Independent Cryptic #12161

2025-09-30

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Across

1a

In church one pursues point about Genesis (9)

Generating...
6a

Men's competition winners not male? (5)

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10a

Eminem track describing the writer's reproductive organ (6)

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11a

Put in the water to upset pivotal maritime operation (7)

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12a

Doctor to specialise primarily in tooth adjustment (12)

Generating...

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

Anagram of (adjustment) DR (doctor) and TO and S ( first letter of [primarily] S pecialise) and IN TOOTH

14a

Speak to be sorted out with new monitor (10)

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16a

My account may close (4)

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17a

Journalist travelling west visits an Arabian port (4)

Generating...

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

ED (editor; journalist] reversed [travelling west) contained in (visits) AN

18a

Make a better deal than posh supermarket ultimately chasing nothing but profit (10)

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20a

Satellite with rather vacuous name travelling between celestial bodies (12)

Generating...

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

Anagram of (travelling) SATELLITE and RR ( letters remaining in R athe R when the central letters ATHE are removed [rather vacuous]) and N (name)(new)

23a

Reminder: that video everyone's sharing? Not funny (7)

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24a

European countries exporting cold curries (6)

Generating...

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

BALTI c S (descriptive of the European countries Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania) excluding (exporting) C (cold)

26a

Passionate energy missing from dull article written earlier (5)

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27a

Two students in debt going after Foreign Office post (9)

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Down

2d

Crazy time to enter student union (4)

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3d

Space containing large tree (3)

Generating...

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

EM (printing term for space equivalent to the width of a letter m) containing (containing) L (large)

4d

Belief in X and leaders in Elon's team (5)

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5d

Socialist former PM informally returns taking on two days' irregular employment (7)

Generating...

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

( S [socialist] although I can only find it as part of a longer abbreviation such as SWP [Socialist Workers’ Party] + BOJO [informal name for BO ris JO hnson {born 1964}, former UK Prime Minister]) containing ( DD two D [day], giving two days) and then all reversed (returns)

7d

About to leave grand geriatric hospital with treatment for backside and sensitive spot on arm (11)

Generating...

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

Anagram of (with treatment) G (grand) and GERIATRI c , excluding (to leave) C (circa; about) and H

8d

Asians' painstaking struggles to oust no-good serpentine character (10)

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9d

Popular Spectator header: classically everything is being undesirably woke? (8)

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12d

Pioneer working with physicists and military leaders to harness explosive (11)

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13d

Central actor in disturbance following field agent (10)

Generating...

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

LEA (meadow; field) + DIN (noise; disturbance) + G-MAN (an agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation)

15d

After kicking cocaine drinking excessively is exciting (8)

Generating...

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

c AROUSING (drinking freely and noisily; drinking excessively) excluding (after kicking) C (cocaine)

19d

Band separates to look for musical direction (7)

Generating...

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

( REM [reference the band R . E . M ., an American alternative rock band formed in 1980] contained in [separates] TO ) + LO (look!]

21d

Tag left on murder victim (5)

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22d

Baker somewhat unlikely to be brought up (4)

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25d

City-wide regulation (3)

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