Independent Cryptic #11991

2025-03-15

Solve on Independent →

Across

1a

Bribes generated amidst suspicious behaviour (7)

Generating...

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

BORN (generated) ‘amidst’ SUS (suspicious behaviour)

5a

Shakespearean figure backed genuine revolution in scenery etc (7)

Generating...

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

REAL (genuine) reversed or ‘backed’ and SET (scenery etc) reversed or ‘in revolution’

9a

Displaying knowledge? English not polite about it (7)

Generating...

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

E (English) RUDE (not polite) about IT

10a

German composer replaces note with a show of hesitation, I bet (7)

Generating...

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

WAG n ER (German composer) replacing ‘n’ (note) with ER (show of hesitation)

11a

Government obscurations concealing initial main points (5)

Generating...

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

G (Government) m ISTS (obscurations) missing or ‘concealing’ first letter or ‘initial’

12a

Drop name outrageously before end of some walk (9)

Generating...

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

An anagram (‘outrageously’) of DROP NAME before the last letter or ‘end’ of somE

13a

Parasites understand about new publican (8)

Generating...

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

LICE (parasites) SEE (understand) about N (new)

16a

Low period interrupted by river in flood (5)

Generating...

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

DOWN (low period) around or ‘interrupted by’ R (river)

18a

Settled opinion piece about Tesla (5)

Generating...

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

OP-ED (opinion piece) about T (tesla)

20a

Things that can pierce old fishing gear beside coastal region (8)

Generating...

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

O (old) NETS (fishing gear) beside BAY (coastal region)

23a

Agitate and resist delay (9)

flowerflowerflower
25a

Donkey’s over being attached to sticky part of plant (5)

Generating...

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

O (over) ‘attached’ to BURR (sticky part of plant)

27a

Acquisitive financiers I discovered amongst brokers, wasting time (7)

Generating...

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

I inside or ‘discovered amongst’ t RADERS (brokers) missing or ‘wasting’ ‘t’ (time)

28a

Excellent and fast, suppressing male illness (7)

Generating...

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

AI (excellent) LENT (fast) around or ‘suppressing’ M (male)

29a

Adds to writings, erasing beginning but including conclusion (7)

Generating...

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

t EXTS (writings) ‘erasing’ the first letter or ‘beginning’ around or ‘including’ END (conclusion)

30a

Hides rocky rubble next to rear parts of garden beds (7)

Generating...

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

SCREE (rocky rubble) next to N S (last letters or ‘rear parts’ of garden beds)

Down

1d

Winter transport requiring a lot of dexterity (6)

Generating...

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

SLEIGH t (dexterity) missing last letter or ‘a lot of’

2d

Rudimentary matters around American measures of speed (5)

Generating...

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

BUDS (rudimentary matters) around A (American) – a BAUD is a measure of the speed by which computers pass information or a signalling speed

3d

Regret impounding European spaceship for subsequent release (7)

Generating...

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

RUE (regret) around or ‘impounding’ E (European) ISS (spaceship as in International Space Station)

4d

Excessive pace requiring extra energy (5)

Generating...

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

STEP (pace) with an extra E (energy)

5d

Produced farmyard noises, incorporating common vulgarity ultimately - this? (3,6)

Generating...

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

LOWED (produced farmyard noises) around or ‘incorporating’ COM (common) + Y (last or ‘ultimate’ letter of vulgarity)

6d

Say good leader of teachers should be intellectual (7)

Generating...

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

EG (say) G (good) HEAD (leader of teachers)

7d

Sudden attacks securing Australian policy change (9)

Generating...

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

TURN and BOUT (both ‘sudden attacks’) around A (Australian)

8d

Police officer not losing heart after quantity of work in the main (8)

Generating...

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

N o T (first and last letter only or ‘losing heart’) after ERG (quantity of work) in SEA (the main)

14d

Bird is caught by international physician (9)

Generating...

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

TERN (bird) IS inside or ‘caught by’ INT (international)

15d

Mess Rebus sorted out is overwhelming (9)

flowerflowerflower
17d

No performance in church for romantic piece (8)

Generating...

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

NO + TURN (performance) in CE (church)

19d

Pathetic person curtailed streak where moviegoers gather (5-2)

Generating...

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

DRI p (pathetic person) missing last letter or ‘curtailed’ + VEIN (streak)

21d

Cloudy, close to covering most of large structure? (7)

flowerflowerflower
22d

Large vessels? Possible limitation to arrangement with a small (6)

Generating...

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

A OR T (the ‘possible limits’ or ends of arrangement) + A S (small)

24d

Doctors run from fountains (5)

Generating...

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

SP r AYS (fountains) without ‘r’ (run)

26d

Always upset about end of brave deceased actor (5)

Generating...

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

A reversal (‘upset’) of EVER (always) about E (last letter or ‘end’ of brave)