Times Cryptic #29369

2025-10-24

Solve on Times →

Across

1a

Proposed bathing lake for a paddle (5)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

BADE (proposed) around (bathing) L (lake)

4a

Lawn game put away without a ball served (9)

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I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

CROQUET (lawn game) ATE (put away) – (without) A

9a

Attachment on plugs from now on attached to plug (9)

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I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

RE (on) in (plugs) HENCE (from now on) next to (attached to) AD (plug)

10a

Student group gathering in university? (5)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

FORM (student group) around (gathering in) U (university)

11a

Company land grabs cultivating endless corruption (13)

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I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

CO (company) NATION (land) around (grabs) TAMING (cultivating) without the last letter (endless)

14a

Wild curry leaves are reportedly arriving from the east (4)

flowerflowerflower
15a

Made without stock, gravy can stretch (4-2-4)

Generating...
18a

Bloody yellow-jacketed bees buzzing around jams and fruit (10)

flowerflowerflower
19a

One of old rotating ball pens? (4)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

reversal of (rotating) ORB (ball) around (pens) I (one of old) Roman numerals are old. I mean, all numerals are at this point.

21a

Wrestling confederation's ace is very cocksure (13)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

anagram of (wrestling) CONFEDERATION whose (‘s) A (ace) is replaced by V (very)

24a

Charlie crashing Polish Fiat (5)

flowerflowerflower
25a

Girl, no stranger to lower scores, turned over answer papers (9)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

MYRIAD (scores) reversed (turned over) A (answer) ID (papers) I saw MAID straight away, and spent the rest of the solve trying to figure out a word for ‘scores’ starting with ‘M’.

27a

Volunteers painting poorly-lit boards around station feature (4,5)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

TA (volunteers) + DARK (poorly-lit) in (boards) OIL (painting) reversed (around)

28a

Local objector losing pounds in fast (5)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

remove (losing) L (pounds) in NIMBLY (fast) “Not In My Back Yard”-er.

Down

1d

One's wobbly and pale, scratching bottom with skin condition (10)

flowerflowerflower
2d

Get clean fires with hard wood (3)

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I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

WASH (get clean) – (fires) W (with) Not nice with the word ‘hard’ in the clue.

3d

Secretive matter requiring attention goes to auditor (6)

flowerflowerflower
4d

Arrange to have medicine bottle returned if no good (9)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

CURE (medicine) around (bottle) reversal of (returned) IF NO + G (good) I have feelings about the wordplay here. Technically, there’s nothing wrong with it, but if you say “reversal of X Y Z”, it feels a little unfair to have that mean Y X Z. Yes, yes, lift and separate and all that, but in this case I feel that “I must say what I mean” is being taken a bit far.

5d

Conclusion of two contrasting periods coming up (5)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

AGE MO (two contrasting periods) reversed (coming up)

6d

Object after evacuation of floor in university block? (8)

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I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

END (object) after removing middle letters from (evacuation of) FLOOR in UNI (university) This was one of the only clues where I really had the wordplay wrong, but managed to see the answer from the checking letters. I think I thought the answer was going to be ‘object’, but then ‘after’ is really unaccounted for.

7d

Despot's end connected to incendiary bombing may be this (11)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

last letter of DESPOT (despot’s end) + anagram of (bombing) INCENDIARY

8d

Get married in city boasting fine cathedral of trees (4)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

put (get) M (married) in ELY (city boasting fine cathedral) Is there some meaning of ‘fine’ I’m not understanding here? Seems superfluous.

12d

Retired engine parts assembled on a line employing imperial measures? (11)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

reversal of (retired) LOCO (engine) in (parts) anagram of (assembled) ON A LINE I had NONCOLONIAL for a long time here, but knew it couldn’t be right because I wasn’t using an ‘E’. I also had no idea of a synonym for ‘engine’.

13d

Bank limits left earl with 500 on account (10)

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I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

RELY (bank) around (limits) PORT (left) E (earl) + (with) D (500)

16d

Director checked material having spent time reflecting on it (9)

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I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

TARTAN (checked material) – (having spent) T (time) + reversal of (reflecting) ON IT

17d

Minister suppressing recording's nervy ending (8)

flowerflowerflower
20d

North African close to climbing secure borders (6)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

reversal of (climbing) NAIL (secure) around (borders) BY (close to) Another one where the wordplay did fool me. I felt sure we were going to have a ‘G’ in a word meaning ‘secure’. I know the African continent fairly well, and know which countries have the right number of letters and which are in the north, but even after getting LIBYAN from the crossers, I had trouble seeing how the wordplay worked.

22d

Harvard student keeping daughter secret (5)

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I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

CO-ED (Harvard student) around (keeping) D (daughter) I guess CO-ED is a term we only use here?

23d

Glaze's tangy ingredient? (4)

flowerflowerflower
26d

Bow's hurt ability to throw (3)

Generating...

I haven't cracked this one yet — but Times for the Times have:

dropping the H in (Bow’s) HARM (hurt)