No 14828, Wednesday 24 Jun 2026, Avtaar

Solution to 22D 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.

ACROSS

1   Propose checking new inspector's authority (6) PUNDIT {PU{N}{DI}T}

5   Trainer given key after dropping institute's driver (8) COACHMAN {COACH}{MAiN}

9   Land in Vakola is dug up (8) SLOVAKIA*

10 Solid brown on tail of cat (6) TRUSTY {RUSTY}<=>{caT}

11 Perjury of leader being laid out in public? (5,2,5) LYING IN STATE {LYING}{IN}{STATE}

13 Force Republican to give up seat for head of party (4) PUMP (-r+p)PUMP

14 Weakened disoriented side badly losing final (8) DISABLED {SIDE+BADLy}* 

17 Fear of extremely unusual strains in water-clover, for example (4-4) FOUR-LEAF {FEAR+OF+Un...aL}*

18 Harry lying about stealing Avtaar's earnings (4) GAIN {N{I}AG<=}

20 Repetition by initially accentuating leading letter-sounds (12) ALLITERATION {ITERATION}<=>{Ac...g}{Le...g}{Le...r} &lit

23 Regressive characters facing extremely violent sexual attachment change over time (6) EVOLVE {Ex...y}{Vi...t}{LOVE}<=

24 Earlier introduction of tax ruined neighbourhood shop (8) RETAILER {EARLIER+Tax}*

25 Judge, say, with a vacuous look clumsily crosses in a carefree manner (8) JAYWALKS {J}{SAY+W+A+LooK}*

26 Where you find environs for Pranayama, invoking a deity (6) PAGODA {Pr...mA} over {A}{GOD} Semi&lit

DOWN

2   Mostly unpleasant taste of imported fruit (4) UGLI {UGLy}{Im...d}

3   Real estate magnate's daughter constantly implicating staff in retreat (9) DEVELOPER {D}{EV{POLE<=}ER}

4   Every now and then Yankee engages in money fraud (4-2) TAKE-IN {T{yAnKeE}IN}

5   One working for a mission from Africa has freed Government in trouble (6,9) CHARGE D'AFFAIRES*

6   A cut gem's placed on hard floor (8) ASTONISH {A}{STONe}{IS}{H}

7   Ferret circling a resort (5) HAUNT {H{A}UNT}

8   Opposition is hesitant when challenged (10) ANTITHESIS*

12 Further stay set up by old European state (10) YUGOSLAVIA {ALSO}{GUY}<={VIA}

15 Start batting at first, say, when given a stint at the crease (9) BEGINNING {Ba...g}{EG}{INNING}

16 Erotic film on email oddly missing essence of sex (8) VENEREAL {VENeER}{EmAiL}

19 Excellent weed raised at the bottom of elevated mine (6) TIPTOP {POT<=}<=>{PIT<=}

21 Relative's smart act (2-3) IN-LAW {IN}{LAW}

22 Randy's lodge, almost fully erected (4) ?E?D ()

Reference List

New = N, Inspector = DI(Detective Inspector), Institute = I, Republican = R, Judge = J, Daughter = D, Hard = H, Stay = GUY 

No 14827, Tuesday 23 Jun 2026, Bruno

Solution to 12A 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.

ACROSS

6   Hot girl turning reddish brown (5) HENNA {H}{ANNE<=}

7   In general, no shopping centre accepts rupee, yen (8) NORMALLY {NO}{R}{MALL}{Y}

10 Yard in Burj building - clumsy fellow's death sentence could be pronounced there (4,3) JURY BOX {JUR{Y}B*}{OX}

11 Walk gently to right and meet the Creator - get taken aback! (7) DOGTROT {TO}{RT}{GOD}<=

12 Agree and support one being fired for offence (7) C?N?O?M (Addendum - CONFORM CONF(-i+o)ORM - See comments)

13 Pedal furiously to reach a gallery finally - it doesnt come around often (4,3) LEAP DAY {PEDAL}*{A}{g...rY}

14 After party, bulk ice melted around front half of quad very fast (6-5) DOUBLE-QUICK {DO}{BULK+ICE}* over {QUad}

19 Hot sauce is revolting and bland (7) INSIPID {IN}{DIP+IS<=}

21 Beneficiary's story buried in gets a cable carrying energy close to home (7) ALIENEE {A{LIE}N}{E}{homE} What's the role of 'cable'?

23 Swimming waterhole - a lake draining towards which place (7) WHERETO WaTERHOlE*

25 Setter's facing same-old deadlock (7) IMPASSE {I'M}{PASSE}

26 King hiding in some old, rundown hut sheltering with gratitude (5,3) THANK YOU {AN{K}Y}{O} in {HUT}*

27 Genetically modified organism fitted with independent unknown device (5) GIZMO {G{I}{Z}MO}

DOWN

1   Radical infiltrating worker association along with journalist's not smooth (8) UNIRONED {UNI{R}ON}{ED}

2   Graduate gets little of meal, majority of liquor and grass (6) BAMBOO {BA}{Meal}{BOOze}

3   New dune buggy to carry old, fat, & short (10) UNEXAMPLED {DUNE}* over {EX}{AMPLe}

4   Urge support when Portugal's run over by Dutch (4) PROD {P}{R}{O}{D}

5   Federal organization banned English trouser style (6) FLARED FEDeRAL*

6   Terrible fellow chasing hot one with force (6) HIJACK {JACK}<=>{H}{1}

8   Media, finally following American soldier who captured Chinese and another Asian (7) AFGHANI {m..iA}{F}{G{HAN}I}

9   Without hint of fuss, FDA banned transporting deathly chemical group (5) ETHYL dEaTHLY*

13 Brief noise from duck in oil soup at sea, initially plaintive, disappearing, becoming chattering (10) LOQUACIOUS {QUACk} in {OIL+SOUp}*

15 Youngster chasing referee's relatively large (7) UMPTEEN {TEEN}<=>{UMP}

16 Big kitchen - cook sizing one end for rotisserie (4-4) KING-SIZE {K}{SIZING}*{r...rE}

17 Opinions compete with science, basically (5) VIEWS {VIE}{W}{Sc...e}

18 Different man wrote translation while off work (6) HETERO {HE}{wROTE}*

20 Look at the storm! (6) SEETHE {SEE}{THE}

22 Attack independent politician with gun sneakily (6) IMPUGN {I}{MP}{GUN*}

24 Black animal going around American city (4) ONYX {O{NY}X}

Reference List

Hot = H, Rupee = R, Yen = Y, Yard = Y, Right = RT, Party = DO, Hot = IN, Energy = E, Lake = L, King = K, Old = O, Independent = I, Unknown = Z, Radical = R, Journalist = ED, Old = EX, Portugal = P, Run = R, Over = O, Dutch = D, English = E, Chinese = HAN, Kitchen = K, With = W