No 14669, Friday 19 Dec 2025, Arden

RULES FOR POSTING COMMENTS FOR FRIDAY ONLY

All those who are not regular commenters but who are rookie commenters or silent followers of the blog are requested to post answers with annotations in the comments section. In your own interest please avoid looking up the answers from the interactive version. Don't hesitate to post your annotations, in case you make a mistake in the annotation someone will correct it with the right annotation.

PLEASE NOTE, SOLUTIONS WITHOUT ATTEMPTING THE ANNOTATIONS WILL BE DELETED

Each commenter is requested to post only 5 answers thereby giving others also a chance to participate. Please provide all your answers in one comment.

Regular solvers/Veterans can post 1 answer each, but after 11 AM only.

Thanks for the response, here's the regular blog.

ACROSS

1   Wild cat back-biting workers from company, say (8) REGIMENT {TIGER<=} over {MEN}

5   Start with Buenos Aires randomly in this country (6) SERBIA {Bu...s+AIRES}*

10 Red mark allowed (7) SCARLET {SCAR}{LET}

11 Watch two tennis shots - first missing top line (7) OBSERVE {lOB}{SERVE}

12 Fish eating - Yankee is making it up (5) LYING {L{Y}ING}

13 Silence over hidden past - it's coined for a single occasion (5,4) NONCE WORD {DROWN<=} over {ONCE}

14 Work undone, setter under attack (12) DENOUNCEMENT {UNDONE*}{CEMENT}

18 Unearths true form of a game (8,4) TREASURE HUNT*

21 Follow a genetic code - otherwise amuse to a sickening degree (2,7) AD NAUSEAM {A}{DNA}{AMUSE*}

23 Two points within a point - go back to country (5) BENIN {E}{N} in {NIB<=}

24 A mineral recovered with sun spray... (7) AEROSOL {A}{ORE<=}{SOL}

25 ...brings them together provided that is during sunset (7) UNIFIES {IF}{IE}* in {SUN}*

26 Meets as one finally escapes (6) EVENTS {onE}{VENTS}

27 Borders of cloth, strangely no sign of knots (8) CHIGNONS {ClotH}{NO+SIGNS}*

DOWN

1   Take stock stealthily, find way to break law (6) RUSTLE {RU{ST}LE}

2   Last string on musical instrument strung up for free (6) GRATIS {s...nG}{SITAR<=}

3   Poor Germans accept half lies from those who slander (9) MALIGNERS {MA{LIes}GNERS*}

4   New route, only twice changed? No way! (3,2,4,5) NOT ON YOUR NELLY {N+ROUTE+ONLY+ONLY}*

6   Even extremities, girl will follow (5) ENSUE {EveN}{SUE}

7   Reveals fish inside parallel lines (3,5) BAR CODES {BAR{COD}ES}

8   Account of stake holding, criminal code (8) ANECDOTE {AN{CODE*}TE}

9   Use noun with method - not happy? (4,2,3,5) DOWN IN THE MOUTH*

15 Dignifying good French upbringing, it's evergreen (9) ENNOBLING {BONNE<=}{LING}

16 A salt say grabbing attention (8) STEARATE {ST{EAR}ATE}

17 She feeds babies that are very small, taking turns somehow (3-5) WET-NURSE {WE{TURNS*}E}

19 Could be doing after I get a dye (6) INDIGO {DOING}*<=>{I}

20 Lay up is for awareness (6) GNOSIS {SONG<=}{IS}

22 To end it all, you keep this one, don't be angry (5) UPSET Tail Acrostic

Reference List

Yankee = Y, Points = E,N, New = N, Stake = ANTE, Lay = SONG

No 14668, Thursday 18 Dec 2025, Arden

Solution to 21D 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   Revise possible action leading to clash (11) ALTERCATION {ALTER}{ACTION*}

7   Woman starts speaking of women (3) SOW Acrostic

9   So long for a gold plated cube (5) ADIEU {A{DIE}U}

10 Move to permit one in ten, perhaps (2,7) EN PASSANT {PASS}{AN} in {TEN}*

11 Psychological baggage of one pound - like accepting separate review (9) ALBATROSS {A}{LB}{A{SORT<=}S}

12 Senseless when an invitation is rejected partly (5) INANE [T<=]

13 A pitch to remove nail polish (7) ACETONE {ACE}{TONE}

15 Here and there - again they all end in paradise (4) EDEN Tail Acrostic

18 Crazy over knock out (4) STUN<=

20 Indian army during regular patrols hides weapons (7) ARSENAL {pAtRo{SENA}L}

23 Subject revised within a month (5) OMANI [T<=]

24 Flyer's Irish, wearing old hat (9) PASSERINE {PASS{ERIN}E}

26 Changed mind to take part in club game (9) BADMINTON {BA{MIND*}TON}

27 Small part of golf course in New York (5) TEENY {TEE}{NY}

28 Noise from God dispensing love (3) DIN oDIN

29 Free to recall name - police department retains head (11) EMANCIPATED {NAME<=}{CI{PATE}D}

DOWN

1   Indian politician repeatedly picks up Chinese grass (4-4) AGAR-AGAR {RAGA}{RAGA}<=

2   Strives to save one pound as they go over people's heads (8) TRILBIES {TR{1}{LB}IES}

3   French writer had no power to force people off their slumber (5) ROUST {pROUST} 

4   One on either side - allowing me to raise a plant (7) ANEMONE {AN}{ME<=}{ONE}

5   Stop self confession of an old-fashioned person (7) IMPASSE {I'M}{PASSE}

6   New wine overhead shows bad quality (9) NASTINESS {N}{ASTI}{NESS}

7   Healer is a fake one (6) SHAMAN {SHAM}{AN}

8   Disappear after accompanying the Queen (6) WITHER {WITH}{ER}

14 Nothing good about slight intrusion - it's a precarious situation (2,4,3) ON THIN ICE {O}{N{THIN}ICE}

16 It comes to grip with tragic ending of the poor and destitute (8) INDIGENT {I{ENDING*}T}

17 Favourite looked sad to begin with (4-4) BLUE-EYED {EYED}<=>{BLUE}

19 It's highly inflammable - sleep over with hard hat, perhaps (7) NAPHTHA {NAP}{H}{HAT*}

20 As nice as fantastic run through (7) ARSENIC {NICE+AS}* over {R}

21 Can swing both ways in bar - stop it (6) ?O?B?D (Addendum - FORBID {FOR{BI}D} - See comments)

22 Agree music is uplifting - come again? (6) PARDON {NOD}{RAP}<=

25 Best opening line inside bar (5) ESTOP [T]

Reference List

Cube = DIE, Head = PATE, Power = P, New = N, Head = NESS, Queen = ER, Hard = H, Run = R