No 14915, Monday 05 Oct 2026, Gussalufz

Solution to 5D has been deliberately left unsolved and is to be answered only by a non-regular / novice commenter, with proper annotation. Those who have answered earlier in the week, please give others a chance.

Open for anyone to answer, if not solved by 1 PM.

THREE TRICKY ONES

ACROSS

9   One gets complaints so dumb! Am flustered and close to exhaustion (9) OMBUDSMAN {SO+DUMB+AM}*{e...oN}

10 Wicked bouncer, jaffa? Look, concentrate, finally duck (5) DRAKE Tail Acrostic

11 Take it quietly, go on (7) PRESUME {P}{RESUME}

12 Breathe fire (7) INSPIRE [DD]

13 Turn vessel collecting drip (5) PIVOT {P{IV}OT}

14 A question about relationships (9) EQUATIONS*

16 Sec. censored porn scattered in letters (15) CORRESPONDENCE*

19 Maybe insert a comma in wordplay; cut roughly at end of phrase? (9) PUNCTUATE {PUN}{CUT*}{AT}{p...sE}

22 Frenchman and German captured by spies backing trickery (5) MAGIC {M}{CI{G}A<=}

24 Tried miserably sad eyes (7) ESSAYED*

26 First among desserts is cake trimmed with fudge (7) DISTORT {De...s}{IS}{TORTe}

27 Fierce dinosaur repelled after conclusion of dire struggle (5) EXERT {T-REX<=}<=>{dirE}

28 Secret of strep, one merciless bacterium (9) TREPONEME [T]

DOWN

1   Enliven very plump-at-the-core small dog (4,2) SOUP UP {SO}{plUmp}{PUP}

2   Witness some deliveries bearing "Bombay Stock Exchange" sticker at the bottom (8) OBSERVER {O{BSE}{s...eR}VER}

3   Student jam triggered change (10) ADJUSTMENT*

4   Victim: pedestrian hanging outside bar (6) IMPEDE [T]

5   Tailless lizard — it can be black or red on top — from a Caribbean island (8) ?N?I?U?N ()

6   Podcaster's sales pitches for supplements (4) ADDS (~ads}

7   Some countered: London is actually a better place? (6) CASINO [T<=]

8   Oracle up, reinforced by tax breaks (8) RECESSES {SEER<=} over {CESS}

15 The real aim, ultimately, is to start to reverse-engineer a semiconductor device (10) THERMISTOR {THE}{R}{aiM}{IS}{TO}{Re...r}

16 Encrypted redesign of chip before sending, essentially (8) CIPHERED {CHIP*}{ERE}{senDing}

17 Congratulations, extremely professional investigations! (8) PLAUDITS {Pr...aL}{AUDITS}

18 Minor employee can at last sign name (8) COGNOMEN {COG}{caN}{OMEN}

20 More demanding about one's working post-retirement (6) NOSIER {RE}{1'S}{ON}<=

21 Editor passes on some current events (6) EDDIES {ED}{DIES}

23 Catholic feels sorry for priest getting ignored in urban areas (6) CITIES {C}{pITIES}

25 Hairy creature regularly seen lifting in the gym (4) YETI {In+ThE+gYm}<=

Reference List

Quietly = P, Drip = IV, Frenchman = M< German = G, Real = R, Before = ERE, About = RE, Editor = ED, Catholic = C, Priest = P

The Hindu Cryptic on Sunday No 76, Sunday 04 Oct 2026, Incognito

Three answers per commenter till 4 PM (Annotations Compulsory)

Please submit all your answers in one comment.

(COMMENTS ENTERED WITH LESS THAN THREE ANSWERS/ANNOTATIONS WILL BE DELETED WITHOUT NOTICE, UNLESS THE COMMENTER SPECIFIES THAT IT IS A COMPENSATION FOR A REPEAT)

Thanks for the response, here's the regular blog.

ACROSS

8   Letter from Tibet arrived (4) BETA [T]

9   Engineers mentioned in the number (5) THREE {TH{RE}E}

10 One leaves heavenly female in 60 minutes (4) HOUR HOURi

11 Some Middle Easterners and European soldiers follow Yankee at institute (6) YEMENI {E}{MEN}<=>{Y} at {I}

12 Acacia, for example, from one door now being repaired (8) IRONWOOD {1+DOOR+NOW}*

13 Left university girl in European country (8) PORTUGAL {PORT}{U}{GAL}

15 Take for short time old Rolls Royce parked in front of ship (6) BORROW {O}{RR} in {BOW}

17 Horribly cursed a second hand automobile (4-3) USED-CAR*

19 Hoped snake with anger died (7) ASPIRED {ASP}{IRE}{D}

22 Accompany from Spanish court after discarding uniform (6) ESCORT {ES}{COuRT}

24 For example, Paddy and Rishi strangely manage in absence of time (8) IRISHMAN {RISHI*}{MANage}

26 After middle of night, excitedly pour champagne, for example, at first for musical band (3,5) POP GROUP {niGht}{POUR*}<=>{POP}

28 Wrongly buries precious stones (6) RUBIES*

30 Consumed after soft mincemeat (4) PATE {ATE}<=>{P}

31 Rise and dress (3,2) GET UP [DD]

32 Colour bird carrying a piece of nut (4) TINT {TI{Nut}T}

DOWN

1   Give away editor hiding in church (4) CEDE {C{ED}E}

2   Secured legal right to place temporary accommodation next to Father Edward (8) PATENTED {TENT}<=>{PA} and {ED}

3   Group following saint to get packing material (6) STRING {RING}<=>{ST}

4   Dotty communication from superb rail leaflet (7) BRAILLE [T]

5   Engineers with scepticism starting to scrap fortifications (8) REDOUBTS {RE}{DOUBT}{Sc..p}

6   One who displays a bathroom fitting (6) SHOWER [DD]

7   Embrace with love, the author of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame (4) HUGO {HUG}{O}

14 Individual leaving fertile spot around Middle Eastern kilns (5) OASTS {OASiS} over {easTern}

16 Final letter from Santhome garrison (5) OMEGA [T]

18 Like hats 7 manufactured (2,6) AS THOUGH {HATS*}{HUGO*}

20 Lives in horrible sin, possessing addictive practice (8) INHABITS {SIN}* over {HABIT}

21 Can spot damaged metal vessels (7) TINPOTS {TIN}{SPOT*}

23 Wild parties from Oregon soldiers having Ecstacy (6) ORGIES {OR}{GI{E}S}

25 In absence of net, wrongly interrupt and intrude (6) IRRUPT InteRRUPT

27 Major Albert's hiding a sort of test (4) ORAL [T]

29 Bird from other nest (4) ERNE [T]

Reference List

Engineers = RE(Royal Engineers), European = E, Yankee = Y, Institute, University = U, Old = O, Rolls Royce = RR, Died = D, Spanish = ES, Uniform = U, Soft = P, Editor = ED, Church = CE, Edward = ED, Saint = ST, Individual = I, Soldiers = GIS, Ecstasy = E