No 14890, Friday 04 Sep 2026, Pixie Dust

HAPPY  JANMASHTAMI

Artwork by Prasanna

Rangoli by Gowri

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PLEASE NOTE, SOLUTIONS WITHOUT ATTEMPTING THE ANNOTATIONS WILL BE DELETED

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ACROSS

7   Being very new, dropping every second fish (6)

8   Portrait's irritating without moustache essentially (8)

9   Performing star singer is perhaps missing a visitor (8)

10 Extremely exotic resting place! Sweet (6)

11 Cordiality found in Guggenheim? Oh! Nobody was sent back (8)

12 Ten reportedly perished in compound (6)

13 Techie set the ball rolling? (5,3,3)

18 Say Cruise with Jerry's partner making a comeback in 'The Bird' (6)

20 Penny leaving busy airport wearing glasses for a musical (8)

22 Some children nabbed swivelling Jack (6)

23 Do your best backing flower business (8)

24 Skirt around old Buddhist monastery to find power, a measure of it (8)

25 Fun for crook to take flight (6)

DOWN

1   Elocution of contradictions (7)

2   Found a quiet husband or perhaps it's an implied comparison (8)

3   Endless border crowding weird tree (3,3)

4   Elfin repeatedly used safety device? (8)

5   Stupid firm filled with traitors from the beginning (6)

6   Star while cycling around loop puts feet up (7)

8   Can this purist make a mess of proficient stance? (13)

14 Being a main channel gift European currency (8)

15 Preferring first pair of chants over old carol (8)

16 Consequently tourist town in Greece becomes an independent country (7)

17 Spooner's clear displeasure for this part of the body? (7)

19 Car's working? Yes Man! (6)

21 They are scaled but not the first in pecking orders (6)

No 14889, Thursday 03 Sep 2026, Saral

Solution to 18A 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   Linger outside park leading one animal (6) WAPITI {WA{P}IT}{1}

8   Unionist against politician with international group for mediating (8) UMPIRING {U}{MP}{1}{RING}

9   Diplomat arranging mass abroad (10) AMBASSADOR*

10 Voice is regularly suppressed in fights (4) VIES {VoIcE+iS}

11 Plan of regime finally ousting Welsh in new reign possibly (8) ENGINEER {r...mE} in {NEw+REIGN}*

12 Sweet-sounding music for two including originally lovely contralto (6) DULCET {DU{Lo...y}{Co...o}ET}

13 One in French hotel caught with director actively stopping reel continuously (5,3,5) ROUND THE CLOCK {UN}{HOTEL+C+D}* in {ROCK}

16 Minister from new circle (6) CLERIC*

18 Reverend's double course rejected (5,3) R?L?D ?U? 

21 Delay report covering lecture essentially (4) STAY {S{lecTure}AY}

22 Rag this ordinary garden parties perhaps (10) PEDESTRIAN {PEDESTRIAN+RAG}*=GARDEN PARTIES [CA]

23 Old relative in favour of European support (8) FOREBEAR {FOR}{E}{BEAR}

24 Upset Republican bumping boxer's head in combat (6) RATTLE (+r-b)RATTLE

DOWN

1   Son to get cut nut for swimmer (6) SALMON {S}{ALMONd}

2   Note: Butter is used primarily in dessert (8) TIRAMISU {TI}{RAM}{IS}{Used}

3   Paper from government issued (6) TISSUE [T]

4   Irregular distribution of aid blocking yields in return (8) SPORADIC {AID}* in {CROPS<=}

5   Tour starts to take relatives around various enjoyable locations (6) TRAVEL Acrostic

6   King, born idiot giving reaction without thinking (4-4) KNEE-JERK {K}{NEE}{JERK}

8   Without being detected abused a thread run about the German (5,3,5) UNDER THE RADAR {A+THREAD+RUN}* over {DER}

13 Maybe sister in joy backing brother in the end (8) RELATION {ELATION}<=>{b...eR}

14 Crack and lit heroin piece inhaled by doctor (8) DECIPHER {H+PIECE}* in {DR}

15 Tough to persuade bud sadly controlled by old judge (8) OBDURATE {O}{BUD*}{RATE}

17 Verses in religious education listing chants ignoring number (6) RHYMES {RE} over {HYMnS} How does E go in?

17 Verses basically rehearsed by English soprano after short chant (6) RHYMES {Re...d} and {E}{S}<=>{HYMn} - Clue edited based on request from Saral.

19 Again chase passion and shine (6) LUSTRE {RE}<=>{LUST}

20 Working in underpass initially dark (6) USABLE {Un...s}{SABLE}

Reference List

Park = P, Unionist = U, International = I, Welsh = W, One in French = UN, Caught = C, Director = D, European = E, Republican = R, Son = S, Note = TI, King = K, Born = NEE, The in German = DER, Heroin = H, Old = O, Religious education = RE, Number = N, English = E, Soprano = S, Again = RE