No 14903, Monday 21 Sep 2026, Incognito

Solution to 21D 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   Wine from cantina stinks (4) ASTI [T]

9   Worries returned in Winchester farm (5) FRETS [T<=]

10 Fastener from damaged part removed from air plant repaired (4) NAIL {AIr+pLaNt}*

11 Cops from Napoli centre (6) POLICE [T]

12 Non believers at theft (8) ATHEISTS {AT}{HEISTS}

13 Hence ads may be converted into money (8) ENCASHED*

15 Acceptable, perhaps, to band wrongly (3,3) NOT BAD*

17 Hoffman hugs boy producing receptacle for waste (7) DUSTBIN {DUST{B}IN}

19 Zulu and Maori danced at end of season for royalty from Calicut (7) ZAMORIN {Z}{MAORI*}{s...oN}

22 Novelist from Australia in front of god (6) AUTHOR {AU}{THOR}

24 Herons flying around setter and riders from the cavalry (8) HORSEMEN {HORSE{ME}N*}

26 12 months, but longer than usual? (4,4) LEAP YEAR [CD]

28 Actor who played The Godfather gives up love for Yankee liquor (6) BRANDY BRAND(-o+y)Y

30 Scotsman gets English spice (4) MACE {MAC}{E}

31 Ms Adler's nurse is in anger (5) IRENE {IR{EN}E}

32 Positive response after European sees (4) EYES {YES}<=>{E}

DOWN

1   In absence of pit, topsoil destroyed in capital (4) OSLO tOpSOiL*

2   Watchful giant goes around port after six (8) VIGILANT {GI{L}ANT}<=>{VI}

3   Female share is changed once again (6) AFRESH {F+SHARE}*

4   Sees Romeo altering grade at school (7) REGARDS {R}{GRADE*}{S}

5   Weakness afterwards in Asia (8) ASTHENIA {AS{THEN}IA}

6   Join up and throw tinsel (6) ENLIST*

7   Affix foot at American soldier's backside for present (4) GIFT {FT}<=>{GI}

14 Pacific island urn broken contains gold (5) NAURU {N{AU}RU*}

16 51 captured by one girl in Wonderland (5) ALICE {A{LI}CE}

18 Some Middle-Easterners dumped silly Lear in river (8) ISRAELIS {IS{LEAR*}IS}

20 Unties rope before adjusting seat and performs surgery (8) OPERATES {ROPE*}{SEAT*}

21 That lady mixed Bert's drink (7) ?H?R?E?

23 Occur from latter part of mishap near sty (6) HAPPEN {misHAP}{PEN}

25 Masseur lurking in the shrubbery? (6) RUBBER [HIPS]

27 Style covered by Michaelangelo (4) ELAN [HIPS]

29 Editor returned queen's animals (4) DEER {ED<=}{ER}

Reference List

Boy = B, Zulu = Z, Australia = AU, Yankee = Y, English = E, Nurse = EN(Enrolled Nurse), European = E, Port = LEFT=L, Female = F, Romeo = R, School = S, Foot = FT, American soldier = GI, Editor = ED, Queen = ER

The Hindu Cryptic on Sunday No 74, Sunday 20 Sep 2026, Incognito

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)

ACROSS

8   Initial exposure behind animal shelter results in eye problem (4) STYE {Ex...e}<=>{STY}

9   Animal having desire to be accommodated in 10,000 square metres (5) HYENA {H{YEN}A}

10 Gun held by East-Ender (4) STEN [T]

11 Boy retiring behind vehicle is one who wantonly damages property (6) VANDAL {LAD<=}<=>{VAN}

12 Wrongfully fill up as "Bucket-loads" (8) PAILFULS*

13 Male creator redrew a kind of map projection (8) MERCATOR {M}{CREATOR*}

15 Rang Charlie and Della on return (6) CALLED {C}{DELLA<=}

17 Set aside book (7) RESERVE [DD]

19 Girls follow college head's study sessions (7) CLASSES {LASSES}<=>{Co...e}

22 European ruler and a teetotaller, Ali is confused (6) ATTILA {A}{TT}{ALI*}

24 Egg preparation from East European motel having a piece of tomato (8) OMELETTE {E+Eu...n+MOTEL}* over {To...o} Anind? Semi-&lit?

26 Darkish sort, carrying duke's computer storage device (4,4) HARD DISK {DARKISH}* over {D}

28 King's wife is in clutches of devious adder (6) EDWARD {ED{W}ARD}

30 Brandish wand to get sunrise (4) DAWN*

31 Engaged in terminus evacuation (2,3) IN USE [T]

32 Injured slow birds (4) OWLS*

DOWN

1   Grain exported from Argentina transported for Sicilian summit (4) ETNA {argENTinA}*

2   Chief revolutionary has a migraine, for example (8) HEADACHE {HEAD}{CHE} over {A}

3   Talk about the French summer hut used by herders (6) CHALET {CHA{LE}T}

4   Jumped parole taking dead animal (7) LEOPARD {PAROLE}*{D}

5   Mad chap with Amnesty International rejected by California (8) MANIACAL {MAN}{AI<=}{CAL}

6   American fuel may be of assistance (6) USEFUL {US}{FUEL*}

7   Power source in jail? (4) CELL [DD]

14 First lady at book function (5) EVENT {EVE}{NT}

16 Put in effort and uproot tree around ten (5) EXERT {E{X}ERT*}

18 Silly Vice Admiral drops ace for Putin, perhaps (8) VLADIMIR {VIce+aDMIRAL}*

20 She gets redwood after dropping 28 in forest (8) SHERWOOD {SHE}{RedWOOD}

21 Calculate and exercise (7) WORKOUT [DD]

23 I... I love and feast... (6) IODINE {I}{O}{DINE}

25 The Spanish girl gets name for cricket team (6) ELEVEN {EL}{EVE}{N}

27 A Washington Yankee is out (4) AWAY {A}{WA}{Y}

29 River next to city bank (4) RELY {R}{ELY}

Reference List

Male = M, Charlie = C, Teetotaller = TT, East = E, European = E, Duke = D, Wife = W, Revolutionary = CHE(Guevra), The in French = LE, Dead = D, Book = NT(New Testament), Edward = ED, The in Spanish = EL, Name = N, Yankee = Y, River = R