Special, Sunday 19 Jul 2026, K Koteswar Rao

Three answers per commenter till 6 PM (Annotations compulsory) 

Please submit all your answers in one comment.  

(COMMENTS ENTERED WITH LESS THAN THREE ANSWERS/ANNOTATIONS WILL BE DELETED WITHOUT NOTICE, UNLESS THE COMMENTER SPECIFIES THAT IT IS A COMPENSATION FOR A REPEAT)

Grid will be updated with solutions after 8 PM.

Enjoy.

The Hindu Cryptic on Sunday No 65, Sunday 19 Jul 2026, Vidwn

Three answers per commenter till 4 PM (Annotations Compulsory)

Please submit all your answers in one comment.

(COMMENTS ENTERED WITH LESS THAN THREE ANSWERS/ANNOTATIONS WILL BE DELETED WITHOUT NOTICE, UNLESS THE COMMENTER SPECIFIES THAT IT IS A COMPENSATION FOR A REPEAT)

Thanks for the response, here's the regular blog.

ACROSS

7   One who heralds President's entree regularly before start of rally (9) TRUMPETER {TRUMP}{EnTrEe}{Ra..y}

8   Uncertain European Union almost passed over (5) VAGUE {EU}{GAVe}<=

10 Office fire curtailed with water (6) BUREAU {BURn}{EAU}

11 Cold file reduced to a smaller size (8) LIFELESS {FILE*}{LESS}

12 Secret agents triggered raid during flight (6) MIDAIR {MI}{RAID*}

13 Old lover's wrong to threaten for money (6) EXTORT {EX}{TORT}

15 A legal officer, one not working for commission (7) APPOINT {A}{PP}{1+NOT}*

17 Counting system, one included by Chief Minister in contract (7) CECIMAL {DE{C{1}M}AL}

20 A person like Mother Teresa, left for India, with some inclination (6) ASLANT {A}{S(+l)A(-i)NT} As per clue the answer would be {A}{SA(+l-i)LNT}

22 Free commercial break (6) ADRIFT {AD}{RIFT}

25 Shoemakers are cold, greedy consumers, not good (8) COBBLERS {C}{gOBBLERS}

26 Fair type, could be artificial! (6) ITALIC {ITALIC+FAIR}*=ARTIFICIAL [CA]

27 Rupee's in right position of supremacy! (5) FIRST {FI{R'S}T} 

28 Bulimic's worried about slightly ungainly navel (9) UMBILICUS {BULIMICS}* over {Un...y}

DOWN

1   Seller importing river fish (5) TROUT {T{R}OUT}

2   Skin ailment epitomising, eschewing sin originally! (8) IMPETIGO EPITOMIsinG*

3   Crazy dame had us petrified! (6) MEDUSA {MED{US}A*} Semi&lit

4   State venture shipping European coal, after being excavated! (7) DECLARE {D{E}{CoaL}ARE}

5   Flyer's back to rent capsule (6) TABLET {BAT<=}{LET}

6   Extended as pure dot, possibly (9) OUTSPREAD*

9   Weak English fellow at bazaar (6) EFFETE {E}{F}{FETE}

14 A message by police internally, about Pope (9)  APOSTOLIC {A}{POST}{pOLICe}

16 Last girl's dwelling underground (6) NETHER {NET}{HER}

18 Indicriminate firing over bill demeaning one's status (5,3) INFRA DIG {FIRING}* over {AD}

19 Devil's most enthralled by reportedly exceptional mandarin (7) SATSUMA {SAT{(~some)SUM}An} Clue leads to {SATAn} in {(~some)SUM}

21 A masculine President's hunt (6) AMBUSH {A}{M}{BUSH}

23 Mostly growing grape in reduced form (6) RAISIN RAISINg

24 Temper of Shakira's ex! (5) PIQUE [DD]

Reference List

Water = EAU, Old = EX, Left = L, India = I, Commercial = AD, Cold = C, Good = G, Rupee = R, River = R, European = E, English = E, Fellow = F, Bill = AD, Masculine = M