No 14809, Tuesday 02 Jun 2026, Crossant

Solution to 8A 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

8   Better place found in search occasionally backfires (6) ?A?I?O  ()

9   Public gallery bombing kills girl, leader of youth to blame (8) CULPABLE {PUBliCgALLEry}*

10 What Vaibhav Sooryvanshi does is crazy (4) BATS [DD]

11 Letting in contaminated crude? No, no (10) ADMITTANCE ConTAMINATED*

12 That person gets a place at outskirts of Alps mountain range (9) HIMALAYAS {HIM}{A}{LAY}{AlpS}

14 Lecherous man, drunk, strays endlessly (5) SATYR STRAYs*

16 Finally confirming the rumour from source (4) GERM [Tail acrosic]

18 Reason criminal isn't brought in primarily (5) ALIBI {AL}{Isnt}{Br...t}{In} Semi&lit

19 Priest to work with European religious leader (4) POPE {P}{OP}{E}

21 Inability to coordinate movements of a transport vehicle for auditor (5) ATAXY {A}{(~taxi)TAXY}

23 Hospital in America getting business extremely regularly (9) INFIRMARY {IN}{FIRM}{A}{Re...lY}

26 About one cold heartless nurse melting, showing expression of sympathy (10) CONDOLENCE {C}{ON{COLD+NursE}*E}

28 Money anyway eventually becomes insignificant (4) TINY {TIN}{a...aY}

29 U.S. state beginning to lose goodwill, in trouble (8) CALAMITY {CA}{Lose}{AMITY}

30 Badly injured, Jack goes off devastated (6) RUINED INjURED*

DOWN

1   A date in Paris ending in love and bliss (8) PARADISE {PAR{A}{D}IS}{lovE}

2   Bit of sleep that is savoured throughout afternoon primarily (6) SIESTA {Sl..p}{IE}{Sa...d}{Th...t}{Af...n} &lit

3   Get upset with travel restrictions limiting all new arrivals basically (2,7) GO BANANAS {GO}{BAN{All}{New}{Ar...s}S}

4   Cheat lying about computers (4) SCAM<=

5   Reprimand son coming after scheduled time (5) SLATE {S}{LATE}

6   The French woman seducing men accepts a tip from leading light (4,4) LAVA LAMP {LA}{V{A}{Le...g}AMP}

7   Bold cover of Playboy amasses fortune (6) PLUCKY {Play{LUCK}boY}

13 Agree nearly everyone at home drinks? Good (5) ALIGN {ALl}{I{G}N}

15 People from Osaka maybe adopting one Japanese form of Buddhism, right? (9) CITIZENRY {CIT{1}{ZEN}{R}Y}

17 Gab could be both a gift and a curse perhaps (5,3) MIXED BAG {GAB}* [RA]

20 Was mother torn between father and elder daughter at first? (8) PARENTED {PA}{RENT}{El...r}{Da...r}

22 Norse God with hatchet cut trunk (6) THORAX {THOR}{AXe}

24 Revolutionary Marxist state's leader is off grid (6) MATRIX MARXIsT*

25 Flat in quiet, narrow street by the sound of it (5) PLAIN {P}{(~lane)LAIN}

27 Bill isn't passed when they have it (4) NAYS [CD]

Reference List

Criminal = AL(Capone), Priest = P, Work = OP, European = E, About = C, Money = TIN, Jack = J, Date = D, Son = S, The in French = LA, aAt home = IN< Good = G, Right = R, Quiet = P

No 14808, Monday 01 Jun 2026, Gridzilla

Solution to 11A 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   Cream is a baker's need, we hear (6) FLOWER (~flour)

4   Chapter out of Africa's wild expedition (6) SAFARI AFRIcAS*

8   Taxes: they actually regulate imports from foreign soil, for starters (7) TARIFFS Acrostic

9   Body builder banned from all contests? (7) STEROID [CD]

11 Worst place underground is mentioned in the Bible perhaps (10) ?E?T?E?L?R (Addendum - BESTSELLER {BEST}{(~cellar)SELLER} - See comments)

12 Cheese is arranged on the counter (4) EDAM<=

13 Upon reflection, will US omit invading city in Iraq? (5) MOSUL [T<=]

14 That's enough of kinky photos on sex (2,4,2) OH STOP IT {PHOTOS}*{IT}

16 Plant a kiss oddly on the mobile (8) STOKESIA {A+KISS+On+ThE}*

18 Small fish primarily found in river from the east (5) ELFIN {NI{Fish}LE}<=

20 Mount Washington's captivating! (4) SHIN [HIPS]

21 How to make the man say "We are the champions"? (4,6) ROCK ANTHEM {THE+MAN}* [RA]

23 Study 'Introduction to Therapeutics' first, to become a doctor (7) DENTIST {DEN}{Th...s}{1ST}

24 Let go and hire again (7) RELEASE RE-LEASE

25 Singular case, partly reviewed, is of lower back (6) SACRAL [T<=]

26 Fancy saree with a little red slip remover (6) ERASER {SAREE}*{Red}

DOWN

1   Case of butter placed in empty fridge (5) FRAME {Fri{RAM}dgE}

2   Without hesitation, runs to snort a bit of illicit drugs (7) OPIATES OPerATES over {Il...t}

3   Reduces cost for American permits (9) ENFEEBLES EN(+fee-a)FEEBLES

5   Shift is a key at the far ends of the typewriter (5) ALTER {ALT}{thE}{t...eR}

6   Ogre ate bananas? Okay! (5,2) AGREE TO*

7   Man-made reservation has no lake (9) IMITATION lIMITATION

10 A weapon having little benefit? (9) ALLOWANCE {A}{L{LOW}ANCE}

13 According to Spooner, to lock the dining room would be perfect (9) MATCHLESS (~latch mess to matchless)

15 Cry with hatred, as emotions initially go haywire (4,1,4) SHED A TEAR {HATRED+AS+Em...s}*

17 Tight necktie almost chokes one on the move (7) KINETIC {NECKTIe}* over {1}

19 Pops down after scoring ecstasy (7) FATHERS FeATHERS

21 Some fear a stalker...a dreaded one (5) RASTA [T]

22 Belgian artist got high consuming narcotics primarily in retreat (5) ENSOR {ROS{Na...s}E}<=

Reference List

Chapter = C, Sex = IT, Hesitation = ER, American = A, Lake = L, Ecstasy = E