Sydney Morning Herald 2025-07-29

Super easy, but also I think quite well clued. This would probably make for a good beginner crossword. It's interesting how LR bounces around difficulty levels, but I do think his easier ones are better constructed.

Across

1
Constructs secret puzzle (6)
ERECTS — anagram (puzzle) of SECRET
5
Filled in with soft cheese, nourished (7)
BRIEFED — BRIE (soft cheese) FED (nourished)
9
Aunt Prue avoided leaders? False! (6)
UNTRUE — aUNT pRUE, without first letters
10
Brief visit looking into solutions to poverty (8)
STOPOVER — hidden in solutionS TO POVERty
11
Passionate time in Minorca resort (8)
ROMANTIC — T (time) inside anagram (resort) of MINORCA
12
Prompt Timothy Shorten to enter four quarters (2,4)
ON TIME — TIM (Timothy, shorten) inside ONE (four quarters)
13
Writer cries tears about debut of book (6)
SCRIBE — anagram (tears) of CRIES around B (first letter of book)
15
Attractive waiter spilled one tea ingredient (3,5)
HOT WATER — HOT (attractive) WAiTER without i (one)
18
Refs revolted after team initially sprinted: "Carry!" (8)
TRANSFER — T (first letter of team) RAN (sprinted) reversal (revolted) of REFS
20
Part of the nose kept missing potassium in total (6)
SEPTUM — SUM (total) containing kEPT without k (potassium)
21
Josh Brown and Nathan Taylor elected religious leaders (6)
BANTER — first letters of Brown And Nathan Taylor Elected Religious
24
Hand of poker star, shuffling and discarding first eight (8)
STRAIGHT — anagram (shuffling) of STAR, eIGHT without first letter
26
Global superpower Doctor, I presume? (1.1,6)
US EMPIRE — anagram (doctor) of I PRESUME
27
Member of a square board or round table? (6)
KNIGHT — double def., cryptic def.
28
Oddly ready to pursue sport, lacking direction for play (7)
PORTRAY — sPORT without s (direction), RAY (odd letters of ready)
29
Reserved 11-across outing after she rejected hotel (6)
SEDATE- — ShE without h (hotel), DATE (11-across [romantic])

Down

2
Dial Zero for rock star (5)
RINGO — RING (dial) O (zero)
3
Carl pruned country flower (9)
CARNATION — CARl (without last letter) NATION (country)
4
Short episodes rewound by court in regards to ghost (7)
SPECTRE — reversal (rewound) of EPS (short episodes), CT (court), RE (in regards to)
5
Cardinal Austin regularly entered before Christ (5)
BASIC — BC (before Christ) containing ASI (odd letters of austin)
6
Smooth, lidless biro - not containing uranium (4,3)
IRON OUT — bIRO without first letter, NOT containing U (uranium)
7
Violate first law in cooking tofu (5)
FLOUT — anagram (cooking) of TOFU containing L (first letter of law)
8
Son abandoned reason, entering empty dorm for sleep sequence (5)
DREAM — REAson without son inside DM (dorm without outside letters)
14
Wilde ditched overseas vehicle (3)
CAR — osCAR (Wilde) without os (overseas)
15
That lady's somewhat incoherent (3)
HER — hidden in incoHERent
16
A politician and I entered playing field and got louder (9)
AMPLIFIED — A MP (politician) anagram (playing) of FIELD containing I
17
Bird's skinless leg bone (3)
EMU — fEMUr (leg bone, without outside letters)
19
Distant river that is right for shoemaker, perhaps (7)
FARRIER — FAR (distant) R (river) IE (that is) R (right)
20
Chief of Staff attempts to pocket 1000 pounds (7)
STRIKES — S (first letter of staff) TRIES (attempts) containing K (1000)
22
Even cadets go up to this old writer (5)
AESOP — even letters of cadets go up
23
Planet America features a circus act (5)
TAMER — hidden in planeT AMERica
24
Disreputable witness erases contents of diary (5)
SEEDY — SEE (witness) DY (outside letters of diary)
25
Welcome diminishing bigotry - we can beat this! (2-3)
HI-HAT — HI (welcome) HATe (bigotry, without last letter)