come after 14 vehicles son brought to front? (4)

Generating...

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

CAR S (vehicles) with the S (son) moved to the beginning [brought to the front] to form S CAR

22a

Go for vile Count ultimately with pointed stakes (6)

flowerflowerflower
24a

Given replacement equipment soldiers did a dance (8)

flowerflowerflower
26a

I'd act badly with love to get a life of luxury (9)

flowerflowerflower
27a

Musical from 26 with first four parts cut (5)

Generating...

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

EVITA ( letters remaining in DOLC E VITA [entry at 26 across] when the leading four characters [first four parts] DOLC are removed [cut])

28a

Heading to puritanical relations can be hell (3)

flowerflowerflower
29a

Track by grey-haired bloke like Keith Richards? (11)

flowerflowerflower

Down

1d

Medic on English ship gets drug and small bandages (7)

flowerflowerflower
2d

Old lady alarmed about food delivered to Paddington? (9)

flowerflowerflower
3d

Hit bar having left foremost of pubs for King's Head (6)

Generating...

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

STRI P E (a band or bar of colour) with P ( first letter of [foremost] of P UBS) being replaced by (left for) K ( first letter of [head] K ING) to form STRI K E

4d

Drunken nurse on the rebound breaks into drunken diatribe (10)

flowerflowerflower
5d

California bands beginning to outrageously rock (4)

Generating...

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

CAL (California) containing (bands) O ( first letter of [beginning to] O UTRAGEOUSLY)

6d

One who could have worked with Reed on The House of Usher ? (8)

Generating...

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

THATCHER (Nurse THATCHER is a character in The House of Usher, a novel by Edgar Allan Poe [ 1809 – 1949].  The actor Oliver Reed [1938 -1999] played the lead role in the 1989 film of the novel)  cryptic definition linking THATCHER and Reed

7d

A Parisian and Hoskins performing the act of love (5)

flowerflowerflower
8d

Grunt about one with no top on being inflamed (7)

Generating...

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

GI (a grunt is a term for an infantry soldier [American GI ] or United States marine) reversed (about) + U NITED ([as] one]) excluding the first letter (with no top on) U

13d

Liberal admitted males hate dancing still (10)

flowerflowerflower
16d

Criminal noticing jacketless cop in a disguise (9)

Generating...
17d

Superstar picked up by gangbuster for loafing (8)

flowerflowerflower
18d

Excited cougar about to cuddle priest and my boss (7)

Generating...

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

PUMA (the cougar) reversed (about) containing (to cuddle) ( P [priest] + ED [editor, a crossword editor is the setter’s boss])

20d

Time left-wing Mirror covers undue bureaucracy? (7)

Generating...

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

( RED [communist; left-wing politically] + APE [emulate; mirror]) containing (covers) T (time)

21d

Aussie birds in cruise ships taking top off for maiden (6)

Generating...

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

L INERS (cruise ships, with the first letter [top] L being replaced by [off for] M [maiden]) to form M INERS

23d

Old humanist seen around in Hotel Oceania (5)

Generating...

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

COLET ( reversed [around] hidden word [seen in] in HO TEL OC EANIA)

25d

Hoskins will go after German unit (4)

Generating...

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

G (German) + I’LL (Hoskins [the setter] will)