No 14804, Wednesday 27 May 2026, Vidwan

 Solution to 1D 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   No loud part for someone like Tom Hanks (5) ACTOR fACTOR

4   One's school shift interrupted by female parent (4,5) ALMA MATER {AL{MAMA}TER}

9   Fitting a specialist job? Nearly! (7) APROPOS {A}{PRO}{POSt}

10 Plants explosive in a small car (7) ARNICAS {IN+A+S+CAR}*

11 Tree found in backward sacred lands (5) ALDER [T<=]

13 Like having slightly bulky core muscles (3) ABS {A{Bu..y}S}

15 Regularly flying in an order (5) ALIGN {A{fLyInG}N}

16 They banned English for you in the past (3) THY THeY

17 Tense, nervous youngsters (5) TEENS*

18 Volcanic rock, almost elementary (5) BASAL BASALt 

20 Shift to desired position and sleep around centre of bed (5) RESET {RES{bEd}T}

22 Greek deity of tear-jerking love (5) ERATO {TEAR*}{O}

23 Unhappy leader sent back for promotions (3) ADS (-s)AD(+s)S

24 Palindromic rule (5) TENET <=>

25 Hundred not out! (3) TON*

26 King looked set in harmony (5) KEYED {K}{EYED}

27 Star in race, nearly creating cataclysmic waves (7) TSUNAMI {T{SUN}AMIl}

29 Part of shower linen at Spooner's science club (4,3) BATH MAT (~math bat to bath mat)

31 Little less difficult clue! (9) MINUSCULE {MINUS}{CLUE*}

32 Issue with rebel children (5) BELCH [T]

DOWN

1   Whitish flower having lean bean (9) A?A?A?T?R ()

2   Wearily emend, perhaps determinedly! (7) TIREDLY {TIREDLY+EMEND}*=DETERMINEDLY [CA]

3   Almost spellbound by kind of underground music (3) RAP RAPt

4   Like playing games tune for solace (11) ASSUAGEMENT {AS}{GAMES+TUNE}*

5   Objective: Getting back untraceable soldiers (3) MIA<=

6   Lament about black press causing freezing of thought process (6,5) MENTAL BLOCK {LAMENT*}{B}{LOCK}

7   Diplomacy is about cold machinations (7) TACTICS {TACT}{I{C}S}

8   Sinner suffers without new chemical (5) RESIN SInNER*

12 Knock on the door! New start at Tata! (3-1-3-4) RAT-A-TAT-TATS*

14 Liable for legal action over stigma lasting for long (11) SUSTAINABLE {SUABLE} over {STAIN} 

19 Desperate, small time policeman getting into bar (4-5) LAST-DITCH {LA{S}{T}{DI}TCH}

21 Jain nuances perhaps from nice city (3,4) SAN JUAN {SAN+JUAN+NICE}*=JAIN+NUANCES [CA] 

23 A heartless lad, most petty and appalling (7) ABYSMAL {A}{BoY}{SMALl}

24 Symbol of child seems to be regularly ignored (5) TOTEM {TOT}{sEeMs}

28 Barely righteous acknowledgement of debt (3) IOU pIOUs

30 Deep vessel but overturned (3) TUB<=

Reference List

Loud = F, Small = S, English = E, King = K, Black = B, Cold = C, New = N, Time = T, Policeman = DI(Detective Inspector)

No 14803, Tuesday 26 May 2026, Pixie Dust

Solution to 17D 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

7  Spooner exclaims:"I fall flat for lady!" (6) FEMALE (~me fail to female)

8   Legendary skill? (8) FOOTWORK [CD]

9   What's behind sacrifice? Fatherhood - laying aside past forever! (8) ETERNITY {s...cE}{paTERNITY} PA/Past?

10 Honey producers controlling half a dozen groups (6) BEVIES {BE{VI}ES}

11 Saurashtra's captain, fast bowler's an astronaut (8) SPACEMAN {Sa...a}{PACEMAN}

12 Factor in Archetypal Lord's ashen hue (6) PALLOR [T]

13 A net is used several times in murder? (11) ASSASSINATE {A+NET+IS}* [Letter Bank]

18 Snake swallowed sandwiches, bit of liver and pieces of ears and arms (6) HALDEA {HA{Li..r}D}{Ears}{Arms}

20 Global organisation to drawback? Unfortunate! (8) UNTOWARD {UN}{TO}{DRAW<=}

22 That is Sue's wrapping paper (6) TISSUE [T]

23 Angelic Emma pays Riemann from time to time (8) EMPYREAN {EmMa+PaYs+RiRmAnN}

24 Off guard, Doctor Anu swears, endlessly (8) UNAWARES {ANU+SWEARs}*

25 William for one, cycling around trendy framework (6) LINTEL {(+l)LTEL(-l)} over {IN}

DOWN

1   So, Pat's egocentricity to some extent kept back secret police (7) GESTAPO [T<=]

2   Disallow stands in camps (8) BARRACKS {BAR}{RACKS} Camp would be more of a temporary nature unlike Barracks

3   Close to retirement, mean master escaped monotony (6) TEDIUM {r...nT}{mEDIUM}

4   Cop and Private Investigator with new fix for locks (5,3) BOBBY PIN {BOBBY}{PI}{N}

5   Desperate wives beginning to love swinging around (6) SWIVEL {WIVES}*{Love} Swing or Swinging?

6   Can this impunity hurt Modern Cafe? (7) FREEDOM {FREEDOM+CAN}*=MODERN CAFE [CA]

8   UFOs scare us? (6,7) FLYING SAUCERS {SCARE+US}* [RA]

14 Dilettantes Raman, Stew & Bursa scratching heads and bottoms (8) AMATEURS {rAMAn}{sTEw}{bURSa}

15 Tall model unpaid without embarrassment and remorse at first (8) TOWERING {T}{OW{Em...t}{Re...e}ING}

16 Invalid is not complaining (7) PATIENT [DD]

17 Tumbler acknowledging king's wave (7) ?R?A?E?  (Addendum - BREAKER {B{R}EAKER} - See comments)  

19 Insult criminal now and repudiate (6) DISOWN {DIS}{NOW*}

21 Take in drink for starters - throw-up in party, perhaps losing equilibrium (6) TIPPLE Acrostic

Reference List

Trendy = IN, Master = M, Private Investigator = PI, New = N, Model = T, King = R, Insult = DIS