Independent Cryptic #1875

2026-02-01

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Across

9a

Small amount wasted - order less! (9)

Generating...

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

Anagram (wasted) of S AMOUNT + CH (member of the Order of Companions of Honour)

10a

TV channel once held back final part of Daphne Duck (5)

Generating...

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

Reversal (held back) of DAVE (TV channel now rebranded as U&Dave) + E (final part of Daphne)

11a

Guards opening exits and access points (7)

Generating...

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

[s] ENTRIES (guards) without its first letter (opening exits)

12a

Public performance by couple out of time throughout and late (7)

Generating...

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

OVER [t] (public) + DUE [t] (performance by couple) both without T (out of time throughout)

13a

Yellow aggregate containing clay and hematite primarily (5)

Generating...

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

ORE (aggregate) around (containing) first letters (primarily) of C [lay] and H [ematite]

14a

One well ahead of our time with new style of serene art (9)

flowerflowerflower
16a

Old singer broadcast hit and real men cried (15)

flowerflowerflower
19a

Break up with Spooner’s tetchy American girlfriend (9)

Generating...

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

Spoonerism of ‘pissy’ (American slang for tetchy) ‘date’

21a

Italian brother boxes leftover plants (5)

Generating...

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

FRA (Italian abbreviation for a monk or friar, so ‘brother’) around (boxes) L + O (left + over)

22a

Cannabis regularly taken eating chicken Madras! (7)

Generating...

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

Envelope (eating) of CNAI (alternate letters – regularly taken – of ‘cannabis’) around HEN

23a

Loads of ‘brrm brrm’ when this happens? (7)

Generating...

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

Brrm brrm being the noise made when one’s CAR GOES

24a

Fortune laid out by American for prestigious car (5)

Generating...

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

LOT (fortune) + US

25a

Trifling Ig Nobel award - extremely funny (9)

Generating...

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

Anagram (funny) of IG NOBEL A [war] D (award extremely)

Down

1d

University nurses oddly in favour of master's degree remaining the same (10)

Generating...

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

U (university) + NRE (odd letters of ‘nurse’) + FOR (in favour of) + MED (M.Ed., master’s degree)

2d

Sewer in street's an irritating thing? (8)

Generating...

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

ST + ITCHER (an irritating thing)

3d

Head lost in despair abandoned hope (6)

Generating...

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

Anagram (abandoned) of [d] ESPAIR (head lost in despair)

4d

Arsenal reserves warm up (4)

Generating...

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

Reversal (up, in a down clue) of SNUG (warm)

5d

County has address centrally within mall perhaps to let (10)

Generating...

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

Insertion of R (central letter of ‘address’) inside SHOPS (mall perhaps) + HIRE

6d

People accommodated in principle here? (8)

flowerflowerflower
7d

What’s on is below standard today essentially (6)

Generating...

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

ON (from surface) below (in a down clue) PAR (standard) + D (central letter – essentially – of ‘today’)

8d

One is or used to be (4)

Generating...

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

A play on ‘we’re’ (we are/one is) and ‘were’, past tense of the verb to be

14d

Promotions delight some at first with envy occasionally admitted (10)

Generating...

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

Envelope (admitted) of ELATION (delight) + S (some at first) around E n V y (envy occasionally)

15d

Al Shearer’s injured in practice sessions (10)

flowerflowerflower
17d

Sinister force existing to the North where the monster lurks (8)

Generating...

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

Reversal (to the North, in a down clue) of LIVE (existing) + NESS (Loch Ness, where the monster lurks). Hard to believe that ‘evilness’ is really a word, when ‘evil’ does the same job, but it is

18d

Variations in chemical make-up established by organisation that standardises drinks (8)

Generating...

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

ISO (the body that issues international standards for all sorts of things, the International Organization for Standardization. There’s an interesting note on why it’s ISO, not IOS, on Wikipedia ) + TOPES (drinks)

20d

It’s mostly easy relaxing (6)

Generating...

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

Anagram (relaxing) of ITS EAS [y] with the whole clue as definition

21d

Hunt's changing of gear (6)

flowerflowerflower
22d

One hundred worn-out and stiff (4)

Generating...

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

C + OLD

23d

Copper on beat missing half of block (4)

flowerflowerflower