No 14827, Tuesday 23 Jun 2026, Bruno

Solution to 12A 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

6   Hot girl turning reddish brown (5) HENNA {H}{ANNE<=}

7   In general, no shopping centre accepts rupee, yen (8) NORMALLY {NO}{R}{MALL}{Y}

10 Yard in Burj building - clumsy fellow's death sentence could be pronounced there (4,3) JURY BOX {JUR{Y}B*}{OX}

11 Walk gently to right and meet the Creator - get taken aback! (7) DOGTROT {TO}{RT}{GOD}<=

12 Agree and support one being fired for offence (7) C?N?O?M ()

13 Pedal furiously to reach a gallery finally - it doesnt come around often (4,3) LEAP DAY {PEDAL}*{A}{g...rY}

14 After party, bulk ice melted around front half of quad very fast (6-5) DOUBLE-QUICK {DO}{BULK+ICE}* over {QUad}

19 Hot sauce is revolting and bland (7) INSIPID {IN}{DIP+IS<=}

21 Beneficiary's story buried in gets a cable carrying energy close to home (7) ALIENEE {A{LIE}N}{E}{homE} What's the role of 'cable'?

23 Swimming waterhole - a lake draining towards which place (7) WHERETO WaTERHOlE*

25 Setter's facing same-old deadlock (7) IMPASSE {I'M}{PASSE}

26 King hiding in some old, rundown hut sheltering with gratitude (5,3) THANK YOU {AN{K}Y}{O} in {HUT}*

27 Genetically modified organism fitted with independent unknown device (5) GIZMO {G{I}{Z}MO}

DOWN

1   Radical infiltrating worker association along with journalist's not smooth (8) UNIRONED {UNI{R}ON}{ED}

2   Graduate gets little of meal, majority of liquor and grass (6) BAMBOO {BA}{Meal}{BOOze}

3   New dune buggy to carry old, fat, & short (10) UNEXAMPLED {DUNE}* over {EX}{AMPLe}

4   Urge support when Portugal's run over by Dutch (4) PROD {P}{R}{O}{D}

5   Federal organization banned English trouser style (6) FLARED FEDeRAL*

6   Terrible fellow chasing hot one with force (6) HIJACK {JACK}<=>{H}{1}

8   Media, finally following American soldier who captured Chinese and another Asian (7) AFGHANI {m..iA}{F}{G{HAN}I}

9   Without hint of fuss, FDA banned transporting deathly chemical group (5) ETHYL dEaTHLY*

13 Brief noise from duck in oil soup at sea, initially plaintive, disappearing, becoming chattering (10) LOQUACIOUS {QUACk} in {OIL+SOUp}*

15 Youngster chasing referee's relatively large (7) UMPTEEN {TEEN}<=>{UMP}

16 Big kitchen - cook sizing one end for rotisserie (4-4) KING-SIZE {K}{SIZING}*{r...rE}

17 Opinions compete with science, basically (5) VIEWS {VIE}{W}{Sc...e}

18 Different man wrote translation while off work (6) HETERO {HE}{wROTE}*

20 Look at the storm! (6) SEETHE {SEE}{THE}

22 Attack independent politician with gun sneakily (6) IMPUGN {I}{MP}{GUN*}

24 Black animal going around American city (4) ONYX {O{NY}X}

Reference List

Hot = H, Rupee = R, Yen = Y, Yard = Y, Right = RT, Party = DO, Hot = IN, Energy = E, Lake = L, King = K, Old = O, Independent = I, Unknown = Z, Radical = R, Journalist = ED, Old = EX, Portugal = P, Run = R, Over = O, Dutch = D, English = E, Chinese = HAN, Kitchen = K, With = W

No 14826, Monday 22 Jun 2026, Hypatia

Solution to 16A 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   Pick up spot for fish (6) PLAICE (~place)

4   Events from India captured in records and poems (8) EPISODES {EP{I}S}{ODES}

9   Most terrible blight initially seen in low grass (6) BAMBOO {BAd}{M{Bl...t}OO}

10 One popping a question in favour of sitter (8) PROPOSER {PRO}{POSER}

11 Singer abroad did release heavy metal covers (7,7) FREDDIE MERCURY {FRE{DID*}E}{MERCURY}

13 Dismissed and sued her (7,3) USHERED OUT {SUED+HER}* [RA]

14 Starts to accept transactions through Amazon for staple food (4) ATTA Acrostic

16 Collector's item from foundation returned on time (4) D?B? (Addendum - DEBT - {BED<=}{T} - See comments)

18 Reverend asked to label a pretty girl's trinkets (10) BAGATELLES (tag a belles to bagatelles)

21 Squeal with rum or pleasing cocktail (9,5) SINGAPORE SLING {SING}{OR+PLEASING}*

23 Say men from the East bored by English book on nuclear physicist (8) ROENTGEN {EG}{OR}<= over {E}{NT} then {N}

24 Secure link (6) ATTACH [DD]

25 Rejects vitamin given to biased patients regularly (8) DISDAINS {D}{bIaSeD+pAtIeNtS}

26 Overhead ventilation surrounding entrance (6) ADVENT [T]

DOWN

1   Excited about starters from Bengaluru's sushi bars (4) PUBS {UP<=}{Ba...s}{Su..i}

2   Bureau's chief of investigation probing gangster hurt from the bottom (7) ALMIRAH {In...n} in {AL}{HARM<=}

3   Showed cooks embracing recipe boosting cold soups (8) CHOWDERS {R} in {SHOWED}* <=>{C}

5   Stroll around centre of Saudi - Arab temple complex (11) PERAMBULATE {saUdi+ARAB+TEMPLE}*

6   Attire concealing standing order to kill (6) SUPARI {S{UP}ARI}

7   Remains close to fighting in clean contempt (7) DISGUST {D{IS}{f...nG}UST}

8   Abandoned felines in cast (5,4) STRAY CATS {CAST}* [RA]

12 Bananas contained in a trawler heading out to deep location (6,5) INDIAN OCEAN {CONTAINED+IN+A+Tr...r}* (Correction - {CONtAINED+IN+A}* See comments)

13 Doctor died! Nurse - not needed! (9) UNDESIRED {DIED+NURSE}*

15 Let down beaten side replacing England's captain (8) DEFLATED DEF(-e+l)LATED

17 Those who censor advertisements? (7) BANNERS [C&DD]

19 Somewhat cordial in eager race (7) LINEAGE [T]

20 Mother often choosing an eternal phrase in prayer (6) MANTRA {MA}{aN+eTeRnAl}

22 AI exchange in conversation generating note (4) CHIT CH(-a+i}IT

Reference List

India = I, Records = EPS (Extended Plays), Low = MOO, Men = OR(Other ranks),  English = E, Book = NT(New Testament), Nuclear = N, Vitamin = D, Gangster = AL(Capone)Recipe = R, Side = L(Left)