Independent Cryptic #12016

2025-04-14

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Across

8a

Supply hot kettle chips around noonnow things are getting interesting (3,4,8)

Generating...

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

(Hot kettle chips)* around n{oon}. Supply seems slightly unconvincing as an anagram indicator in that it lacks any sense of the letters being disordered. It’s possible it’s intended as adverb of supple i.e. letters arranged in a supple way, although there is no verb to which the word would be applied.

9a

Papers and student journalist did nothing (5)

flowerflowerflower
10a

Pinched Grant's glove (8)

flowerflowerflower
12a

First episode has pace (4)

flowerflowerflower
14a

Part of workforce in evening dress (5,5)

Generating...

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

Night(=evening) + dress(=shift)

18a

US President's in that woman's bed over and over again (7,6)

Generating...

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

Her(=that woman’s) + berth(=bed) + o{ver}(=cricket abbrev) + over

19a

Curry for one after work, putting no-frills rice on first and expecting good stuff (10)

Generating...

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

(Tim(=Curry for one i.e. Tim Curry the actor best known for The Rocky Horror Picture Show would be one example of a Curry) after op(=work)) + ([r]ic[e] on ist(=first)). No frills for rice indicates removal of the “frills” i.e. the first and last letter.

21a

Realises in audition for feature (4)

Generating...

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

Hom of knows

22a

Extent of calcium deficiency not universal (8)

Generating...

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

Ca(=calcium in periodic table) + pa[u]city

26a

Second tea or coffee? (5)

flowerflowerflower
28a

Department store keep Gary Oldman's line out when broadcast (7,3,5)

Generating...

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

Fort(=keep) + Numan(=Gary) + O[l]dman’s*. Gary seems a little weak as a def for Gary Numan, although Gary Numan and Gary Oldman are regularly paired together in a joke about Oldman being younger than Numan.

Down

1d

Profit-sheet he adjusted after discounting electronicsbargains can be found here (6,4)

Generating...

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

(Profit sh[ee]t h[e])* – all the Es for electronics removed from the anagram

2d

Post office rejected a large gemstone ... (4)

Generating...

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

PO<(=post office) + a l{arge}

3d

... or tasty apple (6,9)

Generating...

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

Golden(=or, an old term for gold) + delicious(=tasty)

4d

Almost mount deer (4)

Generating...

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

Stag[e](=mount in the sense of mounting an exhibition)

5d

Friends maybe setting my code incorrectly (9,6)

Generating...

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

Situation(=setting) + (my code)*

6d

Funny scene in small outfit (4)

flowerflowerflower
7d

After being connectedoddly disappearing (4)

Generating...

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

Odd letters removed in c o n n e c t e d

11d

Wreath that is left on the counter (3)

Generating...

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

(i.e. l{eft})<

13d

Old Iranian standard is raised (5)

Generating...

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

Par(=standard, as in a par golf score) + is<

15d

Finally melt butter on the outside as suggested (3,2)

Generating...

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

Goat(=butter in the sense that goats are believed to butt things) around [mel]t, The def is in the sense of “what are you getting at?”.

16d

Egg supplier fencing in a very safe place (5)

Generating...

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

Hen(=egg supplier) around (a v{ery})

17d

Give warning as climbing up red ash carelessly splits bark (10)

Generating...

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

((Red ash)* in woof(=dog bark))<. My reading would be that the red ash has to be reversed as well as anagrammed, although it doesn’t affect the outcome much.

20d

Advice: put mine back (3)

Generating...

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

Pit<(=mine)

23d

Fine following morning on the rampage (4)

flowerflowerflower
24d

High-pitch results when key fob is out of bounds (4)

Generating...

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

Alt(=the Alt key on a keyboard) + [f]o[b](the bounds of fob removed)

25d

Perhaps 2001: A Space Odyssey ultimately used up Kubrick's focus (4)

Generating...

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

(A + [Spac]e [Odysse]y)< + [Kub]r[ick]. The R is the middle letter, hence the focus of the word.

27d

Quickly learn stuff (4)

Generating...

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

DD