No 14698, Friday 23 Jan 2026, Incognito

RULES FOR POSTING COMMENTS FOR FRIDAY ONLY

All those who are not regular commenters but who are rookie commenters or silent followers of the blog are requested to post answers with annotations in the comments section. In your own interest please avoid looking up the answers from the interactive version. Don't hesitate to post your annotations, in case you make a mistake in the annotation someone will correct it with the right annotation.

PLEASE NOTE, SOLUTIONS WITHOUT ATTEMPTING THE ANNOTATIONS WILL BE DELETED

Each commenter is requested to post only 5 answers thereby giving others also a chance to participate. Please provide all your answers in one comment.

Regular solvers/Veterans can post 1 answer each, but after 11 AM only.

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

ACROSS

1   Unpaid? Super! (11) OUTSTANDING [DD]

9   Swears on affidavit typed hastily, for starters, and signs finally (5) OATHS {On}{Af...t}{Ty..d}{Ha...y}{s..nS}

10 Prudent to go around country with Romeo and Lothario (9) WOMANISER {W{OMAN}ISE}{R}

11 Misleading clue for "Sacred ornament worn by her after removing pouch" (3,7) RED HERRING {sacRED}{RING} over {HER}

12 Wiki wrongly spelt bird (4) KIWI*

13 Fine cotton thread from large island (5) LISLE {L}{ISLE}

15 Excitedly petting around end of arm and seducing (8) TEMPTING {TE{arM}PTING*}

17 Talking without a bandage (8) DRESSING adDRESSING Deletion indicator for D missing

19 Boy leaves river submerging girl's animal (5) TIGER {TI(-b}ER} over {G}

22 Uncovered part of menu deleted (4) NUDE [T]

23 No place to die inside the house (6-4) LIVING-ROOM [C&DD]

26 Savage baron is in front of funny Arabian carrying redhead (9) BARBARIAN {B}{A{Re...d}BARIAN*}

27 Prod guardsmen giving up arms and running (5) NUDGE {GUarDsmEN}*

28 Little dog with European mother's mother consumed fruit (11) POMEGRANATE {POM}{E}{GRAN}{ATE}

DOWN

1   Chose operation to explore deep initially (5) OPTED {OP}{To}{Ex...e}{Deep}

2   Seattle preparation on ship is insipid (9) TASTELESS {SEATTLE}*{SS}

3   Worst construction around eastern skyscrapers (6) TOWERS {TOW{E}RS*}

4   Named person... one jumping around pit (7) NOMINEE {NO{MINE}E*}

5   Charged particles found in onion skin (4) IONS [T]

6   Going, consuming small sip, and indulging in idle talk (9) GOSSIPING {GO{S}{SIP}ING}

7   Rolls Royce is parked in fuel enclosure (6) CORRAL {CO{RR}AL}

8   Is making a mistake placing ornament behind queen (6) ERRING {RING}<=>{ER}

14 Policeman's stake-out near road wrongly taped person... Not on! (5,4) SPEED TRAP {TAPED+PERSon}*

16 A label fixed in piano built in South American region (9) PATAGONIA {A}{TAG} in {PIANO}*

17 European carrying university boy's flower (6) DANUBE {DAN{U}{B}E}

18 Perhaps, transfixing top class fish behind end of barn (7) NAILING {A1}{LING}<=>{barN}

20 The Desert Fox starting to march in capital with trainee (6) ROMMEL {RO{Ma..h}ME}{L}

21 Flower from Zulu hostelry is available in the beginning (6) ZINNIA {Z}{INN}{Is}{Av...e}

24 Historically popular song, perhaps, in soldier's heart (5) OLDIE [HIPS}

25 Moderately hot conflict with maiden (4) WARM {WAR}{M}

Reference List

Romeo = R, Large = L, Boy = B, Girl = G, Baron = B, Ship = SS, Eastern = E, Small = S, Rolls Royce = RR, Queen = ER, University = U, Trainee = L, Zulu = Z, Maiden = M

No 14697, Thursday 22 Jan 2026, Incognito

Solution to 29D 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

8   Actress Lucille's boy gets everything (4) BALL {B}{ALL}

9   Fowl transported by mid-morning... carried by air (5) FLOWN {FOWL*}{morNing}

10 Suspend Chinese girl (4) HANG {HAN}{G}

11 Bachelor throwing corn, with love, for wild horse (6) BRONCO {B}{CORN}{0}

12 Buried one with book and made a mistake (8) INTERRED {1}{NT}{ERRED} 

13 Before middle of operation, California doctor covers the bishop's seat (8) CATHEDRA {o..rAt..n}<=>{CA}{DR} over {THE}

15 Violently slay, er, in sanctuary (6) ASYLUM {SLAY*}{UM} 

17 Waste fried eatables (7) FRITTER [DD]

19 Hopelessness from touring Paris after Germany (7) DESPAIR {PARIS*}<=>{DE}

22 Colour repaired sliding door when lords go away (6) INDIGO {slIDING+doOr}*

24 Fascinating method of attaching metal sheets (8) RIVETING [DD]

26 Gnu runs with fruit on starting to hear terrible shoot-out (8) GUNFIGHT {GNU*}{FIG}{Hear}{Te...e}

28 Discuss a type of tree I left (6) CONFER CONiFER

30 Prohibit nitrogen in shed (4) BARN {BAR}{N}

31 American statesman getting 10 in 10, including an 'A' (5) TEXAN {TE{X}{A}N}

32 Direction right on the map? (4) EAST [CD/GK]

DOWN

1   So left sailor in confusion in den (4) LAIR sAILoR*

2   Chinese alien follows scheme to make coin blank (8) PLANCHET {CH}{ET}<=>{PLAN}

3   Have enough money for a fine car (6) AFFORD {A}{F}{FORD}

4   Coal placed around highway from London to Leeds by Charlie? It's funny! (7) COMICAL {CO{M1}{C}AL}

5   Start and excitedly eat in it after one (8) INITIATE {EAT+IN+IT}*<=>{1}

6   Shout about that lady's fruit (6) CHERRY {C{HER}RY}

7   Keen to break joint? (4) KNEE*

14 Public Relations Officer wearing a new pinny (5) APRON {A}{PRO}{N}

16 University inn arranged to cover ring for marriage (5) UNION {U}{NI{O}N*}

18 Extend Musk's portal (8) ELONGATE {ELON}{GATE}

20 Secured IP rights for portable accommodation possessed by father and editor (8) PATENTED {PA}{TENT}{ED}

21 Exert erroneously in physical training and excuse (7) PRETEXT {P{EXERT*}T}

23 Horribly faint after taking in a bit of noxious tot (6) INFANT {FAINT}* over {No...s}

25 Empty tin in vessel (6) VACANT {VA{CAN}T}

27 Them flying around North Pole results in snafu, perhaps (4) USAF {USAF+N}*=SNAFU

29 Simple Yankee follows nearly 32 (4) E?S? (Addendum - EASY {Y}<=>{EASt} - See comments)

Reference List

Boy = B, Girl = G, Bachelor = B, Book = NT(New Testament), ER = UM, Germany = DE, Chinese = CH, Alien = ET, Fine = F, Charlie = C, New = N, University = U, Editor = ED, North Pole = N, Yankee = Y