Independent Cryptic #12029

2025-04-29

Solve on Independent →

Across

1a

Copper worker with material left (8)

flowerflowerflower
5a

Protective clothing taken into a shower (6)

flowerflowerflower
9a

American pine throughout (5)

flowerflowerflower
10a

Barmy Army is ill in the same way (9)

flowerflowerflower
12a

Come into money without a cheer (9)

Generating...

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

ENTER (come into) TIN (money) outside (‘without’) A

13a

Suspect professor with European crest (5)

Generating...

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

PLUM (‘suspect professor – in ‘Cluedo’) E (European)

14a

Toy gun filled with dead round, say (6)

Generating...

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

GAT (gun) round or ‘filled with’ D (dead) and a reversal (’round’) of EG (‘say’)

16a

Head of dinosaur - it comes off Barney (8)

Generating...

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

D (first letter or ‘head’ of dinosaur) + an anagram (‘off’) of IT COMES

19a

Politician going on about honour (8)

Generating...

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

MEMBER (politician) after or ‘going on’ RE (about)

21a

Bus largely covering waste department (6)

flowerflowerflower
24a

Rule about French turn-down? (5)

Generating...

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

CA (circa – ‘about’) NON (French for ‘no’ – ‘turn-down’)

25a

Almost any food stocked by web site in Massachusetts (9)

Generating...

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

AN y missing the last letter or ‘almost’ and TUCK (food) in or ‘stocked by’ NET (web)

27a

Lord's people aren't dancing with unknown knight (9)

Generating...

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

MCC (cricket team based at Lord’s – ‘Lord’s people’) + an anagram (‘dancing’) of AREN’T + Y (unknown)

28a

Stage audience's worry (5)

Generating...

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

A homophone (‘audience’s’) of FAZE (worry)

29a

Abandoned half of capital city (6)

Generating...

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

LON don (‘half of capital’) ELY (city)

30a

Sailors catch ropes (8)

flowerflowerflower

Down

1d

Refuse explorer, namely Hawkeye? (9)

Generating...

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

SC (namely) AVENGER (Hawkeye – apparently one of the superheroes in The Avengers)

2d

Go off eating large perch (5)

flowerflowerflower
3d

Get ready in area of monastery that's cutting edge (2,5)

Generating...

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

We needed some help with this one – it had to be EN GARDE with the crossing letters, but the parsing is apparently z EN GARDE n (area of monastery) missing the first and last letters, or ‘cutting edge’ – too obscure for us!

4d

An elevated feature of Harry Potter's sport (6)

Generating...

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

A reversal (‘elevated’) of AN + SCAR (‘feature of Harry Potter’)

6d

Shape ... is missing base (7)

Generating...

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

ELLIPS is (…) missing ‘is’ + E (base)

7d

Turn libertine into Prime Minister with energy (9)

Generating...

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

ROUE (libertine) in PITT (Prime Minister in the 18th century) + E (energy)

8d

English setter's team at work, reflecting need to breed, perhaps (5)

Generating...

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

A reversal (‘reflecting’) of E (English) MY (setter’s) HR (Human Resources – ‘team at work’)

11d

Guide people to river (6)

flowerflowerflower
15d

WI member to finish skirt before May (9)

Generating...

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

DO (finish) MINI (skirt) CAN (may) – the WI being the West Indies

17d

Infinite, unlike Dracula? (9)

Generating...

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

Dracula’s title is count – so anyone who was ‘unlike’ him could be described as COUNTLESS

18d

Murder victim's hitman filmed adopting new name (6)

Generating...

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

LEON (‘hitman filmed’ – in the film by Luc Besson) round or ‘adopting’ N (new) N (name)

20d

Mixed metaphor, initially longer, getting edited (7)

Generating...

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

M (first or ‘initial’ letter of metaphor) + an anagram (‘edited’) of LONGER

22d

Shylock, say, claiming power for Claudius? (7)

Generating...

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

USURER (Shylock, say) round or ‘claiming’ P (power)

23d

Measure of frenzy means this accelerates (6)

flowerflowerflower
24d

Beast from legendary place ignored by books (5)

Generating...

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

CAMEL ot (legendary place) missing ‘OT’ (Old Testament – ‘books’)

26d

King not as clear without queen's throne (5)

Generating...

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

K (king) HAZI er (not as clear) missing ‘er’ (queen)