Independent Cryptic #1784

2024-05-05

Solve on Independent →

Across

1a

Conservative and liberal creep in embrace (6)

flowerflowerflower
4a

Alpha female snorts coke of high quality (8)

Generating...

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

[ TOP LASS ](term for the dominant female in a group – the counterpart of the alpha male) containing ( snorts ) C(abbrev. for “coke”/cocaine).

10a

Modern fortified building in English city (9)

flowerflowerflower
11a

Best party getting gone in the head! (5)

Generating...

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

DO(a party/a social function) placed after ( getting … in the head ) OUT(gone/not present).

12a

Story with knight stealing new bedding? (5)

flowerflowerflower
13a

A vocal on [Substitute Out of Time] or (9)

Generating...

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

A + [ ORAL(vocal/spoken) placed after ( on ) TEMP(a person employed as a substitute for a regular employee who is away) ].

14a

Unfeeling member very posh girl rejected (7)

Generating...

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

DEAD(very/absolutely, as in “you’re dead wrong about that”) + reversal of ( … rejected ) GEL(an informal term for a posh/upper-class girl).

16a

French main? Opening unopened wine! (6)

Generating...

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

MER(French for “sea”/the main) + “slot”(a narrow elongated opening) minus its 1st letter ( unopened ).

18a

Hoskins is dim prick all the way through! (6)

Generating...

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

I’M(I am/Hoskins is, using the self-referential pronoun) + PALE(dim/lacking brightness).

20a

Londoner likely to knock Hoskins's head off? (7)

Generating...

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

Cryptic defn: A London native who is likely to drop/knock off the 1st letter/head when pronouncing “Hoskins”.

23a

One who legs it if Rob dances badly (9)

flowerflowerflower
25a

Sleep for short while with old man in leather (5)

flowerflowerflower
27a

Sinful things produced by out-of-head fiends (5)

Generating...

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

1st letter deleted from ( out-of-head ) “devils”(fiends/wicked persons).

28a

Drinking booze? So then sip to get drunk! (9)

flowerflowerflower
29a

Girl eyed criminal in a rapacious way (8)

flowerflowerflower
30a

A northern set with southern backers (6)

Generating...

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

A + N(abbrev. for “northern”) + GEL(to set/to become more solid) + S(abbrev. for “southern”).

Down

1d

Wind up Tory with hint about dire leader (8)

Generating...

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

CON(abbrev. for a member of the Conservative Party/a Tory) plus ( with ) CLUE(a hint/a pointer to the solution to a problem) containing ( about ) 1st letter of ( … leader ) “ dire “.

2d

I love pasty-looking chap in a state perhaps (5)

Generating...

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

I + O(letter representing 0/love in tennis scores) + WAN(pasty-looking/lacking colour).

3d

Perfume manufacturer getting in new groove? (7)

Generating...

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

CHANEL(Coco, French perfumer and the company she founded) containing ( getting in ) N(abbrev. for “new”).

5d

Old worker snarfing seconds could be thus (5)

Generating...

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

O(abbrev. for “old”) + BEE(a member of any of the family of social insects, one caste of which is the worker) containing ( snarfing ) S(abbrev. for “seconds” in time notation).

6d

Policeman injecting horse will get the axe (7)

Generating...

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

COPPER(informal term for a policeman) containing ( injecting ) H(abbrev. for “horse”/heroin).

7d

No one fart about when Hoskins gets up! (9)

flowerflowerflower
8d

Overindulges and goes off booty (6)

Generating...

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

Triple defn: 1st: …/pampers; 2nd: …/becomes unfit for eating; and 3: …/valuable stolen goods.

9d

Unusual to grab head of lizard and choke (8)

Generating...

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

STRANGE(unusual/odd) containing ( to grab ) 1st letter of ( head of ) “ lizard “.

15d

It's a crime to break peaceful agreement (9)

flowerflowerflower
16d

Thin Frenchman with brilliant speed (8)

Generating...

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

M(abbrev. for “Monsieur”, term of address for a Frenchman) plus ( with ) ACE(brilliant/excellent) + RATE(speed/pace).

17d

Ring roads close to old-fashioned school (8)

Generating...

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

BY(close/next to) + PASSÉ(old-fashioned/out of date) + S(abbrev. for “school”).

19d

A wine opened by old American gets you excited (7)

Generating...

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

A + [ RED(a red wine) containing ( opened by ) [ O(abbrev. for “old”) + US(abbrev. for “United States”, describing things American) ].

21d

Is it possible that adolescent is a mess? (7)

Generating...

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

CAN?(is it possible that …?) + TEEN(short for “teenager”/an adolescent).

22d

Dodgy bloke one Edwina worried about? (6)

Generating...

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

Cryptic defn: Reference to the UK Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health, Edwina Currie warning the public about salmonella in eggs in 1988.

24d

Leader of DUP having sex is quaintly comical (5)

Generating...

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

1st letter of ( Leader of ) “ DUP ” plus ( having ) ROLL(slang for sexual intercourse, as in “a roll in the hay”).

26d

Vacuous police surrounding free festival (5)

Generating...

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

Inner letters deleted from ( Vacuous ) “ police ” containing ( surrounding ) RID(to free/remove from).