No 14857, Tuesday 28 Jul 2026, Avtaar

Solution to 26A 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   Relatives rejected incentives to accept work (7) SPOUSES {SOPS<=} over {USE}

5   Cataract patient stabbed by rogue (7) CASCADE {CAS{CAD}E}

9   Bottega in Florence had couch in front of reception (7) ATELIER {ATE}{LIE}{Re...n}

10 Bond's race to arrest KGB's head free of violence, ultimately (7) LINKAGE {LINe{Kgb}AGE}

11 Possibly informal document reflecting on media losing power in Delaware (5,4) DRESS CODE {DOC<=}<=>{pRESS} in {DE}

12 Hassle to get rid of phosphorus compound found in perfumes (5)  ESTER pESTER

13 Civilian lawyer in Saudi? (5) MUFTI [DD]

15 Body in the open - alarming murder? (9) SCARECROW {SCARE}{CROW}

17 What removes moisture from soiled soft rinsed clothing rapidly after draining? (4,5) SPIN DRYER {P+RINSED}* over {Ra...lY} Semi&lit

19 Swimmers going back to get a bit of practice and rest (5) SLEEP {EELS<=}{Pr...e}

22 Perhaps Indian sent back from China economising (5) OCEAN [T<=]

23 Fabric 's restyling cut most of return (9) STRUCTURE {'S}{CUT+RETURn}

25 Sustained energy of revolutionary instigates killing spree at the end (7) STAMINA ANIMATeS<=

26 Take rook with rook conceding lead (7) D?C?I?E ()

27 Company backs probing fellow escaping from spare suite (7) RETINUE {UNIT<=} in {fREE}

28 Prepare to visit old East European religious scholar (7) EXEGETE {GET} in {EX}{E}{E}

DOWN

1   Cool sneakers boosted hero's state (7) STARDOM {MOD}{RATS}<=

2   Feel son evolved without help (7) ONESELF*

3   Big shot turned up aboard in loafers (5) SPIVS {S{VIP<=}S}

4   Extremely old is surely exotic (9) SERIOUSLY  {O+IS+SURELY}*

5   Split iceberg left in pit (5) CALVE {CA{L}VE}

6   They cut below in sequence avoiding edges of icicle (9) SUNDERERS {UNDER} in {SERieS}

7   Electrical accessory in a mobile device mounted behind avoiding poles (7) ADAPTER {A}{PAD<=}{sTERn}

8   I caught crook hiding rupees in frontal arch close to temple? (7) EYEBROW {(~i)EYE}{B{R}OW}

14 Space at the beginning I intend to change before working (9) INDENTION {I}{INDENT}*{ON}

16 Flight link from peak in adjacent island to hill spanning British river (3,6) AIR BRIDGE   {Ad...t}{I} and {RIDGE} in {B}{R}

17 Surety's bankrupt charged by completely heartless nieces (7) SPONSOR {'S}{PO{Ni..eS}OR}

18 Muddled divorced spouse stopping in front (7) INEXACT {IN}{EX}{ACT}

20 Unique cross and clubs going missing - difficult to spot (7) ELUSIVE ExcLUSIVE

21 Introduce promotion covering start of exciting race on the radio (7) PRECEDE {PR}{Ex...g}{(~seed)CEDE}

23 Small step above room (5) SPACE {S}{PACE} What's the role of above?

24 Suspicion of theft dismissed by corner drug store (5) CACHE {CAtCH}{E}

Reference List

Couch = LIE, Power = P, Soft = P, Fellow = F, Old = EX, East = E, European = E, Left = L, Rupees = R, Island = I, British = B, River = R, Divorced spouse = EX, Clubs = C, Promotion = PR, Small = S, Drug = E

No 14856, Monday 27 Jul 2026, Bruno

Solution to 6D 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  College's appeal to get girl fired causes uproar (7) CLAMOUR {C}{gLAMOUR}

7   Upset as Southern township disappears mysteriously (7) UNHORSE SOUtHERN* Township/T ?

9   Artificial intelligence confuses oil for sauce (5) AIOLI {AI}{OIL*}

10 Yahoo taken in by scoundrel here regularly, that bird-brain! (9) CHICKADEE {C{HICK}AD}{hErE} What's the role of 'brain'?

11 Green sea bubbles round America — with no form (7) GASEOUS {G}{SEA*}{O}{US}

13 Improve menu by removing first item — and putting in place on the counter (4,2) TUNE UP {PU{mENU}T}<=

15 Engine's top injures people often, when falling (3,10) JET PROPULSION {TOP+INJURES+PeOpLe}*

19 Communist seems exposed giving pay off (6) REDEEM {RED}{sEEMs}

20 City girl mostly surrounded by girls outside work (7) GLASGOW {G}{LASs}{G}{O}{W}

23 Encourage counterfeit notes, essentially to be hidden (9) STIMULATE {S{noTes}IMULATE}

24 It might bail out one? (5) ALIBI {BAIL}*<=>{A} Semi&lit

26 Hint of hardness in one building material (7) SHINGLE {S{Ha...s}INGLE}

27 With Siri, this Christmas symbol can be arranged religiously (4,3) YULE LOG {YULE LOG+SIRI}*=RELIGIOUSLY [CA]

DOWN

1   Root of black oppression, mainly (4) TARO {TAR}{Op...n}

2   One could start a chain reaction in fashion - I'm oddly aroused (6) DOMINO [T<=]

3   Rigour in case of emergency arising during prison riots (9) PRECISION {ICE<=} in {PRISON}*

4   Jars of drinks containing fish (5-3) SHAKE-UPS {S{HAKE}UPS}

5   Dancer's goal — release a sad lullaby (10)  CRADLESONG {DANCERS+GOaL}*

6   Mission: convert neutral to become radical (6) C?A?G? (Addendum CHARGE CHA(-n+r)RGE - See comments)

7   One money for all boomerangs (4) UNIT {TIN}{U}<=

8   Free of former partner's influence, sweetheart's finally liberated (6) EXEMPT {EX}{tEMPT}

12 One has to stay under that quietly during idle times, perhaps (5,5) SPEED LIMIT {P} in {IDLE+TIMES}*

14 Famous psychiatrist's support led to setter's recovery — it's a childhood thing (6,3) JUNGLE GYM {JUNG}{LEG}{MY<=}

16 Jump to conclusion that half of jury is consumed by power and greed when assembled (8) PREJUDGE {JUry} in {P}{GREED*}

17 Credit is India's major problem (6) CRISIS {CR}{IS}{I'S}

18 Morning — daylight's beginning to come off canopy (6) AWNING dAWNING

21 Fertile horse with large, great heart (6) ARABLE {ARAB}{L}{grEat}

22 Very alcoholic drink... causes depression (4) VALE {V}{ALE}

25 Lazy creep avoids society (4) IDLE sIDLE

Reference List

College = C, Girl = G, Yahoo = HICK, Green = G, Outside = O, Work = W, In case of emergency = ICE, Neutral = N, Radical = R, For all = U, Quietly = P, Power = P, Credit = CR, India = I, Horse = ARAB, Large = L, Very = V, Society = S