Tuesday, 14 April 2026

No 14767, Tuesday 14 Apr 2026, Brunoi


Artwork by Prasanna

Rangoli by Gowri

Solution to 22D 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
6   Long after love that's intimate (5) OPINE {PINE}<=>{O}
7   Declined to allow two aces access to thoroughfare (4,4) SLIP ROAD {SLI{PRO}{A}D}
10 Anger about working condition to make industrial source material (4,3) IRON ORE {IR{ON}{OR}E}
11 Artist part of paralympic association (7) PICASSO [T]
12 Blockbuster set in USA, perhaps minimally diverse? (7) WHITEST {W{HIT}EST}
13 Rejected work certain to contain essentially hated standpoint (7) POSTURE {OP<=}{S{haTed}URE}
14 Iconic discos moving North, leaving infection (11) COCCIDIOSIS {ICOnIC+DISCOS}*
19 Mum and uncle originally blocked rings with patches (4-3) LASH-UPS {LA{SH}{Un..e}PS}
21 Atheist, divorced, went all the way back for diamond (7) INFIELD INFI(-d)EL(+d)D
23 Power hub arbitrarily placed around plant (7) RHUBARB [T]
25 Record in text is put in front (7) PREPOSE {PR{EP}OSE}
26 Without being whipped, bun was baked and consumed (8) UNBEATEN {BUN*}{EATEN}
27 Small amounts of debris at sea crossing ocean's middle (5) DRIBS DeBRIS*

DOWN
1   Religious offender spread creationism without priests, often (8) SIMONIAC CreAtIONISM
2   Dwarf injected with hormone in the bottom and set of chromosomes (6) GENOME {G{h...nE}NOME}
3   Ensures area in school below a crest's levelled (10) ASCERTAINS {A}{IN}{S}<=>{A+CREST}*
4   Balloon with top blown off becomes slack (4) LIMP bLIMP
5   Part of Germany, bit of Netherlands, and South Africa overwhelmed by America's reversal (6) NASSAU {Ne...s} and {SA} in {USA<=}
6   Indian job was mostly transported outside India (6) OJIBWA {JOB+WAs}* over {I}
8   Radical laws to limit Islamic State bigots (7) RACISTS {R}{AC{IS}TS}
 Old instruments spoil easy when often plucked (5) ROTES {ROT}{EaSy}
13 Asian character with long part of mouth in front (10) PHILIPPINE {PHI} and {PINE}<=>{LIP} Shouldn't that be FILIPINO? PHILLIPINE is the language
15 Old custom from Madras - regularly draining cadaverous fluid (7) COUVADE  CaDAVErOUs*
16 Setter, oddly, has only brothers... that could result in a heart attack (8) STENOSIS {SeTtEr}{NO SIS}
17 Extreme ritual - one's killed brutally (5) ULTRA RiTUAL*
18 Mum dropped off shakes for milk deliverers (6) UDDERS shUDDERS
20 Rejects vessels after start of strife by president (6) SPURNS {URNS}<=>{St..e}{P}
22 Lands top medal (6) F?E?D
24 Dollar bill placed on the counter for nuts (4) BATS {S}{TAB}<=

Reference List
Ace = PRO, A, North = N, Mum = SH, Divorced = D, Record = EP(Extended Play), Area = A, School = S, Radical = R, Islamic State = IS, President = P, Dollar = S, Bill = TAB

Monday, 13 April 2026

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