Sunday, 24 May 2026

The Hindu Cryptic on Sunday No 57, Sunday 24 May 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
1   Friend confirms as true and talks(8)
5   Churchman tense, perhaps, taking gold(6)
10 Eva is chaperoned to some extent(5)
11 Toy Papa put down before nightshift(9)
12 Poetry collection includes old names(6)
13 Legendary land at end of tunnel is giving shelter to soldier(8)
15 President's joke about sex appeal backfired(5)
17 Equine sounds by boy, our next door resident(9)
19 Something said to wish luck to an actor, but perhaps not to a dancer(5,1,3)
20 Lowest point for king(5)
21 Mom's diet can be bold(8)
23 Cutting loafs and putting in a bit of fresh variety meats(6)
27 Making speed, consumes gin cocktail around 10(9)
28 Afterwards, large rat having energy jumped(5)
29 Most coy literary moneylender loses security device near estate(6)
30 Right drain remodelled by Ohio physicist at first to get a bit of liquid precipitation?(8)

DOWN
1   Things Sherlock Holmes had used by plumbers(5)
2   Gentler to adjust eyeglasses(9)
3   VP's vehicle is in front of church(5)
4   Some peri-peri peppers may be ready to eat(4)
6   Confusing a star, Khan produces lambskin with curled wool(9)
7   What Oliver may do with someone's arm?(5)
8   Hospital employee? May be a government officer...(9)
9   Separate long and narrow elevation for bird(9)
14 A client is strangely rigid(9)
15 Proclaims: "Bar that lady in large part of isle"(9)
16 Sends Ken a design showing nudity(9)
18 Skilled painter of yore turned almost red(3,6)
22 Cluttered eating place at yard(5)
24 Fighter joins Musk to manufacture Su-57 for NATO(5)
25 Belt parts recycled(5)
26 Alcoholics Anonymous covers Greek city(4)

Saturday, 23 May 2026

No 14801, Saturday 23 May 2026, Saral

 ACROSS
7 Coach crossing borders of Ecuador landscape (7) TERRAIN {T{EcuadoR}RAIN}
8 Land for cultivation almost lay bare, abandoned (6) ARABLE {LAy BARE}*
9 Pound meat, mostly simple (6) HAMMER {HAM}{MERe}
10 Enthusiastic joker, say is an unexpected entrant (8) WILDCARD {WILD}{CARD}
11 Think new ad stunned producer in the end (10) UNDERSTAND {AD STUNNED produceR}*
13 Vent in yard somewhat small (4) TINY [T]
14 Originally artistic, perfectly styled ecclesiastical (4) APSE [Acrostic] & Lit
16 Bill controlling instrument's opening sound (5) NOISE {NO{Instrument}SE}
18 Wine in plastic (4) ASTI [HIPS]
19 Traces of shimmering mist outside garage pollution (4) SMOG [Acrostic]
21 Improve finally female, male ratio somehow (10) AMELIORATE {femalE MALE RATIO}*
23 Quiet again possibly outside hotel in city (8) SHANGHAI {SH}+{AGAIN}* outside {H}
25 Escape from leader leaving retreat (6) EGRESS {rEGRESS}
26 Finish shift around noon online (6) VENEER {VEER} around {N}{E}
27 Devilish convict suppressing leaders of undertrial cellmates (7) LUCIFER {LIFER} around {Undertrial}{Cellmates}
DOWN
1 To begin with play two notes before debut (8) PREMIERE {Play}{RE}{MI}{ERE}
2 Ford, perhaps covering head, tailing German troops (8) GARRISON {hARRISON}<=>{G}
3 Blizzard? Initially shovel right away (4) SNOW {Shovel}{NOW}
4 A daughter following dance and song (6) BALLAD {A}{D}<=>{BALL}
5 Post describing company symbol (6) MASCOT {MAS{CO}T}
6 Drink consuming smart music maker (8) CLARINET {CLAR{IN}ET}
7 Mark, say in wagon behind bar (5) TWAIN {WAIN}<=>{T}
12 Amateur moaned aloud? Secretly! (5) ASIDE {A}{SIDE}(~SIGHED)
15 Maybe help a politician with essentially voter notice (8) PAMPHLET {HELP A MP}*{voTer}
17 Proof from new church supporting first lady having papers (8) EVIDENCE {N}{CE}<=>{EV{ID}E}
18 Flier in A-one barge carrying empty car (8) AIRCRAFT {A1}{RAFT} around {CaR}
20 Friend in gang occasionally wheeling goose (6) GANDER {fRiEnD iN gAnG}<
21 Join a discussion from the beginning in this place (6) ADHERE {A}{Discussion}{HERE}
22 Spot a sergeant holding weapon (5) TASER [T]
24 Jobless International director left capital of Europe (4) IDLE {I}{D}{L}{Europe}

REFERENCE LIST
Quiet=Sh, Hotel=H, Noon=N, Online=E, Notes=RE and MI, German=G, Daughter=D, Company=CO, Smart=In, Amateur=A, Politician=MP, New=N, Church=CE, Papers=ID, International=I, Director=D, Left=L.