The Hindu Cryptic on Sunday No 69, Sunday 16 Aug 2026, Arden

Three answers per commenter till 4 PM (Annotations Compulsory)

Please submit all your answers in one comment.

(COMMENTS ENTERED WITH LESS THAN THREE ANSWERS/ANNOTATIONS WILL BE DELETED WITHOUT NOTICE, UNLESS THE COMMENTER SPECIFIES THAT IT IS A COMPENSATION FOR A REPEAT)

ACROSS

1   Military orders to tolerate a ridicule (5,2,4)

7   First of all safety - and people undermine it (3)

9   Middle name in a mix up - they provide early life cover (5)

10 Resistance to stop a film on murder - there's no shooting (9)

11 With money, bank becomes more determined (9)

12 The bread winner brings it home... (5)

13 ...and finally when the romantic ruler's getting amorous (7)

15 Defy and force the ruffian (4)

18 Plans over canned meat? (4)

20 Poet follows one as movement is slow (7)

23 Daisy gets a stern warning to stay inside (5) 

24 New wine gets to head, shows unpleasantness (9)

26 Short course on drinking French wine in various regions (9)

27 Come right inside the club (5)

28 Ultimately get to one digit (3)

29 Dawdle around - days wasted finding top vegetable (5-6)

DOWN

1   School can make an impression while growing up (8)

2   Declare the girl is overweight (8)

3   Inside a thing at the end (5)

4   Making fun of a drink with Carol (7)

5   A young man crossed over the border, returned with top officer (7)

6   Oriental shock involving billions - going to China? (9)

7   Partners lie on long grass (6)

8   Praises break up involving a sweetheart (6)

14 Just me with broken Tamil, about average (9)

16 The ruler, having born before '50 is praying (8)

17 Males promise merchandise for a haberdashery (8)

19 Threatened people, one died later (7)

20 Helps musicians to leave Britain (7)

21 Castigate for reviewing some of the corporate practices (6)

22 Set to go out- no time for an underling (6)

25 Tinned fruit picked regularly for a lemur (5)

No 14873, Saturday 15 Aug 2026, KrisKross

                                                   Happy Independence Day

Artwork by Prasanna

Rangoli by Gowri

ACROSS 

1 Not on time... gets missed by the audience (8) OFFSTAGE {OFF}{STAGE}
5 Under pressure, judge acted badly, losing head (6) JAMMED {J}{hAMMED}
9 Slippery end of rink — falling every so often, called for vehicle (8) TRICYCLE {TRICkY}{CaLlEd}

10 Farewells in America break down you and me (6) ADIEUS {A}{DIE}{US}
12 I get a note: "Fantastic bargain!" (9) NEGOTIATE*
13 Determined to follow old scent (5) ODOUR DOUR<=>O
14 Spots uneven roads, ultimately rough (4) RASH {RoAdS}{rougH}
16 Sausages from small joints, reportedly (7) WIENIES (~WEE KNEES)
19 Refuse to accept "Anyway, it's fate!" (7) DESTINY {DENY} around {IT'S*}
21 Picked up dress accessory from Asia (4) THAI {~TIE}
24 Storage device basically containing digital recordings of music (2-3) CD-ROM [Acrostic]
25 Contracting a boy on a horse to tour Germany (9) ABRIDGING {A}{B}{RID{G}ING}
27 Heavyweight group without work building muscle (6) TONING {TON}{wING}
28 Spooner says "Save American sculptor — she is critical!" (8) LINCHPIN Spoonerism of PINCH LIN
29 Slanders brands winning millions (5) SMEARS {S{M}EARS}
30 Like a fox eating English fruit in a calm manner (6) SEDATELY {S{E}{DATE}LY}

DOWN
1 Carbon that oddly is included in a component of petrol (6) OCTANE {C}{ThAt} in ONE
2 Daughter crushed by grief breaking down, becoming cooler (6) FRIDGE {D} in {GRIEF*}
3 Go with sweetheart on vacation for a rendezvous (5) TRYST {TRY}{SweethearT}
4 Giant dog in corner rising up (7) GOLIATH  {TAIL<} in {HOG<}
6 Moving drama — one involving Dutch stars (9) ANDROMEDA {DRAMA ONE}* around D

7 Electronic device having new sign about boosting memory (8) MNEMONIC {MIC}around {N+OMEN}<
8 Sorrow as lover spends money for diamonds (8) DISTRESS (-m+D)DISTRESS
11 Catcall from back of courtroom upset trial! (4) MEOW {courtrooM}{WOE<}
15 Part of Turkey — an old country surrounded by soldiers (4,5) ASIA MINOR {A}{SIAM}{IN}{OR} surrounded by=in
17 Teaches upwardly mobile date about old gold coin (8) EDUCATES {SEE<} around {DUCAT}
18 Members in contest ran, getting split up (8) ESTRANGE [T]
20 You hadn't regularly lost money in Shanghai (4) YUAN {YoU hAdNt}

21 Wrong to stuff fork in meat dish (7) TERRINE {ERR} in {TINE}

22 Easy test with "India" as answer (6) SIMPLE {S(-a+I)IMPLE}
23 A hundred years to gather knowledge for department (6) AGENCY {A}{GEN}{C}{Y}
26 In Stalingrad, a charming cottage (5) DACHA [T]

REFERENCE LIST

Judge=J, America=A, Old=O, Boy=B, Germany=G, Work=W, Millions=M, English=E, Carbon=C, Daughter=D, Dutch=D, New=N, Money=M, Diamonds=D, Soldiers=OR, India=I, Answer=A, Hundred=C, Years=Y.