Challenge your brain with this selection of cryptic crossword clues. Each clue has been thoughtfully crafted to test your word-solving skills. Read through the clues for both across and down answers and see if you can decipher the hidden meanings to complete the puzzle.
Clues Across
8. A practitioner known for their flexibility is allied with an animated figure (4,4).
9. After removing its lead, this canine reveals its power (5).
10. The end of the Spanish Main signals the close of a particular year (4).
11. A Disney princess leaves behind a queen amidst national conflict (2,8).
12. One finds this tome within an unusual landscape (6).
14. This team clashes with and overwhelms a protective line-up (8).
16. Devices for digital printing are infiltrated by North Korea’s leader (7).
18. Poirot’s generosity and goodness are mirrored when he returns within a scenario (7).
21. A carriage clock’s face disrupts a clumsy janitorial worker (8).
23. A personal helper confesses to experiencing a form of dyslexia (6).
24. An anxious housemaid runs away from an airborne pest (3,7).
26. A soulless vagrant finds themselves incarcerated (4).
27. An elder is billed by the establishment “Hotel California” (5).
28. Before one knows it, there’s mention of being significantly drunk (2,2,4).
Clues Down
1. Comedian or geographic feature? (8)
2. A valorous figure is overturned, masking atomic fuel (4).
3. A royal ties up Spain’s sports team, drawing them back in (6).
4. Speculate if Big Bird appears in support of a prominent figure (7).
5. Maternal figure begins to unsettle Lily Savage (4).
6. A playwright earns a prestigious accolade that sounds slightly off-kilter (5,5).
7. Grumpy individuals ready themselves for a leisurely stroll (6).
13. The worth of a New Romantic’s extended play (10).
15. A regular sequence edges out noted cricketer Ollie Pope (3).
17. A truncated investigation into gloom (3).
19. An officer pulls off a deceitful maneuver (4,4).
20. Director Denis Villeneuve asserts his privilege in a U.S. metropolis movie (7).
22. A scientist substitutes sections of an enormous exaggeration (6).
23. This clue accompanies “2,” viewed from a unique angle alongside Tesla (6).
25. An artist manages a trim of lengthy locks (4).
26. The youthful musicians finally break free from a notorious predator (4).
Reporting based on coverage first published by theguardian.com.