Independent Cryptic #12219

2025-12-06

Solve on Independent →

Across

8a

Alexander O'Neal's beginning to wear mask? (4)

Generating...
9a

Florida holidaymakers going around another part of America (5)

flowerflowerflower
10a

Cutting One Hundred and One Dalmatians ' opening (4)

flowerflowerflower
11a

Go and act the fool (6)

Generating...

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

BE A TIT (act the fool)

12a

Bring round a new rake ordered in error (8)

flowerflowerflower
13a

Amazing quality of blackboards (10)

flowerflowerflower
16a

Egg-shaped ball left outside museum? (4)

Generating...

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

O (ball) L[eft] around VA (museum, V & A, Victoria & Albert Kensington)

17a

Decrease strength (4)

flowerflowerflower
18a

Transaction includes cold piece of fish (5)

Generating...

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

C[old] inside SALE (transaction)

20a

Cry about everything (4)

flowerflowerflower
21a

Some bloke inside small deserted hut (4)

Generating...

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

HE (some bloke) inside S[mall] D[eserted]. Is D a valid abbreviation for deserted?  <checks> Apparently so.

22a

Handheld device to shoot behind both characters cycling (10)

flowerflowerflower
23a

Double-action carrier (8)

Generating...

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

I am unsure of the wordplay here. I assume the “double-action” is that a suitcase can both “suit” your belongings, and “case” them. Another “Help!”

26a

Waste time increasingly sad with computers instead of women (6)

Generating...

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

LOWER (increasingly sad) -W[omen] +IT (computers). I like a substitution clue like this

28a

At last flames spark hot and crackling? (4)

Generating...

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

[flame]S [spar]K IN (hot)

29a

Exotic pork pie stuffed inside a northerner's face (5)

Generating...

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

LIE (pork pie) inside A N[ortherner]

30a

Document edited twice but in different ways (4)

Generating...

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

ED< ED. Sweet

Down

1d

Charlie? Charlie! (4)

flowerflowerflower
2d

Calm and relaxation preceding spat? (10)

flowerflowerflower
3d

Errors made by young woman full of drink (8)

flowerflowerflower
4d

Fete with loud atmosphere (4)

flowerflowerflower
5d

Comfort one with beer (6)

flowerflowerflower
6d

Something under the surface of toilet was discovered (4)

Generating...

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

LAV (toilet) [w]A[s] (was, dis-covered)

7d

Programmes made by sentimental drunk ignoring the news about Britain (10)

Generating...

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

SENTIMENTAL – both Ns (ignoring the News) = SETIMETAL. Then anagram it ( AInd: drunk ) making TIMETALES, and put that around (about) B[ritain].

14d

Friend runs away after suffering heart tremors (10)

flowerflowerflower
15d

Children's publication in decline (5)

Generating...

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

Another one I don’t understand. How is “Beano” in decline? I know beano means a party, besides the comic (of which I was an avid fan from childhood through adolescence – yes until about 33) Is it asking us to read it as “BE A NO” i.e. decline something offered? If so that feels a stretch to me.

16d

Flamboyant playwright - Coward? - lies around (10)

flowerflowerflower
19d

One's mixed up with revolutionary liberal breaking ranks (8)

Generating...

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

(ONES + CHE (revolutionary) + L[iberal])* AInd: breaking .

22d

Almost all staff on land straining to be made redundant by me (6)

flowerflowerflower
24d

Naked men head up for air (4)

Generating...

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

[m]E[n] (men, naked) and NUT (head) all reversed (up)

25d

Impressive online photo? (4)

Generating...

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

E-PIC (online photo). carrying forward the trope that anything online get s E- as a prefix.

27d

4 is divisible by (4)

Generating...

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

Anything divisible by 2 is even.  4 is just another example. I may be missing something here