Independent Cryptic #12144

2025-09-10

Solve on Independent →

Across

1a

One about to be dismissed from church leaves (5)

Generating...

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

BASIL ica (church) with I (one) CA (about) missing or ‘dismissed’

4a

Lost mail's flustered skier? (9)

Generating...

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

An anagram (‘flustered’) of LOST MAIL’S

9a

Pasta sauce on boring pasta for example Adrian regularly ignored (9)

Generating...

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

ON inside or ‘boring’ CARB (pasta for example) and AdRiAn (alternate letters only or ‘regularly ignored’)

10a

College student hides pass (5)

flowerflowerflower
11a

Perhaps Harry is suspicious male? (6)

flowerflowerflower
12a

Figures getting independence for Yorkshire ultimately ... (8)

Generating...

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

ELLIPS e S (figures) with I (independence) replacing E (last or ‘ultimate’ letter of Yorkshire)

14a

Judicial investigation working to protect one under consideration (10)

Generating...

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

INQUEST (judicial investigation) ON (working) around or ‘protecting’ I (one)

16a

Company provided headwear (4)

flowerflowerflower
19a

Try nearly everything to get to target (4)

flowerflowerflower
20a

Very alternative clothes for one prophet (10)

Generating...

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

SO (very) OTHER (alternative) around or ‘clothing’ SAY (for one)

22a

Courage to take date around parties (8)

Generating...

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

A reversal (‘around’) of SPUNK (courage) around SEE (date)

23a

Millions leaving semi-permanent accommodation close to Barking flagged communication method (6)

Generating...

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

WIGWA m (semi-permanent accommodation) with M (millions missing or ‘leaving’) and G (last letter or ‘close’ to Barking). We had never heard of this method of communicating with flags – we only knew about semaphore.

26a

Director cut corner (5)

flowerflowerflower
27a

Focussed on old European Union? Bizarre (9)

flowerflowerflower
28a

Criminals in government? Strange - that's disrupted introduction of standards (9)

flowerflowerflower
29a

Eventually arrive at nude dancing parlour's entrance (5)

Generating...

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

An anagram (‘dancing’) of NUDE followed by P (first letter or ‘entrance’ to Parlour)

Down

1d

Seconds before victory golfer's beginning to make movement with club (9)

Generating...

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

BACKS (seconds) before WIN (victory) G (first letter or ‘beginning’ to golfer)

2d

Scour house periodically for philanthropist (5)

Generating...

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

Alternate letters or ‘periodically’ in ScOuR hOuSe – a reference to George Soros

3d

Laxative in toilets upset Frenchman (8)

flowerflowerflower
4d

Go and start to sell form of LSD? (4)

flowerflowerflower
5d

Whatever happens eviscerated Truss associated with a big lettuce (10)

Generating...

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

T rus S (missing the middle letters or ‘eviscerated’) after or ‘associated with’ A TALL COS (a big lettuce) – did it last longer than Truss, we wonder?

6d

Unsaturated hydrocarbon found in drillhole finally (6)

flowerflowerflower
7d

Current Pope's cat needing unknown operation (9)

Generating...

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

I (current) LEO’S (Pope’s) TOM (cat) Y (unknown) – we needed all the crossing letters for this one.

8d

Book idiots to guard university (5)

Generating...

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

TITS (idiots) around or ‘guarding’ U (university)

13d

Feeling of not quite maximum power at this place (10)

flowerflowerflower
15d

Fake arm's tremor stopping at last during sprint? (9)

Generating...

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

QUAKE (tremor) + G (‘last’ letter of stopping) inside or ‘during’ RUN (sprint)

17d

In favour of banning over-30s say in military headgear? (9)

flowerflowerflower
18d

Recipient of benefits from Austria getting Genesis reformed (8)

flowerflowerflower
21d

Judge belongings to have bit of sentimentality for Troy (6)

Generating...

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

ASSE t S (belongings) with S (first letter or ‘bit’ of sentimentality) replacing ‘t’ (Troy)

22d

Combined notes from Canadian songwriter - except D (5)

Generating...

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

K d LANG (Canadian songwriter) missing ‘d’ – we had to do a search for Canadian songwriters – we had heard of K D Lang but hadn’t remembered that she is Canadian

24d

P Lonely Planet r (5)

Generating...

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

WORD (promise) around or ‘penning’ L (first letter or ‘introduction’ to lonely)

25d

Contests ignoring first of red cards (4)

Generating...

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

r ACES (contests) ignoring ‘r’ (first letter of red)