Independent Cryptic #11874

2024-10-30

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Across

1a

I study more initially after school break (6)

Generating...

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

I study more, initially, after school break SCH (=school) + I + S <tudy> M <ore> (“initially” means first letters only are used)

4a

Bear market displays reserve (7)

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9a

Male cooks dinner for one (4)

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10a

Virtue having reserve of money for head of business's remarkable insight (10)

Generating...

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

Virtue having reserve of money for head of business’s remarkable insight PRO B ITY (=virtue, uprightness); “reserve of money (=fund)” for head of (=first letter) of b usiness ” means letter “b” is replaced by “fund”

11a

Twice one's charged one penny to stop unemployment benefit (6)

Generating...

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

Twice one’s charged one penny to stop unemployment benefit [I (=one) + P (=penny)] in DOLE (=unemployment benefit); a dipole is two equal and opposite electric charges set a small distance apart from each other

12a

Fighting with no rules shot untrained revolutionary by a lake (8)

Generating...

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

Fighting with no rules , shot untrained revolutionary by a lake TOT (=shot, dram, of liquor) + A + L (=lake, on map) + WAR (RAW=untrained; “revolutionary” indicates reversal)

13a

Motors around after tea in conference venues? (9)

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15a

Terrible funeral song not good (4)

Generating...

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

Terrible funeral song not good DIR <g> E (=funeral song; “not good (=G)” means letter “g” is dropped)

16a

Attractive woman briefly claims the heart of William Tell (4)

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

Attractive woman briefly claims the heart of William Tell <wil> L <iam> (“heart of” means middle letter only) in BAB <e> (=attractive woman; “briefly” means last letter is dropped); to blab is to let out a secret, hence to “tell”!

17a

Member of clergy nearly late to get ice-cream with sprinkles on vacation (9)

Generating...

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

Member of clergy nearly late to get ice-cream with sprinkles on vacation DEA <d> (=late, deceased; “nearly” means last letter is dropped) + CONE (=ice-cream, cornet) + S <prinkle> S (“on vacation”)

21a

Mechanism for measuring crimes blocked by police essentially (8)

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22a

Class length (6)

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

Class // length Double definition; cf. to be in a class/league of one’s own AND Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea , by Jules Verne

24a

Bunting is boring I'd repeatedly snarled (10)

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25a

Rounded projection in theatre initially absent (4)

Generating...

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

Rounded projection in theatre initially absent <g> LOBE (=theatre, in London; “initially absent” means first letter is dropped)

26a

Broker interrupts Musk interrogation (7)

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27a

Last couple to sharpen axes with me - a catalyst for change (6)

Generating...

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

Last couple to sharpen axes with me – a catalyst for change <sharp> EN (“last couple to” means last two letters only) + Z Y (=axes, on a graph) + ME

Down

1d

Marry one's husband after son reveals nationality (7)

Generating...

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

Marry one’s husband after son reveals nationality S (=son) + WED (=marry) + I’S (=one’s) + H (=husband)

2d

Porthole with a gap is welcome (5)

Generating...

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

Porthole with a gap is welcome PORT (=Hull, in N England) + O (=hole); “with a gap” indicates that “port/hole” must be split in two for the purposes of the wordplay

3d

Drink more rum boss (7)

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5d

Clear end of day without question revealing quickness of thought (6)

Generating...

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

Clear end of day without question, revealing quickness of thought AC <q> UIT (=clear, exonerate, in court; “without question (=Q, as in Q&A)” means letter “q” is dropped) + <da> Y (“end of” means last letter only)

6d

I will notice them returning about decoration (9)

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7d

Run to get a hint in mad scramble (7)

Generating...

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

Run to get a hint in mad scramble R (=run, on cricket scorecard) + A + TRACE (=hint, touch)

8d

Irrational clue found in abyss (13)

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

Irrational clue found in abyss “bottomless pit” could be a cryptic clue for the irrational number “pi”, where “bottomless” means the last letter is dropped from the word “pit”!

14d

Foreign delivery ignoring old and established practice (9)

Generating...

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

Foreign delivery ignoring old and established practice <ex> TRADITION (=foreign delivery, i.e. surrender of a national to a foreign power; “ignoring old (=ex-)” means letters “ex” are dropped

16d

Bobby walked round this reportedly to arrest Bohemian (7)

Generating...

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

Bobby walked round this reportedly to arrest Bohemian BEAT (=bobby walked round this, i.e. bobby on the beat ) + homophone (“reportedly”) of “nick (=arrest)”

18d

Boy working next to church making pale green porcelain (7)

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19d

Small fall? (7)

Generating...

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

Small fall? S (=small, of sizes) + TUMBLE; & lit.

20d

Banker welcoming European's guide to life? (6)

Generating...

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

Banker welcoming European’s guide to life? E (=European) in GNOME (=banker, as in the gnomes of Zurich ); a genome is the complete set of an individual’s chromosomes, a person’s full genetic make-up, hence it could be described as a “guide to life”

23d

Calm a boring colleague (5)

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