No 14766, Monday 13 Apr 2026, Hypatia

Solution to 26A 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

1   Possible to say, trade in scrap (6) CANCEL {CAN}{(~sell)CEL)

4   Bird herding two tailless animals (6) BULBUL {BULl}{BULl}

9   Fervent cry (4) KEEN [DD]

10 Complain about broken locks? (5,5) SPLIT HAIRS {SPLIT}{HAIRS}

11 Associate litigation relating to a court (6) ATRIAL {A}{TRIAL}

12 Spooner's bag hit chair behind the driver (4,4) BACK SEAT (Sack beat to back seat)

13 Agatha Christie novels and plays with sound (9) WHODUNITS*

15 Basically headgear - also topis sometimes (4) HATS Acrostic &lit

16 Hard to take over in say, Kohli's steps (4) GHAT G(-o+h)HAT

17 Herb's running after terrible game (9) BADMINTON {MINT}{ON}<=>{BAD}

21 Activate new TiVo to entertain couple (8) MOTIVATE {M{TIVO*}ATE}

22 Country dividing drug and alcohol (6) UGANDA [T]

24 Charming food shop's extremely garish bar's nearly crowded (10) DELIGHTFUL {DELI}{Ga..sH}{T}{FULl}

25 Has topless dresses (4) OWNS gOWNS

26 Without consuming drugs, model's most balanced (6) S?N?S? (Addendum - SANEST {SAN{E}S}{T} - See comments)

27 Peacekeeper's soldiers taking a line that's imaginary (6) UNREAL {UN}{RE}{A}{L}

DOWN

1   Spotted cat that's reportedly a rogue (7) CHEETAH (~cheater)

2   Sacred bull treasured by Pakistan and India (5) NANDI [T] 

3   Reverse speech impediment in time for character in Greece (7) EPSILON {E{LISP<=}ON}

5   A small increase in uniform cost, ultimately included in selection (6) UPTICK {U}{P{cosT}ICK}

6   Snake was pickled in can for sailor (9) BOATSWAIN {BOA}{T{WAS*}IN}

7   Frequently use that in really round ropes (7) LARIATS {uSe+ThAt+In+ReAlLy}<=

8   Anything goes in Easter ball (3,4,3,3) ALL BETS ARE OFF {EASTER+BALL}* [RA]

14 Registered ardent interest primarily in rare and ethnic group (9) DRAVIDIAN {R}{AVID}{In...t} in {AND}*

16 Merchants following Government's rule score unexpectedly (7) GROCERS {G}{R}{SCORE}*

18 Sentimental old lady, underrated, discontented about nothing (7) MAUDLIN {MA}{Un...eD}{NIL<=}

19 Spoken without sound for a second, say (7) ORDINAL {OR{DIN}AL}

20 Oddly, Bhatt shoots for anticlimax (6) BATHOS {BhAtT+sHoOtS}

23 Chiefly aloft, beyond or vertically elevated! (5) ABOVE Acrostic & lit

Reference List

Associate = A, Hard = H, Over = O, Bar = T, Drug = E, Model = T, Soldier = RE(Royal Engineers), Line = L, Uniform = U, Registered = R, Interest = I, Government = G, Rule = R

The Hindu Cryptic on Sunday No 51, Sunday 12 Apr 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)

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

ACROSS

1   Day full of ideology leads to unhappiness (6) DISMAY {D{ISM}AY}

4   Perhaps built as to describe new Byzantium (8) ISTANBUL {BUILT+AS}* over {N}

10 Rode an offender? (9) WRONGDOER {RODE}* [RA]

11 Plot takes an odd turn - do follow (5) TRACT {TuRn}{ACT}

12 Desert dweller returned to a legendary town (7) CAMELOT {CAMEL}{TO<=}

13 Cocktail with a neighbour shows Indian spirit (7) KACHINA {cocK}{A}{CHINA}

14 Cherries on icing encapsulate boom, in a way (5) SONIC [T]

15 Working on Goa and a place in New York state (8) ONONDAGA*

18 Boast about friend to intimidate (8) BALLYRAG {B{ALLY}RAG}

20 After a month one returns to take head of clan to the holy city (5) MECCA {M}{AC{Clan}E<=}

23 Church goes over lists to purify the place (7) CLEANSE {C{LEANS}E}

25 Can't Sue become crazy? (7) NUTCASE*

26 Detonated some, back in August (5) NOTED [T<=]

27 Boundaries vital to get to eighty (9) FOURSCORE {FOURS}{CORE}

28 Can a graduate accept mistake? That'll be capital! (8) CANBERRA {CAN}{B{ERR}A}

29 Separate, withstand a scoundrel (6) WEASEL {W}{EASEL}

DOWN

1   Crestfallen to see the feathers being shed (8) DOWNCAST {DOWN}{CAST}

2   Rockstar's quiet with woman, strangely (7) SHOWMAN {SH}{WOMAN*}

3   Cherub-like one calling out to suppress echo (9) ANGELICAL {ANG{E}LICAL*}

5   Allowed to enter wild forest - to work using internal energy is a brainwave (6,2,6) STROKE OF GENIUS {OK} in {FOREST}* and {USING}* over {E}

6   Room at the top for open lattice (5) ATTIC lATTICe

7   Land around a college is invigorating (7) BRACING {BR{A}{C}ING}

8   Dangerous to allow and stop short (6) LETHAL {LET}{HALt}

9   Amateur makes your fielders to spread out (2-2-10) DO-IT-YOURSELFER*

16 Maybe China keeps it in service to block a river (9) DEMITASSE {M{IT}ASS} in {DEE}

17 So long as there is charge on the spa (8) FAREWELL {FARE}{WELL}

19 Authorise inclusion in two articles written in an ancient language (7) AVESTAN {A}{VEST}{AN}

21 Mountain goat found in such a moist place (7) CHAMOIS [T]

22 Popular at home taking care of nice interiors (6) ICONIC {I{CO}N}{nICe}

24 First go in with nothing on showing butt (5) NUDGE {NUD{Go}E}

Reference List

New = N, Month = M, Church = CE, With = W, Stand = EASEL, Quiet = SH, Echo = E, Energy = E, College = C, At home = IN, Care of = CO