No 14901, Friday 18 Sep 2026, Arden

RULES FOR POSTING COMMENTS FOR FRIDAY ONLY

All those who are not regular commenters but who are rookie commenters or silent followers of the blog are requested to post answers with annotations in the comments section. In your own interest please avoid looking up the answers from the interactive version. Don't hesitate to post your annotations, in case you make a mistake in the annotation someone will correct it with the right annotation.

PLEASE NOTE, SOLUTIONS WITHOUT ATTEMPTING THE ANNOTATIONS WILL BE DELETED

Each commenter is requested to post only 5 answers thereby giving others also a chance to participate. Please provide all your answers in one comment.

Regular solvers/Veterans can post 1 answer each, but after 11 AM only.

ACROSS

1   Fancy cloth as a focus to show a bit of sophistication (1,5,2,5)

10 Big land owner is fat, clutching his heart (5)

11 Dead simple to pack an Indian carpet (9)

12 Agree, no one returned the instrument (9)

13 The dictator's internal rule (5)

14 Always there is a tiny mistake by the setter (7)

16 I've a new design to entwine (7)

18 Two drinks socially acceptable at the mansion (7)

20 The language of money in South America (7)

22 Music starts after main band arrives (5)

24 After change of hands, augmentation becomes bleak (9)

26 Keen to expose plan for ancient building (9)

27 Suffer from strike — part of Mumbai spared (5)

28 Coal shortage — I go all over the place for an excavator (13)

DOWN

2   It's almost two — impatient and worried (7)

3   Sabotage — result of a French and the German bomb (9)

4   Agatha Christie novel avoiding gate crash in the country (5)

5   Cast over relative showing off (9)

6   Interest seen among legends for a river (5)

7   Am I part of retrenched workers? Showing staying power (7)

8   Permits for beer — the entire lot has to go (9,4)

9   Shoot and catch on (3,3,7)

15 Clarify on cryptic clue, I see (9)

17 Evading glide overboard (9)

19 Perhaps normal to accept one finally as a benefactor (7)

21 Brief copies — recoup odd bits inside (7)

23 Followers of Amman hungry, not fed (5)

25 Stagger carrying cold fish basket (5)

No 14900, Thursday 17 Sep 2026, Arden

Sent late by Prasanna. Being used for Vishwakarama Puja

Solution to 8D 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

9   Warm layer is savage (7) HEATHEN {HEAT}{HEN}

10 Capital housing - last letter follows greeting from Ginger, perhaps (7) RHIZOME {ROME} over {Z}<=>{HI}

11 Relaxation by the river sipping wine (7) DETENTE {DE{TENT}E}

12 Run away velocity of a horny creature (7) VAMOOSE {V}{A}{MOOSE}

13 Rifleman's job is to protect store (9) CARBINEER {CAR{BIN}EER}

15 Rob on average, shows no anger (5) REAVE Anno not clear  (Addendum - {RE}{AVErage} - See comments)

16 Country song about soldiers (7) ARMENIA {AR{MEN}IA}

19 In money collection, company shows thrift (7) ECONOMY {E{CO}NOMY*}

20 Pen stand? (5) STALL [DD]

21 Spinner of yarns right in front of a working counter (9) RACONTEUR {R}{A}{COUNTER*}

25 Added about hundred and formed froth on top (7) SCUMMED {S{C}UMMED}

26 Drop line for a scapegoat (4,3) FALL GUY {FALL}{GUY}

28 Force one to come in and sign up for jury duty (7) IMPANEL {IMP{AN}EL}

29 Checked regular trend to follow German car (7) AUDITED {TrEnD}<=>{AUDI}

DOWN

1   Language of north central Africa fashionable to adopt nowadays (6) CHADIC {CH{AD}IC}

2   Parrot became a bird of prey (6) RAPTOR*

3   Feature of a country, in brief (4) CHIN CHINa

4   Girl takes old boyfriend in her wing (6) ANNEXE {ANN{EX}E}

5   Fantastic treasure trove - taking wrong route to cross (8) TRAVERSE {TRAVERSE+ROUTE}*=TREASURE TROVE [CA]

6   Adjust dimmers - have to cool it (6,4) SIMMER DOWN {DIMMERS}*{OWN}

7   American influence on a party and state (8) COLORADO {COLOR}{A}{DO}

8   Banks' same rate - note lady does it calmly (8) ?E?E?E?Y (Addendum - SERENELY {samE+RatE+NotE+LadY - See comments))

14 Writer's tragic life - one enters China (3,7) IAN FLEMING {I{AN}FLE*}{MING}

16 Both sides like to secure pole position - wrongdoing is a killer (8) ASSASSIN {AS}{S}{AS}{SIN}

17 Paul came out to admit mistake (3,5) MEA CULPA*

18 A terrier gets refreshed with a beer (8) AIREDALE {AIRED}{ALE}

22 Able to cover the backside with a robe (6) CAFTAN {C{AFT}AN}

23 Maybe they can drink one gallon - that's four times score (6) EIGHTY {E{1}{G}HTY*}

24 On fourth day, I returned the partly paid up capital (6) RIYADH [T<=]

27 Marriage vow by the lake fountain (4) LIDO {I DO}<=>{L}

Reference List

Wine = TENT, Velocity = V, Right = R, Hundred = C, Nowadays = AD, Old boyfriend = EX, Party = DO, Pole = S, Gallon = G, Lake = L