This week, we publish the first cryptic by our new team of puzzle masters, Joshua Kosman and Henri Picciotto. If you’ve never tried a cryptic crossword before, or find yourself stumped by our new puzzlemasters, check out our primer, “Solving The Nation‘s Cryptic Crosswords.” Become a subscriber for access to the puzzle every week!
ACROSS
1 and 29 Our predecessor: candid, stylish at heart and uncannily wise (5,5)
4 Half of expats hang around user (9)
9 Lied so Grant was misled (3,4)
10 and 12 Script about chicken leads Roddenberry to limit Star Trek sequel (3,4,10)
11 Rent shop doesn’t open (4)
12 See 10
13 and 18 Kobe Bryant’s quarters seen at Buckingham Palace? (6,2,3,5)
15 Unpleasant atmosphere sounds like the reason I can’t breathe (6)
17 Mysterious person shipwrecked with Navy Cross (6)
18 See 13
22 Enthusiast engrossed in novel read one last chapter (3,2,2,3)
24 Frenchman tops off Joshua’s eggnog and nutmeg (4)
26 Roosevelt’s program on the radio uncovered something slippery (3,4)
27 Receive it, Henri, some other way (7)
28 Fibber is the winner of an Idaho beauty pageant? (9)
29 See 1
DOWN
1 Agitated, loud diatribe #99… (7)
2 …results in father’s breakdown around pad (9)
3 Bond took no time inside (4)
4 One thousand dollars invested in avant-garde Creole painter (2,5)
5 Spiel for TSA employee at times (6)
6 Functioning in top gear, surprisingly (9)
7 Rivet fixed Roman fountain (5)
8 Mandelbrot, undaunted, presents a domed structure (7)
14 Show deference, arranging tune with G clef (9)
16 Dummy cowers abjectly around vehicle (9)
17 Bone-breaking Met’s run (7)
19 The laugh is on Rough Rider—more like boy detectives? (7)
20 Gives up to arrange a “yes” (7)
21 Sock lank, misshapen alien (6)
23 Deuterium has certain quarks (5)
25 Synagogue in raucous hullabaloo (4)
