Independent Cryptic #12002

2025-03-28

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Across

1a

Court opening rarely unfilled (8)

Generating...

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

CHANCE (opportunity; opening) + RY ( R arel Y excluding the central letters arel [unfilled])

5a

Suspicion about entering sauna? (6)

flowerflowerflower
10a

Regrettable crumbling of nature holding fruit back (11)

Generating...

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

Anagram of (crumbling) OF NATURE containing (holding) NUT (fruit) reversed (back)

11a

Time to abandon historic ballet move (3)

Generating...

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

PAS T (historic) excluding (to abandon) T (time)

12a

Fine attitude is not quite the greatest? (4)

flowerflowerflower
13a

Person making unusual contact greeting radio transmission (6,4)

Generating...

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

MEDIUM (in spiritualism, the person through whom spirits are said to communicate with the material world; person making unusual contact) + WAVE (a greeting)

15a

Final thing fitted into facade at home (5)

flowerflowerflower
16a

Very happy with line in Times after the event (9)

Generating...

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

( ELATED [very happy] + L [line]) contained in (in) BY (times, as in 5 by 9=45)

18a

Furtive, engaging creditor on the slightest basis (9)

flowerflowerflower
19a

American aboard vessel refusing soft Japanese food (5)

flowerflowerflower
21a

Inexperienced legislators giving description of some climate impacts? (10)

Generating...

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

GREEN (inexperienced) + HOUSE (legislators, such as the US HOUSE of Representatives)

24a

Speculation linked to a test (4)

Generating...

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

BET (speculation) + A

26a

Fear our group is lagging Australia (3)

Generating...

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

A (Australia) + WE (our group)

27a

Annoying permutation to be reordered (11)

flowerflowerflower
28a

Dull-witted but more than right (6)

Generating...

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

An OBTUSE angle is greater than a right angle and less than 180° [more than right] – double definition

29a

Incline in good time to exclude America, showing concern (8)

Generating...

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

TEND (incline in some direction) + E a RLY (in good time) excluding (to exclude) A (American)

Down

1d

Very pleased: first of checkers removed from board (7)

Generating...

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

C (initial letter of [first of] Checkers) + HUFFED (technical term in the game of draughts meaning an opponent’s draught has been removed from the board for failure to make a capture)

2d

Female entering continent starts to try every consonantal sound (9)

Generating...

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

( F [female] contained in [entering] AFRICA [continent]) + TE ( first letter of [starts to] each of T RY and E VERY)

3d

Fifth vehicle in queue perhaps is giving concern (4)

Generating...

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

CAR (vehicle) + E (fifth letter of the alphabet) so CAR E could be the designation for the fifth vehicle in a queue

4d

Road almost completely overwhelmed (5)

Generating...

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

ROUTE D (completely overwhelmed) excluding the final letter (almost) D

6d

Male beset by his mature failing: joint pain (10)

Generating...

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

M (male) contained in (beset by) an anagram of (failing) HIS MATURE

7d

Beginning greeting in Hawaii, but with slight shift of character? (5)

Generating...

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

AL O HA (Hawaiian greeting) with the O changed by one place in the alphabet (slight shift) to P to form AL P HA – there are not many words in English with four consectutive vowels, but Hawaiian is one of them.

8d

Legwear is set up amongst garden lines (7)

Generating...
9d

Notice I will participate in race, moving from the centre (8)

Generating...

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

( AD [ AD vert; notice] + I ) contained in (will participate in] RALLY (motor race, e.g. the Monte Carlo RALLY )

14d

Mysterious texts involved in shutdown (10)

flowerflowerflower
16d

Shakespeare’s expression of surprise about recording one of Falstaff’s crew (8)

Generating...

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

BARD (Shakespeare is sometimes referred to as the BARD of Avon) + ( OH [expression of surprise] containing [about] LP [long-playing record; recording])

17d

Terrible couple, keeping son in poor condition (9)

Generating...

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

( DIRE [terrible] + PAIR [couple]) containing (keeping … in] S (son)

18d

South America reduced protection applied to old cactus (7)

Generating...

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

SA (South America) + GUAR D (protection) excluding the final letter (reduced) D + O (old)

20d

Pictures aim to change European country after bloke departs (7)

Generating...

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

Anagram of (to change) AIM + GER MAN Y (European country) excluding (departs) MAN (bloke)

22d

Employ specialist? No pressure (5)

Generating...
23d

No place for sudden expenditure increase (5)

Generating...

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

S PL URGE (spending of a lot of money; sudden expenditure) excluding (no) PL (place)

25d

Question on papers is something to be chewed over (4)

Generating...

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

QU (question) + ID ([identity] papers)