Crossword Answer Lookup

Guardian Cryptic Crossword #24770

Guardian Cryptic · 29 clues with answers and explanations · 2009-08-05

Explanations sourced from Fifteensquared

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Across

1 Initially an abstainer going round trees (2,5)

Def

trees

Answer

ATFIRST
5 Fabrications about remote battles (7)

Answer

WARFARE
10 Wasn't a performer in "The African Queen" (4)

Def

Queen"

Answer

DIDO
11 Forward or circulating, drink coffee I make (10)

Answer

PERCOLATOR
12 Bow of sailing boat in outline (6)

Def

outline

Type

Charade

Expl

S (first_letter="sailing") + KETCH (synonym="boat") = SKETCH; definition: "outline"

Answer

SKETCH
13 See 24 (8)

Answer

DEADBODY
14 Hospital on the box which begins in Jerusalem (5,4)

Answer

HOLBYCITY
16 Emphatic refusal of oxygen: "Enjoy!" was misconceived (2,3,4)

Answer

NOWAY
17 Emphatic refusal, one for Blair: rule only when reformed (3,2,4,5)

Answer

NOTON
19 See 17 (9)

Answer

YOURNELLY
23 Sound of water moved by what steers a lot of ships (8)

Def

ships

Answer

FLOTILLA
24 Emphatic refusal where I might hope for some mourning (4,2,4,4)

Answer

OVERMY
26 Gingerbread, good company, empty saloons here in America (7,3)

Answer

PARKINGLOT
27 See 16 (4)

Answer

JOSE
28 Putting gloss on news by a companion, one of the Greens (7)

Def

Greens

Answer

SPINACH
29 Abridgment of the first letter to Araucaria (7)

Answer

EPITOME

Down

2 See 3 (7)

Answer

THINKSO
3 Understated refusal: add "I'm not" for Cartesian inference? (1,4,5,2)

Answer

IDONT
4 Queer chappies lacking ecstasy for Lesbian (7)

Def

Lesbian

Answer

SAPPHIC
6 One sort of letter said to indicate confession (6)

Def

confession

Answer

AVOWAL
7 Table fork used in the soup? (4,5)

Type

Anagram

Expl

anagram of TABLEFORK ("Table fork") [anagram: "used"] = FLATBROKE

Answer

FLATBROKE
8 Valley and river of noble descent join up (7)

Answer

RHONDDA
9 Count about right: an idiot in bother just as always happens (13)

Answer

TRADITIONALLY
15 Literary present from box office with agreement to receive information (4,5)

Answer

BOOKTOKEN
18 Work keeping unhealthy early hours — it's wicked (3,4)

Def

Work

Answer

OILLAMP
20 Height nought feet — not good to go up maintaining that (7)

Answer

ROOFTOP
21 Single payment to self-employed workers for half a season (4,3)

Def

Single

Answer

LUMPSUM
22 Where to treat one held in endless embrace (6)

Answer

CLINIC
25 In France I enter cup match backed by fool across the border (5)

Answer

EEJIT