Independent Cryptic #12304

2026-03-16

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Across

1a

Drank heavily back in warehouse (5)

flowerflowerflower
4a

Skins from litchi desserts (5)

flowerflowerflower
7a

Gatsby maybe has love for American happiness (3)

Generating...

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

Jay (first name of Gatsby) with o(=love) replacing A{merican}

9a

Prospect first seen in Virginia (5)

Generating...

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

Ist(=first) in Va(=postal abbrev for Virginia)

10a

Talk about Indian vegetable (3)

Generating...

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

Gas<(=talk). Def refers to the Indian word for spinach.

11a

Greek attorney's originally in court (5)

Generating...

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

Att[orney] + i{n} c{ourt}

12a

Lady's way about debate that's most urbane (9)

Generating...

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

(She(=lady) + st{reet}(=way)) around moot(=an old word for debate)

13a

English allow Conservative to enter vote (5)

Generating...

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

E{nglish} (let(=allow) around C{onservative})

14a

Oscar's on edge but not very tiresome (7)

Generating...

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

O{scar} + ner[v]ous(=on edge with v{ery} removed)

16a

Boy eats last of butter fat (4)

Generating...

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

Lad(=boy) around [butte]r

19a

Leaders of British Empire attending debutante ball (4)

Generating...

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

Initial letters of B[ritish] E[mpire] a[ttending] d[ebutante]

21a

Presents in Limbo (7)

Generating...

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

Now + here(=words for present)

24a

Award by group in Nebraskan city (5)

Generating...

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

OM(=order of merit) + A-ha(=Norwegian pop group)

25a

Noel Coward play about Glen arresting villain (9)

Generating...

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

Ca(=about) + (vale(=glen) around cad(=villain))

27a

Cognoscenti regularly avoided attack (5)

Generating...

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

Even letters of c o g n o s c e n t i

28a

Artist - one lacking pulse (3)

Generating...

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

Dal[i]

29a

Load carried by French snail? (5)

Generating...

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

Hidden in es cargo t(=French word for snail)

30a

The old Welsh conifer (3)

Generating...

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

Ye(="the" in old English) + W{elsh}

31a

Bluey's friend is out of condition (5)

flowerflowerflower
32a

See posh car shunting into railway truck (5)

Generating...

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

Seems to be Lo(=see) + R(=posh car) in r{ailwa}y. I would have expected posh car to be RR for Rolls Royce, so I don't know if this is an alternative abbreviation or refers to some other posh car.

Down

1d

Detective's dream department (8)

flowerflowerflower
2d

Change part of play in religious festival (8)

Generating...

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

Pass(=change e.g. to pass from joy to sadness) + over(=part of play in cricket)

3d

Reportedly followed theological issue? (5)

Generating...

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

Hom of tracked

4d

War criminal cuddles East German hospitality worker (7)

Generating...

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

Hess(=Rudolf Hess, Nazi war criminal) around ost(=East in German)

5d

Like Italian gangster’s choice of camera? (7)

Generating...

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

Dig(=like, as in "I dig it") + It{alian} + Al {Capone}

6d

Outstanding figure in their field (9)

Generating...

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

CD

7d

West Side gang returning note for high fliers (6)

Generating...

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

Jets(=one of the gangs in West Side Story) + te<(=musical note from doh-re-mi)

8d

Rope raised holding chain for boats (6)

Generating...

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

Stay<(=rope used in boating) around ch{ain}

15d

Arrest OAP dancing with Bryn Terfel? (9)

Generating...

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

(Arrest OAP)*

17d

One going to mechanic? (8)

flowerflowerflower
18d

Church and state introducing more organised ritual (8)

Generating...

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

(CE(=Church of England) + N{ew} Y{ork}) around more*

20d

Immoral books hidden by society for years and years (7)

Generating...

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

Decadent(=immoral) with the NT(=books of the New Testament) replaced by s{ociety}

21d

Creativity of work on limits of theology (7)

Generating...

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

Novel(=work, as in work of fiction) + t[heolog]y

22d

Waste processing facility's supported by Yankee group (6)

Generating...

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

Colon(=waste processing facility in the body) + y{ankee}(=y in the phonetic alphabet)

23d

Keep Calm and Carry On say in capital city! (6)

Generating...

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

CD/DD. "Keep Calm and Carry On" would be an example of a trite war-time saying i.e. a war saw.

26d

Presumably healthy place to drink (5)

Generating...

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

Lo cal(=abbrev of low calorie, so presumably healthy)