Independent Cryptic #12235

2025-12-25

Solve on Independent →

Across

6a

Old confusion about limitations of toast and egg dish (8)

Generating...

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

O (old) MELEE (confusion) round T T (first and last letters or ‘limitations’ of toast)

7a

Wake up making love with a heavenly body? (6)

flowerflowerflower
9a

A large aggressive man completely exhausted (6)

Generating...

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

A L (large) LOUT (aggressive man)

10a

Increasingly barmy positive votes preceding row (8)

flowerflowerflower
11a

Religious interventions if curate’s active around husband (10)

Generating...

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

An anagram (‘active’) of IF CURATE’S round H (husband)

13a

Perfect US fighter and ship heading off (4)

flowerflowerflower
14a

European currency was a thing for Rome (4)

Generating...

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

QUID is ‘what’ or ‘that which a thing is’ in Latin

16a

Deep times penetrating idiot (5)

flowerflowerflower
17a

Unusual attachment seeing rejection of alien sea creature (4)

Generating...

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

F et ISH (‘unusual attachment’) missing or ‘rejecting’ ET (alien)

18a

Judge young men going topless to be sources of delight (4)

flowerflowerflower
20a

Back to square one? (10)

flowerflowerflower
23a

European native with mostly limited backing (8)

flowerflowerflower
25a

Court case about book describing clans? (6)

Generating...

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

TRIAL (court case) round B (book)

26a

Superior couple of points penned by actual musician with a twist (6)

flowerflowerflower
27a

Pay hasn’t changed? Unrealistic expectation (8)

Generating...

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

An anagram (‘changed’) of PAY HASN’T

Down

1d

Villain’s wife mostly felt bad turning up to embrace me (6)

Generating...

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

A reversal (‘turning up’) of AILE d (felt bad) missing the last letter or ‘mostly’ round or ’embracing’ MI (alternative spelling of the sol-fa note ‘me’)

2d

Everyone concentrated without power being assigned (8)

flowerflowerflower
3d

Interference not shifting? (6)

flowerflowerflower
4d

Ladies drink (4)

flowerflowerflower
5d

Exaggerated fictions seeing one abandoned in parts of churches (8)

Generating...

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

STEEP (exaggerated) L i ES (fictions) missing or ‘abandoning’ ‘i’ (one)

7d

Charles and Anne perhaps in structural framework (7)

flowerflowerflower
8d

Neat French phrase provided the theme (5)

flowerflowerflower
12d

Monarch’s hopeful sending son out with a student (5)

Generating...

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

RO s Y (hopeful) missing or ‘sending out’ ‘s’ (son) A L (learner – student)

15d

No main changes in Open University reflecting speaking with one voice (8)

flowerflowerflower
16d

Area dry containing trees initially (7)

flowerflowerflower
17d

Sneaky thief to head for room getting ruby? (8)

Generating...

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

An anagram (‘sneaky’) of THIEF TO and R (first letter or ‘head’ of room)

19d

Car brand adequate in promotional materials after review (5)

Generating...

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

A reversal (‘after review’) of OK (adequate) in ADS (promotional materials)

21d

Going over long account will make you sleep (6)

Generating...

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

A reversal (‘going over’) of PANT (long) AC (account)

22d

Story about modern innovation’s to form link (6)

Generating...

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

LIE (story) round AI’S (Artificial Intelligence – ‘modern innovation’s’)

24d

Scruffy area apparently in North-East (4)

flowerflowerflower