Times Cryptic #29417

2025-12-19

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Across

1a

Difficult problem learner assimilated by heart (7)

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

L in TICKER

5a

In club, drop shot of ecstasy (7)

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

BAT + TINGE – E

9a

Base can just be forming a foundation (9)

flowerflowerflower
10a

Number days before turning eighteen at last (5)

flowerflowerflower
11a

1 or 2 perhaps are reported to be aboard mobile air ambulance (6,7)

flowerflowerflower
13a

Poor old Scandinavian receiving pardon (3-5)

Generating...

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

O + NORSE around EH (pardon) Wish I could have gotten this one faster but I couldn’t think of EH for ‘pardon’!

15a

Appeal against book supporter censoring hard subject reference (6)

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

IT (appeal) + S{h}ELF Great definition.

17a

Key information guided claims (6)

flowerflowerflower
19a

Fabulous maiden having rejected frilly skirt this short (8)

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

M + LACY reversed around THI{s} Wonderfully misleading. I was trying to think of mythological ladies before I saw LACY and realized I needed to lift-and-separate.

22a

Doctor cutting tremor at emergency room with a large lozenge? (13)

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

DR in QUAIL + AT + ER + A + L A diamond-shaped parallelogram or rhombus , says Chambers.

25a

Retired gentleman greeting hosts from Dublin? (5)

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

HI (greeting) around (hosts) SIR (gentleman) reversed I can’t actually get ‘retired’ to apply to (SIR in HI), but only the SIR. I think this is technically a grammatical error.

26a

Trying Morris dancing beset by calamity (9)

flowerflowerflower
27a

Probably missing middle notebook leaf (4,3)

flowerflowerflower
28a

Have workers for university succeeded in imposing raise? (7)

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

MEN replaces U + S in AUGUST

Down

1d

Hard drinker served up moonshine (4)

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

H SOT reversed

2d

Appropriate to have unclosed trunk tossed outside Savoy? (7)

flowerflowerflower
3d

Pounds advanced to secure leather and wool (5)

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

L + A around LAM (leather)

4d

Recheck less exposed cracks in most piping (8)

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

{l}ES{s} (exposed) in (cracks) RE-EDIT (recheck) This fooled me — I thought for sure this would be some synonym of HOTTEST.

5d

Thin fencing erected at field of flowers? (6)

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

BONY around AT reversed

6d

International pilot heading for Chicago entering course to the US (4,5)

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

TEST (pilot) + C in MATH (course to the US)

7d

Counter popular bible passage (7)

flowerflowerflower
8d

Greek keeping isolated housing touched up for posh people (10)

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

GK around (LONE around FELT, reversed)

12d

In local cast, see Belgian who's dictionally informal (10)

flowerflowerflower
14d

Daughter's wiped out by sedatives in possession (9)

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

DOWNERS – D + HIP (in)

16d

Wheeler-dealer disposing of small island with a show of emotion (8)

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

SHYSTER – S + I + A

18d

Extremely slow golf amateur almost everyone stood up (7)

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

G + reversal of LAIC (amateur) + AL{l}

20d

Pizza toppings in Calabria acknowledge local region (7)

flowerflowerflower
21d

Digitally extended audio recording of Debussy? (6)

flowerflowerflower
23d

Bit of a ladder in stocking one could be regretting (5)

Generating...

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

RUNG around I What is ‘in’ doing here?

24d

Capture minds by succeeding (4)

Generating...

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

NET around (minds) X (by)