No 14890, Friday 04 Sep 2026, Pixie Dust

HAPPY  JANMASHTAMI

Artwork by Prasanna

Rangoli by Gowri

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

ACROSS

7   Being very new, dropping every second fish (6) BIGEYE {BeInG+vErY+nEw}

8   Portrait's irritating without moustache essentially (8) PAINTING {PAIN{m..sTa..e}ING}

9   Performing star singer is perhaps missing a visitor (8)  STRANGER {STAR+siNGER}*

10 Extremely exotic resting place! Sweet (6) ECLAIR {Ex..iC}{LAIR}

11 Cordiality found in Guggenheim? Oh! Nobody was sent back (8) BONHOMIE [T<=]

12 Ten reportedly perished in compound (6) IODIDE {10}{(~died)DIDE)

13 Techie set the ball rolling? (5,3,3) BREAK THE ICE {TECHIE}* [RA]

18 Say Cruise with Jerry's partner making a comeback in 'The Bird' (6) MOTMOT {TOM}{TOM}<=

20 Penny leaving busy airport wearing glasses for a musical (8) ORATORIO {AIRpORT}* in {OO}

22 Some children nabbed swivelling Jack (6) BANNER [T<=]

23 Do your best backing flower business (8) INDUSTRY {TRY}<=>{INDUS}

24 Skirt around old Buddhist monastery to find power, a measure of it (8) KILOWATT {KIL{O}{WAT}T}

25 Fun for crook to take flight (6) RUNOFF*

DOWN

1   Elocution of contradictions (7) DICTION [T]

2   Found a quiet husband or perhaps it's an implied comparison (8) METAPHOR {MET}{A}{P}{H}{OR}

3   Endless border crowding weird tree (3,3) RED GUM {EDGe} in {RUM}

4   Elfin repeatedly used safety device? (8) LIFELINE {ELFIN}* [Letter Bank}

5   Stupid firm filled with traitors from the beginning (6) STOLID {S{Tr...s}OLID}

6   Star while cycling around loop puts feet up (7) UNWINDS {(-s)UN(+s)S} over {WIND}

8   Can this purist make a mess of proficient stance? (13) PERFECTIONIST {PERFECTIONIST+CAN}* = {PROFICIENT+STANCE} 

14 Being a main channel gift European currency (8)  ARTERIAL {ART}{E}{RIAL}

15 Preferring first pair of chants over old carol (8) CHOOSING {CHa..s}{O}{O}{SING}

16 Consequently tourist town in Greece becomes an independent country (7) SOMALIA {SO}{MALIA}

17 Spooner's clear displeasure for this part of the body? (7) MIDRIFF (~rid miff to midriff)

19 Car's working? Yes Man! (6) MINION {MINI}{ON}

21 They are scaled but not the first in pecking orders (6) ADDERS lADDERS

Reference List

Penny = P, Old = O, Quiet = P, Husband = H, European = E, Over = O

No 14889, Thursday 03 Sep 2026, Saral

Solution to 18A 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

7   Linger outside park leading one animal (6) WAPITI {WA{P}IT}{1}

8   Unionist against politician with international group for mediating (8) UMPIRING {U}{MP}{1}{RING}

9   Diplomat arranging mass abroad (10) AMBASSADOR*

10 Voice is regularly suppressed in fights (4) VIES {VoIcE+iS}

11 Plan of regime finally ousting Welsh in new reign possibly (8) ENGINEER {r...mE} in {NEw+REIGN}*

12 Sweet-sounding music for two including originally lovely contralto (6) DULCET {DU{Lo...y}{Co...o}ET}

13 One in French hotel caught with director actively stopping reel continuously (5,3,5) ROUND THE CLOCK {UN}{HOTEL+C+D}* in {ROCK}

16 Minister from new circle (6) CLERIC*

18 Reverend's double course rejected (5,3) R?L?D ?U? (Addendum - RULED OUT (-dual rout to ruled out) - See comments)

21 Delay report covering lecture essentially (4) STAY {S{lecTure}AY}

22 Rag this ordinary garden parties perhaps (10) PEDESTRIAN {PEDESTRIAN+RAG}*=GARDEN PARTIES [CA]

23 Old relative in favour of European support (8) FOREBEAR {FOR}{E}{BEAR}

24 Upset Republican bumping boxer's head in combat (6) RATTLE (+r-b)RATTLE

DOWN

1   Son to get cut nut for swimmer (6) SALMON {S}{ALMONd}

2   Note: Butter is used primarily in dessert (8) TIRAMISU {TI}{RAM}{IS}{Used}

3   Paper from government issued (6) TISSUE [T]

4   Irregular distribution of aid blocking yields in return (8) SPORADIC {AID}* in {CROPS<=}

5   Tour starts to take relatives around various enjoyable locations (6) TRAVEL Acrostic

6   King, born idiot giving reaction without thinking (4-4) KNEE-JERK {K}{NEE}{JERK}

8   Without being detected abused a thread run about the German (5,3,5) UNDER THE RADAR {A+THREAD+RUN}* over {DER}

13 Maybe sister in joy backing brother in the end (8) RELATION {ELATION}<=>{b...eR}

14 Crack and lit heroin piece inhaled by doctor (8) DECIPHER {H+PIECE}* in {DR}

15 Tough to persuade bud sadly controlled by old judge (8) OBDURATE {O}{BUD*}{RATE}

17 Verses in religious education listing chants ignoring number (6) RHYMES {RE} over {HYMnS} How does E go in?

17 Verses basically rehearsed by English soprano after short chant (6) RHYMES {Re...d} and {E}{S}<=>{HYMn} - Clue edited based on request from Saral.

19 Again chase passion and shine (6) LUSTRE {RE}<=>{LUST}

20 Working in underpass initially dark (6) USABLE {Un...s}{SABLE}

Reference List

Park = P, Unionist = U, International = I, Welsh = W, One in French = UN, Caught = C, Director = D, European = E, Republican = R, Son = S, Note = TI, King = K, Born = NEE, The in German = DER, Heroin = H, Old = O, Religious education = RE, Number = N, English = E, Soprano = S, Again = RE