Independent Cryptic #1859

2025-10-12

Solve on Independent →

Across

1a

Little tyke Beverly Hills cops shot from behind (6)

Generating...

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

LAPD (Beverly Hills cops) + reversal (from behind) of GO

4a

Scotch back in barrels which the drink escapes from? (8)

Generating...

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

SCUPPER (scotch) + [barrel] S , for the drainage holes in a ship that allow seawater to drain away

9a

Republican in Troon his new golf club (9)

Generating...

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

Anagram (new) of TROON HIS around R

11a

Female ruff's beak (5)

Generating...

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

Double definition – I was aware of the local official/magistrate (hence ‘beak’) known as a REEVE , but not of the female ruff, or sandpiper, being known by the same term

12a

Area supervisors note ID with alterations written above (14)

Generating...

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

A + FOREMEN + anagram (with alterations) of NOTE ID

14a

Cautionary rating on English wine to send to France? (6)

Generating...

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

X (cautionary rating) on E + PORT

16a

Unsatisfied girl has bagged bronze for shooting (8)

Generating...

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

Envelope (has bagged) of UNMET inside GAL

18a

Did champion model speedos around university? (8)

Generating...

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

Anagram (model) of SPEEDOS around U

20a

Contract groom listened to in court (6)

Generating...

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

Soundalike of ‘preen’ + UP (in court, up before the judge)

23a

Lord Chancellor is wary called on mobile (14)

flowerflowerflower
26a

Saw time on notice (5)

flowerflowerflower
27a

With old Golf pulled over people needing the AA vanish (9)

Generating...

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

Reversal (pulled over) of W (with) O (old) G (Golf) + ALKIES (alcoholics, people needing Alcoholics Anonymous)

28a

Bullfighter with no cojones a bit yellow mother admits (8)

Generating...

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

MA around (mother admits) A + TAD + OR (gold or yellow in heraldry), def: a female bullfighter

29a

Doctor home after round where he started (6)

Generating...

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

RIG (doctor) + IN (home) after O

Down

1d

African bug left because harmless? Not quite so (10)

Generating...

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

L + AS + SAFE + VER [y]

2d

Press engagement quiet band keeps to (7)

Generating...

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

P + HOOP around (keeps) TO

3d

Public touching not the done thing (5)

flowerflowerflower
5d

Infer fraud's honest (8)

Generating...

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

CONS + TRUE . Construe and infer aren’t quite identical in meaning, but near enough for a crossword clue

6d

Artiste first noted after agent given raise (9)

Generating...

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

FORMER (first noted – sort of, but I’m a bit unclear about the precise meaning here) after reversal (given raise) of REP

7d

At any time cryptic set difficult challenge (7)

Generating...

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

EVER + anagram (cryptic) of SET

8d

Comb for long-haired adherent caught (4)

Generating...

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

Soundalike (caught) of ‘Sikh’

10d

Drive off without parking to keep looping around (4)

Generating...

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

RE [p] EL (drive off) without the P

13d

See incomplete clone taking copy exactly (10)

Generating...

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

CLON [e] around (taking) both APE + YES

15d

Harry looked at text from Spooner Charles's old foe (9)

Generating...

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

Spoonerism of ‘hound read’, def referring to the 17th-century English civil wars between Charles I’s royalists and the parliamentarians or roundheads

17d

One staying out later probably after 12? (8)

Generating...

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

Cryptic definition – though I’m not sure why ‘later’ rather than simply ‘late’, or what ‘probably’ is adding

19d

Poor worker nice giving away pound (7)

Generating...

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

P [L] EASANT without the L

21d

Removing eggs e.g. nits spread after November (7)

Generating...

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

Anagram (spread) of EG NITS after N . Not sure I quite understand how the definition here relates to the solution – I know some birds sometimes remove eggs from their own nests to optimise the size of the clutch, but that doesn’t seem to me to be the correct interpretation here. Any better ideas welcome – see PostMark@1

22d

Knock black and blue (4)

flowerflowerflower
24d

Cargo ship's steam generator failing to start (5)

Generating...

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

[b] OILER without the B (failing to start)

25d

House with a lot of land miles and miles (4)

Generating...

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

FAR (miles) + M (miles)