Independent Cryptic #11897

2024-11-26

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Across

1a

Vaulting judge controlling contest in heartless fashion (7)

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

JUMPING (leaping; vaulting)

5a

Spreads offered by boring building society say (7)

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

BUTTERS (spreads)

9a

It could be Penn and Teller 's cut short? (4)

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

SEAN ? – not sure what is going on here.  I am aware of a SEAN BEAN [actor, born 1959] and SEAN PENN [actor and director, born 1960], but I can’t add a letter to SEAN to get a word that means teller.  I could add two letters and get SEAN CE which might be an example of a deceased person telling the living some message.  Alternatively a SNEA K is someone who tells tails and if it is one letter short SNEA is an anagram [cut?]of SEAN

10a

Fish with reason to change changes (10)

flowerflowerflower
12a

One cutting Ancient Egyptian exam class (8)

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

TUTORIAL (a study meeting between one or more students and a college tutor; class)

13a

Man is entering name back to front (6)

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MISTER (title prefixed to a man’s name; man)

14a

Player in game fly-half possibly crossing line (5)

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

BLACK (designation for one of the players in a game of chess)

16a

Very becoming knight most attractive - or least popular? (9)

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

LONELIEST (person with fewest companions; the least popular)

18a

Byzantine atlas bore model of the heavens (9)

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ASTROLABE (an instrument used for taking altitudes above the horizon. It also serves as a star chart and physical model of the visible half-dome of the sky)

20a

General offensive undone by men retreating (5)

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BROAD (general)

23a

Force Yank to censor wife's language (6)

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

FRENCH (a language)

24a

Car fans excitedly describing current Continentals? (8)

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AFRICANS (people who live on the continent of Africa)

26a

Treated with sulphur alien dies horribly (10)

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

VULCANISED (to treat with sulphur or sulphur compounds)

27a

Cheesemaker using rennet delivering primarily this (4)

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

CURD (milk thickened or coagulated by acid; the cheese part of milk; cheesemaker)

28a

Disparage Anglo-Saxon prize when it's announced (7)

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

ASPERSE (defame; disparage)

29a

Lacking sponsorship Charlie's dropped not fired (7)

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

UNBAKED (not cooked; not fired)

Down

2d

B Paris Match i (7)

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UNEQUAL (not evenly balanced; biased)

3d

One's attached to horse (5)

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PINTO (piebald horse)

4d

Lexicon or dictionary? It's more than enough for Scandinavian (6)

flowerflowerflower
6d

Museum moving diamonds admitting number yet to be counted (8)

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

UNSUMMED (not counted [summed {up}])

7d

Increasingly dry river being crossed by this stage (9)

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THIRSTIER (increasingly dry)

8d

Surgeon in Guard regularly fixed up messengers (7)

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RUNNERS (messengers)

11d

Lively around mid-May like the Highlands? (11)

flowerflowerflower
15d

Student constrained by awful English record (9)

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CHRONICLE (continuous record of events in order of time)

17d

Experts maybe freezing bananas if Celsius drops (8)

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19d

Proust's works: a Christmas tradition? (7)

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

SPROUTS (vegetables traditionally served at Christmas)

21d

Somewhere in Liverpool area where branch might be located (7)

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

AINTREE (village and racecourse six miles north east of Liverpool city centre)

22d

Poet's daughters penning lines with nurse (6)

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

DRYDEN (reference John DRYDEN [1631 – 1700], English poet)

25d

Given a clown as bedtime comforter? (5)

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

COCOA (bedtime drink; bedtime comforter)