No 14797, Tuesday 19 May 2026, Avtaar

Solution to 1D 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   Almost relaxed about conducting children's drill (6) SCHOOL {LOOSe<=} over {CH}

4   Recurrent mistake inhibiting No.1 in Open American championship (8) ESPOUSAL {LAPSE<=} over {Open}{US}

9   Delivery of the French whiskeys reduced by 50% (6) LABOUR {LA}{BOURbons}

10 Non-combatant John defending criminal vilified after disappearance of female editor (8) CIVILIAN {CAN} over {VILIfIed}

11 Following mushy, thick paella Avtaar will calm down (4,1,5,4) TAKE A CHILL PILL {THICK+PAELLA}*{I'LL}

13 Savoury can be chosen after starter for dinner (10) DELECTABLE {ELECTABLE}<=>{Di...r}

14 Ebbing river that is close to Warsaw Embankment (4) WEIR {R}{IE}{w...aW}<=

16 Show rear end of catheter removed from ass (4) MOON MOrON

18 Menacing coach upset by stragglers, finally isolated places for late-comers? (10) GRAVEYARDS {GRAVE}{DRAY<=}{s...rS}

21 Chemical from mobile charging distorted resolution (14) NITROCELLOLUSE {NITRO{CELL}ILOSE*}

23 Male model exposed retrograde tendency to play favourites (8) NEPOTISM {M}{SIT}{OPEN}<=

24 Round table made flat on both sides (6) OBLATE {O}{TABLE}*

25 Confirming result briefly on phone (8) ENSURING {ENSUe}{RING}

26 Afternoon school's principal visiting faculty nowhere to be seen (6) ABSENT {A}{B{Sc...l}ENT}

DOWN

1   Deposit left in knife dropped down (4) S?L?

2   Spike in upwardly mobile Mongolian Bohemians (7) HOBNAIL [T<=]

3   Old coins from Britain embodying earliest signs of unusually lavish luxury (8) OPULENCE {O}{P{Un...y}{La...h}ENCE}

5   Bent lever is lit to control pressure in instrument (6,5) SPIRIT LEVEL {LEVER+IS+LIT}* over {P}

6   Flyer to Rio leaving borders (6) ORIOLE [T]

7   Party embracing the essence of quick unaided execution (7) SUICIDE {S{qUICk}IDE}

8   Hosts in stadium having come cycling (9) LANDLORDS {L{(-l)AND(+l)L}ORDS}

12 President Brown visited by leader in Idaho introducing a boy (11) CHAIRPERSON {CHA{Id..o}R}{PER}{SON}

13 Work out ending in Korean cinema about absolute authority (9) DOMINANCE {DO}{k...aN+CINEMA}*

15 Shortened course before spot of baked dessert (8) SYLLABUB {SYLLABUs}{Ba..d}

17 Amidst work, actor uncovered organisation with extensive network (7) OCTOPUS {O{aCTOr}PUS}

19 Model again exercising. perhaps with energy, letting pressure off (7) RESHAPE {pERHAPS}*{E}

20 Siren's topless photograph linked to her missing husband (6) HOOTER {sHOOT}{hER}

22 Do without cocaine for semifinal run, say (4) HEAT cHEAT

Reference List

Children = CH, The in French = LA, John = CAN, Female = F, Editor = ED, River = R, Male = M, Afternoon = A, Old = O, Coins from Britain = PENCE, Pressure = P, Energy = E, Husband = H, Cocaine = C

No 14796, Monday 18 May 2026, Bruno

Solution to 12A 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   Special ceremony for fairy (6) SPRITE {SP}{RITE}

4   Documents show public school circumventing copyright? (6) PAPERS {P}{APE}{R}{S}

8   Sear easily on burning range (7) EARSHOT {SEAR}*{HOT}

9   They're gutted when taken in by nurse provider (7) CATERER {CA{Th..rE}RER}

11 Try putting it back on head for warmth (10) HEARTINESS {HEAR}{IT<=}{NESS}

12 Card so far held back shows clover, in the end (4) T?E? (Addendum - TREY {YE{c...eR}T<=} - See comments)

13 Often suppressing secret need for drama (5) SCENE {SeCrEt+NeEd}

14 North African King, starting to convulse, is returned to infirmary (8) SICKROOM {MOOR}{K}{Co...e}{IS}<=

16 Musical composition of devotee starting to thrill continent (8) FANTASIA {FAN}{Th...l}{ASIA}

18 Antarctica's western end: area surrounded by water, you could walk down one (5) AISLE {a...cA}{ISLE}

20 Green part of body that's got teeth (4) GEAR {G}{EAR}

21 Make defensive walls of credit European banks and the Spanish get behind (10) CRENELLATE {CR}{Eu...aN}{EL}{LATE}

23 Injured in the back, hobbling around intensive care, returning often? (7) DECIMAL {LAM{IC}ED}<=

24 One that argues to forbid boxing then intermittently leaving (7) DEBATER {DEBA{ThEn}R}

25 Tension as IT tried regularly to get SAAS contents released (6) STRESS {aS+iT+tRiEd}{SaaS}

26 Avenues not very new, causing anxiety (6) UNEASE AvEnUES*

DOWN

1   Source of oil is old, getting hard as time passes (5) SHALE S(-t+h)HALE

2   Book on verse's translated (7) RESERVE {RE}{VERSE*}

3   Rats without front teeth in shed shooting up empty rafters (3-6) TWO-TIMERS {WO}{Te..h} in {EMIT<=}{Ra...rS}

5   Group from North-Eastern state cycling (5) AMASS (+am)AMASS(-am)

6   Citizen peeled carrot, celery on the counter (7) ELECTOR [T<=]

7   Dock worker's girl walked in, strode out (9) STEVEDORE {EVE} in {STRODE}*

10 Perhaps when hot husband's out traveling, it can become a daily issue (9) NEWSPAPER {PERhAPS+WhEN<=}

13 Quiet amateur at gym - smaller and lacking form (9) SHAPELESS {SH}{A}{PE}{LESS}

15 Drink and fruit containing seeds essentially for lizard (9) CHAMELEON {CHA}{MEL{seEds}ON}

17 Dog's not very energetic at first retriever, maybe? (7) TERRIER RETRIEveR*

19 Noblewoman from America's uppity articles about Lithuania (7) SULTANA {US<=}{AN}{A} over {LT}

21 Boorish and angry orator's starting to be kicked out by head of administration (5) CRASS CR(-o+a)ASS

22 Setter supports article's topic (5) THEME {ME}<=>{THE}

Reference List

Special = SP, Public = P, School = S, Copy = APE, Right = R, King = K, Green = G, Credit = CR, The in Spanish = EL, Intensive care = IC, Very = V, New = N, Hard= H, Time = T, On = RE, Without = WO, Girl = EVE, Hot = H, Husband = H, Quiet = SH