No 14800, Friday 22 May 2026, Karaoke

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.

ACROSS

1   Scene at the end maybe premature end? (5,8)

9   Life in Beirut occasionally could be without issue (9)

10 Reportedly he brings charges against channel (5)

11 Lady supervisor cooking roti and naans mainly in dining hall (9)

12 A plant originally camouflaged insect (5)

13 Act fine, finishing off, get the weapon used by police (5)

14 Bury husband inside with a woman especially wearing nothing (2,3,3)

18 Heartily takes panties off in a mental hospital (8)

19 Struggle to clear elementary school? Take test again (5)

21 Goes steady with fruits (5)

23 He cashes in on old vehicle essentially in problem with petrol (9)

24 Watch fire, let off steam inside for cured meat (5)

25 Nicotine usage keeps health ultimately at risk (2,4,3)

26 Shopping bag weighs a ton and moves impressively (4,4,1,4)

DOWN

1   Maybe the Latin rectified modern English (8,7)

2   Voice box for blitzkrieg (3,6)

3   Author of Hotel upset with Emily on vacation (6)

4   Church service is all the same, no good (8)

5   Inventor's writing tablet recycled (5)

6   When ghost train with passenger in the middle crashes that surprises me (3,6,1,5)

7   Dear friend regularly dropped and made a booboo (5)

8   Frequent flyers earn them while travelling to exotic Israel with family essentially (3,5)

15 Mohican dancing around Arabic music maker (9)

16 Bird with weather-beaten neck mainly (8)

17 Bite loaf at sea, It may be your source of survival (8)

20 Photograph that revealed a small ulcer (6)

21 Maiden appearance, good for model, correct? (5)

22 Wines brewed for stamina (5)

No 14799, Thursday 21 May 2026, Gussalufz

Solution to 7D 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.

BY GEORGE!

ACROSS

1   European in hurry, cycling for show (5) USHER {E} in {(-r)USH(+r)R}

4   Supported revolutionary Polish pacifist, right? (5,4) TIDED OVER {EDIT<=}{DOVE}{R}

9   West Indian player's style: play flamboyantly well, chasing century (7) CALYPSO {PLAY*}{SO}<=>{C}

10 Chest scratched on both sides? Characteristic of fretfulness (7) COFFRET [T]

11 Man, perhaps I'm boring, overly fussy (6) ANIMAL {AN{IM}AL}

12 Stick slice of orange in bread—pastry! (8) NAPOLEON {NA{POLE}{Or...e}N

14 Gluttons slurp revoltingly, guzzling gallons (4) PIGS {S{G}IP<=}

15 Worried if flu U-turn is something not likely to yield (10) UNFRUITFUL*

18 With constraints dropped, Agent-I lessened courteous behaviour (10) GENTILESSE [T] Not exactly constraints that are dropped?

19 Till supply ends / first of February (4) FARM {ARM}<=>{Fe...y}

22 Unethical lab won; safeguards partially retracted? Swell! (8) SNOWBALL [T<=]

24 Popcorn ABC? (6) CARBON {CORN+AB}*

26 Firm absurdly leaden, time to intervene (2,5) AL DENTE {LEADEN}* over {T}

27 Exciting undergarment and new shirt, after six (7) VIBRANT {BRA}{N}{T}<=>{VI}

28 Deodorise extravagantly around centre of navel, conceding, "I used too much" (9) OVERDOSED {DEODORiSE}* over {naVel}

29 Dog//fighter? (5) BOXER [DD]

DOWN

1   Release snake under bulk of relative (7) UNCLASP {ASP}<=>{UNCLe}

2   Continuing with unfinished holy dip? No, god no! (7,2) HOLDING ON {HOLy}{DIp}{No}{GOd}{No}

3   Withdraw and go authentic, says Rev. Spooner (6) REPEAL (~pee real to repeal)

4   Excessively large organ (4) TOOL {TOO}{L}

5   A tense detective from the south: "Lock this tyrant!" (10) DICTATRESS {A}{T}{CID}<={TRESS}

6   Flower's top decomposed one day after coming up (8) DAFFODIL {LID}{OFF}{A}{D}<=

7   Very complete bar, special spirit (5) V?R?E (Addendum - VERVE {V}{sERVE} - See comments)

8   It's about parts of kidneys, about part of eye (7) RETINAL {RE{IT<=}NAL}

13 Being not OK with news—sullen, distressed (10) UNWELLNESS*

16 Female hit lovers with torches (9) FLAMBEAUX {F}{LAM}{BEAUX}

17 Stripped and dressed bird, including part of skeleton (8) RIBBONED {RIB{BONE}D*}

18 Bad cops with backing? Nothing touches, say! (7) GESTAPO {O}{PATS}{EG}<=

20 Brute force unleashed by Mrs., often randomly (7) MONSTER {MRS+OfTEN}*

21 Tree regularly seen by a tomb, maybe (6) BAOBAB {By+A+tOmB+mAyBe}

23 Love left to wither, that's nothing new (5) OLDIE {O}{L}{DIE}

25 A film that's intense (4) AVID {A}{VID}

Reference List

European = E, Right = R, Well = SO, Century = C, Gallons = G, Time = T, New = N, Shirt = T, Large = L, Tense = T, Lock = TRESS, Day = D, Very = V, Special = S, Female = F, Force = F, Left = L