No 14912, Thursday, 01 Oct 2026, Hypatia

Solution to 28A 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

7   Fan boy dancing around extremely brave girl in main area (3,2,6) BAY OF BENGAL {FAN+BOY}* Over {BravE} and {GAL}

8   Cool stuff kept in kitchen, frequently (3) ICE kItChEn

10 Breakfast food includes deliciously light item for starters (4) IDLI Acrostic

11 Place with bars in state wasting bachelor's time? (5) TIHAR (-b+t)TIHAR

12 Right from list in podcast (4) LIEN Anno pending (Addendum - (~lean) - See comments)

13 In France, good backing the aristocrat (5) NOBLE {BON<=}{LE} 

15 British actors terribly bored by promotion in show (9) BROADCAST {B+ACTORS}* over {AD}

16 Model on magazine / paper (6) TISSUE {T}{ISSUE}

18 Daughter first abandoned strays (6) DRIFTS {D}{FIRST*}

21 Doctor to those having power — a therapist (9) OSTEOPATH {TO+THOSE}* over {P}{A}

23 Categories of nasty pests (5) TYPES [T]

25 Mammals oddly avoided a plant (4) AMLA {mAmMaLs}{A}

26 Fleece customers at the end, after independent portraits (5) ICONS {CON}{c...rS}<={I}

27 Daily plan's incomplete (4) CHAR CHARt

28 Snake vanishing with insect (3) ?S? (Addendum - ASP wASP - See comments)

29 Peril of an important position (4,7) HIGH PROFILE {PERIL+OF}* [RA]

DOWN

1   Style of cooking indoor at spreads (8) TANDOORI*

2   Drive near huge unending desert (4) GOBI {GO}{BIg}

3   Boat capsizing every now and then had to sink (5) ABATE {BoAt<=}{ATE}

4   Secures Emcees (7) ANCHORS {DD]

5   Spooner's simple palm accessory (8) HAIRBAND (~bare hand to hairband)

6   Entrance of conservative church blocked behind (6) ACCESS {C}{CE} in {ASS}

9   Enthusiasm of star ultimately settling in American Hollywood's home (8) ALACRITY {staR} in {A}{LA CITY}

14 Criminal saves gal in Sin City (3,5) LAS VEGAS*

17 Obscene clip shot in retreat (8)  EXPLICIT {EX{CLIP*}IT}

19 Tips from Spooner to understand stories (8) TOENAILS (~know tales to toenails)

20 Decline an award (7) ATROPHY {A}{TROPHY}

22 Almost identical like old inverted triangular snack (6) SAMOSA {SAMe}{AS+O<=}

24 Unlawfully seize using reprobate political leaders! (5) USURP Acrostic &lit

27 Outlet that serves public a few sandwiches (4) CAFE [T]

Reference List

Bachelor = B, Time = T, Good in French = BON, The in French = LE, British = B, Promotion = AD, Model = T, Daughetr = D, Power = P, Independent = I, With = W, Conservative = C, Church = CE, American = A, Old = O

No 14911, Wednesday 30 Sep 2026, Dr. X

Solution to 2D 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

1   Left enthralled by great retired star, most suave (8) GLIBBEST {BI{L}G<=}{BEST}

5   Revealed love to woman in shack (6) SHOWED {SH{O}{W}ED}

10 Champion seen tottering outside retro bar (7) ENDORSE {EN{ROD<=}SE*}

11 Wanting new cultural fair (7) ETHICAL ETHnICAL

12 Aristocrat welcoming a British billionaire (5) NABOB {N{A}{B}OB}

13 Desiring hot girl in T-shirt (9) THIRSTING {G+IN+T+SHIRT}*

14 Facing a difficult situation at home with a sozzled son on cannabis (2,1,5,4) IN A TIGHTSPOT {IN}{A}{TIGHT}{S}{POT}

18 Very small amount of hard cash found in a tattered shirt (5-7) HAIRS-BREADTH {H} and {BREAD} in {A+SHIRT}*

21 Most important law announced (9) PRINCIPAL (~principle)

23 Screw in beam is eroded (5) MISER [T]

24 One who helps in a venture on hill (7) ABETTOR {A}{BET}{TOR}

25 Ecstatic with grand success, breaking record (7) GLOWING {G}{LO{WIN}G}

26 Stud picking up model is Polish officer (6) HETMAN {HE{T}MAN}

27 Dear me! Worried after street gets flooded (8) STREAMED {DEAR+ME}*<=>{ST}

DOWN

1   Environmentalist beginning to embrace English writer (6) GREENE {GREEN}{Em...e}

2   Young socialite entering popular bar is owing money (2,4) I?D?B? (Addendum - IN DEBT  {IN}{DEB}{T} - See comments)

3   Most basic details of babe cavorting with Senhor when husband's away (4,5)  BARE BONES {BABE+SENhOR}*

4   Top actress performed before opening game watched by many (9,5) SPECTATOR SPORT {TOP+ACTRESS}*{PORT}

6   Associate enthralled by hash dances and laughs (2-3) HA-HAS {A} in {HASH}*

7   Native American huts in hamlet on island in a higher position on top of slope (8) WICKIUPS {WICK}{I}{UP}{Sl..e}

8   Assign escort to entertain European member (8) DELEGATE {D{E}{LEG}ATE}

9   Understanding result of opening curtain in the morning (6,8) SEEING DAYLIGHT [DD]

15 Tribal emblem and mysterious tome found in abandoned plot on base (5,4) TOTEM POLE {TOME}* in {PLOT}* on {E}

16 Start to help after wife slipped - has lip and neck injury (8) WHIPLASH {Help}<=>{W} and {HAS+LIP}*

17 Earnest model dieting after gaining pounds (8) DILIGENT {DI{L}IGENT*}

19 Mouth-like opening is unusually moist, filled with pus essentially (6) OSTIUM {OSTI{pUs}M*}

20 Hard after fellow becomes passionless (6) FRIGID {RIGID}<=>{F}

22 Short surplice of Catholic, dressed to a T (5) COTTA {C}{TO+A+T}*

Reference List

Left = L, Woman = W, New = N, British = B, Girl = G, Son = S, Hard = H, Grand = G, Model = T,  Popular = IN, Bar = T,  Husband = H, Island = I, European = E, Base = E, Wife = W, Pounds = L, Fellow = F, Catholic = C