No 14768, Wednesday 15 Apr 2026, Avtaar

HAPPY VISHU

Solution to 17A has been deliberately left unsolved and is to be answered 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   Party in bar turned extremely raunchy (7) REVELRY {LEVER<=}{Ra...hY}

5   Put on stage for Mussolini, perhaps (7) PRODUCE {PRO}{DUCE}

10 Small water inlet outside entrance to bathroom (4) BABY {BA{Ba...m}Y}

11 Mobile mass seen briefly on river around source of oil (6,4) SESAME SEED {MASS+SEEn}*{DEE<=}

12 Caution by English guards to walk softly (6) TIPTOE {TIP}{E} over {TO}

13 Shout about bone across centrepiece in grill used in the kitchen (8) CULINARY {C{UL{grIll}NA}RY}

14 Stir as tension breaks (9) SENSATION*

16 Fiend in English county heartlessly stealing money (5) DEMON {DEvON} over {M}

17 Very likely committed Bob's heading to border (5) ?O?N?  (Addendum - BOUND [MD] - See comments) 

19 Snare in celebration springing back behind bust (5,4) BOOBY TRAP {PARTY<=}<=>{BOOB}

23 Rum from Antigua - rare medicine - on the counter (8) DEMERARA [T<=]

24 Overcome by corrosion, banks of Euphrates turned reddish brown (6) RUSSET {RUS{Eu...eS<=}T}

26 Seals cracks in intricately woven material (10) TAPESTRIES {TAPES}{TRIES}

27 Helps millions fleeing terrible disease (4) AIDS mAIDS

28 Messenger Avtaar's apprehending scoundrel with hesitation (7) MERCURY {M{ER}{CUR}Y}

29 Dream of fellow worker shattered, say (7) FANTASY {F}{ANT}{SAY*}

DOWN

2   Devious general cancelling PR (7) EVASIVE pErVASIVE

3   Country broadcast logotype giving away 50 rings (5) EGYPT loGoTYPE*

4   Honour vision about becoming leader (7) RESPECT (+re)RESPECT(-re)

6   Back member after German leaves fold (6) RUMPLE {RUMP}{LEg}

7   Purge toxic insecticide with fluorine, after dropping ice (9) DISINFECT {iNSECTIcIDe+F}*

8   Man in church given port for good health (7) CHEERIO {C{HE}E}{RIO}

9   My coach's positive when I have cut off straying of the mind and body (13) PSYCHOSOMATIC {MY+COACHS+POSITive}*

15 US city backs probing radical faceless agencies having identical traits (9) SYNGENEIC {NY<=} in {aGENCIES}*}

18 Lover at eatery having had too much (7) OVERATE [T]

20 Coffee-maker is included in 22, say (7) BARISTA {IS} in {(~barter)BARTA}

21 Section of Mossad negated flipping schedules (7) AGENDAS [T<=]

22 Stock exchange? (6) BARTER [CD]

25 Lean factory replacing leader with second (5) SLANT (-p+s)SLANT

Reference List

English = E, Money = M, Millions = M, Hesitation = ER, Fellow = F, 50 = L, About = RE, German = G, Fluorine = F, Church = CE, I have = I'VE, Second = S

No 14767, Tuesday 14 Apr 2026, Bruno

Artwork by Prasanna

Rangoli by Gowri

Solution to 22D has been deliberately left unsolved and is to be answered 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   Long after love that's intimate (5) OPINE {PINE}<=>{O}

7   Declined to allow two aces access to thoroughfare (4,4) SLIP ROAD {SLI{PRO}{A}D}

10 Anger about working condition to make industrial source material (4,3) IRON ORE {IR{ON}{OR}E}

11 Artist part of paralympic association (7) PICASSO [T]

12 Blockbuster set in USA, perhaps minimally diverse? (7) WHITEST {W{HIT}EST}

13 Rejected work certain to contain essentially hated standpoint (7) POSTURE {OP<=}{S{haTed}URE}

14 Iconic discos moving North, leaving infection (11) COCCIDIOSIS {ICOnIC+DISCOS}*

19 Mum and uncle originally blocked rings with patches (4-3) LASH-UPS {LA{SH}{Un..e}PS}

21 Atheist, divorced, went all the way back for diamond (7) INFIELD INFI(-d)EL(+d)D

23 Power hub arbitrarily placed around plant (7) RHUBARB [T]

25 Record in text is put in front (7) PREPOSE {PR{EP}OSE}

26 Without being whipped, bun was baked and consumed (8) UNBEATEN {BUN*}{EATEN}

27 Small amounts of debris at sea crossing ocean's middle (5) DRIBS DeBRIS*

DOWN

1   Religious offender spread creationism without priests, often (8) SIMONIAC CreAtIONISM

2   Dwarf injected with hormone in the bottom and set of chromosomes (6) GENOME {G{h...nE}NOME}

3   Ensures area in school below a crest's levelled (10) ASCERTAINS {A}{IN}{S}<=>{A+CREST}*

4   Balloon with top blown off becomes slack (4) LIMP bLIMP

5   Part of Germany, bit of Netherlands, and South Africa overwhelmed by America's reversal (6) NASSAU {Ne...s} and {SA} in {USA<=}

6   Indian job was mostly transported outside India (6) OJIBWA {JOB+WAs}* over {I}

8   Radical laws to limit Islamic State bigots (7) RACISTS {R}{AC{IS}TS}

9   Old instruments spoil easy when often plucked (5) ROTES {ROT}{EaSy}

13 Asian character with long part of mouth in front (10) PHILIPPINE {PHI} and {PINE}<=>{LIP} Shouldn't that be FILIPINO? PHILLIPINE is the language

15 Old custom from Madras - regularly draining cadaverous fluid (7) COUVADE  CaDAVErOUs*

16 Setter, oddly, has only brothers... that could result in a heart attack (8) STENOSIS {SeTtEr}{NO SIS}

17 Extreme ritual - one's killed brutally (5) ULTRA RiTUAL*

18 Mum dropped off shakes for milk deliverers (6) UDDERS shUDDERS

20 Rejects vessels after start of strife by president (6) SPURNS {URNS}<=>{St..e}{P}

22 Lands top medal (6) F?E?D? {Addendum - FIELDS [DD] - See comments)

24 Dollar bill placed on the counter for nuts (4) BATS {S}{TAB}<=

Reference List

Ace = PRO, A, North = N, Mum = SH, Divorced = D, Record = EP(Extended Play), Area = A, School = S, Radical = R, Islamic State = IS, President = P, Dollar = S, Bill = TAB