Special, Tuesday 20 Oct 2026, Gussalufz

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No 14927, Monday 19 Oct 2026, Arden

Rangoli by Gowri

Solution to 6D 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

1   Upset eating supplement of fruit (8) SHADDOCK {SH{ADD}OCK}

5   Double shock about a ball (3-3) POM-POM {MOP<=}{MOP<=}

10 Passage for partners with characteristic coverage (7) TRANSIT {TRA{NS}IT}

11 Inside the tent rain seeps through — get into the coach (7) ENTRAIN [T]

12 Initially, find out latest information on the file (5) FOLIO Acrostic

13 Admit it's in short, a complaint (9) ENTERITIS {ENTER}{IT}{IS}

14 One way to protect the chair — go against eastern part of Jakarta (12) ANTIMACASSAR {ANTI}{MACASSAR} Cheated on this one

18 Contradictory orders on an official statement (5,7) PRESS RELEASE {PRESS}{RELEASE}

21 Herb and Frederick, say, excellent to follow (9) FORSYTHIA {FORSYTH}{A1<=} Reversal indicator missing

23 Cathedral city stretches over, for example, threnody (5) ELEGY {EL{EG}Y}

24 Establish home land (7) INSTATE {IN}{STATE}

25 Regularly signed, help us fully (2-5) IN-DEPTH {sIgNeD+hElP}{TH} (TH=The Hindu?) 

26 Part of legal enactment — it has some lead (6) GALENA [T]

27 Manhattan banks income perhaps acts as a reminder (8) MNEMONIC {Ma...aN}{INCOME*}

DOWN

1   Leave balance by flipping parts (3,3) SET OFF {OFF<=>SET} Not sure of anno

2   With a horse loose ends can be cultivated (6) ARABLE {ARAB}{LoosE}

3   Unfairly demonises a capital city (3,6) DES MOINES*

4   Firework is earth shattering — caught in film reel (9,5) CATHERINE WHEEL {EARTH*} in {CINE}{WHEEL}

6   Draw heart of a fish eater (5) O?T?R ()

7   Do appreciate staying outside court walls (8) PRACTISE {PRA{CourT}ISE}

8   Small cars go to the government department (8) MINISTRY {MINIS}{TRY}

9   Senior citizen guarantees pain all around (14)  SEPTUAGENARIAN*

15 Master flips his top — crazy to return to port (9) AMSTERDAM {(M<=>A)STER}{MAD<=}

16 Excellent season as Indian forces replace rebel leader (8) SPIFFING {SP(-r+iff)IFFING

17 True description of prison — not on counter-attack (8) REPRISAL {RE{PRISon}AL}

19 Study about temple — evenly dig some more (6) DEEPEN {DE{tEmPlE}N}

20 Setter's foolish — missing king's exaggerated (6) MYTHIC {MY}{THICk}

22 Long for the story you heard (5) YEARN (~yarn)

Reference List

Shock = MOP(of hair), Partners = N,S, Home = IN, Indian = I, Force = F