No 14921, Monday 132 Oct 2026, Vidwan

Artwork by Prasanna

Solution to 13D 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

8   British National limit for Spooner's sleep (6) CATNAP (~nat cap to cat nap}

9   Laugh out loud! Almost high, father gets sticky candy! (8) LOLLIPOP {LOL}{LIt}{POP}

10 Alien about alien phase or something similar (2,6) ET CETERA {ET}{C}{ET}{ERA}

11 Talk about retaining the French country house (6) CHALET {CHA{LE}T}

12 Intense part of pride! Epiphany! (4) DEEP [T]

13 Macho guys having no power before love! No wonder! (10) PHENOMENON {HE MEN} over {NO} follows {P} then {O}{N}

14 Talk about India's Himalayan tree (7) CONIFER {CON{I}FER}

15 Weak, heartless and say vile wish (7) FANTASY {FAiNT}{SAY*}

17 Praise fellow to obtain unlimited dates (10) FELICITATE {F}{ELICIT}{dATEs}

18 Pay attention to main killer eliminating sons (4) HARK sHARK Why son in plural?

19 Pick well regularly within group (6) SELECT {S{wElL}ECT}

20 Train going around hot and popular country (8) THAILAND {T{H}AIL}{AND} Train/Tail? What's the role of Popular?

22 Emergency provision for Spooner's dangerous quartet (4,4) FIRE DOOR (~dire four to fire door)

23 Loses sleep over work in constituencies (6) SWEATS {S{W}EATS}

DOWN

1   Standard article on regressive units of heredity is describing reproduction without fertilisation (15) PARTHENOGENESIS {PAR}{THE}{{ON<=}{GENES}{IS}

2   One who explains without exhibition and advertising and one competed over support for poor (15) UNDERPRIVILEGED {expoUNDER}{PR}{1}{VI{LEG}ED}

3   Not the first omission by section of Church (4) APSE lAPSE

4   Wise burying a hatchet (7) CLEAVER {CLE{A}VER}

5   Voters somehow tolerate EC! (10) ELECTORATE*

6   I retraced the log rolling mouthpiece that prevents lip stains (9,6) CIGARETTTE HOLDER*

7   Pull head back with the one short string wound for support (5,2,8) TOWER OF STRENGTH {TOW}{FORE<=}{THE+STRiNG}*

13 Clues regularly ignored in love forecast (10) P?E?I?T?O? (Addendum - PREDICTION PREDIleCTION - See comments)

16 Large insect occasionally bearing light (7) LANTERN {L}{ANT}{bEaRiNg}

21 Further exposed fake love (4) ALSO {fALSe}{O}

Reference List

Alien = ET, About = C, The in French = LE, Power = P, No = N, India = I, Fellow = F, Sons = S, Hot = H, Work = W, Standard = PAR, Advertising = PR, Support = LEG, Large = L

The Hindu Cryptic No 77, Sunday 11 Oct 2026, Arden

Rangoli by Gowri

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

6   Brooded over means of transport (5) MOPED [DD]

7   It's plain - giving access to auditors isn't very bright (8) OVERCAST {OVER{CA'S}T}

10 An issue dogging the country is a curse (7) MALISON {SON}<=>{MALI}

11 Left her in a day, was cheated (7) WELSHED {WE{L}{SHE}D}

12 Herb's touring America, finds something to eat (7) SAUSAGE {SA{USA}GE}

13 Fish drinking only pints - looks affected (7) FOPPISH {F{O}{PP}ISH}

14 Red arrow - I score Greens (3-8) ECO-WARRIORS*

19 Keeping animal in a haystack is part of habit (7) CASSOCK {C{ASS}OCK}

21 Reduce setting dog after dog (7) CURTAIL {CUR}{TAIL}

23 Nowadays guard becomes a guide (7) ADVISOR {AD}{VISOR}

25 King for single day (7) SOLOMON {SOLO}{MON}

26 Amusing to have a drink - this precedes the announcement (4,4) DRUM ROLL {D{RUM}ROLL}

27 Use dressing early to contain damage by burning (5) SINGE [T]

DOWN

1   Acclaim for Jobs' creation across a country (8) APPLAUSE {APPL{A}{US}E}

2   Some bypassed order, returned to port (6) ODESSA [T<=]

3   Snake oil seller will get on to eastern border (10) MOUNTEBANK {MOUNT}{E}{BANK}

4   Catcall from audience to follow all of them finally (4) MEOW [Tail Acrostic]

5   Mishit transformed these geological features (6) ISTHMI*

6   Champagne and orange juice in the bush (6) MIMOSA [DD]

8   Music company entertains various plays (7) CALYPSO {C{PLAYS*}O}

9   Oddly, in India chaos prevails in state (5) IDAHO {InDiA+cHaOs}

13 Least force applied on ship's bow (10) FORECASTLE*

15 Australian native to work with very big quantity (7) OPOSSUM {OP}{OS}{SUM}

16 Ill-gotton wealth, no middlemen involved in plant (8) SCAMMONY {SCAM}{MONeY}

17 Run before shut down of a nuclear reactor (5) SCRAM [DD]

18 Look at that cricketing shot! (6) GLANCE [DD]

20 It flows always between poles (6) SEVERN {S}{EVER}{N}

22 Enjoy the dip (6) RELISH [DD]

24 Lost a club in shambles over disturbance (4) RIOT abatTOIR<=

Reference List

Left = L, Only = O, Pint = P, Eastern = E, Work = OP, Very big = OS, Poles = S,N