The Guardian Cryptic Answers - Thursday, 23rd December 2004 There are 16 across clues and 16 down clues for the The Guardian Cryptic crossword on Thursday, 23rd December 2004. View the answers below.. Also try..All The Guardian Cryptic AnswersAll PublicationsThe AnswersNumber# Clue Answer AAcross 1: Is quoted backwards about being non-specifically religiousDEISTICAAcross 5: Battered hat with blemish at a funny angleATHWARTAAcross 9: Imaginarily innocent period?INFANCYAAcross 10: Kingsley's playing for sacerdotal approbationBENISONAAcross 11: Ceremonial soldier's electronic exploit in the drinkBEEFEATERAAcross 12: Not initially sad about Cuban exportCIGARAAcross 13: Bar's to bar drunken poetsESTOPAAcross 15: Flower absorbing source of metallic elementGERMANIUMAAcross 17: Meet incongruously, in reversed roles, with local guideSTREETMAPAAcross 19: Apple, or purveyor thereof to teacher?PUPILAAcross 22: Anomalous accent in which first letter's droppedROGUEAAcross 23: I had earmarked the lady, as a Londoner might say, for coverEIDERDOWNAAcross 25: Suddenly meet dog eating duck's headCOLLIDEAAcross 26: Time to ban recycled music in shops, sayAMBIENTAAcross 27: Emerging with a whiff of sodium?NASCENTAAcross 28: Sign points to sorceress's residenceENDORSEDDown 1: Dead river, or the merest trickleDRIBBLEDDown 2: Modify or pass on disease across lineINFLECTDDown 3: Wound up finding one score halved and another guttedTENSEDDown 4: Old garment adopted by government leader after call from Moss, sayCRYPTOGAMDDown 5: Honour accorded to a king supplies cautionary signalAMBERDDown 6: Like running water, perhaps, left by snake as a gesture of friendship?HANDCLASPDDown 7: American bum, say, with top-notch African weaponASSEGAIDDown 8: Grass production reportedly preserved spiritTINDRUMDDown 14: Tripe eater dropping a faulty 3PRETERITEDDown 16: Deny getting help to go up in estimationREPUDIATEDDown 17: Antichristian breed embraced by Spanish saintSARACENDDown 18: Gun turned on North American starREGULUSDDown 20: The support one received as an innovatorPIONEERDDown 21: Woman following deduction cracks solutionLYNETTEDDown 23: Spain's opening fixtureEVENTDDown 24: Furious at being born in mid-assaultRABID