No 14719, Tuesday 17 Feb 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

9   Give explanation that is about having luck mostly at a particular time (9) ELUCIDATE {IE<=} over {LUCk} at {DATE}

10 Please point out stupid mistake (5) LAPSE PLEASe*

11 Paying guest has managed to cause extensive damage (5) PRANG {P{RAN}G}

12 Tack of wind instrument section of orchestra/band (9) WOODSCREW {WOODS}{CREW}

13 Cases about volunteers (7) COFFERS {C}{OFFERS}

15 Spooner's listing disease for medicinal case (7) PILLBOX (~bill pox to pillbox)

17 Officials, not rude masters (5,8) CIVIL SERVANTS {CIVIL}{SERVANTS}

21 Carmaker seen regularly at Shell Centre for a petroleum product (7) BENZENE {BENZ}{{sEeN}{shEll}

22 Love to write diary regularly when school is accessible for all (4,3) OPEN DAY {O}{PEN}{DiArY}

23 It prevents one from being caught with pants down (9) SUSPENDER [CD]

25 Past unfolds before the end of title sequence (5) SPATE {PAST}*{t..lE}

27 A goodbye essentially is about love (5) ADIOS {A}{gooDbye}{I{O}S}

28 Girl without a teetotaller attitude or dullness (9) LASSITUDE {LASS}{attITUDE}

DOWN

1   Starting to value! Could be top-secret! (7) ?E?P?C? 

2   American soil over Russian body (4) DUMA {A}{MUD}<=

3   Bachelor life scribbled in one line (6,4) SINGLE FILE {SINGLE}{LIFE*}

4   Clergy orders lucrative wars right away (6) FATWAS {FAT}{WArS}

5   Spooner's cushion piece is substandard (5,3) BELOW PAR (~pillow bar to below par)

6   Rich mostly have advantage (4) PLUS PLUSh

7   Sanctioned a very quiet con at Enforcement Directorate (10) APPROBATED {A}{PP}{ROB}{AT}{ED}

8   In the middle of wager, with one to ten thousand at opening (7) BETWIXT {BET}{W}{1}{X}{Th...d}

14 Run into monsters in alliance (10) FRIENDSHIP {F{R}IENDS}{HIP}

16 Name dropping Indian tennis legend, second in command (10) LEADERSHIP {LEAnDER}{S}{HIP}

18 Harry eats idly little by little (8) STEADILY*

19 Awful bit, baby's malnourished (7) ABYSMAL [T]

20 Small and petty English cunningly prepared content for printing (7) TYPESET {S+PETTY+E}*

22 Surge at happy hours, around mid-morning! (6) ONRUSH {O{morNing}RUSH*}

24 Quarter of naked monsters (4) EAST bEASTs

26 Gang dudes occasionally give chills and fever (4) AGUE {gAnG+dUdEs}

Reference List

Point = E, About = C, Teetotaller = TT, American = A, Right = R, Very quiet = PP, With = W, Run = R, In = HIP, Name = N, Second = S, Small = S, English =E

No 14718, Monday 16 Feb 2026, Vidwan

Solution to 15A 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 & 4 Time to levitate! Captivating line by poet about love and abandon! (5,9) THROW OVERBOARD {T}{H{ROW}OVER}{B{O}ARD}

4   See 1

9   Men with demode and occasionaly nouveau state (7) MOLDOVA {M}{OLD}{nOuVeAu}

10 Party bet on rich widow (7) DOWAGER {DO}{WAGER}

11 Smell from well-to-do urban centres (5) ODOUR [T]

13 America baptised initially by taking over English ecclesiatic institution (5) ABBEY {A}{Ba...d}{B{E}Y}

15 Irritate less! No to an extent! (3) A?Y (Addendum ANY ANnoY - See comments)

16 Idiot questions king's ousting (3) ASS ASkS

17 A fantastic rent for cavern (5) ANTRE {A}{RENT*}

19 The world is round basically with large spin (5) TWIRL {The}{Wo..d}{Is}{Ro..d}{L}

21 My quest - distilling small time exotic wine (5) YQUEM {YQUEM}*{S+T}=MY QUEST

23 Extra publicity by gangster! (3-2) ADD-ON {AD}{DON}

24 Money in petroleum (3) LEU [HIPS]

25 Use leather to make a case (3) SUE*

26 Live to party endlessly by pool (5) DWELL {Do}{WELL}

28 Hard one put in cryptic grid (5) RIGID {R{1}GID*}

29 Common tin perhaps for vegetarian (7) AVERAGE {AVERAGE+TIN}*=VEGETARIAN

31 British rich flying around on world's busiest airways! (7) BRONCHI {B}{R{ON}CHI*}

33 & 34 Voter list and EC role? Lost all fights! (9,5) ELECTORAL ROLLS* One R less in Fodder

34 See 33

DOWN

1   Passing test mostly or fairly passing now and then (9) TEMPORARY {TEMPt}{OR}{fAiRlY}

2   Cosmetics part reportedly going to derelict son (4-3) ROLL-ONS {(~role)ROLL}{SON*}

3   Seek women's love with love (3) WOO {W}{0}{0}

4   Daydream about holding back President! (5) OBAMA [T<=]

5   Friendship has purpose (3) END [HIPS]

6   Crude criminal giving up diamonds for wife (5) BAWDY BA(-d+w)WDY

7   An Asian at fights for fat Ghanaian (7) AFGHANI  {AFGHANI+AN+AT}*=FAT GHANAIAN

8   Untidy, tidy or finally untidy! (5) DIRTY {TIDY+oR}*

12 Land of honest men (5) REALM {REAL}{M}

14 Rear line (5) BREED [DD]

18 Time to relax or tantalise (5) TEASE {T}{EASE}

19 Ultimately laserjet printer has one inside! (5) TONER {l..eT}{p...eR} over {ONE} &lit

20 The one in Paris, removes water for dirty clothes (9) LAUNDRIES {LA}{UN}{DRIES}

22 Luke playing well occasionally with English guitar (7) UKELELE {LUKE}*{wElL}{E}

24 Judicious native hosted Gandhi on vacation (7) LOGICAL {LO{Ga..hI}CAL}

25 Time for large plan, say (5) STATE S(-l+t)TATE

26 Traded in homemade altarpieces (5) DEALT [T]

27 Progressive artist ignored slander (5) LIBEL LIBEraL

30 Sin in locker room (3) ERR [T]

32 Paddle board on the inside (3) OAR [HIPS]

Reference List

Men = M, Party = DO, America = A, English = E, King = K, Large = L, Small = S, Time = T, British = B, Women = W, Diamonds = D, Wife = W, The and one in French = LA, UN, Artist = RA